Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

An Open-Source, Semisupervised Water End-Use Disaggregation And Classification Tool, Nour A. Attallah, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Camilo J. Bastidas Pacheco

Outreach

Research Objective/Summary: Research on individual household water consumption is vital to water management and conservation approaches. Despite a significant number of papers published on end-use disaggregation tools, reproduction and further study of results on water-use behavior is difficult because the data and code are not easily accessible. In order to fulfill this need for open and reproducible tools, we present a new, semisupervised, non-intrusive water end-use disaggregation and classification tool.

Prediction Of Compressive Strength And Evaluation Of Different Theoretical Standards And Proposed Models Of Brick Columns Confined With Frp, Frcm, Or Srg System, Zuhair Al-Jaberi, John J. Myers

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Strength Capacity of Confined Masonry Column is One of the Topics that Need to Be Studied. in This Study, the Efficiency of using Different Types of Advanced Composite (Non-Corrosive Materials) Such as Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP), Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM), or Steel Reinforced Grout (SRG) in Confining Masonry Columns is Investigated. a Wide Range of Experimental Database of Masonry Column Specimens Has Been Collected from the Results that Available in Scientific Literatures. Different Theoretical Standards and Proposed Models that Used to Predict the Capacity of Masonry Columns Confined with FRP and FRCM Are Evaluated based on Collected Experimental …

Modeling Cyanotoxin Production, Fate, And Transport In Surface Water Bodies Using Ce-Qual-W2, Bernadel Rose Hintz Garstecki, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cyanobacteria are frequently associated with forming toxic blooms. The toxins produced by cyanobacteria, cyanotoxins, are harmful to both humans and animals. Rising temperatures due to global climate change are expected to increase the occurrence of cyanobacteria, and it is vital that we protect our drinking water supplies and natural water resources. Modeling the production, fate, and transport of these toxins is an important step in limiting exposure to them and evaluating management strategies to mitigate their impact. The research provided here offers an overview of some of the main cyanotoxins of concern and presents preliminary models for the transport and …

Automated Pavement Construction Inspection Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas)—Hot Mixed Asphalt (Hma) Temperature Segregation, Reihaneh Samsami, Amlan Mukherjee, Colin Brooks

Michigan Tech Publications

Temperature segregation in Hot Mixed Asphalt (HMA) pavement construction leads to performance problems, such as reduced fatigue life. During construction, Quality Assurance (QA) inspection procedures are required to evaluate the pavement condition and detect the segregated areas. In traditional HMA highway construction inspection processes, temperature differences are investigated manually, by sampling the HMA behind the paver. In these processes, inspectors are required to work adjacent to traffic and alongside moving or backing equipment. These processes do not provide a complete temperature profile of the mat, endanger the inspectors’ safety, and require on-site experienced inspectors. An Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) enables …

On The Development Of Part-Scale Fem Modeling For Laser Powder Bed Fusion Of Aisi 316l Stainless Steel With Experimental Verification, Muhammad Arif Mahmood, Asif Ur Rehman, M. Mustafa Azeem, Abedalkader Alkhouzaam, Marwan Khraisheh

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), the effects of operating conditions on thermal gradients and residual stresses are the utmost challenges that require significant attention. The magnitudes of residual stress in the printed layers, as well as the distribution along the printed components, have not been well explained for LPBF parts. In this study, a 3D finite element thermo-mechanical model has been established to investigate the effect of operating conditions on thermal distribution, melt pool evolution, residual stress distribution, and part distortion. The printed AISI 316L stainless steel cubes have been characterized experimentally. The results showed a proportional correlation among …

Transportation Infrastructure Needs In The Central Appalachian Basin To Support Core-Cm, Bryan Gibson, Robin Baskette, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

With demand for coal from the Central Appalachian Basin waning, coalitions and organizations throughout the region have sought to diversify the region’s economy. However, the potential exists to use coal and coal-based resources to produce new and innovative products and kick start economic growth in the basin. This includes carbon ore, rare earth and critical minerals (CORE-CM), other minerals, and waste streams. If the region is to take advantage of these economic growth opportunities, transportation infrastructure must be developed and maintained in a sound condition. Reliable roads, highways, and bridges provide rural areas with access to capital, labor, and markets …

Application Of Artificial Neural Network (Ann) In Development Of Prediction Models For Pavement Performance And Material Properties, Prashanta Kumar Acharjee

Civil Engineering Theses

This dissertation presents the development and application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN)- based prediction models for Dynamic Modulus (E*), Dynamic Shear Modulus (|Gb*|, Phase Angle (b), Soil-Water Characteristics Curve (SWCC) parameters, and International Roughness Index (IRI). The IRI prediction model considering climatic and traffic conditions of Texas with data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database with R 2 = 0.92 can be utilized by Local transportation agencies. An E* prediction model with three neurons, using 7400 data points obtained from 346 mixtures with R2=0.82 can bypass the need for laboratory tests. ANN-based |Gb*| and b prediction models were also …

Development Of Reduced Cementitious Materials Concrete (Rcmc) Mixtures For Bridge Decks And Rails, Soumitra Das

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Right after construction, drying shrinkage of restrained concrete bridge decks and rails causes early-age cracking that eventually leads to delamination and spalling of concrete due to insertion of water and chemicals, and corrosion of reinforcing steel. The main objective of this research is to control early-age shrinkage cracking by reducing cementitious material content in the bridge deck and rail concrete mixtures. Several reduced cementitious materials concrete (RCMC) mixtures were developed by optimizing aggregate particle packing and conducting overall performance evaluation. This evaluation was carried out in three phases: The first phase investigated the feasibility of new RCMC mixtures by testing …

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization, Taylor J. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

Construction Semantics And Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (Gpt) Language Models, Ankur Mitra, Ahmed Hassan, Mark Mulville

Articles

The article explores the impact of ChatGPT, a powerful language model developed by OpenAI, on the construction industry. ChatGPT, with its ability to provide contextually accurate responses to a wide range of queries, has the potential to enhance safety, scheduling, and knowledge dissemination in construction. While it shows promise in tasks like hazard recognition and project scheduling, the article emphasizes the need for cautious optimism and human oversight. The construction industry could benefit from ChatGPT's digital assistance to boost productivity and address skills shortages, but it is essential to recognize the value of human expertise alongside AI advancements.

Using Machine Learning And Distributed Hydrologic Modeling To Predict Soil Texture, Surface Soil Moisture And Evapotranspiration In Jornada Experimental Range, Southwestern U.S., Jorge Andres Mayo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In water-limited ecosystems, detailed knowledge of the soil, vegetation, and atmosphere interactions is critical to understand the processes that control the partitioning of energy, water fluxes, and biogeochemical cycles within the critical zone. This Master's thesis is divided into two main contributing sections. The first, is on the use of machine learning to reconstruct missing soil type information, and the second, on the calibration and validation of a physically-based distributed hydrological model to estimate soil moisture and evapotranspiration within the Jornada Experimental Range of the U.S. in southern New Mexico. For the first contribution, three explainable, shallow machine-learning techniques are …

Initial Investigation Of Using The Waste Rubber Tires As A New Sustainable Material For Electric Conductive Rigid Pavement, Islam Radwan

Theses and Dissertations

The accumulation of snow on roadway surfaces has the potential to result in deadly accidents and financial damage. Traditional de-icing procedures, which include the use of chemicals or salt and the use of heavy machinery, may have a negative effect on the environment and the structural integrity of highway infrastructure systems, and they are not sustainable at all. In addition, these methods are considered labor-intensive and dangerous, especially in crowded areas. The use of heated pavement systems (HPS), which can be in the form of hydronic (HHPS) or electrically conductive concrete (ECON), has gained popularity in recent years as a …

Impacts Of Land Use On Stormwater Runoff In The Lower Rio Grande Valley And Improving Long Term Municipal Stormwater Management Systems, Maria Vanessa Pruneda

Theses and Dissertations

Exponentially noticeable growth in population and land development in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has directly influenced growth in urbanization. Urbanization is the leading cause for lower pervious cover, and the increase in storm water runoff. The increase of storm water runoff leads to excess flooding areas and higher peak flows. The overflow flows freely and is exposed to contaminants, affecting the consumption and use factors. The changes of land use have a direct relationship with impervious cover limitations and individual site retentions. This study will assess the relationship between stormwater quantity and land use in the Lower Rio Grande …

Utrgv Edinburg Campus Two-Dimensional Flood Modeling For Development Of Flood Inundation Map, Roxana Tello

Theses and Dissertations

Severe flooding is a natural hazard worldwide, potentially subjecting people to life threatening situations and leaving infrastructure vulnerable to structural damage or complete destruction. The common threat of flooding poses constant challenges for state and local agencies in identifying flood risks and proposing the necessary mitigation improvements. Developing hydraulic models to predict the hydrological interactions and identify areas at risk is a beneficial tool for urban planning. The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) is a rapid growing region in South Texas along the border of Mexico and west of the Gulf of Mexico. The LRGV has historically suffered through various …

A Data-Driven Method For Damage Detection In An Open Deck Steel Truss Railroad Bridge Under The Moving Train Load, Mahesh Pokhrel

Theses and Dissertations

Open-Deck (OD) steel truss railroad bridges are one of the most common types of railroad bridges in the United States. They are, however, significantly vulnerable to the dynamic effects of moving train load. In the long run, these dynamic effects cause fatigue damage to the structural members. The damage in most of the railroad bridges are monitored by visual inspections which are sometimes unreliable and inconsistent due to human error. This study explores the identification and classification of damage to an open deck railroad bridge from both time-domain (statistical features) and time-frequency domain features (Hilbert-Huang Transform) extracted through acceleration response …

Building Services Engineering July/August 2023

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Uncertainty In Overturning Of Precariously Balanced Rocks Due To Basal Contact, M. Khalid Saifullah, Christine E. Wittich

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Precariously balanced rocks (PBRs) are a type of naturally occurring freestanding structure that provides valuable information to constrain seismic hazard at return periods which are important for critical facilities such as nuclear power plants and nuclear repositories. Exposure ages have been established to be in excess of 10,000–30,000 years, which is why precarious rocks are one of the only available means to validate seismic hazard associated with long return periods. One critical component for constraining seismic hazard in this way is the overturning estimate of a given precarious rock as a function of earthquake intensity. However, current state-of-the-art methods for …

A Case Study Of The Comparison Between Rubberized And Polymer Modified Asphalt On Heavy Traffic Pavement In Wet And Freeze Environment, Dongzhao Jin, Kwadwo Ampadu Boateng, Dongdong Ge, Tiankai Che, Lei Yin, Wayne Harrall, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Ground tire rubber (GTR) usage in asphalt pavement with the dry process has gained more prominence in recent times. The objective of this work is to investigate the pavement performance of GTR-modified asphalt pavement and polymer-modified asphalt pavement on heavy volume of traffic conditions in Michigan's wet and freeze environment. A suite of laboratory tests was done to evaluate the pavement performance of GTR-modified and polymer-modified asphalt mixtures. To reveal the strain and stress relationship under different frequencies and temperatures, the dynamic modulus test was applied. The Hamburg wheel tracking device (HWTD) was used to assess the high-temperature deformation resistance. …

Comparison Of Asphalt Emulsion-Based Chip Seal And Hot Rubber Asphalt-Based Chip Seal, Dongzhao Jin, Lei Yin, Kai Xin, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The use of asphalt emulsion chip seal and hot rubber chip seal as pavement preservation techniques has been gaining popularity. This study aims to compare the laboratory performance of asphalt emulsion and hot rubber asphalt used in chip seal applications. Interlayer shear strength (ISS) and interlayer tensile strength (ITS) tests were designed to evaluate the bond quality of the chip seal samples prepared for both materials. The sweep test was used to estimate the aggregate loss of the chip seal on the asphalt pavement. The universal testing machines were used to evaluate the deterioration of the ISS and ITS values …

Liquefaction Proneness Of Stratified Sand-Silt Layers Based On Cyclic Triaxial Tests, Arpit Jain, Satyendra Mittal, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Most studies on liquefaction have addressed homogeneous soil strata using sand or sand with fine content without considering soil stratification. In this study, cyclic triaxial tests were conducted on the stratified sand specimens embedded with the silt layers to investigate the liquefaction failures and void-redistribution at confining stress of 100 kPa under stress-controlled mode. The loosening of underlying sand mass and hindrance to pore-water flow caused localized bulging at the sand-silt interface. It is observed that at a silt thickness of 0.2H (H is the height of the specimen), nearly 187 load cycles were required to attain liquefaction, which was …

Development Of Intensity Duration Frequency Curve Of The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Binaya Poudel

Theses and Dissertations

Section 1: This chapter incorporates extensive information about the concept of Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves, their historical development and usage, specific focus on the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and the importance of using a comprehensive 32-year data set from 1990-2022 to develop these curves.

Section 2: This chapter provides detailed information about the rigorous comparison of the developed IDF curves with previous ones, where past IDF curves were developed using an empirical formula method. The research presented here employs the Gumbel distribution method, providing a fresh perspective and potentially more accurate predictions of future weather extremes.

Section 3: This chapter outlines …

Impact Of Dam Height And Grain Size Distribution On Breaching Of Non-Cohesive Dams Due To Overtopping, Heather O'Donal

Theses and Dissertations

The National Inventory of Dams reports 74,400 earthen dams in the United States in 2021, of these dams approximately 27% are considered at high or significant hazard risk, that is dam failure will cause widespread damage and loss of lives. The most frequent cause of dam failure is breaching caused by overtopping. Accurate predictions of breach evolution are thus crucial to determine flood hydrographs for the safety of communities and properties at risk. Laboratory experiments were conducted on non-cohesive, compacted embankments to understand the role of dam height and sediment grain size on breaching caused by overtopping. Dam heights varied …

Cost-Effective Strengthening And Automated Inspection Of One-Way Precast Reinforced Concrete Flat Slab Bridges In South Carolina, Laxman Kc

Theses and Dissertations

In South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) manages 90% of the state's inventory of 9,400 bridges built in the 1950s. With more than 30% of its bridges having been under-designed and experiencing decades of service deterioration, the implications for public safety, the economy, and the transportation system are significant. To prioritize safety and address these concerns, SCDOT is in the process of conducting thorough inspections of bridges, load ratings, and exploring cost-effective and practical methods to strengthen the bridges and reduce load postings. This study is a part of the multi-year research investigation supported by the SCDOT. …

Assessment And Development Of Collaboration Framework For Less-Than-Truckload Carriers, Bhavya Padmanabhan

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of e-commerce is changing consumer expectations for delivery services. Competition is making “faster and cheaper” a nonnegotiable part of success; hence, retailers are seeking carriers that can deliver with ever-shorter lead times and at the lowest possible cost. In this environment, large carriers have a competitive advantage due to their market power. For small-to-medium-sized less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers to stay in business, they must improve their efficiency and lower cost. A potential strategy to achieve these goals is to collaborate with other carriers. In collaborating, carriers would exchange and perform certain jobs for each other to lower their transportation …

Developing A Vision-Based Framework For Measuring And Monitoring Water Resource Systems Using Computer Vision And Deep Learning Techniques, Seyed Mohammad Hassan Erfani

Theses and Dissertations

Increased vulnerability of water systems to extreme events and climate change is among the profound challenges facing the management of water resource systems around the world. Extreme events, including droughts, floods, and natural hazards have become more frequent and intensive, particularly in coastal regions. Floods, for instance, caused tens of billions of US dollars losses and put the lives of thousands in danger, globally. To cope with the adverse consequences of floods, a wide range of structural, non-structural, and emergency measures are studied and deployed by flood management sectors. Various flood simulation, mapping, and forecast systems have been developed to …

A Systems Approach To Design And Plan Sustainable Antifragile Infrastructure Based On Aggregate Footprint And Satisfaction, Farboud Khatami

Theses and Dissertations

The concepts of robustness and sustainability in planning and design of water and energy infrastructures have been extensively explored in previous research, primarily focusing on system reliability, environmental considerations, and economic aspects. This study aims to broaden the understanding of these concepts by offering comprehensive frameworks that capture the essence of robustness and sustainability at two distinct levels.

The first level of investigation focuses on the performance of infrastructure networks during natural disasters. Traditionally, this has been addressed using reliability, resilience, and vulnerability metrics. However, these methods rely on static, deterministic, and non-stationary data, which is inadequate when dealing with …

Streamwise And Vertical Dispersal Of Tracer Stones From A Continuously Supplied Source, Amanda Grace Balkus

Theses and Dissertations

Individual movement of sediment grains is oftentimes studied with the use of tracer stones. Studies performed both in the field, in the laboratory and with numerical models involve installing a patch of stones (tracers) on the bed surface and rarely deep in the deposit. Once installed, particle displacement is monitored over time scales varying from one flood to several years. These studies are useful, for example, to study bedload transport dynamics, understand contaminant fate and transport as well as to identify and define stream restoration practices (e.g. quality of fish habitat). Here we use a vertically continuous model to study …

Implementation Of A 3d Laser Profiler System Into A Non-Contacting Method For Rnt & Stress Measurements, Caio Neto Penna

Theses and Dissertations

Continuous welded rail (CWR) is susceptible to the development of internal forces in the rail due to thermal effects that can lead to track buckling. Railroads typically deal with the internal stresses in the rail through the inspection of the rail neutral temperature (RNT) which is the temperature at which the internal force is zero. The existing methods in the industry to measure RNT are contacting, destructive, disruptive to railroad operations, and ineffective. The proposed concept is a promising non-contacting, non-disruptive and reference-free technique to measure RNT and the stress state in the rail. The method is based on the …

Experimental And Computational Fluid Dynamic Study Of Water Flow And Submerged Depth Effects On A Tidal Turbine Performance, Erfan Ghamati, Hamed Kariman, Siamak Hoseinzadeh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study involves an experimental and numerical analysis of the Hunter turbine, a vertical axis turbine utilized for tidal energy. A laboratory model of the Hunter turbine, featuring an aspect ratio of 1.2, was designed and tested. Numerical equations, including the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) constant, were analyzed through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software using the k- turbulence model to forecast turbine performance and other related flow specifications, such as pressure lines, stream velocity, and pressure. This simulation was conducted on the surface of the turbine blade, and the results were obtained accordingly. The experimental data were utilized to verify the …

Insights On Simulating Summer Warming Of The Great Lakes: Understanding The Behavior Of A Newly Developed Coupled Lake-Atmosphere Modeling System, Miraj Kayastha, Chenfu Huang, Jiali Wang, William J. Pringle, T. C. Chakraborty, Zhao Yang, Robert D. Hetland, Yun Qian, Pengfei Xue

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The Laurentian Great Lakes are the world's largest freshwater system and regulate the climate of the Great Lakes region, which has been increasingly experiencing climatic, hydrological, and ecological changes. An accurate mechanistic representation of the Great Lakes thermal structure in Regional Climate Models (RCMs) is paramount to studying the climate of this region. Currently, RCMs have primarily represented the Great Lakes through coupled one-dimensional (1D) column lake models; this approach works well for small inland lakes but is unable to resolve the realistic hydrodynamics of the Great Lakes and leads to inaccurate representations of lake surface temperature (LST) that influence …