Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Development, Training, Education, And Implementation Of Low-Cost Sensing Technologies For Bridge Structural Health Monitoring (Shm), Fernando Moreu, Chris Lippitt, Dilendra Maharjan, Marlon Aguero, Roya Nasimi

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STUNM02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Transportation infrastructure needs continuous monitoring. However, traditional inspections cost money and are conducted visually. New technologies for bridge monitoring are expensive and complex. This project involved developing cost-effective sensor technologies that can be applied towards the maintenance of railroad bridges by recording reference-free transverse displacement. More specifically, this project developed new applications of new technologies (Arduino, wireless smart sensors, drones, Hololens) and promoted workforce development with an emphasis on outreach of high-school students. This project was carried out in three main phases: …

Evaluation Of The Performance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc) Produced From Region 6 Local Materials, Gabriel Andres Arce Amador, Tyson Rupnow, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17CLSU05. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The project objective is to develop cost-effective Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with locally available ingredients in Region 6 to address the deficiencies observed in ordinary concrete materials. The study explored the utilization of two types of river sands (coarse and fine), two types of PVA fibers (long and short), four levels of cement replacement with Class F fly ash, and the implementation of recycled crumb rubber in the performance of ECC materials. A total of 24 mix designs were prepared and evaluated …

Impacts Of Moisture On Asphalt Properties, Zahid Hossain

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BASU03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Stripping related moisture damage has been recognized as one of the major pavement distresses since the early 1990s. The main objective of this study is to establish an effective test protocol to quantify moisture susceptibility of asphalt pavements. To this end, selective test methods (Texas Boiling test, Tensile Strength Ratio, Retained Stability, and Hamburg Wheel Test), and procedures based on surface chemistries and molecular-level mechanistic properties have been investigated in this study. Firstly, a comprehensive list of literature related to moisture damage …

Integrated Health Monitoring And Reinforcement Of Transportation Structures With Optimized Low-Cost Multifunctional Braided Cables, Ibrahim Karaman, Darren Hartl

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STTAM04. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Corresponding data set for The objective of this research study is to design, fabricate, and characterize multifunctional high strength and self-sensing braided cables and structures using novel Fe-based shape memory alloys (SMAs). The system exploits unique properties of recently developed low-cost super-elastic FeMnAlNi SMAs, which enables excellent super-elastic properties, high strength, and self-sensing in structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. This novel material technology can be coupled with modeling efforts that allow for accurate prediction of both the materials and structural response during …

Investigating Problem Of Distracted Drivers On Louisiana Roadways, Xiaoduan Sun

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17SALSU10. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Due to the escalating usage of cellphone and social networking, distracted driving is and will remain as one of the most serious problems faced by Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and law enforcement agencies. Under the aim of in-depth investigation of distracted driving crashes in Louisiana, the specific objectives of this study are: (1) reviewing the crash reports for the quality of distracted driving crash reporting, (2) analyzing distracted driving-related crashes through regression model and data mining algorithm to link the severity of …

Modeling The Sustainability Of Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Technologies: Final Report, Miguel A. Figliozzi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the past decade, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become increasingly more popular in the commercial sector. Drones are being used for all kinds of purposes, such as surveillance, inspecting architecture, filming, wildlife research, and more. Freight delivery is a potential application that is getting lots of attention from large companies.

This research presented novel data, relationship, and models for deliveries utilizing small UAVs. Small UAVs were defined as aircrafts with a tare of up to 15 kilograms (kg) and a potential payload of up to 15 kg. Since the weight of the UAVs is capped, only drones with engines …

The Passive Effects Of Full-Gateway, In-Street Signs On Vehicular Speed, De'lon Dixon

Masters Theses

Reducing motorist’s speed when approaching crosswalks is an important goal in reducing the number of collision between motorist and pedestrian in crosswalks. The current study addresses this goal. The effect of gateway installation of in-street signs (one in-street sign installed between the two travel lanes in each direction and one on both edges of the roadway in each direction) on vehicle speed was evaluated on nine roads. The results demonstrated that the Gateway in-street sign treatment produced large speed reductions as vehicles approached the crosswalk and at the crosswalk. The average speed reduction was 3.8 mph at the crosswalk and …

Assessment Of Small-Scale Anisotropy In Stably Stratified Turbulent Flows Using Direct Numerical Simulations, Amrapalli Garanaik, Subhas Karan Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, the validity of the widely used Kolmogorov hypothesis of local isotropy of dissipative scales in stably stratified turbulent flows is investigated using high-resolution direct numerical simulations. Departure from isotropy is investigated for the first time in terms of the turbulent Froude number defined as Fr = ϵ/(NEk), where N is the buoyancy frequency, Ek is the turbulent kinetic energy, and ϵ is the rate of dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy. It is shown that for both ϵ and the rate of scalar (density) dissipation, ϵρ, the small-scale statistics are nearly isotropic in the weakly stratified turbulent regime …

Improving The Quality Of Traffic Records For Traffic Incident Management, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Mei Chen, Xu Zhang, Eric R. Green, Shraddha Sagar

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traffic incidents in US roadways cause 25 percent of all delays experienced by users. The resulting congestion may lead to secondary crashes, increasing economic costs and further risking the lives of travelers. Traffic Incident Management is a process that detects, responds to, and clears traffic incidents as quickly as possible so that traffic flow is restored safely. This project analyzes the three TIM performance measures: Roadway Clearance Time, Incident Clearance Time and Secondary Crashes of Kentucky to identify a baseline for performance which may indicate potential for improvement. The study pinpoints different data sources, tools and technologies that can be …

The Live Load Response Of The Open Web Steel Joist Black Slough Bridge, Piero Caputo

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The bridge being studied spans the Black Slough River in the Nucor/Vulcraft facilities near Brigham City, Utah. The bridge is composed of seven heavyweight open web steel joists supporting a concrete deck-slab element and sitting in two concrete cantilever walls serving as bearings. A full-scale live-load test was performed using forklift vehicles at four locations on the deck. During the test, axial strains, deflections, and rotations where measured.

In their provisions, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) included a simplified number of equations and solutions used to calculate GDFs for standardized decks supported by beam systems. …

Evaluation Of Deformable Posts In The Zoi And Rigid Posts In Stiff Soil, Thomas Ammon

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Debris fences are commonly used by states, in conjunction with a concrete parapet, to protect railway tracks. Their use limits the intrusion of debris that could damage tracks or clutter rail lines. Due to a lack of previously crash-tested systems, the safety performance of such designs are largely unknown. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) desired that researchers at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design a crashworthy debris fence mounted on top of a concrete parapet to meet the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) TL-3 crash test conditions. Part 1 of this thesis details the literature review and …

Evaluation Of Bike Boxes And Protected Intersections With Bicycle Signal Treatments For Improving Safety And Multimodal Mobility At Urban Signalized Intersections, Odai Al Houz

Masters Theses

With the dramatic increase of non-motorized transportation users, more people are concerned about the non-motorized traffic safety. Unfortunately, bicyclist and pedestrian are prone to more severe injuries when involved in a crash. For bicycle crashes, failing to yield/disregarding traffic control device, and lack of non-motorized facilities were identified to be the main causes of bicycle crashes in urban intersections. This research investigated the effectiveness of two bicycle crash countermeasures with bicycle signal treatments at urban signalized intersections. The two countermeasures are the bike boxes and the protected intersections. The bicycle signal treatments are the leading bicycle interval and the exclusive …

Building A Handicap Accessible Entrance And Gabion Wall, David C. Marter

Construction Management

As people age, their bodies naturally deteriorate and often times people are confined to wheelchairs in order to get around. Uneven and unstable ground is a large obstacle for people who live confined to a wheelchair. This project was derived and designed in order to help a family with multiple family members bound to wheelchairs to allow them an easier point of access into the home. The project itself consists of the construction of a concrete walkway and a gabion wall to provide some additional aesthetics. The concrete pathway ranges from the driveway to a paver pathway that curves around …

Stochastic Water Balance Dynamics Of Passive And Controlled Stormwater Basins, Anthony J. Parolari, Steven Pelrine, Mark S. Bartlett

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Urbanization and changing rainfall intensities affect the performance of urban stormwater infrastructure, creating the necessity to design resilient stormwater systems. One proposed method to increase the resilience of stormwater infrastructure is the active control of system flows. To improve the understanding of actively-controlled urban water infrastructure function under variable hydro-climate, we develop a stochastic water balance model for stormwater retention and detention basins with both passive and actively-controlled outflow structures. Under active outflow control, the outflow valve is closed until the water level in the basin reaches a specified maximum at which point the valve opens and the basin empties. …

Machine Learning Methods To Map Stabilizer Effectiveness Based On Common Soil Properties, Amit Gajurel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) has been widely used as one of the primary criteria for the selection of optimum type and amount of chemical stabilizer for subgrade/base stabilization. Guidelines established by various state and federal agencies aid in selecting these optimum values by recommending an initial type and amount based on a wide range of soil index properties. A significant number of laboratory trials have to be done to establish the optimum type and amount of stabilizer for a given target strength. This process takes a copious amount of time, money, and the workforce. In addition to that, the finite …

Overcoming The Challenges Of Asbestos Containing Materials In Remodels - A Case Study, Noah W. Champlin

Construction Management

This is a study of one project’s experience with delays caused by the need for asbestos abatement. It will also cover the best approaches for limiting both safety and financial risks to the contractor, subcontractors and owner. I wanted to gather information on this type of issue within our industry because there will be an increased need for large scale remodeling within major cities to keep them up to the level of standard people expect. This includes the more modern infrastructure of a building to accommodate for the technological improvements made in recent years and to provide a more comfortable …

Effect Of Particle Breakage On Ballast Permanent Deformation — A Study Using The Discrete Element Method, Beema Dahal

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The ballast layer comprises relatively large (often as large as 63 mm) angular particles that mainly function to dissipate train-induced stresses from crossties to the underlying subgrade soils and to provide rapid drainage for surface water. Moreover, the ballast layer is also critical towards ensuring a smooth riding track profile, dampening dynamic loads, as well as providing lateral, longitudinal and vertical resistance against excessive track deformations. Under train loading and during track maintenance processes like tamping, individual ballast particles can undergo significant breakage leading to fouling of the ballast layer. The fouling mechanism leads to gradual deterioration in ballast shear …

Field Swcc Modeling And Soil Water Storage Evaluation Through Geophysical Testing, Linkan Sarker

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover is an emerging final cover system and offers several benefits over conventional landfill closure system. It is a cost-effective green solution for the sustainability of a landfill as its performance enhances with time compared to the conventional solution where low hydraulic conductivity soil barrier deteriorates with time. ET cover system relies on the water store-release principle and its performance depends on the site-specific factors such as on-site climatological conditions, soil hydraulic properties and native vegetation. To effectively monitor the performance of this type of cover system, its unsaturated behavior, field capacity, available moisture for plant growth, …

Nebraska Specific Slope Design Manual, Chung R. Song, Yong-Rak Kim, Hossein Bahmyrai, Layal Bitar, Soroosh Amelian

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study introduces proper design and retrofitting techniques to mitigate slope failure in Nebraska based on experimental and analytical research. The geological history, unique soil properties, failure mechanisms and potential new design/retrofitting methods are accounted for in this study. The following are the key findings.

Nebraska is covered by glacial tills, loess/sands, and shales with expansive clay minerals. Loess and shales are often highly overconsolidated due to the high overburden from Laurentide ice sheet which covered North America between 0.1 M to 0.02 M years ago. Overconsolidated expansive shale clays often exhibit time dependent strength reduction, and collapsible loess often …

Concentrically Loaded Circular Rc Columns Partially Confined With Frp, Sahar Y. Ghanem, Issam E. Harik

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Wrapping reinforced concrete (RC) columns with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites is effective in increasing their capacity. The current state of the art concentrates primarily on fully wrapped columns and few studies dealt with partially wrapped ones. The objective herein is to evaluate the effectiveness of partial wraps (or strips) and to develop a confined concrete compressive stress–strain (f_c − ε_c) model that accounts for partial wrapping. Three-dimensional finite element (FE) models are generated to evaluate the influence of different parameters on the behavior of concentrically loaded RC circular columns that are partially and fully wrapped …

Improving Ductility Of Slender Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls With Frp Sheets And Splay Anchors, Luke M. Ostrom

Architectural Engineering

The Sylmar earthquake of 1971 caused significant damage to slender, non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall buildings in California. A later survey by the Concrete Coalition in 2011, under the guidance of EERI members, indicated that there are over 3000 vulnerable concrete buildings in California [8]. This led to City of Los Angeles (LA) Ordinance 193893 enacted in 2015, which requires mandatory upgrades to these concrete buildings by 2035. Current practice to meet the requirements of this ordinance, with respect to RC wall buildings, involves adding new shear walls to the building plan or increasing the cross-sectional area of existing …

Automation Of Post-Earthquake Civil Infrastructure Reconnaissance, Jack Bergquist

Architectural Engineering

Traditionally post-earthquake structural engineering reconnaissance consists of a team of experts who are deployed to the field to record and capture earthquake damage data, which is later uploaded into online repositories. Despite many advances to these data archives in recent years, the entries in online repositories often have limited metadata which make it difficult and time consuming to extract specific damage evidence that can be used for meaningful analysis. This report outlines the author’s contributions to overcoming these challenges via the development of a neural network that automatically filters and classifies post-earthquake civil infrastructure damage data after a seismic event. …

Epoxy Interlocking: A Novel Approach To Enhance Frp-To-Concrete Bond Behavior, Cheng Jiang, Baolin Wan, Yu-Fei Wu, John Omboko

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents a novel approach which can enhance the interfacial bond behavior between fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite material and concrete. Epoxy ribs are formed by grooving on the concrete surface before epoxy is applied. The dowel action from the epoxy ribs leads to an “epoxy interlocking” effect. The mechanism of the proposed epoxy interlocking approach was analyzed in this paper from both adhesion and interlocking aspects. Furthermore, the partial interaction of the epoxy interlocking was quantified and calibrated by experimental results. The epoxy interlocking in the tested specimens led to an 88.8% increase in bond strength on average. …

Impact Of Wide-Base Tires On Pavements: A National Study, Imad L. Al-Qadi, Jaime Hernandez, Angeli Gamez, Mojtaba Ziyadi, Osman Erman Gungor, Seunggu Kang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper summarizes a multi-year effort comparing the new-generation wide-base tires (NG-WBT) and dual-tire assembly from a holistic point of view. The tires were compared considering not only pavement damage but also environmental impact. Numerical modeling, prediction methods, experimental measurements, and life-cycle assessment were combined to provide recommendations about the use of NG-WBT. A finite element (FE) approach considering variables that are usually omitted in the conventional analysis of flexible pavement was used for modeling pavement structures combining layer thickness, material properties, tire load, tire-inflation pressure, and pavement type (interstate and low volume). A prediction tool, ICT-Wide, was developed based …

Development Of Domain Analysis To Predict Multi-Axial Flexible Airfield Pavement Responses Due To Gear And Environmental Loadings, Angeli Gamez, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Flexible pavement design procedures use maximum mechanistic strains to predict service life via empirical transfer functions. The conventional method of using predefined point locations for potential damage may not accurately represent realistic pavement scenarios. For instance, flexible airfield pavement analysis mainly considers the critical strain at the bottom of the asphalt concrete (AC), which may not characterize near-surface cracking potential. In lieu of point strains, domain analysis, a new method, accounts for the multi-axial behavior of pavements, as inherently excited by three-dimensional (3-D) and nonuniform aircraft tire–pavement contact stresses. Initially applied on highway pavements considering truck tire loading, this approach …

Implementing Coordination Lab And Lesson Into Cm 413 - Job Site, Connor R. Westover

Construction Management

Coordination can make or break a job. The act of coordination and the millions of pieces that go into a single project can directly affect both the schedule and budget of a construction project. Coordination is not a single part of the job, it is an on-going process that continuously involves all entities of the project. The importance of coordination and what it entails is not yet captured in the Cal Poly Construction Management curriculum. The purpose of this project would be to capture that importance and continue to build upon it to better prepare Cal Poly Builders for the …

Relationship Between Compressive Strength Of Different Shape And Thickness Specimens Of Type S Mortar, Theodore James Moffett

Theses and Dissertations

Mortar is the cementitious binding material placed between masonry blocks to create a composite system. The American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), along with other organizations, have established the testing of prismatic mortar specimens for evaluating mechanical properties, like compressive strength. Mortar joints, however, possess vastly different characteristics compared to prismatic specimens, especially in terms of geometry and water content. These differences prevent a direct comparison of compressive strength between prismatic specimens and actual mortar joints in the assembly. The objective of this study was to analyze Type S mortar joints, with particular emphasis on specimen shape and water …

Experimental Evaluation Of Replaceable Shear Fuse Moment Connections, Shannon Shun Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Steel special moment frames (SMFs) are known to be highly ductile seismic force- resisting systems. The performance of an SMF relies on the ability of the connections to accommodate large inelastic deformations. After the brittle failure of some steel moment frame connections during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, experimental tests were used to investigate the ductility and strength of these connections. An experimental study was performed to investigate the seismic performance a new connection called the Replaceable Shear Fuse (RSF) connection. The RSF connection uses shear-yielding fuse plates to prevent beam and column yielding. A total of 7 test specimens with …

Bridging The Gap: 3d Modeling To Hands On Learning, Tyler J. Hecht

Construction Management

This project is a rework of Cal Poly Construction Management Building Information Modeling class, Revit Activity. The goal of the assignment is to teach the fundamentals and concepts of Autodesk Revit, and the tools that can be used within the construction industry. The model itself is based upon a hands-on lab that the Commercial Construction class builds. The modeling exercise allows students to model several key elements of a building, following a construction sequence. Following the modeling, the students will be able to create sheets and create their own plan set that was modeled. On those plan sets they will …

Hard Hat Safety By California Contractors, Jonathan G. Hernandez

Construction Management

The hard hat is the quintessential item of PPE, and yet it often gets overlooked when ensuring safety standards are being met. We all expect our hard hat to protect us, but many never inspect it to ensure that it is properly fulfilling its purpose. This disregard to inspection and maintenance can lead to serious injury or death in the event of an accident. While organizations such as OSHA and the hard hat manufacturers themselves post information on this topic, it is unclear if this information is actually being received by the people involved in a construction project. This research …