Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Developing A Robotic Simulator And Video Games For Professional And Public Training, Sushil Louis

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Civil engineers are not educated with robotics. They need to be trained on the job with effective tools. The most recent simulation trainer that the PI has built is currently being used by the United States Navy to train surface warfare officers in decision making under stress. In a crowded in-port environment, the crew on a ship’s bridge is trained to probe and identify suspicious boat behavior within the port’s traffic pattern. Officers in charge of the simulation training lesson use software for high-level control of dozens of other ships, boats, and aircrafts that quickly react and adapt to the …

Quantitative Bridge Inspection Ratings Using Autonomous Robotic Systems, Anil Agrawal

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

The 2001 study sponsored by FHWA raised serious concern on the consistency and reliability of visual inspection. Although consistent ratings can be obtained with a good QA/QC program, based on a recent study by the PI, the concern for reliability of defect detection remains. With the adoption of the recent AASHTO Manuel for Bridge Element Inspection, the new inspection approach not only requires rating for bridge elements, but also the location and extent of deterioration. Since autonomous robotic systems generate an enormous amount of inspection data, deducing from the data to a simple rating along with the location and extent …

3d Microwave Camera For Concrete Delamination And Steel Corrosion Detection, R. Zoughi

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Corrosion of embedded steel reinforcement in concrete leads to concrete cracking and delamination, followed by increased salt and moisture permeation and further damage. Invisibility of the embedded rebar in combination with physical inaccessibility in elevated bridges presents a challenge in the assessment of RC bridge elements. Wideband (3D) microwave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging techniques that can be integrated into a UAV offer a practical solution to overcome this challenge.

This project aims to develop and optimize a 3D microwave camera for bridge inspection on a UAV platform, quantify its performance for steel corrosion evaluation and concrete delamination detection in …

Hyperspectral Image Analysis For Mechanical And Chemical Properties Of Concrete And Steel Surfaces, Genda Chen

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from approximately 400 to 700 nm. A hyperspectral camera can extend the wavelength to as high as 2500 nm. This extension will allow engineers to find objects, identify materials, and detect processes on structural surface, which cannot be done with visual inspection.

This project aims to develop an open-source catalogue of concrete and steel surfaces and their spectral/spatial features (discoloration, characteristic wavelength, roughness, texture, shape, etc.), extract spatial/spectral features of hyperspectral images, and develop/train a multi-class classification or regression classifier through machine learnings (supervised and/or semi-supervised), and validate the classifier as a …

Autonomous Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement By A Magnet-Wheeled Robot, Yang Wang

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

A wireless sensing device recently developed by PI Wang’s group has demonstrated various structural sensing capabilities for bridge applications. In the meantime, a latest robot platform developed by Dr. La’s group at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) demonstrates promising performance navigating on steel bridge members. Marrying the two state-of-the-art developments, this project will produce a magnet-wheeled robot capable of autonomous nondestructive measurement on steel bridge structures. Both laboratory and field validations will be performed.

This project will integrate advanced wireless sensing technologies to the UNR robot platform. At first, the functionality of ultrasonic thickness measurement will be developed on …

In-Line Long Period Grating And Brillouin Scattering Fiber Optic Sensors For Strain, Temperature, Chloride Concentration, And Steel Mass Loss Measurement In Bridge Applications, Chuanrui Guo

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

Corrosion is the main reason for costly maintenance of aging transportation infrastructure in the U.S. Since 2008, the PI’s group has developed long period fiber grating (LPFG) sensors for point strain and steel mass loss measurements. When attached on a steel bar, a LPFG sensor doped with nano iron/silica particles and polyurethane can monitor the corrosion process of steel. However, the coating of particles with polyurethane was not robust. In addition, chloride concentration is important for the prediction of early corrosion in practice. Compared to grating sensors, Brillouin scattering based sensors have lower spatial resolution but offer a cost-effective solution …

2020 Technical Program, Inspire - University Transportation Center

INSPIRE-UTC Annual Meetings

INSPIRE University Transportation Center 2020 Annual Meeting
August 3-4, 2020

Gas Component Transport Across The Soil-Atmosphere Interface For Gases Of Different Density: Experiments And Modeling, L. M. Bahlmann, K. M. Smits, K. Heck, E. Coltman, R. Helmig, I. Neuweiler

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

We investigate the influence of near-surface wind conditions on subsurface gas transport and on soil-atmosphere gas exchange for gases of different density. Results of a sand tank experiment are supported by a numerical investigation with a fully coupled porous medium-free flow model, which accounts for wind turbulence. The experiment consists of a two-dimensional bench-scale soil tank containing homogeneous sand and an overlying wind tunnel. A point source was installed at the bottom of the tank. Gas concentrations were measured at multiple horizontal and vertical locations. Tested conditions include four wind velocities (0.2/1.0/2.0/2.7 m/s), three different gases (helium: light, nitrogen: neutral, …

Investigation Of Modeling Strategies For Slender Lightly Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls, Jenna Marie Williams, Tracy Destiny Doan

Architectural Engineering: Graduate Reports

A large number of pre-1980’s non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) structures in California utilizing RC shear walls to resist seismic lateral forces have been identified as deficient by industry practitioners. These non-ductile wall systems are typically lightly reinforced and lack adequate boundary element detailing. Analytical studies suggest these walls are susceptible to brittle, compression-controlled failure modes due to damage from concrete crushing and bar buckling. Furthermore, poor behavior of lightly reinforced concrete walls was observed in many recent earthquakes, for example in Chile (1985), New Zealand (2010/2011) and Mexico (2017). This has generated concern among engineers in high seismic regions around …

Microstructural And Mechanical Properties Of Alkali Activated Slag Concrete, Vighnesh Nayak

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Application Of Artificial Intelligence In The Design Of Pre-Engineered Buildings, Moahammed Sarthaz

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Theses and Dissertations

Steel structures are widely growing in construction industry because of the low cost and time reduction in construction of a structure. Pre-engineered buildings, popularly known as PEB are Structures or components engineered at factory and then assembled at site. Computers have become indispensible in design offices because of their overall operation speed in design process. Designing in software helps reduce the design time and costs of project, if designers are well trained to use the software designs. The objective of this thesis is to develop nomograms for member end forces of single bay portal PEB frame by machine learning concept. …

Accidental Torsion Effects On Buildings, Lakshmi M

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Theses and Dissertations

Accidental torsion is an important parameter that should be taken into account while designing structures. Torsion created because of the eccentricity between centre of mass and centre of stiffness that arises as a result of asymmetry in buildings is called as inherent torsion. Accidental torsion accounts for Non-uniform distribution of mass, stiffness and strength parameters which results in additional eccentricity which ultimately causes the building to rotate under seismic action and they have caused severe damage or collapse of structures in several past earthquakes. In the present study, response of structure due to accidental eccentricity is established by analyzing a …

"Behavior Of Transmission Tower With Diaphragm System To The Wind Load And The Settlement Of Support Forces", Santosh M. Nayak

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, with the increasing demands on electric power supply, it is very important to enhance the safety of power transmission line. Hence, considerable efforts have been made by different researchers to investigate the behaviour of power transmission towers under different loading and environmental conditions. One of the main cause for the failure of transmission tower is the strong wind load acting on the tower. Another reason for failure of the tower is settlement of support. The ground settlement will cause the incline of tower and distortion of tower leg, which will influence the capacity of towers suffering from …

"Effect Of Modelling Podium Structure On The Overall Behaviour Of The Strcture In A Tall Building", Aditya Sehgal

Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Theses and Dissertations

Podium surrounding tower walls are often widely preferred for multifaceted functionality of tall buildings. Horizontal offset buildings constitute a class of structures that are particularly prone to in-plane floor deformation and torsion occurring simultaneously. It is found from previous studies that podium can impose significant differential restraint on coupled tower walls. Amongst the different structural systems that are adopted world over, diaphragm with rigid and semi-rigid floor plate are adopted widely in the analysis. This research focuses on the backstay effect i.e. podium structural interaction with the tower area and consideration of retaining wall on all four sides and retaining …

Accuracy Comparison Of Aerial Lidar, Mobile-Terrestrial Lidar, And Uav Photogrammetric Capture Data Elevations Over Different Terrain Types, Mandar Khanal, Mahamudul Hasan, Nikolaus Sterbentz, Ryen Johnson, Jesse Weatherly

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lidar and other remotely sensed data such as UAV photogrammetric data capture are being collected and utilized for roadway design on an increasing basis. These methods are desirable over conventional survey due to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness over large areas. A high degree of relative accuracy is achievable through the establishment of survey control. In this case study, elevations (z-values) derived from mobile-terrestrial lidar, aerial lidar, and UAV photogrammetric capture collected with survey control were statistically compared to conventionally surveyed elevations. A cost comparison of the methods is also included. Each set of z-values corresponds to a discrete horizontal point …

Impacts Of Beaver Dams On Mountain Stream Discharge And Water Temperature, Timothy R. Clark

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Beaver dam complexes have been shown to affect the hydrologic processes controlling river systems. These processes include surface and groundwater exchanges, water chemistry and temperature variations, and river discharge magnitudes. Majerova et al. (2015) explored the effects of beaver dams on surface and groundwater exchanges and water temperature by evaluating three years of water discharge and temperature data recorded at multiple locations within a small stream in northern Utah. They found that beaver dams increase the water surface elevation and force water into the floodplain resulting in increased inundation and groundwater recharge. They additionally found that beaver dams increase residence …

Quantitative Analysis Of The Impacts Of Out-Of-Sequence Work On Project Performance, Michael W. Ibrahim, Awad S. Hanna, Jeffrey S. Russell, Ibrahim S. Abotaleb, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although out-of-sequence work (OOS) is often cited as a recurring challenge that impacts project performance, it has not been fully addressed in the existing literature as a standalone topic. This paper addresses this gap, defining OOS work as an activity or series of activities that was not performed according to baseline planned logical productive sequencing. By developing a project-based survey and contacting 300 professionals, extensive data were gathered from 42 projects. Using these data, the impacts of OOS were examined. It was found that, on average, approximately 15% of project activities are performed as OOS, resulting in 33% growth in …

Differences In Soil Water Changes And Canopy Temperature Under Varying Water × Nitrogen Sufficiency For Maize, Tsz Him Lo, Daran Rudnick, Kendall C. Dejonge, Geng Bai, Hope Njuki Nakabuye, Abia Katimbo, Yufeng Ge, Trenton E. Franz, Xin Qiao, Derek M. Heeren

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Crop nitrogen (N) status is known to affect crop water status and crop water use. To investigate further the N effects on soil water changes and on canopy temperature, three water levels × four N levels were imposed on two growing seasons of maize in west central Nebraska, USA. Soil water changes were measured using a neutron probe, whereas canopy temperature was measured using infrared thermometers on a ground-based mobile platform. At all water levels, soil water losses over monthlong intervals were generally greater as N levels increased. Given equal water levels, early afternoon canopy temperatures were usually lower with …

Quantifying Shallow Depth Concrete Delaminations Using Impact Echo, Mantaka Mahjabin Momo

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Delamination is a type of deterioration commonly found in concrete structures. It may form due to corrosion of embedded steel, poor construction, excessive vibration, or lack of bonding in composite construction. Impact echo (IE) is a simple and straightforward non-destructive testing (NDT) technique that is used to detect the presence and extent of delamination within concrete structures. It is capable of detecting its presence of delaminations in deep depths, but cannot accurately measure the defects that are near the surface. This phenomenon occurs due to the differences in the vibration modes of deep and shallow depth delaminations. The objective of …

Durability And Prediction Of Long-Term Performance Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Cfrp) Laminates Under Environmental Conditions, Eyad Alsuhaibani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Strengthening deteriorated concrete structures with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) has been widely validated through laboratory experiments and field tests. Questions and concerns persist related to the CFRP’s long-term performance and service life, however, thus the main objective of this research was to evaluate its durability under various environmental conditions. This research is divided into four distinct phases. In the first phase, the deterioration trends of CFRP laminate under environmental regimes were evaluated after immersion in water at 23, 45, and 60 °C for periods up to 32 weeks. In the second phase, four prediction models of the long-term performance …

Sorption-Mediated Chemical Processes For The Versatile Treatment Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Complex Media, Naomi Gevaerd De Souza

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In recent years, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have gained notoriety due to environmental and health concerns. These molecules are chemically stable which contributes to their persistence in biological systems and their increased detections in surface waters. Treatment of highly persistent PFAS has been a challenging but significant task. The most practical technique for removal of PFAS is through adsorption onto granular activated carbon (GAC) or other novel materials. Meanwhile, PFAS are resistant to simple oxidation, and although decomposition of specific PFAS has been reported through advanced oxidation technologies, often energy-intense technologies capable of generating electrons such as ultraviolet radiation, …

Evaluation Of Long Term Durability In Concrete With External Pre-Saturated Cfrp Laminate, Ramya Anandhan

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Many studies have investigated the use of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) wraps to strengthen structural members, but there is limited literature on the application of presaturated CFRP wraps on reinforced concrete members. The main objective of this research is to study the long-term effectiveness of presaturated CFRP wraps in preventing corrosion of reinforced concrete specimens in severe environments. This paper presents numerical and experimental studies that were conducted to determine whether CFRP presaturated wraps provide a barrier against the ingress of chloride and permeability of water into concrete and thereby decelerate the corrosion process. The results show that the …

An Experimental Study Of Coupled Thermo-Hydro Behavior In Unsaturated Soil, Nice Kaneza

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Understanding unsaturated soils in response to the impact of temperature will better predict the performance of geo-structures that extract and inject underground heat. Previous studies have shown that heat and water in unsaturated soil affect the movement of each other and that thermal gradients are responsible for the migration of water and thermal properties. Therefore, it is essential to study the coupling behavior of thermal and hydraulic (TH) processes to analyze the distribution of moisture and thermal properties of unsaturated soil. These processes are transient and difficult to examine in the field. In addition, there is a lack of laboratory …

Data Quality And Reliability Assessment Of Wearable Emg And Imu Sensor For Construction Activity Recognition, Srikanth Sagar Bangaru, Chao Wang, Fereydoun Aghazadeh

Faculty Publications

The workforce shortage is one of the significant problems in the construction industry. To overcome the challenges due to workforce shortage, various researchers have proposed wearable sensor-based systems in the area of construction safety and health. Although sensors provide rich and detailed information, not all sensors can be used for construction applications. This study evaluates the data quality and reliability of forearm electromyography (EMG) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) of armband sensors for construction activity classification. To achieve the proposed objective, the forearm EMG and IMU data collected from eight participants while performing construction activities such as screwing, wrenching, lifting, …

Transient Seepage And Slope Stability Analysis In Partially Saturated Earthen Dam, Puneet Bhaskar

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The problem of slope stability in earthen dams is a major concern to geotechnical engineers. Traditionally, the seepage through embankments and other geotechnical structures is estimated using hydraulic properties of saturated soil. In most of the cases, the soil is not fully saturated and use of saturated soil properties can lead to erroneous results. The reliable assessment of slope stability needs comprehensive characterization of both unsaturated and saturated hydraulic properties of soil. The coefficient of permeability is a key hydraulic property in solving any flow related problem in geotechnical engineering. The permeability coefficient of unsaturated soil is usually estimated using …

Development Of A Structural Design Methodology For Polymeric Spray Applied Pipe Linings, Zahra Kohankar Kouchesfehani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Buried culverts are important components of the highway infrastructure. Most large culverts are built decades ago from corrugated metal or reinforced concrete materials and now have reached their design lives. Trenchless renewal techniques can be utilized to enhance load carrying capacity of the existing deteriorated culverts and provide them a new design life. Spray applied pipe lining (SAPL) is a trenchless renewal methodology to renew damaged pipes and culverts by applying layers of liner on the interior surface of the deteriorated host culvert. The development of practical spray applied pipe linings could be of enormous benefit to the Departments of …

Development Of Reductive/Oxidative Treatment Strategy For The Removal Of Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfas) In Water, Akshay Parenky

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The detrimental health effects of halogenated compounds in humans has been well documented, and the frequent occurrence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water environment is a recent global concern. Feasible and sensible treatment strategies are in dire need for environmental remediation and water treatment. Currently, efficient treatment is only obtained at a small scale and at a high energy cost. This research is presented in three subsections, where decomposition of selected PFAS was evaluated under advanced oxidation techniques. The first study involved decomposition of a polyfluoroalkyl substance, 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (6:2 FTS), in which 2 carbons of …

Analysis Of Barriers Causing Delay In Post-Hurricane Recovery: Experts’ Vs. Public’S Perspectives, Behzad Rouhanizadeh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes, affect countries around the world. To recover from a hurricane, the managers need to make various decisions; however, what makes the post-hurricane decision making unique is lack of time to make the optimum decision. A comprehensive understanding of barriers to recovery can lead to development of policies that help prevent delays in recovery process and consequently results in resiliency. Although several studies have been performed to identify the recovery barriers, they did not provide a comprehensive review of barriers and their classification. On the other hand, experts and the public commonly have different understandings …

Statistical Models Of Pipe Service Life Towards Artificial Intelligence Based Decision Support, Vahid Eghbalifarkoosh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In this dissertation, through utilizing various artificial intelligence-based as well as statistical models, an effort has been made to investigate the deterioration of sewer pipes. Once the deterioration rates of sewer pipes are estimated, by assuming failure criteria, as specified in the dissertation, the associated service lives for the sewer pipes can therefore be estimated. However, it should be noted that for different sewer pipes and based upon the availability of suitable data, and due to various failure modes that could transpire in various sewer pipes, the results will thus be subjected to uncertainties and variations. In other words, depending …

A Decision Support System For Success Of Post-Hurricane Reconstruction Of Transportation Infrastructures, Elnaz Safapour

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

In the aftermath of hurricanes, when reliable transportation systems are vital, the chaotic and complex environment creates multiple uncertainties and risks in the reconstruction of transportation infrastructures. Damaged transport infrastructures decrease the timeliness of emergency responses and recovery procedures, and make it difficult for authorities, who are under excessive pressure and are struggling to find the financial resources to reconstruct them on time and within budget. The aim of this research was to develop a decision support system that would improve the cost and schedule performance, as well as reduce the number and extent of rework in post-hurricane reconstruction of …