Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Draft Active Travel & Public Realm Evaluation Framework (Summary), Sarah Rock Dr, Sinead Flavin

Other Resources

This aim of this Draft Summary Framework is to assist Local Authorities & other similar authorities in the monitoring and evaluation of their active travel & public realm interventions. It is intended to allow for flexibility depending on the project objectives and context, and is not intended to be a definitive list of indicators and metrics. The indicators and metrics included seek to strike the balance between what's reasonable, practical and feasible for a Local Authority and associated resources in terms of monitoring & evaluation. Not all projects can be reasonably expected to be fully monitored and evaluated, thus a …

Proximal Remote Sensing: An Essential Tool For Bridging The Gap Between High-Resolution Ecosystem Monitoring And Global Ecology, Zoe Amie Pierrat, Troy S. Magney, Will P. Richardson, Benjamin R. K. Runkle, Jen L. Diehl, Xi Yang, William Woodgate, William K. Smith, Miriam R. Johnston, Yohanes R. S. Ginting, Gerbrand Koren, Loren P. Albert, Christopher L. Kibler, Bryn E. Morgan, Mallory Barnes, Adriana Uscanga, Charles Devine, Mostafa Javadian, Karem Meza, Tommaso Julitta, Giulia Tagliabue, Matthew P. Dannenberg, Michal Antala, Christopher Y. S. Wong, Andre L. D. Santos, Koen Hufkens, Julia K, Marrs, Atticus E. L. Stovall, Yujie Liu, Joshua B. Fisher, John A. Gamon, Kerry Cawse-Nicholson

Civil and Environmental Engineering Student Research

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or ‘proximal’ remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions. We provide current best practices for data availability …

Structural Earthquake Resiliency Of Rocking Core Systems With Floor Enabled Recentering, S. Taban Hajimirza

Dissertations and Theses

The growing need for structural earthquake resiliency, coupled with increasing demands for environmentally sustainable construction, has driven architects and engineers to emphasize the importance of earthquake-resistant mass timber multistory construction in regions prone to high seismic activity. With advancements in building technologies, cross-laminated timber (CLT) has emerged at the forefront of this movement by unlocking new potentials for urban development.

Motivated by the aforementioned demands, this PhD dissertation investigated lateral behavior and earthquake response of a novel lateral force-resisting structural system, known as Floor Recentering Rocking Core (FLR-ROCR). FLR-ROCR is a low-damage recentering mass-timber system that leverages restoring interactions between …

After A Wildfire: Water Safety Considerations Inside Buildings, Andrew J. Whelton, P. Coelho

Resilience to Emergencies and Disasters

No abstract provided.

Vision Based Stockpile Inventory Measurement Using Uncrewed Aerial Systems, Faezeh Jafari, Sattar Dorafshan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Monitoring a stockpile plays a vital role in material inventories at the State Departments of Transportation (DOTs). Various technologies, such as Total Stations (TST), Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and Global Positioning Systems, are conventionally used to obtain stockpile volumes; however, DOTs seek a faster, safer way to obtain an object’s volume with minimal workforce training. Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), coupled with visual imagery, have the potential to address these limitations; however, UAS visual has not been effectively developed to account for flight parameters in measurements, such as Ground Sampling Distance (GSD). Images of regular and irregular objects were collected …

Spatiotemporal Impact Analysis Of Land Surface Temperature Variations: A Case Study Of The Northeastern Part Of Baghdad Province, Iraq (2000-2024), Basheer S. Jasim

Al-Bahir

Land Surface Temperature maps are handy tools in a wide variety of scientific and practical fields. Monitoring climate change, researching the consequences of global warming, and evaluating the health of ecosystems are some of the applications that are used extensively. In addition, they have uses in agriculture, such as determining the amount of water that vegetation needs and monitoring agricultural regions that are experiencing drought. This study utilized a remote sensing approach to estimate land surface temperature with Landsat imagery from two periods, respectively, 2000 and 2024. The Landsat user's guide provided the algorithm to convert the images from DN …

The Influence Of The Un Watercourses Convention On The Development Of A Policy Design In The Nile River Basin, Zienab Ali Abdelhady

Theses and Dissertations

The adoption in 1997 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention or UNWC) marked a milestone in the codification and progressive development of international water law. Similarly, the signature in 2010 by the majority of the Nile Basin states of the Nile River Basin Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA) was a major step towards a permanent legal and institutional framework as well as a significant shift from the currently applicable legal regime in the basin. The research concludes that the principles enshrined in the UNWC can assist future regional treaty …

Modeling, Design, And Laboratory Testing Of A Passive Friction Seismic Metamaterial Base Isolator (Pfsmbi), Shayan Khosravi, Mohsen Amjadian

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on the theoretical and analytical modeling of a novel seismic isolator termed the Passive Friction Mechanical Metamaterial Seismic Isolator (PFSMBI) system, which is designed for seismic hazard mitigation in multi-story buildings. The PFSMBI system consists of a lattice structure composed of a series of identical small cells interconnected by layers made of viscoelastic materials. The main function of the lattice is to shift the fundamental natural frequency of the building away from the dominant frequency of earthquake excitations by creating low-frequency bandgaps (FBGs) below 20 Hz. In this configuration, each unit cell contains an inner resonator that …

Online Energy Consumption Forecast For Battery Electric Buses Using A Learning-Free Algebraic Method, Zejiang Wang, Guanhao Xu, Ruixiao Sun, Anye Zhou, Adian Cook, Yuche Chen

Faculty Publications

Accurately predicting the energy consumption plays a vital role in battery electric buses (BEBs) route planning and deployment. Based on the algebraic derivative estimation, we present a novel method to forecast the energy consumption in real time. In contrast to the mainstream machine-learning-based methods, the proposed method does not require access to the historical energy consumption data. It eliminates the time-consuming and computationally expensive offline training. Consequently, its prediction performance is not constrained by the quantity and quality of the training data. Moreover, the method can swiftly adapt to new situations not included in the previous driving cycles, which makes …

Optimization Of The Cross-Section Of Generic Flexible Bridges, Manal Kamal Zaki, Mina M. Helmy, Mark M. Tawadros

Journal of Engineering Research

This paper investigates the behavior of flexible bridges prone to aerodynamic instabilities due to wind. Optimal cross-sections that reduce aerodynamic forces are recommended. This is achieved by studying a variety of bridge sections with different widths of upper and lower sloping edges in addition to studying the upper and lower cramps of the deck. The wind velocities are also parameterized. Computations are developed based on the powerful computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method known as FLUENT and embedded in ANSYS software. For parametric study, a design of experiments (DOE) is performed based on the response surface methodology (RSM) combined with the …

Preliminary Spectral Matching Analysis Of The Rod El-Farag Region In Cairo, Egypt, Ahmed F. Youssef, Amr Z. Elkady, Ayman A. Seleemah

Journal of Engineering Research

Abstract: Earthquake engineering assessments are essential for evaluating the seismic response of structures. Nonlinear dynamic analysis is a highly effective method for evaluating seismic re-sponse, considering the complex, three-dimensional, and dynamic behaviour of structures during earthquakes. The complexity of seismic damage assessment arises from ground motion and struc-tural modelling parameters. Spectral matching is a key method in seismic codes and aids in selecting earthquake accelerograms for performance- and force-based designs. Spectrum-matched data is increasingly used to estimate nonlinear structural responses. Spec-tral matching utilizes the wavelet adjustments introduced by Abra-hamson (1992) and refined by Hancock et al. (2006) to adjust earth-quake …

Challenges Of Sustainable Infrastructure In Egypt For Contractors, Consultants, And Owners, Abdelrahman Ali Gaber Eng., Mohammed Elsayed Elsharkawy Assis. Prof., Adel Ibrahim Eldosouky Prof.

Journal of Engineering Research

This research investigates the multifaceted challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainable infrastructure in Egypt from the perspectives of key stakeholders—contractors, consultants, and owners. It uses structured questionnaires to draw on a comprehensive literature review and a field study. These questionnaires were distributed to experts across three vital sectors: roads and bridges, water and sewage networks, and ports and shore protection. A total of 95 participants completed the survey, surpassing the statistically required sample size of 61, calculated using Kish's 1965 formula, thereby enhancing the robustness of the findings. Key barriers identified include high initial costs, insufficient operational funding, lack of …

Evaluating Lidar Technology In Iphone Mobiles For 2d Mapping Applications, Nasr Mohammady Saba, Salem Salama Saleh

Journal of Engineering Research

Abstract- LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology has revolutionized mapping applications, offering enhanced precision and accuracy in spatial data collection. The integration of LiDAR technology in the latest iPhone models, beginning with the iPhone 12 Pro, has introduced new capabilities for 2D data measurement and plan creation directly on the mobile device. The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max models support LiDAR techniques within their mobile phone cameras, enhancing the performance of various applications such as Measurements and Photos. LiDAR operates by emitting pulsed light waves into the surrounding space, which bounce off nearby objects and return to the …

Optimizing And Validation Of Sustainable Uhpc With Waste Glass Powder Utilizing Modified Particle Packing Approach And Response Surface Methodology, Mohamed Taman, Elsaid Maaty, Alaa Mehrez, Ahmed Kamal Isaac

Journal of Engineering Research

The current study explores the potential of utilizing Waste glass powder (WGP) as an alternative to cement in the development of sustainable eco-friendly Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). UHPC mixtures underwent optimization through the application of a Modified Andreasen and Andersen (MAA) particle packing model, resulting in a reduction of cement content from 900 to 800 kg/m³. Six mixes were cast, with varying levels of cement replacement ratios with WGP up to 50%. The evaluation focuses on the flowability, dry density, and mechanical properties of UHPC at different ages using normal curing. A statistical model utilizing response surface methodology (RSM) …

Techniques For Controlling Saltwater Intrusion In Coastal Aquifers, Mohamed Elsayed Thabet, Ibrahim Mohamed Rashwan, Asaad Matter Armanuos, Walaa Abdullah Asaar

Journal of Engineering Research

Groundwater is a significant freshwater source due to rising water demand for agriculture, industry, rapid population growth, and home usage; however, coastal groundwater is at risk of pollution from seawater intrusion due to intensive pumping.

Heavy extraction of groundwater to meet rising demands has resulted in lower groundwater tables and less seaward freshwater flow. As a result, saltwater spreads further inland, threatening fresh groundwater supplies. Saltwater intrusion refers to the introduction of saltwater into an aquifer system. Around the world, there are several coastal and deltaic regions in which seawater intrusion occurs. Underground water supplies are made worthless when seawater …

Preparation Of Low-Temperature Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials And Evaluation Of Their Effect On The Properties Of Asphalt Binders, Feng Ma, Jiasheng Dai, Yanzhe Zou, Zhen Fu, Jenny Liu, Pengkai Yang, Yingjie Hou, Xinye Jiang, Siqi Li

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Organic eutectic phase change materials (PCMs) hold significant promise as thermal storage agents for regulating the temperature of asphalt pavements. This study aims to evaluate the properties of low-temperature microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) and their effect on modifying virgin asphalt. Three types of binary eutectic MPCMs were prepared, with tetradecane eutectically mixed with lauric, capric, and myristic acids, forming the composite core of the MPCMs. Melamine-urea-formaldehyde (MUF) resin was used as the wall material. The properties of the MPCMs were characterized through thermophysical and thermal stability analyses, micro-morphology observation, infrared spectroscopy, and mechanical strength tests. The preferred microcapsules were …

Identification And Analysis On Surface Deformation In The Urban Area Of Nanchang Based On Ps-Insar Method, Mengping Zhang, Jiayi Pan, Peifeng Ma, Hui Lin

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology has emerged as a vital tool for monitoring surface deformation due to its high accuracy and spatial resolution. With the rapid economic development of Nanchang, extensive infrastructure development and construction activities have significantly altered the urban landscape. Underground excavation and groundwater extraction in the region are potential contributors to surface deformation. This study utilized Sentinel-1 satellite data, acquired between September 2018 and May 2023, and applied the Permanent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technique to monitor surface deformation in Nanchang’s urban area. The findings revealed that surface deformation rates in the study area …

Review On State Of Art Of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method And Its Advances In Solid Dynamics, Harold J. Mtyana

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The world is witnessing continued collapse of both buildings and other structures during earthquakes, which is an example of a dynamic effect. One cause of such disasters may be inadequacies of techniques for modeling of these structures during analysis and design as compared to their actual responses during dynamic events. Also, techniques for numerical modeling and analysis of structures in place are meshed methods which do not accurately capture the actual behavior of structural elements especially under high dynamic actions due to the assumption that mesh geometry is unchanged geometry tend to change with respect to time step of such …

Improved Minimum Variance Channel Estimation Techniques For Ofdm Systems, Kwame S. Ibwe

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems face challenges in channel estimation due to noise, variability, and the doubly dispersive nature of wireless channels, which degrade performance. To address these challenges, a multichannel minimum variance double dispersive channel estimator is proposed. The method employs a hybrid approach that combines subspace and minimum variance techniques, optimizing the filter bank output power under a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) constraint. This design preserves the desired signal while effectively suppressing disturbances, achieving robust performance with reduced computational complexity compared to existing methods. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed estimator outperforms subspace and asymptotic methods in terms …

Assessment Of Adaptation And Diffusion Of Biogas Technology A Case Study Of Dar Es Salaam City, Tanzania, Doreen L. Tarimo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study investigated the adaptation and diffusion of biogas technology in Dar es Salaam, driven by the increasing need for sustainable energy solutions. The study’s is rooted in addressing urban energy challenges and providing an eco-friendly waste management alternative. Various factors, including socioeconomic variables, technical efficiencies, and community-level acceptability, were examined to assess the technology’s adaptability and diffusion. Data collection methods and techniques included lab analysis using American public health association (APHA) standard methods, interviews, questionnaire administration the data analysis was undertaken using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) with a sample size comprising 100 household heads from Mburahati, …

Use Of Activated Palm Kernel Shells On Adsorption Of Heavy Metals (Cu2+ And Pb2+) From Contaminated Wastewater, Edwin N. Richard

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This research aimed to evaluate the adsorption capacity of low-cost agricultural waste adsorbent-activated palm kernel shells (APKS) for the removal of Pb2+ and Cu2+ ions from synthetic wastewater that had the concentration of copper and lead ions comparable to that of waste produced in Tanzanian research and teaching laboratories. This study was carried out in batch and continuous column adsorption reactors. The study examined the influence of particle size (0.71 mm–2.36 mm), pH (4.5–8.6), adsorbent dose (5–20 mg/L) and initial concentration Ci (1.93– 4 mg/l) on APKS adsorption removal efficiency. The batch results indicated that under alkali conditions (pH 8.4 …

Design And Implementation Of Secured Hybrid Gateway Node For Securing Iot - Enabled Distribution Automation, Ally Bitebo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The integration of smart grid and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies plays a crucial role in enhancing the quality of services provided by traditional electrical grids. This combination has enabled the introduction of new services, such as demand response, automatic meter reading, and IoT-enabled Distribution Automation (IoT-DA), which incorporates sensors, actuators, intelligent electrical devices (IEDs), and information and communication technologies to monitor and control the grid. However, this integration also introduces network security risks, including Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, false data injection, and masquerading attacks, such as system node impersonation that can transmit incorrect readings, trigger false alarms, and …

Effects Of Technical Debt On Software Interoperability, Leonard Peter Binamungu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Technical debt (TD) refers to sub-optimal development decisions that make the software costly to maintain and evolve. Examples of TD include structural complexity, violation of coding styles, and code complexity. Existing research has investigated the nature, causes and indicators of TD, as well as tools and strategies for managing TD. However, although TD could hinder the ability of a software system to be interoperable with others, existing literature has limited evidence on how TD affects systems interoperability. This limits the ability of software engineering teams to manage TD in ways that do not hinder systems interoperability. To fill this void, …

Mitigating The Impacts Of Future Climate Change On Urban Infrastructure In Alabama Through Updating Precipitation Intensity-Duration-Frequency (Idf) Curves, Kofi Ntow Opare

All ETDs from UAB

Climate change is set to profoundly impact urban infrastructure, causing increased flooding and storm damage, necessitating the reevaluation and adaptation of design methodologies to account for increasing precipitation extremes. This dissertation aims to enhance the resilience of urban infrastructure in Alabama by updating Precipitation Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) curves, which are crucial for designing stormwater management systems, drainage networks, and flood control structures. Traditional IDF curves, derived from historical rainfall data, operate under the assumption of stationarity, an assumption increasingly invalidated by climate change. This research employs the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution and compares the efficacy of L-moments and Generalized Maximum …

Pfas In Landfill Leachate: Practical Considerations For Treatment And Characterization, Fabrizio Sabba, Christian Kassar, Teng Zeng, Synthia P. Mallick, Leon Downing, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used in consumer products and are particularly high in landfill leachate. The practice of sending leachate to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is an issue for utilities that have biosolids land application limits based on PFAS concentrations. Moreover, landfills may face their own effluent limit guidelines for PFAS. The purpose of this review is to understand the most appropriate treatment technology combinations for mitigating PFAS in landfill leachate. The first objective is to understand the unique chemical characteristics of landfill leachate. The second objective is to establish the role and importance of known and …

Lessons In Low-Tech: A Handbook For Sustainable Education, Ceri Almrott, Loann Astorino, Sébastien Bette, Benoit Delinchant, Philippe Fortemps, Ulysse Girard, Paul Hendrick, Sacha Hodencq, Fabian Lecron, Julie Lhuissier, Kévin Loesle, Luis Miguel Lopez Santiago, Santiago Perez Rodriguez, Gauthier Renard, Tatiana Reyes, Virginie Vandenbulcke, John Walsh

Other resources

LT4SUSTAIN, an Erasmus+ funded transnational project, is at the forefront of responding to the increasing awareness of environmental and climate challenges. This awareness, particularly among youth, has led to a demand for social justice. With the coordinated work among six institutions, ranging from higher education institutions to private companies and associations, LT4SUSTAIN aims to raise awareness of Lowtech across society.

LT4SUSTAIN is pioneering a unique approach to technology design. By developing “hackathons” and other “hands-on” events, we are engaging students and industry in a way that improves inclusiveness. Our objective is to equip individuals with the skills to embark on …

Performance-Based Approach To Characterize External Sulfate Attack For Reactive Powder Concrete, Umut Bakhbergen, Chang Seon Shon, Dichuan Zhang, Jong Ryeol Kim, Jenny Liu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Reactive powder concrete (RPC) is a relatively new type of high-performance concrete, offering enhanced load-bearing capacity, mechanical strength, and durability. The enhanced microstructural density of RPC with the incorporation of reinforcing fibers significantly increases its resistance to durability challenges, particularly against external sulfate attack (ESA). However, conventional laboratory testing methods for evaluating the resistance of RPC to ESA are limited. Hence, a new performance-based approach was developed to evaluate the durability of RPC exposed to ESA. Expansion of nine RPC mixtures designed by Taguchi L9 orthogonal array method with four factors (steel fiber content, water-to-binder ratio (w/b), silica fume content, …

Performance And Economic Evaluation Of Asphalt-Based High Friction Surface Treatment (Hfst) Applications, Alireza Roshan, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High Friction Surface Treatments (HFSTs) are recognized for enhancing friction between tires and road surfaces, with reduced road accidents being a key benefit. Epoxy-based HFSTs, though widely used, come with challenges like compatibility issues with existing pavements, higher installation and removal costs, and reduced durability tied to substrate quality. Recently, state agencies have increasingly focused on developing asphalt-based alternative binders for HFST applications as highlighted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) RFP #NCHRP 10-145. This study introduces asphalt-based HFSTs as an alternative to traditional epoxy-based treatments. Various aggregate types were examined for friction performance and the effect of …

Class-Wise Histogram Matching-Based Domain Adaptation In Deep Learning-Based Bridge Element Segmentation, Tarutal Ghosh Mondal, Zhenhua Shi, Haibin Zhang, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study focused on the problem of domain shift in deep learning-based bridge element segmentation. The impracticability of accounting for all possible variabilities vis-à-vis structural shape, size, color, texture, illumination, and other operational conditions in the training process leads to the deterioration in the model performance when applied to test data from novel unseen domains. In such situations, rebuilding the model with labeled training data from the target domain becomes prohibitively expensive and time-consuming in many practical cases. Recent advancements in unsupervised domain adaptation techniques are known to provide viable solutions to this problem. However, it was observed in this …

Challenges In Numerical Simulation Of Frost Heave, Antai Dong, Xiong Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Frost heave of soil extensively exists in northern regions and poses a significant threat to infrastructure in cold regions. Despite over a century of research, challenges persist in numerically simulating frost heave. This study addresses two key issues: (1) What is the primary driving force for liquid water transfer during the freezing process? (2) How can we correctly represent unfrozen water content? Critical insights are derived from the theoretical analysis of coupled hydrothermal migration during soil freezing processes, followed by a case simulation using COMSOL Multiphysics. It concludes that of the water content gradient, suction gradient, and hydraulic gradient, only …