Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Intersection Illumination – Collision Correlation: How Does Street Lighting Affect Roadway Safety?, Josh R. Pinchek

Aurora

Understanding the relationship between roadway intersection safety and street lighting is essential to developing effective intersection lighting standards. This study uses data from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Accident Databases (1 million+ accidents over 10 years) to explore the relationship between street lamps and accident occurrence via comparative statistics. Accident occurrence ratios, calculated based upon seasonally categorized, time-matched accident data are compared and reported with and without artificial lighting as a variable.

The results of the study indicate that artificial lighting is an important factor on accident rate occurrence via a correlation between lighting and roadway safety, guiding the …

Lead In Drinking Water And The Effectiveness Of Point-Of-Use Filtration, Donald Hopper

Honors Theses

Lead in drinking water has been proven harmful to human health and is an ongoing problem in the state of Mississippi. The goal of this thesis is to analyze lead contamination data in Mississippi, its implications, and possible short-term solutions for remediation. This was done through community outreach events and voluntary sampling in the Jackson, MS area, analyzing published data from the Mississippi State Department of Health, and conducting controlled sampling and testing in Lafayette County, MS.

Community engagement events were executed in which researchers informed citizens in the Jackson, MS area about the impacts of lead in drinking water …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2020, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Beaver Creek Restorative Design Using Engineering In Nature, Lindsay M. Levatino

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Stream restoration work can be instrumental for the wellbeing of an ecosystem. Located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia is Beaver Creek, a well-known spot for fly-fishing due to its pristine water conditions and open surroundings. In order to maintain these conditions, a 100-foot stretch of Beaver Creek needed to be restored to prevent further erosion, stabilize the banks, and enhance the natural habitats. The project involved excavating a sediment island, filling in an eroded bank, building a cross vane, and adding stakes. Local stakeholders came together to complete this project contributing their expertise, equipment, and time. The construction was …

Forecasting The Gas Fluiding Process Deposits With Application Of The Universal Regression Model, Sh.Zh. Mirboboev, Z.A. Razykov, S.K. Sokhoshko, Yu. Sultonov

Gorniy vestnik Uzbekistana

This article discusses mathematical methods for predicting the degree of flooding of gas deposits using the Universal regression model, using the example of actual data from observation wells of the Yamburgskoye oil and gas condensate field.

2-D Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis Of Folsom Dam: Seismically Induced Separation And Pore Pressure Along The Soil-Concrete Interface, Grace Amoussou

Master of Science in Civil Engineering Theses

The seismic soil-concrete interface stability of composite dams has been an area of interest to many researchers. However, the true interface behavior during a seismic event has not been well understood. During a ground shaking, bonding and de-bonding action along the interface may cause significant separation of soil and concrete surfaces, and such a separation may take place at any depth along the interface creating a stability concern for the overall dam. Moreover, the repetitive nature of bonding/debonding behavior may induce excess pore pressure along the interface, which in turn, may trigger a liquefaction failure or a hydraulic fracture in …

Quantitative Assessment Of Contested Water Uses And Management In The Conflict-Torn Yarmouk River Basin, Nicolas Avisse, Amaury Tilmant, David E. Rosenberg, Samer Talozi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The Yarmouk River basin is shared between Syria, Jordan, and Israel. Since the 1960s, Yarmouk River flows have declined more than 85% despite the signature of bilateral agreements. Syria and Jordan blame each other for the decline and have both developed their own explanatory narratives: Jordan considers that Syria violated their 1987 agreement by building more dams than what was agreed on, while Syria blames climate change. In fact, because the two countries do not share information, neither on hydrological flows nor on water management, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic factors affecting the flow regime. …

Integrating Hydrologic Modeling Web Services With Online Data Sharing To Prepare, Store, And Execute Hydrologic Models, Tian Gan, David G. Tarboton, Pabitra Dash, Tseganeh Z. Gichamo, Jeffery S. Horsburgh

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Web based applications, web services, and online data and model sharing technology are becoming increasingly available to support hydrologic research. This promises benefits in terms of collaboration, computer platform independence, and reproducibility of modeling workflows and results. In this research, we designed an approach that integrates hydrologic modeling web services with an online data sharing system to support web-based simulation for hydrologic models. We used this approach to integrate example systems as a case study to support reproducible snowmelt modeling for a test watershed in the Colorado River Basin, USA. We demonstrated that this approach enabled users to work within …

Experimental And Numerical Comparison Of Flexural Capacity Of Light Gage Cold Formed Steel Roof Deck, Christopher H. Raeel, Dawid Gwozdz

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

This paper presents an analysis of experimental data and compares it to two numerical analysis methods of light gage cold formed steel roof deck. The flexural capacity was determined upon the first failure mode of the light gage cold formed steel roof deck. A comparison of the experimental data was made to both the effective width method and the direct strength method. The objective of the comparison was to have a physical test provide the actual behavior of the light gage cold formed steel roof deck and grade how well the numerical analysis, effective width and direct strength methods, compare …

Evaluation Of Bridge Decks With Overlays Using Impact Echo, A Deep Learning Approach, Sattar Dorafshan, Hoda Azari

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, the feasibility of using deep learning models (DLMs) for evaluation of bridges with overlay systems is investigated. Several laboratory-made concrete specimens with artificial subsurface defects and overlay systems (bonded and debonded) made of cement and asphalt overlay materials were tested using impact echo (IE). One-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were developed, trained, and tested on the IE data. The proposed 1D CNN was the most successful in detecting debonding and subsurface defects; it achieved an average accuracy of 0.68 on the cement overlay specimens and 0.58 for asphalt overlay specimens. Maps of the …

Antimicrobial Resistance Needs To Be Combated At Primary Levels Of Prevention By Nurses, Sarah Oerther, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

On The Seismic Performance Of Skewed Special Moment Frame Reduced Beam Section Connections, Damaso Daniel Dominguez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Special Moment Frames (SMFs) are frequently used in high seismic areas for architecturally constrained designs, as they provide lateral system stiffness without the use of braces which often obstruct views and architectural features. Reduced beam section (RBS) connections are popular SMF connection details developed following the Northridge earthquake to limit brittle fractures within connection welds. Current American Institute of Steel Construction (ASIC) provisions (i.e. AISC 341-16) provide prequalified SMF RBS connection details (including welding requirements); however, all prequalified details only consider orthogonal connections between the beam and column. This dissertation investigates the effect of adding skew within SMF RBS connections …

Development Of Vs Profiles And Site Periods In The Mexico City Basin, Landon Joel Woodfield

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study presents dynamic site characterization measurements at 25 sites within the Mexico City Basin. The primary focus of the testing was along the western edge of the Mexico City Basin. At each site, active source Multi-channel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) arrays and passive source Microtremor Array Measurements (MAM) L-arrays and circular arrays were used to acquire dispersion data. Horizontal to Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) data was collected to determine site periods at each location. These experimental dispersion data and site periods were fit using a joint inversion of Rayleigh and Love wave dispersion data and HVSR site period …

Numerically Modeling Steel Continuous Bridges For Early Age Concrete Deck Cracking, Abdul Aziz Nabil Salah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Early age bridge deck cracking is a common problem throughout the United States. Early age cracking develops shortly after the deck is poured. It reduces the serviceability and lifespan of bridges. Early age cracking can be typically attributed to either of two factors, 1) construction practices, and 2) shrinkage. The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) has experienced early age bridge deck cracking. ARDOT currently specifies a sequence deck pour on most of their bridges; however, contractors prefer continuous deck pours because of ease and construction time. During the period of this TRC1903 research project, ARDOT has only approved a few …

Numerical Simulations Of Spread Foundations Supported On Stone Columns Using The Discrete Element Method, Anibal Enrique Santos Marin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of stone columns as a ground improvement technique has become more popular in geotechnical construction practice as a result of their ability to improve strength, stiffness and permeability characteristics of weak clayey soil deposits. There are several analytical and empirical approaches to estimate the bearing capacity of stone column foundation systems; however, there is notable variation in the performance of these existing methods when compared with full-scale experimental results. For very weak cohesive soils (i.e., undrained shear strength less than 15 kPa), the use of conventional stone columns becomes restricted because of the insufficient confinement that these types …

Best Practices For Asphalt Emulsion Particle Size Analyses Using A Coulter Counter, Logan P. Kiihnl

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As asphalt pavements develop distresses, pavement preservation, maintenance, and rehabilitation treatments are used to mitigate distresses and extend the life of the pavement. Many of these treatments utilize asphalt emulsion. Previous research has linked particle size to material properties including viscosity and storage stability. General statements have also been made about particle size influencing emulsion performance while other researchers have identified a trend between particle size and prime coat penetration. Even though literature discusses the importance of particle size, there is little guidance on the best practices of asphalt emulsion particle size analyses, specifically with a Coulter counter.

Data collected …

Development Of Multi-Axial Fatigue Retrofits For Lock Gate Components, Logan Verkamp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lock gates are essential infrastructure components to the United State (US) supply chain. They create large cost savings and environmental benefits when compared with traditional methods of transport (freight and rail). Because of the large quantity of goods and dependence on these shipping chains, the US economy can be drastically affected by an unexpected gate closure. Unfortunately, many lock gates within the US have reached or exceeded their designed life. Due to the intensity of cyclic loads and the environment, fatigue cracks have become a prominent issue. Developed cracks near the pintle region (a joint which the gate rotates and …

Experimental And 3d Finite Element Analyses Of Invert-Removed Circular Corrugated Metal Pipe Culverts Renewed With Polymer Spray-Applied Pipe Lining, Samrat Raut

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Corrugated metal pipes (CMPs) are one of the widely used culvert structures in the American highway system. Compared to other types of culverts, CMPs have shorter design life, and many CMP culverts have reached or exceeded their design life. Therefore, renewal or replacement of those CMPs is needed to ensure the safety and service of the highways. Since replacements of these culverts are costly, renewalis less costly and has been on the focus in this decade. Different rehabilitation methods have been proposed by different DOTs and the researchers from open-cut methods to trenchless technology. Since open-cut methods disturb the operation …

Flexural Load Capacity Of Heat-Treated Concrete Mixed With Recycled Glass Aggregate And Glass Pozzolan, Enrique Gonzalez Tapia

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This research focuses on determining the effects of adding glass aggregate and glass pozzolan to concrete that has been exposed to high temperatures. Previous work, based on finding the recommended proportions of recycled components for optimum results, was done to analyze the effects of adding recycled glass components to concrete. Based on those studies, a replacement ratio of 30% glass aggregates and 20% glass pozzolan was used in this project. The compressive strength of concrete has been extensively studied and has been shown to increase in strength when glass components are used in their correct proportions. Less research has been …

Experimental Study Of Flexural Behavior Of Preflex Sfrc-Encased Steel Joist Composite Beams, Niraj Narendra Bankatlal Bora

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This study investigates the behavior of encased steel composite beams in straight and preflex beams, constructed and tested at Civil Engineering Laboratory Building (CELB). Upwards camber is provided in the steel sections in steel angles and HSS tube in the composite beam encased in Steel fibers reinforced concrete (SFRC). Experimental procedure has been performed to study the flexural behavior of composite steel joists encased in SFRC. Compressive strength, tensile strength and modulus of rupture are computed. The physical properties of steel fiber reinforced concrete are calculated through testing at the UTA Civil Engineering Laboratory Building. Eighteen cylindrical (4”x8”) specimens, eighteen …

Numerical Investigation Of Concrete Breakout Strength Of Anchors In Shear Within Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Yash Hitendrakumar Patel

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This study investigates the numerical analysis of concrete breakout strength of cast in place anchors in shear within synthetic fiber reinforced concrete (SYN-FRC). A three dimensional, full-scale model was developed using the ABAQUS 6.14 software. The 3D solid elements with consideration of material nonlinearities were chosen to stimulate the SYN-FRC beam anchorage. The numerical analysis was conducted with a fixed loading rate of 300lb per step to obtain the behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete breakout with design-mix compressive strength of 4,000 psi and fiber volume fraction of 0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%. An inverse analysis was used to calibrate the material …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Structures Subjected To Internal Explosion, Nikhil Vasant Moon

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This research investigates the effect of an accidental explosion of a steam boiler in a boiler room on steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) structure in an industrial facility, using nonlinear analysis in ABAQUS FEA software. The mechanical properties of SFRC are calculated through testing at the UTA Civil Engineering Laboratory Building. Steel fiber dosages in concrete at different volume fractions are examined for the mechanical properties of concrete. In total, 9 (4” x 8”) cylindrical specimens for compressive strength and modulus of elasticity test, 9 (4” x 8”) cylindrical specimens for tensile strength test, and 9 (6” x 6” x …

A Method For Uncertainty Managementin Life Cycle Assessment Studies –A Tiered-Hybrid Case Study Of An Irish Construction Project, Deidre Wolff

Doctoral

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) quantifies the potential environmental impact of a product system throughout its life cycle from raw material extraction, production, manufacture, use and maintenance through to final disposal. The results from LCA studies are often used to support decision-making processes andpolicy development. LCA is conducted in four iterative steps, beingGoal and Scope definition, Life Cycle InventoryAnalysis (LCI), Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA), andInterpretation. The guidelines for each step are provided in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, ISO 14040:2006 and 14044:2006. Uncertainty arises in all steps of an LCA,yet the propagation and reporting of these uncertainties is …

Susceptibility Assessment Of Bank And Floodplain Erosion In Stream Restoration Using A Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic., Fereshteh Noorbakhsh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the design of stream restorations, boundary shear stress (shear stress) and velocity during high flow events are the key parameters in the assessment of the risk of morphological failure associated with channel bank and bed erosion and sediment transport. The use of two-dimensional hydrodynamic models (2D Models) is becoming more common to estimate critical shear stress and velocity for stream restoration projects. These models can give detailed distribution of shear stress and velocity over floodplain surfaces and channel. Obtaining reliable and correct estimates of stress and velocity require an accurate digital terrain model, estimates of input flows at the …

Potential Of Existing And Proposed Bicycle Facilities To Link Multiple Origin And Destination Needs For Non-Motorized Travel In San Luis Obispo, Sheridan Nansen

City and Regional Planning

The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of linking multiple origins and destinations for efficient non-motorized travel in San Luis Obispo, California. The city currently has seventy-five miles of bicycle infrastructure with the intention to add thirty-five more miles to create a more functional bicycle network and foster an increase in bicycle trips taken.

Many cities in the United States are following their European counterparts in the push towards more sustainable forms of transportation by promoting bicycling, walking, and the use of public transit. Recently, we have seen an increase in both local and national legislative efforts …

Bike And Pedestrian Safety Planning: Excelsior/Outer Mission District, Alexandra Lee-Gardner

City and Regional Planning

San Francisco’s Outer Mission and Excelsior districts host a vibrant community of small business owners and residents from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. The neighborhood is known for its diversity and sense of community. However, lack of adequate infrastructure and high-speed roadways has created great safety concerns within the community. In the last five years, the Excelsior/Outer Mission area had 828 collisions, nine of which were fatal (Transbase, n.d.). San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has identified nearly 14 miles of streets in the project area that are on the City’s high injury network, meaning collisions there are highly …

Extracellular Matrix Disparities In An Nkx2-5 Mutant Mouse Model Of Congenital Heart Disease, Deanna Bousalis, Christopher S. Lacko, Nora Hlavac, Fariz Alkassis, Rebecca A. Wachs, Sahba Mobini, Christine E. Schmidt, Hideko Kasahara

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects almost one percent of all live births. Despite diagnostic and surgical reparative advances, the causes and mechanisms of CHD are still primarily unknown. The extracellular matrix plays a large role in cell communication, function, and differentiation, and therefore likely plays a role in disease development and pathophysiology. Cell adhesion and gap junction proteins, such as integrins and connexins, are also essential to cellular communication and behavior, and could interact directly (integrins) or indirectly (connexins) with the extracellular matrix. In this work, we explore disparities in the expression and spatial patterning of extracellular matrix, adhesion, and …

Investigation Of Driver License Issuance Alternatives, Steven Andrew Martin, Abraham Najarzadeh, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study develops an alternative model for issuing driver licenses and personal identifications in Kentucky. Under the current model, most licenses are distributed by circuit court clerks at 142 offices across the state while the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) provides central and regional support for specific license types. Given the cumbersome administrative structure and impending REAL ID requirements, both circuit clerks and KYTC administrators would like to explore an alternative distribution model. Researchers at the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) projected the costs of transitioning from the current issuance model to a centralized DMV model where licenses are distributed at 18 …

Validating A Finite Element Model With Ansys Workbench For Isotruss® Structures Subject To Uniaxial Compression, Hanna B. Opdahl

Utah Space Grant Consortium

The purpose of this study is to develop, verify, and validate a finite element (FE) model of IsoTruss® structures subject to uniaxial compression. The FE model is implemented in ANSYS WorkBench and verified using axial stiffness and critical buckling loads that are derived from traditional mechanics. The buckling failure modes include global buckling and local bay buckling. The predictions from the FE model and mechanics calculations are validated by experimental data generated in preceding studies. Results indicate that the effective material modulus is highly affected by variations in manufacturing. Adjustment factors are applied to the nominal material properties to accurately …

Economic Analysis Of Productivity In The Irish Construction Sector, Kpmg, Fac, Róisín Murphy Dr, Avril Behan

Reports

Important strides to enhance productivity in the construction sector have been taken by both industry and Government in recent years. However, a collaborative, sectoral wide strategy to drive further increases in productivity is required, with the coordinated participation of all stakeholders across the full life cycle of a project. This report, commissioned by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), produced by KPMG and Future Analytics Consulting Ltd. (FAC) and peer reviewed by TU Dublin, aims to understand and address the reasons for low levels of productivity in the Irish construction sector and identify specific recommendations and actions that …