Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Artificial Neural Networks For Wireless Structural Control, Ghazi Binarandi

Open Access Theses

We live in an age when people desire taller buildings and longer bridges. These increasing demands of more flexible structures challenge civil engineers to ensure structural safety in the state where they are more prone to extreme dynamic loading, such as earthquakes. Extensive wiring required in traditional structural control applications may be expensive and inconvenient, especially for large scale structures. To improve the scalability, wireless sensors offer a promising alternative. However, the presence of time delay and data loss in a wireless sensor network can potentially reduce the performance of the control system. Here an artificial neural network is proposed …

Dynamic Green Split Optimization In Intersection Signal Design For Urban Street Network, Peng Jiao

Open Access Theses

In the past few decades, auto travel demand in the United States has significantly increased, but roadway capacity unfortunately has not expanded as quickly, which has led to severe levels of highway traffic congestion in many areas. In theory, the problem of congestion addressed through demand management and roadway expansion. However, system expansion in urban areas is difficult due to the extremely high cost of land; therefore, maximizing the existing capacity therefore often is considered the most realistic option. In urban areas, most of the traffic congestion and delays typically occur at signalized intersections. This thesis aims to prove the …

Mining Big Data To Create A Tool For Empirical Observation Of Continuous Safety Improvement In A Construction Company - A Progressive Case Study In The Lean Environment, Nicolas J. Michuda

Open Access Theses

In any iterative process, without a system of measurement, controlled improvement cannot be recorded. This is especially true in the construction industry, where error occurs, often with fatal repercussions. As part of a process to facilitate the establishment of this metric, an entirely new application was created. The goal of this application is to measure the causal factors that lead to incidents, which will allow the user and administration to track the circumstances and types of incidents. This enables the company to focus on these problem areas and improve through training. By analyzing these incident trends over time, the company …

A Framework For Organizational Performance Assessment In The Construction Industry, Zenith Rathore

Open Access Theses

Organizations have been trying to increase their efficiency and improve their performance in order to achieve their goals. Organizational success is determined by various factors that impact organizational performance. Construction industry is a project based industry which is extremely dynamic in nature. The need to identify the weak points and search solutions to improve performance of construction organization is extremely crucial. Previous research works have primarily focused on the measurement of financial or tangible assets. Industry has always focused on measure of project success. However, previous studies lack the understanding of qualitative factors and their combine effect on organizational performance. …

Failure Pressure And Fatigue Analysis Of The Api 12f Shop Welded, Flat Bottom Tanks, Andres E. Rondon Andueza

Open Access Theses

This study investigates the failure pressure on the API 12F shop welded steel tanks and performs a fatigue evaluation to estimate the permissible number of pressure cycles for these equipment. Four different analyses were carried out on more than 350 finite element models to determine various failure pressure modes of these storage tanks. An elastic analysis considering potential buckling modes was developed to determine the yielding pressure of the tanks. The redistribution of stresses due to inelastic deformations and plastic collapse were evaluated through an elastic-plastic stress analysis considering the plastic hardening of the material. A wind load analysis was …

Kinetic Energy Harvesting Mechanism For Vortex Drop Structures, Mungtra Chusilp

Doctoral Dissertations

Energy recovery from wastewater is gaining significance as utilities work toward achieving energy neutrality and sustainability in their wastewater collection and treatment systems. In this dissertation, kinetic energy harvesting mechanism for vortex drop structures found within the municipal waste and storm water conveyance systems is presented. There are thousands of sewer drop structures installed across the U.S. carrying billions of gallons of sewage each year. A custom micro water turbine is developed in this research which could be retrofitted within the existing drop shafts to harvest the excessive kinetic energy available. This dissertation presents the conceptual design and analysis of …

The Aerodynamic And Dynamic Loading Of A Slender Structure By An Impacting Tornado-Like Vortex: The Influence Of Relative Vortex-To-Structure Size On Structural Loading, Matthew Nicholas Strasser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structural loading produced by an impacting vortex is a hazardous phenomenon that is encountered in numerous applications ranging from the destruction of residences by tornados to the chopping of tip vortices by rotors. Adequate design of structures to resist vortex-induced structural loading necessitates study of the phenomenon that control the structural loading produced by an impacting vortex. This body of work extends the current knowledge base of vortex-structure interaction by evaluating the influence of the relative vortex-to-structure size on the structural loading that the vortex produces. A computer model is utilized to directly simulate the two-dimensional impact of an impinging …

Development Of Pre-Stressed Cfrp Fatigue Retrofits For Common Steel Bridge Connections, Korey Albert Pough

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aging or deterioration of the nation’s bridge infrastructure is a significant issue that requires attention. Causes for much of this deterioration can be attributed to two main factors, 1) corrosion, and 2) metallic fatigue, both of which work together to reduce the strength and serviceability of bridge components over time. In many instances, strengthening of bridge components using localized retrofits offers an economical and fast solution for increasing the longevity of existing steel bridges; however, such retrofits must be resilient to further corrosion and fatigue damage. In this study, a localized retrofit is developed using pre-stressed Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer …

Application Of Polyacrylamide-Based Floc Logs For Turbidity Control At Highway Construction Sites, Kien Ngo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Runoff waters generated on highway construction sites can have turbidities in excess of the proposed EPA regulatory standard of 280 NTU due to large areas of exposed soil. The objective of this research was to develop best management practices (BMPs) for the use of anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) based Floc Logs, for turbidity control. Five commercially available types of PAM-based Floc Logs were evaluated in jar tests, using soil excavated from Cato Springs Research Center (CSRC, Fayetteville AR) and six types of clay from the Clay Minerals Society (Chantilly, VA). These results show that no single Floc Log type was suitable …

Value Focused Inland Waterway Infrastructure Investment Decisions, Othman Boudhoum

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maritime transportation functions as the backbone of world trade. The U.S. inland waterway transportation system is comprised of 12,000 miles of navigable waterways that connect and move freight between the global supply chain and thirty eight States. When investing in inland waterway infrastructure, we should aim to maximize all benefits associated with the investment including flood protection, water supply, hydropower generation, recreation, and environmental impact benefits. We formulate an initial qualitative value model for the inland waterway infrastructure investment decision based on a value-focused thinking approach which allows us to holistically evaluate project investment alternatives. Given limited resources, a portfolio …

An Empirical Water Quality And Best Management Practice Prioritization Model For Select Arkansas Watersheds, James Mccarty

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to prioritize subwatersheds using water quality data and watershed characteristics. Water quality data was provided through studies by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission, Beaver Water District, Arkansas Water Resources Center, and publicly available USGS gage data. A total of 114 sites across five HUC-8 watersheds were analyzed, including 12 USGS gages. Watershed characteristic data was retrieved from USGS and Arkansas GeoStore geodatabase repositories. A significant linear relationship between baseflow and stormflow nutrient concentrations was established allowing for the use of baseflow concentrations in the prioritization methodology. Pearson correlation, linear regression, classification and regression tree, …

Laboratory Comparison Of Full Depth Reclamation Stabilization Techniques Using Arkansas Field Materials, Chase Aaron Henrichs

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Full depth reclamation (FDR) is a flexible pavement recycling technique that has not been explored in the state of Arkansas. FDR is unique in that it incorporates the entire flexible pavement section as well as a predetermined portion of the underlying base and sub-base materials with a stabilizer to create a new, stronger stabilized base course. Common stabilization techniques include the addition of asphalt emulsion, asphalt foam, or cement. Using the North Carolina emulsion FDR mix design, the Wirtgen foam FDR mix design, and the Portland Cement Association cement FDR mix design, field materials from four Arkansas highways in the …

Comparing Layer Types For The Use Of Mepdg For Fdr Design, Sadie Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

While Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) has many potential cost and environmental benefits, especially over the lifetime of the pavement, it is necessary to be able to ensure that the recycled pavement will perform adequately. One way in which this can be accomplished is understanding how to best complete the structural design of FDR pavements. Because FDR is a combination of several different layers of material pulverized, mixed, stabilized and re-compacted, it does not fit neatly into any of these predetermined types of materials considered by the Mechanistic Empirical Design Guide (MEPDG). Current practice is to treat FDR as an unbound …

Three Dimensional Simulations Of Tornado Sheltering Effect Of Man-Made Structures, Piotr Gorecki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A three dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was utilized to investigate tornado-like vortex interactions with wide man-made structures. The tornado-like wind profile was approximated using Rankine vortex model. By utilizing the CFD model, it was explained why tornadoes exhibit less damage on leeward side of large structures. During the preliminary stage of this study, a perpendicular vortex-prism interaction was analyzed. The prism height and the length were equal to the vortex core radius. The prism was also 12 times wider than the vortex core radius. During the vortex-prism interaction, the near-ground portion of the vortex was blocked by the …

Amount Of Uncertainty In The Methods Utilized To Design Drilled Shaft Foundations, Morgan Race

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2001, load and resistance factor design (LRFD) for deep foundations was required by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Following implementation of LRFD, localized calibration of resistance factors using data from the states of Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana/Mississippi, Missouri allowed these states to utilize higher resistance factors during design. However, characterizing the uncertainty in the design of DSF, regarding the geotechnical investigation methods and the utilized software programs, higher values of resistance factors may be calibrated to more efficiently design DSF with the same level of reliability.

Three test sites within the state of Arkansas, …

Development Of Best Management Practices For Turbidity Control During Rainfall Events At Highway Construction Sites Using Polyacrylamide, Joanne Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2009, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) promulgated a national turbidity standard for runoff water leaving highway construction sites at 280 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU). Meeting this standard can be challenging as turbidities of runoff waters can exceed 15,000 NTU. The objective of this research was to assess polyacrylamide (PAM), a coagulant aid used in water treatment, to help meet the EPA turbidity regulation. Twelve commercially available PAM types were studied, selected on the basis of charge type (cationic, nonionic, anionic), charge density (0-100%), and molecular weight (0.1-28 Mg mol-1). Jar tests were conducted with runoff waters from …

Measurement Of Transfer And Development Lengths Of 0.7 In. Strands On Pretensioned Concrete Elements, Canh Ngoc Dang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of 0.7 in. (17.8 mm), Grade 270 (1860), low-relaxation prestressing strands in construction is slow regardless of its advantages over the use of 0.6 in. (15.2 mm) and 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) strands. The limited research data and unavailable design guidelines partially account for the slow utilization. This study measured transfer and development length, and evaluated applicable strand spacing of 0.7 in. (17.8 mm) prestressing strands for 24 pretensioned concrete beams. Each beam contained one prestressing strand or two prestressing strands placed at spacing of 2.0 in. (51 mm). The beams were fabricated with high strength, conventional concrete …

Numerical Modeling Of Fluid Migration In Hydraulically Fractured Formations, Toyin Christie Aseeperi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Economic production from low permeability shale gas formations has been made possible by the introduction of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. To ensure that gas production from these formations is optimized and carried out in an environmentally friendly approach, knowledge about the patterns of gas flow in the shale reservoir formation is required. This work presents the development of a shale gas reservoir model for the characterization of flow behavior in hydraulically fractured shale formations. The study also seeks to develop more computationally efficient approaches towards the modeling of complex fracture geometries. The model evaluates the migration patterns of gas …

Heavy Vehicle Rollover Propensity At Roundabouts On Highspeed Roads, Thomas M. Hall

Open Access Theses

There is a recent trend of building roundabouts on high-speed roads, often with significant heavy vehicle traffic. With the increased presence of trucks on roundabouts, the issue of rollover has become a concern. Geometric features that allow excessive speed on the approach and entry have been connected to rollover, as well as sudden changes in crossfall and radius. However, the effect on the rollover threshold of changing the roundabout's circulatory superelevation is not fully understood. The impact of aggressive driving behaviors, as displayed by high driver speed far from the roundabout, as well as errors that are manifested by the …

Capacity-Related Driver Behavior On Modern Roundabouts Built On High-Speed Roads, Shaikh Ahmad

Open Access Theses

The objective of this thesis was to investigate the factors that affect capacity-related driver behavior on modern roundabouts built on high-speed roads. The capacity of roundabouts is strongly affected by the behavior of drivers as represented by critical headway (critical gap) and follow-up headway (follow-up time). The effects of heavy vehicles (single-unit truck, bus, and semi-trailer) and area type (rural or urban) on roundabout capacity were investigated by comparing the critical headways for roundabouts located on high-speed and low-speed roads. The effects of nighttime conditions (in the presence of street lighting) were also considered. Data were collected using the Purdue …

Strategies For The Replacement Of Historic Bridge Guardrails, Adam J. Clauss

Open Access Theses

Bridges that are designated historic present a special challenge to bridge engineers whenever rehabilitation work or improvements are made to the bridges. Federal and state laws protect historically significant bridges, and railings on these bridges can be subject to protection because of the role they play in aesthetics. Unfortunately, original railings on historic bridges do not typically meet current crash-test requirements and typically do not meet current standards for railing height and size of permitted openings. The objective of this study is to develop strategies that can be used to address existing railings on historic bridges and to develop solutions …

High Voltage Rear Electric Drivetrain Design For A Parallelthrough-The-Road Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Adam Garrett Fogarty

Open Access Theses

Purdue University was selected as one of 15 universities to participate in a three year Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC) called EcoCar2: Plugging Into the Future. The vehicle built by the Purdue team was a Parallel-Through-The-Road Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PTTR PHEV). The vehicle utilized a B20 diesel powertrain to power the front wheels, as well as a custom electric drivetrain to power the rear wheels. Using this vehicle during the final year of the competition, the team was successful in placing 4th overall as well as 2nd in the category of Well-To-Wheel (WTW) Greenhouse Gas Emissions. A stock 2013 …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Geo-Tagged Tweets, Yue Li

Open Access Theses

With over 500 million current registered users and over 500 million tweets per day, Twitter has caught the attention of scientists in various disciplines. As Twitter allows users to send messages with location tags, a massive amount of valuable geo-social knowledge is embedded in tweets, which can provide useful implications for human geography, urban science, location-based service, targeted advertising, and social network studies. This thesis aims to determine the lifestyle patterns of college students by analyzing the spatial and temporal dynamics in their tweets. Geo-tagged tweets are collected over a period of six months for four US Midwestern college cites: …

Using A Centrifuge For Quality Control Of Pre-Wetted Lightweight Aggregate In Internally Cured Concrete, Albert E. Miller

Open Access Theses

Early age shrinkage of cementitious systems can result in an increased potential for cracking which can lead to a reduction in service life. Early age shrinkage cracking can be particularly problematic for high strength concretes, which are often specified due to their high strength and low permeability. However, these high strength concretes frequently exhibit a reduction in the internal relative humidity (RH) due to the hydration reaction (chemical shrinkage) and self-desiccation which results in a bulk shrinkage, termed autogenous shrinkage, which is substantial at early ages. Due to the low permeability of these concretes, standard external curing is not always …

Evaluation Of Lane Use Management Strategies, Chaitanya Paleti Siva Sai Krishna

Open Access Theses

The limited funding available for roadway capacity expansion and the growing funding gap, in conjunction with the increasing congestion, creates a critical need for innovative lane use management options. Various cost-effective lane use management strategies have been implemented in the United States and worldwide to address these challenges. However, these strategies have their own costs, operational characteristics, and additional requirements for field deployment. Hence, there is a need for systematic methodologies to evaluate lane use management strategies.

In this thesis, a systematic simulation-based methodology is proposed to evaluate lane use management strategies. It involves identifying traffic corridors that are suitable …

Fire Behavior Of Bolted Connections, Qiaqia Zhu

Open Access Theses

Bolted connection failures have been observed in building fires and large-scale structural fire tests. Limited information is available on plate bearing behavior at elevated temperatures. The failure mode of a shear-tab connection could change from plate bearing failure to bolt shear failure between 400 (degree Celsius) °C to 600°C. Component-based models have been used to predict the behavior of bolted connections. Earlier researchers have developed simple mathematical models to represent the force-displacement relationships of bolt shear and plate bearing components of bolted connections. However, these models need to be verified experimentally for US building construction and materials. Therefore, eleven single-bolted …

Evaluation Of Collapse Indicators For Seismically Vulnerable Reinforced Concrete Buildings, Nicholas R. Skok

Open Access Theses

Older reinforced concrete buildings can be prone to column shear and compression failures during earthquakes because of inadequate transverse reinforcement. Cities in seismic areas still have large inventories of older and potentially deficient buildings. To analyze every building and estimate its vulnerability in detail is costly. A simple method to rank quickly older buildings according to their seismic vulnerability is needed to help engineers prioritize the use of resources for rehabilitating the most vulnerable buildings.

Four indicators of building damage or collapse were evaluated using numerical analysis and prior data from building surveys: column index (Hassan & Sozen, 1997), R …

Systematic Analysis Of Drainage Events In Free Draining And Managed Subsurface Drainage Systems, Guy Bou Lahdou

Open Access Theses

Understanding the hydrologic controls that regulate outflow from free and managed subsurface drainage systems during drainage events can offer improved insight on the overall functioning and effectiveness of the systems so that they can be better managed or retrofitted to increase their environmental benefits. This study used drainage, precipitation, water table, and soil moisture data from a monitoring site located in east central Indiana to investigate the event hydrology of 22 drainage events in free and managed subsurface drainage systems. Relationships between event drainage volume, drain flow hydrograph metrics, column soil moisture, water table depth, and precipitation characteristics were explored …

Quality Assurance And Quality Control Correlations For The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer, Eshan Ganju

Open Access Theses

The Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) is a device that is used for the estimation of in situ compaction quality of constructed subgrades and embankments. It is a relatively inexpensive, light-weight and easy to use device that measures the dynamic penetration resistance of the compacted soil, from which an estimate of soil strength and stiffness characteristics can be made. Owing to its ease of use, many DOTs in the U.S. have employed the DCP in their compaction quality control procedures, and over the past few decades, extensive research has been carried out on the development of correlations between the results of …

Evaluation Of Asphalt Pavement Interface, Hyung Jun Ahn

Open Access Theses

This paper presents the development process of modified pull-off test for measurement of in-situ pavement interface bonding strength. The modified test method was validated using two case studies (i.e., delaminated vs. non-delaminated pavements on I-65 and intelligent compacted vs. non-intelligent compacted pavements on US-52) and used for developing a correlation model for estimating a probability of delamination failure at a given pull-off bonding strength. In addition, methodologies for probabilistic interpretations with pull-off test results were explored.

The results demonstrated that the modified pull-off test showed its applicability in measurement of interface bonding condition with both weak and strong conditions. Additionally, …