Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Case Studies Of Problematic Expansive Soils: Characterization Challenges, Innovative Stabilization Designs, And Novel Monitoring Methods, Anand J. Puppala

Abbett Distinguished Seminar Series

This presentation describes key research works on expansive soils, the methods employed to characterize them, and fallacies in the current characterization of expansive soils. Novel swell characterization models that account for hydro, chemical, and mechanical behaviors of soils are introduced and used in various case studies to improve expansive soil stabilization practices. An innovative design method for successful stabilization of expansive soil is introduced in one case study which incorporated both basic clay mineralogy and unsaturated soil behaviors, as well as performance-based durability studies. Sulfate soil stabilization works on medium-to-high sulfate soils are presented in another case study. The last …

Incorporating Conditional Ss-Mean Based Equity Metric In Coverage Based Facility Location Problems, Rohan Sirupa

Dissertations and Theses

A classical maximum coverage facility location problem (MCLP) tries to maximize the coverage by serving all possible demands within the specified coverage radius. Depending on the applications, several families of MCLP variants have been developed - each with its unique set of additional constraints. One specific application is locating Emergency medical service (EMS) units. EMS units such as ambulances or drones with emergency supplies are located using models such as the maximum expected survival location problem (MEXSLP). However, a classical MEXSLP model tends to locate EMS units near densely populated regions, resulting in increased response times for lowly populated regions. …

Warming Enabled Upslope Advance In Western Us Forest Fires, Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, John T. Abatzoglou, Charles H. Luce, Jan F. Adamowski, Arvin Farid, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increases in burned area and large fire occurrence are widely documented over the western United States over the past half century. Here, we focus on the elevational distribution of forest fires in mountainous ecoregions of the western United States and show the largest increase rates in burned area above 2,500 m during 1984 to 2017. Furthermore, we show that high-elevation fires advanced upslope with a median cumulative change of 252 m (−107 to 656 m; 95% CI) in 34 y across studied ecoregions. We also document a strong interannual relationship between high-elevation fires and warm season vapor pressure deficit (VPD). …

Anthropogenic Drought: Definition, Challenges, And Opportunities, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Traditional, mainstream definitions of drought describe it as deficit in water-related variables or water-dependent activities (e.g., precipitation, soil moisture, surface and groundwater storage, and irrigation) due to natural variabilities that are out of the control of local decision-makers. Here, we argue that within coupled human-water systems, drought must be defined and understood as a process as opposed to a product to help better frame and describe the complex and interrelated dynamics of both natural and human-induced changes that define anthropogenic drought as a compound multidimensional and multiscale phenomenon, governed by the combination of natural water variability, climate change, human decisions …

A Practical Framework To Assess The Sustainability And Resiliency Of Civil Infrastructure, Thomas Adam Robbins, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research within civil engineering is focusing on newer ideas and philosophies such as sustainability and resiliency (S&R). This is evident in the development of frameworks for assessing the sustainability or the resiliency of civil infrastructures. Several frameworks have been developed by researchers to quantify the S&R of civil infrastructures. It is evident that the S&R are not mutually exclusive, and it is important to assess these aspects at the same time and that frameworks are able to accommodate simultaneous assessments. While there are other frameworks that follow a unified approach to S&R assessments, they do not account for the risk …

Investigating The Relationship Between The Fatigue Cracking Resistance And Thermal Characteristics Of Asphalt Binders Extracted From Field Mixes Containing Recycled Materials, Eslam Deef-Allah, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt components have a significant contribution to the fatigue cracking resistance of asphalt mixes. Softer asphalt binders, characterized through the Superpave grading system, resist fatigue cracking more than stiffer binders. During the long-term aging, the binders’ components changed from lower- to higher-molecular-weight constituents that increased binders’ stiffnesses. Using recycled materials in the mixes increases the stiffnesses of the binders inside these mixes by altering the binders’ components. The binders were extracted and recovered (E & R) from field mixes containing different percentages of recycled materials [reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles] and binders’ performance grades. The fatigue resistance …

Influence Of Seawater On Alkali-Activated Slag Concrete, Yubin Jun, Jae Hong Kim, Seong Ho Han, Taewan Kim

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study examines the use of natural seawater as mixing water for alkali-activated slag concrete and reports the characteristics of alkali-activated slag concrete with exposure to seawater. Preliminary experiments were conducted on pastes in order to measure pH and select optimum activator content under the experimental conditions. Wet-sieved pastes from fresh concrete were used to evaluate the mineralogical and microstructural characteristics of reaction products. Compressive strengths and chloride contents were measured with the hardened concrete samples. The activators used in alkali-activated slag concrete were sodium hydroxide (5% weight of slag) and liquid sodium silicate (5% weight of slag). The alkali-activated …

Blacow Road Improvement Plan, Nishita Kandikuppa

City and Regional Planning

Providing safe and accessible entrances to schools, especially elementary, middle, and high schools where children are below the age of 18, should be of utmost priority to cities. Providing wide sidewalks, painted bicycle lanes and continental crosswalks (with the lateral lines) are just basic infrastructure improvements that can be made within the vicinity of a school. However, due to lack of funding or attention from the city departments, many school entryways are being neglected and the direct impact of this is increased collisions among students, drivers, and bicyclists. My senior project studied one such school in Fremont, California where the …

A Case Study On The Ucsf Transplant Center Renovation: Mitigating Covid-19 Risks And Tracking Cost Impact, Alec Steven Woodyatt

Construction Management

At the beginning of 2020, the world was turned upside down at the hands of the global coronavirus pandemic. Today, economies and business are counting the costs and wondering what recovery will look like – how to navigate and adapt to a new style of life after returning from government-mandated lockdowns. The question on everyone’s minds is, “how do we continue to work while keeping people safe?” This question is extremely relevant in the construction industry where, for most people, working from home is not an option. This case study will delve into how Dome Construction, along with their client, …

Tensile Strength Evaluation Of Glulam Connection With Screw Fasteners, Bradley Sharpshair

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Multiple knife plate and external steel plate deep-beam glulam connections were investigated in a series of destructive tests within the Infrastructure Testing and Applied Research laboratory at Portland State University. The goal of these tests was to better understand the failure mode and ultimate load capacity of the large-scale glulam moment connections. Two different types of tests were performed on each connection; one with axial loading, and another loaded in flexure. The first, smaller, axial tests were conducted to inform the later, much larger, bending tests. The results of these tests helped to develop future designs as well as provide …

Engineering Students' Perceptions Of Their Development Of Professional Skills, Caitriona Depaor, Una Beagon, Aimee Byrne, Darren Carthy, Patrick Crean, Louise Lynch, Dervilla Niall

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Integration Of Utility Engineering, Coordination, And Highway Design, Tim Taylor, Roy Sturgill, Kenny Franklin, Jeff Jasper, Shani A. Montes Victorio

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State transportation agencies (STAs) strive to deliver highway projects on time and on budget. Utility relocations are frequently cited as a primary reason for delays. This report describes a new approach for enhancing the alignment of utility coordination and design. Researchers crafted this new approach based on the findings of a literature review, an evaluation of how utility coordination milestones and project development milestones are currently aligned at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and the experiences of other STAs. KYTC should use this guidance to facilitate implementation of the new approach and an associated Utility Coordination Training and Certification Program. …

Analysis And Optimization Of A Colorimetric Nanosensor For Rapid Detection Of Escherichia Coli In Water, Sarah M. Stabler

Master's Theses

Safe drinking water is essential for life, yet at least two billion people around the world consume water contaminated with pathogens among other pollutants. Standard methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and membrane filtration have been developed to detect enteric pathogens in water. However, these methods are limited in their accessibility due to long wait times to obtain results, and the requirements of skilled expertise, electricity, and laboratory equipment. This research has focused on addressing some of these limitations by analyzing the mechanisms of work and optimizing an indirect colorimetric nanosensor developed in previous research. The colorimetric nanosensor investigated herein …

Utilization Of Agro-Based Adsorbents In Binary Wastewater Treatment, Abhiram Siva Prasad Pamula, Yung-Tse Hung, Howard H. Paul

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The application of agro-based adsorbents is growing in the tertiary stage of the wastewater treatment process during the presence of hazardous pollutants. Dye and coffee industries are among the major wastewater pollutant sources negatively affect aquatic ecosystems and human health. The current study attempts to treat a binary mixture of crystal violet (CV) and coffee wastewater using agro-based adsorbents such as peanut hull and onion peel. The performance and efficacy of low-cost adsorbents were evaluated using parameters, including transmittance and non-purgeable organic carbon (NPOC). Batch adsorption studies were conducted to optimize both the adsorbent size and dosage that affect the …

Understanding And Efficiently Managing Right-To-Take Challenges In Kentucky, Pam Clay-Young, Steve Waddle, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

Kentucky constitutional and statutory law requires that a fair process be in place to let a property owner challenge a condemnor’s right to acquire private property, including a right to appeal the initial decision. Property acquired by a condemnor must be for public use, and property owners have the right to an immediate and expedited hearing on right-to-take. Two of these requirements will remain in place regardless of statutory revisions: the requirement that property must be needed (i.e., not arbitrary) for public use, and the right to one appeal. Only an amendment(s) to the Kentucky Constitution would alter …

Analysis Of Truck Weight Limit Regulations, P. Gayle Marks, Jon Wilcoxson, Bryan Gibson, Chris Van Dyke, Jennifer Walton, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In the United States vehicle weight limits are set by laws and regulations enacted at the state and federal levels. On interstates the maximum allowable gross vehicle weight is 80,000 lbs. States use different rules for permitting overdimensional and overweight (OD/OW) vehicles, and most have carve outs that exempt specific commodities from standard weight limits. This results in a complex legal and regulatory landscape that enforcement personnel can find difficult to negotiate. This report discusses strategies that can be adopted in the state of Kentucky to improve enforcement and mitigate infrastructure damage caused by OD/OW loads. After presenting a thorough …

Investigation Of Workflow Processes And Best Practices In Kentucky’S Cdl Program, Valerie Keathley-Helil, Andrew Martin, Brian Howell, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s Division of Driver Licensing maintains the driver history records for all licensed drivers in Kentucky. It serves as the state driver licensing agency and is the locus for meeting the federal CDL requirements under 49 CFR 384. Kentucky relies on FMCSA’s Commercial Driver’s License Program Implementation (CDLPI) grant funding to subsidize salaries for Federally Funded Temporary Labor (FFTL). FFTLs verify and process documents as well as field phone calls from customers. DDL administrators say they cannot meet the CDL reporting timeframes without FFTL labor, but the agency is not able to fund temporary or full-time staff members on its …

Evaluation Of The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’S Maintenance Rating Program, Bryan Gibson, Rachel Catchings, Vinh Dao, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) relies on its Maintenance Rating Program (MRP) to systematically measure conditions on state-owned roads and rights of way. Every year, the Cabinet evaluates 300-400 road segments in each of its highway districts. Segments receive aggregate scores ranging from 0 to 100, with the target score being 80. This report appraises the MRP and discusses potential strategies for its improvement. Compared to asset management programs established at other state transportation agencies, KYTC’s performs quite well. Between 1999 and 2019, MRP data show that scores improved across all road types. In 2011, the average score for all …

Updating Congestion Performance Measures For Shift 2022, Mei Chen, Xu Zhang, Eugene Antwi Boasiako, Fahmida Rahman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has adopted a data-driven decision-making process to allocate funds for highway improvement projects. This process — Strategic Highway Investment Formula for Tomorrow (SHIFT) — requires that candidate projects be scored on five critical metrics: safety, asset management, congestion, economic growth, and benefit/cost analysis. The congestion metric is vehicle hours of delay (VHD), which was first developed for the SHIFT 2020 cycle (1). For SHIFT 2022, VHD is estimated using probe speed data acquired for 166,527 directional miles of Kentucky highways.

This report summarizes analyses performed using 2018-2019 HERE speed data, and …

Economic And Environmental Benefits Of A Reduced Roadside Mowing Program For Kentucky Highways, Chris Van Dyke, Candice Wallace, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A growing number of state departments of transportation (DOTs) are introducing conservation mowing programs that aim to reduce the frequency of roadside mowing while expanding the footprint of pollinator habitat. Wanting to get a better handle on the utility conservation mowing, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) funded this study to explore the economic and environmental benefits that accrue from mowing less often. This report presents a synthesis of best conservation mowing practices based on a review of landscape management policies, programs, and procedures in use at 15 state DOTs. Most agencies divide the roadside into discrete management zones. While they …

Virus And Bacteria Inactivation Using Ultraviolet Light-Emitting Diodes, Vincent Martino, Kyra Oschsner, Paige Elyse Peters, Daniel Zitomer, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The control of infectious diseases is a critical challenge in developing and developed nations alike. Humans can be exposed to pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria through numerous routes of transmission, including waterborne transmission. Accordingly, effective water disinfection processes are paramount for public health protection. In this study, the inactivation efficacy of P22 virus and Escherichia coli bacteria was tested using ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs), which provided effective disinfection of both waterborne microorganisms. Using a peak wavelength emission of 255, 265, or 285 nm, the batch-test, UV LED collimated beam system demonstrated high inactivation potential for both microorganisms …

Data Mining Of Unstructured Textual Information In Transportation Safety Domain: Exploring Methods, Opportunities And Limitations, Keneth Morgan Kwayu

Dissertations

The unprecedented increase in volume and influx of structured and unstructured data has overwhelmed conventional data management system capabilities in organizing, analyzing, and procuring useful information in a timely fashion. Structured data sources have a pre-defined pattern that makes data preprocessing and information retrieval tasks relatively easy for the current technologies that have been designed to handle structured and repeatable data. Unlike structured data, unstructured data usually exists in an unorganized format that offers no or little insight unless indexed and stored in an organized fashion. The inherent format of unstructured data exacerbates difficulties in data preprocessing and information extraction. …

Analysis Of The Implementation Of Fluid Viscous Dampers In A Steel Special Moment Frame, Brad D. Weber

Architectural Engineering

This report examines the effects of adding fluid viscous dampers to a steel special moment frame through a series of analysis methods. Simple analysis procedures are first carried out and described, including a linear static procedure and a linear dynamic procedure. Then further analysis is carried out using a nonlinear dynamic analysis procedure. Multiple parameters are modified throughout the analysis processes to determine the impact on results and the data from all the analysis methods are compiled and used to demonstrate the overall impact of the use of fluid viscous dampers in a steel special moment frame.

Reconceptualizing Mies' Glass House, Araceli Avelar, Armando Castaneda Jr, Madison Lam, Ignatius Malari, Alejo Favero, Augusta Orlauskaite, Ella Gleason

Architectural Engineering

Our team used the glass house studio to explore class stratification, particularly using the glass as a reflection of class dichotomy in our society. The glass and Miesian design approach glorifies the clean cut, picture-perfect utopia only accessible to the wealthy few. But reality proves that there is more to this. As architects and engineers, we should strive to create environments that may uphold our values of equity and diversity and ultimately serve all sectors of society.

The Nolan House, Keiko-Ann K. Sanders, Gilbert C. Munoz, Michael A. Bahr, Titas Kalvalnis

Architectural Engineering

As a precedent, The Green Team analyzed the history of glass architecture, literature, and culture. Based on our research, we found that glass is often depicted as breakable, delicate, and a way to expose or display aspects that would otherwise be hidden. We challenged ourselves to incorporate safety and privacy into our glass house as a way to combat the pre-existing notions of glass in architecture.

Design And Construction Of Modular Concrete Footings And Testing Assembly For Use In Cal Poly's High Bay Laboratory, Thomas Little, Anders Johnson

Architectural Engineering

The purpose of this project was to improve the testing capabilities of the ARCE High Bay lab by designing and fabricating a pair of modular concrete footings along with a reusable testing frame capable of testing full-scale steel moment connections.

Electrocoagulation-Electrooxidation For Mitigating Trace Organic Compounds In Model Drinking Water Sources, Donald R. Ryan, Emily K. Maher, Joe Heffron, Brooke K. Mayer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In-situ water treatment can be accomplished using electrochemical treatments such as electrocoagulation (EC), which generates coagulants, and electrooxidation (EO), which generates oxidants (e.g., free chlorine and reactive oxygen species) via electrolysis using boron-doped diamond electrodes. In sequential EC-EO, EC can remove oxidant scavengers present in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), thereby improving the efficacy of downstream oxidation via EO. This study evaluated sequential EC-EO (and each process independently for comparison) for mitigating the trace organic compounds (TOrCs) acyclovir (ACY), trimethoprim (TMP), and benzyldimethyldecylammonium chloride (BAC-C10) in model groundwaters and surface waters. EO-only removed greater than 70% of ACY and TMP but …

Impact Of New Generation Wide-Base Tires On Fuel Consumption, Izak M. Said, Egemen Okte, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study combined multiple approaches to evaluate the structural and economic impact of using new-generation wide-base tires (NG-WBT) in New Brunswick, Canada. A three-dimensional finite-element model of a typical pavement structure used in New Brunswick was used to predict critical pavement responses. The model includes measured tire-pavement contact forces among other variables overlooked in conventional flexible pavement analysis approaches. Using the model output, regression analysis was performed to predict the responses under various loadings to avoid performing the time-consuming finite-element analysis. Eight-year weight-in-motion data and critical pavement responses were used in transfer functions to predict pavement damage and the corresponding …

Journeyman International: Dwell Being Jonestown, Mississippi, Autumn Wagner

Architectural Engineering

Journeyman International is a non-profit organization that works with countries all over the world to support humanitarian projects by pairing clients with design professionals and volunteers to oversee the design and construction of projects. This specific project partners with Third Lens Ministries and But God Ministries, two organizations that are hoping to empower the community in Jonestown, Mississippi. Dwell Being promotes sustainability and affordable housing in a new housing community in Jonestown that is designed for healthy living and community interaction. Jonestown is a very small 0.4 square acre town that has roots in systemic racism and oppression. A once …

Structural Calculations For Salvation Academy School For Disadvantaged Children, Emma Constance Lambert

Architectural Engineering

Journeyman International is a non-profit organization who partners with students and professionals to provide architectural design, architectural engineering, and construction management work for developing countries in order to combat poverty and ecological destruction on a global scale. The Salvation Academy for Disadvantaged Children is sponsored by Journeyman International and a private client to provide a school campus with a safe and productive environment for children and staff with disabilities. The campus is equipped with classrooms, outdoor gymnasiums, residences for both students and faculty, as well as computer labs and conference areas. The site is located in the Western Area of …