Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Nonhydrostatic Modeling Of Flow Interactions With Highly Flexible Vegetation, Navid Tahvildari, Ramin Familkhalili, Gangfeng Ma

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Improving our understanding of the interactions between gravity waves, currents, and coastal vegetation, which are nonlinear in nature, enables coastal engineers and managers to better estimate hydrodynamic forces on coastal infrastructure and utilize natural elements to mitigate their impacts. Aquatic vegetation is ubiquitous in coastal waters and it is well-known that flow loses energy over vegetation. Computational modeling of wave-vegetation interaction has been the subject of numerous recent studies and many improvements have been achieved in reducing limitations applied on wave and vegetation behavior in these models. Mechanisms for highly flexible vegetation have been incorporated in a Boussinesq-type model and …

Tidal Power Optimization Using Two Bladder System, Binita Yadav

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The kinetic and potential components of tidal energy can be utilized to generate electricity.The system discussed in the paper utilizes a head difference in generating electricity.This thesis presents the research work on the optimization of the nozzle, which will be used in a Closed Tidal Energy Conversion System for generating electricity. For this purpose, the relatively small-scale numerical simulation of the flow through the nozzle with 10 inches inlet diameter was executed using a computational fluid dynamics software, ANSYS. The inlet diameter and the length of the nozzle were kept constant, and the outlet diameters used are 7.5 inches, 6 …

A Computational Analysis Of Marine Fenders Under Heavy Weather Mooring Conditions, Zachary Eskew

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Dynamic loading of marine fenders is a situation that is unique to the United States Navy (USN), due to the use of Heavy Weather Mooring (HWM) for naval vessels during extreme weather events, such as hurricanes. Traditional analysis has not been concerned with the fender reaction on vessel hulls. However, newer classes of Naval ships, such as the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), have designs that emphasize speed and agility, resulting in them having thinner hulls more susceptible to damage from fenders. In traditional analysis, fenders are modeled as idealized springs, with static- load derived spring constants from manufacturer charts. This …

Development Of A Composite Sustainability Index For Roadway Intersecttion Design Alternatives In The Uae, Maryam Juma Al-Kaabi

Theses

Many studies had been carried out to evaluate the sustainability of transportation systems, but little attention was given in these studies to the design of roadway intersections. The objective of this study was to define a framework to assess intersection sustainability from a road-user perspective and to develop a visual tool that helps decision-makers to support a more sustainable design of roadway intersections. Suitable sustainability indicators that would serve as elements in the built framework at the strategic and early planning level were extracted from the literature. The extracted indicators were utilized with relative weights to develop basic dimensional indices …

Assessment Of Different Seismic Retrofit Systems Of Rc Buildings For Earthquake Risk Mitigation, Aya Ragab Mohamed Abou Ei-Hamd

Theses

Many existing Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures were designed and constructed at a time when design codes were insufficient according to current standards. This class of structures is at risk of damage when subjected to strong earthquake loading. Therefore, several seismic retrofit techniques have been investigated experimentally to increase the earthquake resistance and damage-control potential of pre-seismic code structures using different methods such as quasi-static and pseudo-dynamic testing. However, a limited number of studies have focused on investigating the overall seismic performance of retrofitted RC structures using shake table testing. The first task of this study assesses analytically and experimentally the …

Would You Rather Teleport Or Spend Some Time Commuting? Investigating Individuals’ Teleportation Preferences, Prasanna Humagain, Patrick A. Singleton

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

• Teleportation test, a survey instrument developed to measure Positive Utility of travel (PUT)

"If you could snap your fingers or blink your eyes and instantaneously teleport yourself to the desired destination, would you do so"

• "Yes"- Regarding travel as disutility i.e. means to reach destination
• "No"- Find benefits during travel or traveling itself

Evaluation And Inter-Comparison Of Satellite Precipitation Estimations For Extreme Flood Events In Peninsular Malaysia, Zhen Xiang Eugene Soo

Student Works (2020-2029)

Satellite precipitation products (SPP) have been useful in any hydrological applications as their extensive spatial coverage and finer space and time resolutions. However, these satellite estimations exhibit large systematic and random errors which may cause large uncertainties in any hydrological applications. In this study, three advanced satellite precipitation products, i.e. CMORPH, TRMM 3B42V7, and PERSIANN are utilized in conjunction with the ground observation to investigate their performance in detecting rain, capturing storms and rainfall pattern during extreme flood events. This study evaluates and compares the capability of the SPP by focusing on the 2014-2015 northeast monsoon extreme flood events. Three …

Larger-Scale Ocean-Atmospheric Patterns Drive Synergistic Variability And World-Wide Volatility Of Wheat Yields, Ehsan Najafi, Indrani Pal, Reza Khanbilvardi

Advanced Science Research Center

Diagnosing potential predictability of global crop yields in the near term is of utmost importance for ensuring food supply and preventing socio-economic consequences. Previous studies suggest that a substantial proportion of global wheat yield variability depends on local climate and larger-scale ocean-atmospheric patterns. The science is however at its infancy to address whether synergistic variability and volatility (major departure from the normal) of multi-national crop yields can be potentially predicted by larger-scale climate drivers. Here, using observed data on wheat yields for 85 producing countries and climate variability from 1961–2013, we diagnose that wheat yields vary synergistically across key producing …

Wastewater Treatment Fatty Acids For Biodiesel Production, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wastewater scum is the thick oily substance that floats on top of the primary and secondary tanks within a wastewater treatment plant. Scum has a 30% to 60% lipid content making it an excellent resource for the biodiesel industry. Also the use of scum would reduce the cost of current management practices such as landfill disposal or incineration. In this article there is an overview of lipid byproducts currently being produced at wastewater treatment plants today. This is followed by a presentation showing a full length process for turning wastewater scum into biodiesel raw material.

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Replacing Lpg Stoves With Induction Stoves In Rural Households Of Kavre District Nepal, Grishma Raj Dahal

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Nepal imports nearly 260,000 tons of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and other fossil fuels annually from India. This fuel dependency is one of the main reasons for Nepal’s trade deficit with India. The Government of Nepal has recently started promoting electric induction stoves for cooking as an alternative to LPG. Induction stoves are pollution free at the point of use, and they are meant to reduce Nepal's dependence on LPG.

This study includes a cost-benefit analysis for replacing LPG stoves with induction stoves for households in rural areas of Kavre District, Nepal. The study involved the use of data for …

Ethiopian Construction Project Management Maturity Model Determination And Correlational Prediction Of Project Success, Hailemeskel T. Hailemarkos

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In Ethiopia, although the construction industry is booming, the practice of effective project delivery in time, cost, and quality remains a challenge. Construction project success comes through the application of knowledge-based, critically essential factors. The industry's effectiveness is dictated by the level of project management knowledge built in each company. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to evaluate project management maturity level of construction industry and the predictability of project success from project management knowledge maturity of 193 project managers working in contractors, consultants, and clients. The study, which was informed by the project management body of knowledge …

Investigation Of Expedient, Cost Effective And Sustainable Soil Stabilization For Tactical Vehicles Using Surfactant-Induced Soil Stabilization (Siss), Joshua Sasser

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Surfactant-induced soil stabilization (SISS) is a new method for soil stabilization whereby anionic surfactants and alkaline earth metals are introduced to a soil matrix. This research served as a preliminary study into SISS’ suitability as a temporary soil stabilization method that could be used to improve wheeled vehicle traction during amphibious type naval operations conducted on a beach head.

Beach sand specimens were treated with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS; aka sodium lauryl sulfate) and calcium chloride using two methods: hand mixing in testing cylinders and surface percolation in bench scale sandboxes. Treated cylinders were tested for unconfined compressive strength (UCS) …

Preliminary Design And Analysis Of A Wave Energy Converter With Electromagnetic Induction, Laura Fernandez De Valderrama

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As the energy demand increases with the constantly increasing population, as well as the effort to replace conventional fossil fuels with cleaner sources of energy, ocean energy has emerged as a potential global resource. The ocean contains an enormous amount of energy that has not been exploited yet, although efforts have augmented during the past decades.

The overall purpose of this research is to design, model, and analyze, a wave energy converter (WEC) prototype to contribute to the current research in this field. This particular work represents the first stage of the research process in which the ultimate goal is …

Monte Carlo Simulations Of Coupled Transient Seepage Flow And Compressive Stress In Levees, Fred Thomas Tracy, Ghada Ellithy, Jodi L. Ryder, Martin T. Schultz, Benjamin R. Breland, T. Chris Massey, Maureen K. Corcoran

Publications

The purpose of this research is to compare the results from two different computer programs of flow analyses of two levees at Port Arthur, Texas where rising water of a flood from Hurricane Ike occurred on the levees. The first program (Program 1) is a two-dimensional (2-D) transient finite element program that couples the conservation of mass flow equation with accompanying hydraulic boundary conditions with the conservation of force equations with accompanying x and y displacement and force boundary conditions, thus yielding total head, x displacement, and y displacement as unknowns at each finite element node. The second program (Program …

Studying The Effects Of Various Process Parameters On Early Age Hydration Of Single- And Multi-Phase Cementitious Systems, Rachel Cook

Doctoral Dissertations

”The hydration of multi-phase ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and its pure phase derivatives, such as tricalcium silicate (C₃S) and belite (ß-C₂S), are studied in the context varying process parameters -- for instance, variable water content, water activity, superplasticizer structure and dose, and mineral additive type and particle size. These parameters are studied by means of physical experiments and numerical/computational techniques, such as: thermodynamic estimations; numerical kinetic-based modelling; and artificial intelligence techniques like machine learning (ML) models. In the past decade, numerical kinetic modeling has greatly improved in terms of fitting experimental, isothermal calorimetry to kinetic-based modelling …

Seismic Behavior Of Composite Bridge Columns, Mohanad M. Abdulazeez

Doctoral Dissertations

“This study investigates experimentally and numerically the seismic behavior of large-scale hollow-core fiber-reinforced polymer-concrete-steel (HC-FCS) innovative bridge columns as a sustainable approach to endure and rapidly recover from natural disasters such as earthquakes. The HC-FCS column consisted of a concrete shell sandwiched between an outer fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) tube and an inner steel tube to provided continuous confinement for the concrete shell along with the height of the column. The columns have a slender inner steel tube with diameter-to-thickness (D_s/t_s) ratios ranged between 85 to 254. Each steel tube was embedded into the footing, while the …

Behavior Of Negative Stiffness Metamaterial Systems In Structural Engineering Applications, Yasser Darwish

Doctoral Dissertations

“Metamaterial systems with negative stiffness behavior became a point of interest in many energy dissipation applications due to their ability to dissipate high levels of energy. Negative stiffness metamaterial elements can dissipate energy through non-linear elastic behavior when transferred from one stable mode of buckling to another. Hence, the ability of such elements to be reusable for multiple loading cycles exists. Such unique properties made the metamaterial systems a perfect candidate for structural applications such as impact protection of bridges against collision. This research provides innovative metamaterial shell structure that can exhibit negative stiffness behavior by deforming from one shape …

Minimizing The Negative Effect Of Pumping On Scc Freeze-Thaw Durability, Daniel Galvez-Moreno

Doctoral Dissertations

“The durability of concrete must be ensured to reduce the carbon footprint of the production of portland cement. If concrete is properly designed to preserve its integrity under adverse exposure conditions, the service life of the material can be extended with minimum maintenance. Nevertheless, bad handling, placing, finishing or curing practices can abate the durability potential and service life of even the best mix design. Pumping concrete is a very efficient placing technique that offers significant cost reduction and versatility at the jobsite, but it also has the potential of altering the air void system parameters, which are key to …

Complexities Observed During The Development Of A Rheological Testing Procedure For Small Cement Paste Samples, Aida Margarita Ley-Hernandez

Doctoral Dissertations

“Rheology has been widely used to describe the flow properties of fresh cement-based suspensions. The use of a rheometer to characterize these properties is not a straightforward task due to the dependency to different preparation conditions, mixing processes, testing procedures and measuring instruments employed. In addition, shear and time dependency of the material which undergoes chemical and physical particle bonding, caused by hydration of cement and flocculation. Nevertheless, the characterization and understanding of the rheological behavior of cement-based materials have become essential with the recent introduction of novel applications like digital construction in the field of civil engineering, among others. …

Investigation Of Urea Decomposition And Deposit Formation In Diesel Exhaust After-Treatment System, Anand Alembath

Doctoral Dissertations

“Urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system has proved to be an effective solution to reduce NO_x emissions in commercial vehicle (CV) diesel engines. A significant challenge in urea injection is to comprehend its decomposition chemistry that leads to formation of undesired deposits in the exhaust system unit. Due to complex interaction of multi-phase fluid flow and transport processes, significant uncertainty is associated with the identification of interacting factors that control the deposit initiation and its growth. To meet the future ultra-low NO_x emissions and to deliver ammonia without deposit formation, there is an imminent need to develop the urea-SCR …

Physical And Biological Factors Affecting Oxygen Transfer In The Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Process, Kenneth A. Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations

“The activated sludge (AS) process is widely utilized for wastewater treatment due to its versatility and general resiliency, but is energy intensive, requiring aeration and mixing energy inputs to maintain the biochemical reaction and optimize treatment performance. This study is focused on determining different factors that influence oxygen transfer and consequently its energy demand.

AS morphology, as described by the d₁₀, d₂₀, d₃₂, specific filament length (SFL), 30 min settleability (SV₃₀), etc., does influence the OTE. Filamentous organisms increase the hydrodynamic radius of suspended particles, which dilates mixed liquor apparent viscosity (µ …

Minimizing The Detrimental Effects Of Hydro-Peaking On Riverbank Instability: The Lower Osage River Case, Wesam Sameer Mohammed-Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

"The fluctuation of water level downstream from dams due to hydropower flow releases negatively affects the riverbank stability. Therefore, this research aims to examine the feasibility of using an optimization technique to mitigate the riverbank instability resulting from the outflow variation of hydropower plants. The effects of the water releases from the Bagnell Dam were investigated by computing a series of safety factors for 78 cross sections along the 81-mile stretch of the lower Osage River in relation to outflow events by using the integrated BSTEM model incorporated into the HEC-RAS model. The 1-D sediment transport and unsteady flow in …

The Redesign And Rebuild Of The S.R. 81 Bridge, Benjamin Ashley, David Ward, Ethan Durocher, Jacob Wilding

Civil and Environmental Engineering

• The bridge crossing is on S.R. 81 which spans the Bear River

• The bridge was built initially in 1859

• The bridge was condemned in the 1990’s and in the early 2000’s was washed out

• The redesign will meet needs of community with the ability to have farm equipment cross safely

• Built to withstand the 100-year flood

• Project will address and alleviate concerns brought up from original bridge washout

Student Steel Bridge Competition, Usu Department Of Civil And Environmental Engineering

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A recreational trail, located in Katy Trail State Park, Missouri, experienced wash out due to historic floods during the spring and summer of 2019. The wash out has become a new water way that needs to be crossed by a trail for walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and equestrians. A steel bridge has been chosen by the local government to solve this problem due to its versatility, ease of prefabrication, ability for rapid erection, superior strength to weight ratio, durability, and high level of recycled content.

The local government has set basic parameters for the design of this steel bridge. These parameters …

Highway 89/91 Wildlife Crossing, Camden Gillins, Eduardo Hueramo, Ethan Schow, Carson Winger

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Highway 89/91 is a major arterial connecting Brigham City to Cache Valley through Wellsville Canyon. There are several existing underpass wildlife crossings along the route that are infrequently used by deer and other large wildlife. The Utah Division of Wildlife wishes to improve wildlife crossings in the area because the underpass crossings have some of the lowest usage rates in Utah. Due to the abundance of wildlife in Wellsville Canyon, the stretch of Highway 89/91 experiences frequent wildlife-vehicle collisions.

CE Squared Engineering presented four possible alternatives for a wildlife crossing near mile marker 8 in Wellsville Canyon. Each alternative was …

Pedestrian Bridge: Jbs Meat Processing Facility Hyrum, Ut, Daniel Cox, Wyatt Lantz, Jake Leatham, Jake Makin, Michael Rasmussen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The JBS meat processing facility in Hyrum, UT, requested an engineering assessment and design for a safe pedestrian route from JBS’s west employee parking lot to the inside of the JBS facility. JBS employs over 1000 people many of whom park their vehicles in the company’s west employee parking lot. JBS employees currently must cross 1200 west from the west parking lot via a crosswalk with faded paint and frequent traffic traveling at speeds of 40-45 mph. The purpose of this project is to create a safer and more convenient entrance into JBS’s facility from the company’s west employee parking …

Great Western Rv Park, Jairus Anderson, Clark Brown, Brennan Rees, Ty Rees

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Royal Developments LLC has requested the development of a parcel in a rural community in Wayne County. The proposed property is located between Bicknell and Torrey alongside Highway 24. The economic growth requires a need for more capacity of overnight stay. Within the rural area, it is home to diverse scenery that attracts millions of visitors every year around the world. Royal Developments plans to develop an RV park and cabins with JCR Engineering in the Bicknell area for visitors to stay.

North Davis Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant Additions, Amy Carmellini, Jessica Cooper, Kailey Jorgensen, Madeline Tennant, Nikki Vause, Travis Whitfield

Civil and Environmental Engineering

North Davis Sewer District (NDSD) wastewater treatment plant must alter their treatment process to reduce total phosphorus (TP) and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in their effluent. NDSD treats ~19 MGD using biotowers and trickling filters then discharges final effluent to Farmington Bay (FB) of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) (Figure 1).

Alterations to NDSD’s treatment process must meet lower TIN and TP standards by year 2020 while planning for population increases through year 2050. Relocation of NDSD’s outfall from FB to Gilbert Bay (GB) would allow NDSD to meet less stringent standards.

NDSD plant operators prioritize reliability (40%), cost (30%), …

Fish Lake Recreation Area And Fishing Pier, Jesse Mott, Collin Pace, Matthew Crump, Matthew Day, Elliot Naulu

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Fish Lake, located in Fishlake National Forest, has restricted access to shoreline fishing opportunities because of an invasive weed called Eurasian Milfoil. The National Forest Service plans to address this issue by providing fishing opportunities to visitors beyond the weed line, which requires access 100 feet out from the shoreline.

In addition to providing improved fishing access, the Forest Service wants to develop the site with a parking lot, sidewalk, and restroom. The parking lot needs to accommodate at least 26 vehicles and fit in the narrow strip of land between the existing highway and Fish Lake.

San Rafael Swell Recreational Vehicle Campground Design, Emily Fica, Aaron Olney, Tyler Kendall, Paola Muñoz, Devin Shelley

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) hired Starry Night Engineering to design a campground North of exit 131 on I-70. The site is located near the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area and is open for public use. BLM is concerned about insufficient traffic regulations and harm to vegetation and other natural resources due to the recent surge of recreational use in the San Rafael Swell area. RVs and off-road vehicles are the predominate source in the area.

Figure 1 shows landscape destruction at the site due to insufficient roads and lack of traffic regulations. BLM asked Starry Night Engineering to …