Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Procedure For Asphalt Mixture Friction Evaluation For Wvdoh, Danielle Marie Hoyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Monitoring asphalt skid resistance in the laboratory could aid in improved friction prediction capabilities and provide insight for developing alternative asphalt mixture designs in the future. The West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) sought the design of a laboratory accelerated asphalt polishing machine to further expand on current skid resistance measurement practices. The design is modeled after the North Carolina State University (NCSU) polishing machine detailed in ASTM E660. The purpose of this research was to develop a testing procedure for the polishing equipment. Friction was monitored with the British Pendulum Tester (BPT) according to ASTM E303.

Specimens were prepared …

Time-Dependent Reliability Framework For Durability Design Of Frp Composites, Rajneesh Kumar Bharil

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The life-cycle performance, durability, and aging characteristics of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP or Structural Composites) have been of keen interest to the engineers engaged in the FRP design, construction, and manufacturing. Unlike conventional construction materials such as steel and concrete, the design guidelines to account for the aging of FRP are somewhat scattered or not available in an approved or consistent format. Loss of strength over time or aging of any structural material should be of concern to engineers as the in-service lifespan of many engineering structures is expected to exceed 100 years. Use of durability strength-reduction factors or factors …

An In-Depth Investigation Of The Effects Of Work-Related Factors On The Development Of Knee Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Construction Roofers, Amrita Dutta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Construction roofers have the uppermost likelihood of developing knee musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Roofers spend more than 75% of their total working time being restricted to awkward kneeling postures and repetitive motions in a sloped roof setting. However, the combined effect of knee-straining posture, roof slope and their association to knee MSDs among roofers are still unknown. This dissertation aimed to provide empirical evidence of the effects of two roofing work-related factors namely, roof slope and kneeling working posture, on the development of knee MSDs among construction roofers. These two factors were assessed as potential to increase knee MSD risks in …

Tire-Chip Reinforced Foundation As Liquefaction Countermeasure For Residential Buildings, Hemanta Hazarika, Siavash Manafi Khajeh Pasha, Isao Ishibashi, Norimasa Yoshimoto, Tota Kinoshita, Shigeki Endo, Ashoke Kumar Karmokar, Takuto Hitosugi

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

To prevent vibration-induced and liquefaction-induced damage to residential buildings during earthquakes, a low-cost technique has been developed and described here. It utilizes a mixture of tire chips and gravel as the horizontal reinforcing inclusion under the foundation of residential houses. The horizontal reinforcing inclusion refers to a layer of tire chips and gravel which is placed horizontally beneath the foundation. This mixture of tire chips and gravel provides sufficient bearing capacity to the foundation. In this research, a series of small-scale 1 g model shaking table tests was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique. In addition, cyclic undrained …

Broadening Participation Research Project: Charting A Path To Transdisciplinary Collaborative Design, Mason Andrews, Mujde Erten-Unal, Carol L. Considine

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The National Climate Assessment has identified foundational cross-cutting research capabilities that need to be developed for climate and global change assessment that include the integration of disciplines across approaches and building capacity for climate assessment that includes training, education and workforce development. The NSF HBCU Research Project, Broadening Participation Research Project: Charting a Path to Transdisciplinary Collaborative Design builds on the work of the Coastal Community Design Collaborative, a partnership between Hampton University, and Old Dominion University, which is a cross-university, cross-disciplinary program, in which architecture and civil engineering and technology students develop real world interventions for communities impacted by …

Multi-Modal Natural Frequency Response Of Utility Transmission Tapered Wood Poles Under Various Soil Foundation Conditions: Natural Frequency Response Under Various Soil Conditions, Ramani Ayakannu, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Studied herein is the multi-modal natural frequency response of utility transmission tapered wood poles under various soil foundation conditions. Strong winds and hurricanes in various parts of the world have resulted in collapse of such utility poles and have resulted in the disruption of electrical distribution systems in addition to creating hazardous conditions for the public. To avoid the development of resonance under such dynamic loading, the multi-modal natural vibration of the utility poles first needs to be understood in the presence of practical soil foundation conditions. To capture the soil-structure interaction effects on the multi-modal frequencies, a SAP2000 dynamic …

Lateral-Torsional Buckling Strength Of Two-Span Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Beams, Mojtaba B. Sirjani, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents the outcome of a study of two-span glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) I-section beams susceptible to lateral-torsional buckling when subjected to gradually increasing concentrated vertical load(s) in the presence of two different types of lateral bracing schemes. It is found that loading one span results in a smaller buckling load as compared with the cases with loading in both spans regardless of the type of bracing scheme used. Also, the study shows that the addition of midspan braces for the GFRP beams results in up to 5.5 times increase in the buckling load capacity.

Influence Of Bracing On Buckling Strength Of Pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Frames, Mojtaba B. Sirjani, Zia Razzaq

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

A numerical study of the influence of structural bracing on the buckling strength of pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) frames is presented. Although the influence of bracing on frames made from other materials such as steel have been studied in the past, this paper investigates the performance of pultruded GFRP portal frames with pinned or fixed column bases. Each frame is constructed with pultruded GFRP I-section members. The influence of I-section column major and minor axis orientation is also investigated. The results demonstrate the practical significance of bracing pultruded GFRP frames. The results show that the buckling loads for …

Copper-Rich “Halo” Off Lake Superior's Keweenaw Peninsula And How Mass Mill Tailings Dispersed Onto Tribal Lands, W. Charles Kerfoot, Noel Urban, Jaebong Jeong, Carol Maclennan, Sophia Ford

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Over a century ago, shoreline copper mills sluiced more than 64 million metric tonnes of tailings into Lake Superior, creating a “halo” around the Keweenaw Peninsula with a buried copper peak. Here we examine how tailings from one of the smaller mills (Mass Mill, 1902–1919) spread as a dual pulse across southern Keweenaw Bay and onto tribal L'Anse Indian Reservation lands. The fine (“slime clay”) fraction dispersed early and widely, whereas the coarse fraction (stamp sands) moved more slowly southward as a black sand beach deposit, leaving scattered residual patches. Beach stamp sands followed the path of sand eroding from …

Micromechanical Prediction Model Of Viscoelastic Properties For Asphalt Mastic Based On Morphologically Representative Pattern Approach, Zhichen Wang, Naisheng Guo, Xu Yang, Shuang Wang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper is devoted to the introduction of physicochemical, filler size, and distribution effect in micromechanical predictions of the overall viscoelastic properties of asphalt mastic. In order to account for the three effects, the morphologically representative pattern (MRP) approach was employed. The MRP model was improved due to the arduous practical use of equivalent modulus formula solution. Then, a homogeneous morphologically representative model (H-MRP) with the explicit solution was established based on the homogenization theory. Asphalt mastic is regarded as a composite material consisting of filler particles coated structural asphalt and free asphalt considering the physicochemical effect. An additional interphase …

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 …

How To Achieve Efficiency And Accuracy In Discrete Element Simulation Of Asphalt Mixture: A Drf-Based Equivalent Model For Asphalt Sand Mortar, Yu Liu, Peifeng Su, Miaomiao Li, Hui Yao, Junfu Liu, Mei Xu, Xiaodong Zhou, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The clump-based discrete element model is one of the asphalt mixture simulation methods, which has the potential to not only predict mixture performance but also simulate particle movement during compaction, transporting, and other situations. However, modelling of asphalt sand mortar in this method remains to be a problem due to computing capacity. Larger-sized balls (generally 2.0-2.36 mm) were usually used to model the smaller particles and asphalt binder, but this replacement may result in the mixture's unrealistic volumetric features. More specifically, replacing original elements with equal volume but larger size particles will increase in buck volume and then different particle …

Remediating Soil For Successful Vegetation Establishment Along Nebraska Highways, Shad Mills, Martha Mamo, Walt Schacht, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Vegetation along roadsides is important to prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, and filter water running off the road. Vegetation close to the pavement along highways in Nebraska does not readily establish and persist. It is thought that the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors behind the lack of vegetation. After a construction project the shoulder is seeded into the compacted soil, and during winter salts can accumulate in the soil because of deicing agents being used. The purpose of our study was to determine if the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors of the vegetation cover. …

Land Use/Cover Change And Their Impacts On Streamflow In Kikuletwa Catchment Of Pangani River Basin, Tanzania, Upendo Msovu

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Streamflow perturbation is highly prevalent in Kikuletwa catchment. However, little is known concerning land use/cover change (LULCC) with regard to streamflow perturbation in the catchment. This study aims to detect the historical and predict future LULCC and assess their impacts on streamflow amounts using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model. Supervised classification of Landsat imagery data for 1985, 2000 and 2015 years was done in ERDAS 14 Imagine software. Future prediction of LULCC was done using Module for Land Use Change Evaluation (MOLUSCE) tool, a QGIS plug-in. An accuracy ranging from 79% to 82% was obtained for all …

The Potentials Of Faecal Sludge Treatment Using Local Conditioners In Tanzania: A Review, Doglas Benjamin1

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Worldwide, every day human beings generate millions of tons of Faecal Sludge (FS), which is rich in water, nutrients, energy, and organic compounds. Yet FS is not being managed in a way that permits us to derive value from its reuse, while at the same time, millions of farmers struggle with depleted soils and lack of water. In most of the developing countries, energy for cooking is mainly derived from cutting of trees, either as wood or charcoal. Resource recovery and reuse from FS can create livelihoods, enhance food security, support green economies, reduce waste and contribute to cost recovery …

Prediction Of Haul Units’ Requirements For The Open Pit Mines Operating Towards Closure, Bartłomiej Skawina

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The determination of haul units is one of the important steps in the equipment selection process. The process should aim at minimizing the operational costs and create an optimal match for the haulage system. When open pit mines operating towards closure, reducing the operational costs results in significant gaining, and the savings can be used to implement some of the closure plans. In this paper, the prediction of haul units for an open pit mine which operates towards the final pit limit was analysed using discrete event simulation and multiple linear regressions. The result shows that the changes in production …

Practical Approach For Removal Of Natural Organic Matter And Defluoridation Of Maji Ya Chai River Water: Use Of Acid Pre-Treated Bone Char And Coagulants, Godfrey Mbabaye

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The removal of natural organic matter (NOM) and fluoride from Maji ya Chai River water (MCRW) using bone char (BC) and coagulants was investigated. Fine BC particles ranging from 0.045 to 0.2 mm were used in a 1 litre half-filled container, stirred at 300 rpm for 60 min followed by addition of a commercial coagulant and allowed to settle for 24 hours to remove NOM. MCRW practicable and affordable defluoridation method for removal of NOM through defluoridation with BC pre-treated with 0.3 N HCl followed by coagulation with Poly-aluminium chloride (PACl) is proposed. Reduction of fluoride from 21 mg/L to …

Reviewing The Potential And Constraints Of Modified Technology Options For Faecal Sludge Management In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Amour Seleman

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Cities in the developing world face the challenge of safe management of faecal sludge because of rapid population growth that overwhelms the sanitation infrastructure and services. In developing countries, only 50% of faecal sludge (FS) generated is safely managed the remaining portion is haphazardly disposed of in the environment risking public health and environment. In response to the urgent need for safely managed sanitation services, technological options for containment, desludging and transportation of FS are being modified. This paper reviewed current desludging practices and the potential of modified technological options for addressing FSM at containment, desludging, and transportation in Dar …

Establishment Of Wildflower Islands To Enhance Roadside Health And Aesthetics, Walter Schacht, Judy Wu-Smart

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Wildflowers are crucial in the ecological function of the low-input roadside plant communities in terms of water andnutrient cycling, nutrient inputs such as nitrogen, total plant canopy cover, stand longevity, and provision of habitat for numerous small animals. Further, wildflowers provide critical foraging and nesting resources for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Unfortunately, habitat loss from agricultural and urban development has led to rapid population declines in wild bees and other pollinators across the US, thereby jeopardizing not only food production but also the sustainability of our natural landscapes (Kearns & Inouye, 1997). One way to mitigate wild bee decline …

Assessment Of Groundwater Resources In Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt, Noha H. Moghazy, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the major challenges facing Egypt is limited water resources associated with rapid increase in population. In 1960s, Egyptian government started to use groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in the Western Desert to expand agricultural sector. Siwa Oasis is the focus of this study to assess the efficiency of groundwater use and corresponding impacts from 1980 to 2012. Results show that from 1980 to 1998, withdrawal from poorly designed wells increased rapidly causing an increase in excess water about 336%. The increase of excess water with the usage of poor drainage produced lakes. Remote Sensing showed …

Removel Of Polluntants From Aqueous Solution Via Graphene Oxide/Magnesium Oxide Nanocomposites, Mahdi Heidarizad

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a series of graphene oxide/magnesium oxide nanocomposites (GO/MgO NCs) were synthesized and applied for the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The prepared NCs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that MgO particles were successfully layered on GO. The impacts of different experimental variables on the removal of MB including GO/MgO NCs dosage, pH, contact time, and initial MB concentration were investigated.

Thereafter, we investigate the mechanism and kinetics of ozonation processes in the presence of GO/MgO NCs as a catalyst …

Evaluation Of The Mechanisms And Effectiveness Of Nano-Hydroxides, Wood And Dairy Manure-Derived Biochars To Remove Fluoride And Heavy Metals From Water, Anna Rose Wallace, Wenjie Sun Dr, Chunming Su Dr

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The development of effective treatment processes for the removal contaminants, such as fluoride and heavy metals, from polluted water have been urgently needed due to serious environmental health and safety concerns. In this dissertation, a variety of materials including various (hydro)oxide nanomaterials, biochars and surface modified biochar were studied to evaluate their effectiveness and mechanism on removing fluoride or mixed heavy metals from water.

In the Chapter 2, this study investigated the adsorptive removal of fluoride from water using various (hydro)oxide nanomaterials, focusing on ferrihydrite, hydroxyapatite (HAP) and brucite, which have the potential to be used as sorbents for surface …

Two Clamped Pipe Support Connections For Oil And Gas Brownfield Projects, Helen M. Claycomb

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In the oil and gas industry, brownfield projects focus on the modification of or addition to an existing production facility that is fully operational and operating. Welding is typically avoided on these projects. The drilling of holes in existing primary structural elements is also prohibited. Clamped connections are often used when adding additional services in a brownfield project. There are different types of clamped connections utilized when a new structural support must be attached to an existing vertical structural pipe. The short bolt clamped connection is a well-established connection and typically used on offshore projects. The U-bolt clamped connection is …

Wintertime Spatial Distribution Of Ammonia And Its Emission Sources In The Great Salt Lake Region, Alexander Moravek, Jennifer G. Murphy, Amy Hrdina, John C. Lin, Christopher Pennell, Alessandro Franchin, Ann M. Middlebrook, Dorothy L. Fibiger, Caroline C. Womack, Erin E. Mcduffie, Randy S. Martin, Kori D. Moore, Munkhbayar Baasandorj, Steven S. Brown

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Ammonium-containing aerosols are a major component of wintertime air pollution in many densely populated regions around the world. Especially in mountain basins, the formation of persistent cold-air pools (PCAPs) can enhance particulate matter with diameters less than 2.5 µm (PM_2.5) to levels above air quality standards. Under these conditions, PM_2.5 in the Great Salt Lake region of northern Utah has been shown to be primarily composed of ammonium nitrate; however, its formation processes and sources of its precursors are not fully understood. Hence, it is key to understanding the emission sources of its gas phase precursor, ammonia …

Incorporation Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Point Cloud Products Into Remote Sensing Evapotranspiration Models, Mahyar Aboutalebi, Alfonso F. Torres-Rua, Mac Mckee, William P. Kustas, Héctor Nieto, Maria Mar Alsina, Alex White, John H. Prueger, Lynn Mckee, Joseph Alfieri, Lawrence E. Hipps, Calvin Coopmans, Nick Dokoozlian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, the deployment of satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has led to production of enormous amounts of data and to novel data processing and analysis techniques for monitoring crop conditions. One overlooked data source amid these efforts, however, is incorporation of 3D information derived from multi-spectral imagery and photogrammetry algorithms into crop monitoring algorithms. Few studies and algorithms have taken advantage of 3D UAV information in monitoring and assessment of plant conditions. In this study, different aspects of UAV point cloud information for enhancing remote sensing evapotranspiration (ET) models, particularly the Two-Source Energy Balance Model (TSEB), over …

An Analysis Of Energy Consumption And The Use Of Renewables For A Small Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Saria Bukhary, Jacimara Batista, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

One of the pressing issues currently faced by the water industry is incorporating sustainability considerations into design practice and reducing the carbon emissions of energy-intensive processes. Water treatment, an indispensable step for safeguarding public health, is an energy-intensive process. The purpose of this study was to analyze the energy consumption of an existing drinking water treatment plant (DWTP), then conduct a modeling study for using photovoltaics (PVs) to offset that energy consumption, and thus reduce emissions. The selected plant, located in southwestern United States, treats 0.425 m3 of groundwater per second by utilizing the processes of coagulation, filtration, and disinfection. …

Effect Of Recycled Concrete Aggregates On The Long-Term, Elastic, Total Deflection And Strength Of Precast Prestressed Hollow Core Concrete Slabs, Lizeth Marisol Gomez Santana

Civil Engineering Theses

Concrete constitutes the largest portion of construction and demolition waste generated each year in the United States. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the total production of construction and demolition of concrete waste during 2015 was 381.8 million tons. In order to reduce the economic and environmental effects of waste concrete, researchers have begun to incorporate it into concrete mixtures. However, the inherent variability in mechanical properties between RCA sources makes it difficult to quantify the maximum permissible replacement of natural aggregate and the end-result properties of concrete. This project investigates the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) obtained …

Protocol Efficiently Measuring The Swelling Rate Of Hydrogels, Katherine Zhang, Wuxiang Feng, Congrui Jin

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Hydrogels are polymeric materials which can swell in water and retain a significant fraction of water within their structure without dissolving in water. Swelling rate is one of the most important properties of hydrogels. To measure the swelling rate, the profile of swelling capacity versus time of a hydrogel sample is obtained by performing free-absorbency capacity measurements at consecutive time intervals. Traditionally, either the tea-bag method, the sieve method, or the filtration method is used for the free-absorbency capacity measurements depending on the amount of the available sample and the desired precision. However, each method has its own systematic drawbacks. …

Concentrations, Sources, And Health Risks Of Particulate Matter In Southeast Us.: Current Status And Future Changes, Fenglin Han

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Evaluation of long-term air quality trends and prediction of future air quality may help to design and demonstrate effectiveness of control strategies and guide future air quality management. As one of the six criteria air pollutants (CAPs) regulated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less (PM_2.5) is of great interests since it has adverse effects on human health, visibility and climate. This study aims to understand the current status and future changes in concentrations, sources, and health risks of PM_2.5 in Southeast US. Firstly, observations were analyzed …