Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Hydraulic Structures And Water System Management-Ishs2016 In Perspective, Brian M. Crookston, Blake Tullis

International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures

Hydraulic structures are vital features in our water infrastructure, as they help meet the diverse and challenging demands of society, including conveyance, flood protection, environmental and ecological impacts, and systems management. Indeed, there are a number of challenges facing engineers today. This 6^th IAHR International Symposium on Hydraulic Structures (ISHS2016) brought together domestic and international expertise from research, practice, and implementation in a forum for knowledge exchange and networking discussion on critical issues related to hydraulic structure research, performance, operations, maintenance, and community implications. It continued the rich tradition of this series by stimulating interest on advancement in the …

Development Of An Instrument To Measure The Entrepreneurial Mindset Of Engineering Students, Cheryl Q. Li, Ronald S. Harichandran, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Nadiye O. Erdil, Jean Nocito-Gobel

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This work in progress describes the development of an instrument to measure entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students. The need for developing the entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students is being recognized by many universities. However, very few comprehensive, generalized and well-validated instruments are available for assessing the entrepreneurial mindset of engineering students. Most research and educational efforts focus on the design and implementation of engineering entrepreneurship programs, but assessment practices have not kept up.1-2 There are several reasons for the shortfall in assessment practices: 1) Introducing engineering students to entrepreneurship is a relatively new trend and it will take time for …

Integrating E-Learning Modules Into Engineering Courses To Develop An Entrepreneurial Mindset In Students, Nadiye O. Erdil, Ronald S. Harichandran, Jean Nocito-Gobel, Maria-Isabel Carnasciali, Cheryl Q. Li

Engineering and Applied Science Education Faculty Publications

Engineering graduates who will be leaders in today’s rapidly changing environment must possess an entrepreneurial mindset and a variety of professional skills in addition to technical knowledge and skills. An entrepreneurial mindset applies to all aspects of life, beginning with curiosity about our changing world, integrating information from various resources to gain insight, and identifying unexpected opportunities to create value. The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) defines curiosity, connections and creating value as three core components of an entrepreneurial mindset. These 3Cs coupled with associated engineering skills forms KEEN’s entrepreneurial mindset framework. An entrepreneurial mindset enables engineers to develop sound …

Why This Flip Wasn't A Flop: What The Numbers Don't Tell You About Flipped Classes, Heather Noel Fedesco, Troy Cary

IMPACT Publications

This paper details the conversion of a large, required Civil Engineering fluid mechanics course into a more student-centered, active learning-oriented course through the flipping of one lecture per week. In the flipped class, students collaboratively solve homework problems in groups while receiving “expert” feedback from instructors and TAs. To offset the lost lectures, some course material that has been delivered in traditional lectures has been placed online in the form of short videos and textbook readings, with low-stakes quizzes for assessment.

Student learning gains were quantitatively assessed by comparing quiz and final exam scores for three semesters (1 pre-flip and …

Thermal Conductivity Of Binary Sand Mixtures Evaluated Through Full Water Content Range, Benjamin M. Wallen, Kathleen M. Smits, Toshihiro Sakaki, Stacy E. Howington, T.K.K. Chamindu Deepagoda

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

A soil’s grain-size distribution affects its physical and hydraulic properties; however, little is known about its effect on soil thermal properties. To better understand how grain-size distribution affects soil thermal properties, specifically the effective thermal conductivity, a set of laboratory experiments was performed using binary mixtures of two uniform sands tightly packed with seven different mixing fractions over the full range of saturation. For each binary mixture, the effective thermal conductivity, l, capillary pressure, hc, and volumetric water content, q, were measured. Results demonstrated that the l–q relationship exhibited distinct characteristics based on the percentage of fine- and coarse-grained sands. …

Modeling The Influence Of Various Water Stressors On Regional Water Supply Infrastructures And Their Embodied Energy, Weiwei Mo, Qiong Zhang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Water supply consumes a substantial amount of energy directly and indirectly. This study aims to provide an enhanced understanding of the influence of water stressors on the embodied energy of water supply (EEWS). To achieve this goal, the EEWS in 75 North Carolina counties was estimated through an economic input-output based hybrid life cycle assessment. Ten water stressor indicators related to population, economic development, climate, water source, and land use were obtained for the 75 counties. A multivariate analysis was performed to understand the correlations between water stressor indicators and the EEWS. A regression analysis was then conducted to identify …

The Feasibility Of A Land Ferry System To Reduce Highway Maintenance Cost And Associated Externalities, Steve Merrill, Alexander Paz-Cruz, Victor Molano, Pramen P. Shrestha, Pankal Maheshwari, Haroon Stephen, Hanns De La Fuente

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

This study provides an economic evaluation for a Land Ferry, which is a rail system capable of carrying trucks and all other types of vehicles, passengers, and cargo. The Land Ferry system involves a sliding loading system to roll heavy loads onto a flatbed; as a result, loading and unloading of all vehicles and cargo could be accomplished simultaneously. The evaluation for this system included (1) the design of a new track alignment over which the Land Ferry system would run, (2) evaluation of various sources of power, (3) estimation of how many local jobs the Land Ferry would generate, …

Interaction Of Cementitious Systems With Chemical Admixtures, Natallia Shanahan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in commercial construction have been increasing over the last several decades as climate change and sustainability has been gaining global attention. Incorporation of SCMs into concrete mixtures provides several environmental benefits. Since most SCMs are waste by-products of other industries, their use in concrete reduces waste disposal. Additionally, cements substitution with SCMs reduces the carbon footprint of the construction industry. Cement production generates large amounts of CO₂ emissions; the use of SCMs reduces the amount of cement in a concrete mixture thereby reducing emissions from its production.

In addition to SCMs, modern …

Determination Of Non-Nuclear Alternative To The Nuclear Density Gauge Through Laboratory And Field Testing, Janine Abyad

Theses and Dissertations

Pavement performance is dependent on the compaction quality of unbound subgrade and base/subbase layers beneath flexible pavements. Pavement distresses can be linked to compaction defects within these layers. In current practice, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) utilizes the nuclear density gauge (NDG) for evaluating compaction quality based on minimum density requirements, typically 95% of the Proctor maximum dry density (MDD). However, there are concerns with using the NDG. The goal of this study was to replace the NDG with non-nuclear alternative method(s) as acceptance tools during field compaction. To achieve this, a laboratory procedure for compacting large samples …

Sustainability At U.S. Urban Water Utilities: A Framework To Assess Key Attributes, Matthew Paul Ries

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Urban water utilities in the United States face challenges due to a combination of external drivers. These include urbanization and population growth, which are stressing a system of aging infrastructure. Compliance with increasing regulations is also a challenge in a fiscally-constrained economic environment. A changing climate threatens infrastructure and past assumptions for water supply and quality. Urban utilities provide clean water and sanitation services to over 80% of the country’s population and its industrial centers. Therefore, the sustainability of these water utilities are crucial to the country’s and the public’s well-being.

New operating models are emerging for a “utility of …

Class C Fly Ash In Pavements, Kromel E. Hanna, George Morcous, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Modeling Of Soybean Under Present And Future Climates In Mozambique, Manuel António Dina Talacuece, Flávio Barbosa Justino, Rafael De Ávila Rodrigues, Milton Edgar Pereira Flores, Jéssica Garcia Nascimento, Eduardo Eduardo Santos

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study aims to calibrate and validate the generic crop model (CROPGRO-Soybean) and estimate the soybean yield, considering simulations with different sowing times for the current period (1990–2013) and future climate scenario (2014–2030). The database used came from observed data, nine climate models of CORDEX (Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment)-Africa framework and MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications) reanalysis. The calibration and validation data for the model were acquired in field experiments, carried out in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 growing seasons in the experimental area of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Angónia, Mozambique. The yield …

Identification Of Streamflow Changes Across The Continental United States Using Variable Record Lengths, Kazi Tamaddun, Ajay Kalra, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The study focused on investigating the presence of change patterns in 600 unimpaired streamflow stations across the continental U.S. at different time intervals to understand the change patterns that can provide significant insight regarding climate variability and change. Each station had continuous streamflow data of at least 30 years (the entire dataset covered a range of 109 years). Presence of trends and shifts were detected in water year and the four seasons (fall, winter, spring, and summer) analyzing the water year and seasonal mean flows. Two non-parametric tests, namely, the Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt’s test were used to identify …

An Investigation In Construction Cost Estimation Using A Monte Carlo Simulation, Jeffrey D. Buchholtz

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force estimates military construction (MILCON) costs early in a project’s development as a part of the funding approval process. However, many of the initial cost estimates deviate significantly more than expected from the actual project costs, hindering funding allocation efforts. There is a need for improved estimation techniques. This research examines a cost estimation model for the initial programming stages of a project when only general scope information is available.

This study develops a Monte Carlo simulation based on historical construction cost data to predict project costs base on facility type. For a given facility type, the research …

An Investigation Of Motor Vehicle Driver Inattention And Its Effects At Highway–Rail Grade Crossings, Shanshan Zhao

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The relationship between accident injury severity and drivers’ inattentive behavior requires an in-depth investigation – this is especially needed in the case of motor vehicle drivers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). The relationship between drivers’ personality/ socioeconomic characteristics and inattentive behavior at HRGCs is another topic requiring research. Past educational programs about safe driving at HRGCs have often not been designed to target people who may be in urgent need of such information, which may limit the effectiveness of those programs.

This dissertation thus focuses on the following four objectives: to investigate the association between motor vehicle inattentive driving and …

Renovation Of El Camino Real Of Santa Clara, Thao Nguyen-Pham, John Garzee

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In this project we focus on a section of the El Camino Real that is a major corridor that connects the South Bay to much of the Peninsula. The portion that we are looking at is by Santa Clara University from Lafayette Street to Scott Boulevard which consists of 3lanes in both directions. This is much wider than sections farther north as there are much higher traffic volumes in the spread out South Bay. As a result, El Camino Real can be dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Along with pedestrian safety concerns, our project goes into the inadequate service levels …

Forest Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycles Under Biomass Harvest: Stability, Transient Response, And Feedback, Anthony J. Parolari, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Biomass harvest generates an imbalance in forest carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and the nonlinear biogeochemical responses may have long-term consequences for soil fertility and sustainable management. We analyze these dynamics and characterize the impact of biomass harvest and N fertilization on soil biogeochemistry and ecosystem yield with an ecosystem model of intermediate complexity that couples plant and soil C and N cycles. Two harvest schemes are modeled: continuous harvest at low intensity and periodic clear-cut harvest. Continuously-harvested systems sustain N harvest at steady-state under net mineralization conditions, which depends on the C:N ratio and respiration rate of decomposers. …

Regional Wastewater Facility Systems Design, Sage Aoki, Joseph Calvo, Kayden Haleakala, Steward Yang

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

The San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF) was constructed in 1956 as a primary water treatment plant. Secondary treatment facilities were constructed in 1964 in response to a growing population and economy along with state regulations. The RWF expanded to tertiary treatment in 1979 to meet Clean Water Act regulations. A wet weather headworks facility was commissioned in 2008, and in 2011 the gaseous chlorine/sulfur dioxide system for disinfection was converted to a sodium hypochlorite/sodium bisulfate system in 2011 (RWF 2015). The RWF launched a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) in 2014, identifying 33 capital projects. The Facility Wide Water …

Nicaragua Water Distribution System, Leah Bensching, Jamie Monk

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In developing nations, such as Nicaragua, water security issues affect a large portion of the population. A lack of clean and secure water negatively causes many public health, environmental and economic concerns. This project addresses the need to develop a water distribution system to a rural community in Nicaragua. The proposed solutions will allow the community to choose more resilient design options to ensure reliable water delivery throughout the community.

By using NeatWork, a Nicaraguan based system, and WaterGEMS, which is more commonly used in the United States, it was determined that designing for 100% reliability was the most responsible …

24th National Timber Bridge Design Competition, Marie Mcnamara, Andrew D. Porter, Sarah Martina Sbicca

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

For the 2016 Senior Design project, our team elected to design and construct a short-span pedestrian bridge for the 24th National Timber Bridge Design Competition. The competition was sponsored by the Southwest Mississippi RC&D council (SMRCD) of the Forest Products Society in association with the American Society of Civil Engineers. There were a number of different design and testing requirements to abide by, including both competition regulations as well as AASHTO guidelines pertaining to the construction of pedestrian bridges. [1] A great deal of diligence was taken to assure that our team performed well in the competition; every rule and …

Rise Above The Flood: Bridge Building In Gambibgo, Ghana, Vanessa Diaz, Ariana Govan, Matthew Millsaps

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on the design of a steel girder bridge for a rural community in Ghana, Africa. While Santa Clara Civil Engineering Senior Design Teams have been working in this community since 2008, it was not until 2013 that a project team attempted to design a pedestrian footbridge. After the 20152016 project team decided to take on the project, it became clear from talking with the Ghanaian Municipal Engineers and local community members that the steel suspension bridge proposed by the 2013 team would not meet all the needs of the community. Therefore, the team redesigned the bridge, proposing …

Foundation Design For Multistory Building In Oakland, Sean Cain

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This project focuses on the design of a foundation and garage-level retaining walls for a 25 story building in Oakland, California. The design was completed through the use of data from a 1988 soil investigation and provided structural loads. The site is composed of a thin sand layer above a clay layer about 400 feet thick. Analysis included soil and groundwater conditions and exploration of spread footings, mat footings, and pile foundations. The final selected foundation type is driven piles with the other options discarded due to lack of data and an unsuitability for the structure requirements. Piles are suitable …

Redesign Of Lawrence Expressway And Pruneridge Avenue, Matthew Wong, Tyler Isaac

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In 2012, the segment of Pruneridge Avenue from Lawrence Expressway to Pomeroy Avenue saw a project called a Road Diet. A Road Diet refers to the replacement of vehicle lanes with bicycle lanes and a center turning lane, in order to create safe zones for cyclists and drivers on the same street. While the Road Diet sufficiently addressed the safety issues of the corridor, it severely worsened its traffic capacity, creating long queues along Pruneridge and on Lawrence Expressway during peak traffic hours as residents around the area commute to and from work. The queues are so long that many …

Analysis Of Brazilian Split Cylinder Using The State Based Peridynamic Lattice Model, Shreya Vemuganti

Civil Engineering ETDs

Concrete members deform discontinuously in the form of cracks and fracture. Continuum mechanics, which has dominated the field of solid mechanics over the years, does not handle such discontinuities. A material, as defined by continuum mechanics is that which is continuous and fills the space it occupies. Although this is a reasonable assumption for metals, it is an unrealistic notion for concrete. Stewart Silling invented peridynamics, which involves nonlocal solid modelling upon a continuous material space. Walter Gerstle developed a practical application of the peridynamic model for solid mechanics called the state-based peridynamic lattice model (SPLM). This approach involves material …

On Cross-Anisotropy Of Flexible Pavement Layer Materials For Improved Pavement Responses, Mesbah Ahmed

Civil Engineering ETDs

Pavement layer materials are typically assumed to be isotropic in determining pavement responses, such as stress and strain. The main benefit of the isotropic assumption is that stiffness defined by modulus of elasticity (E-value) is equal in all directions. In reality, stiffness along vertical and horizontal (i.e., and ) may vary due to density gradients in compacted layer materials caused by vertical compaction during construction. Therefore, pavement layer materials with different vertical and horizontal modulus (i.e., \u2260 ) are cross-anisotropic. Past studies have reported that degree of cross-anisotropy, ( ) ranges from 0.2 to 0.85 in Asphalt Concrete (AC) layers. …

Risk Assessment Of Post-Fire Floods On Dams And Their Floodplains, Krishna Chaitanya Jagadeesh Simma

Civil Engineering ETDs

The rapidly changing global climate and the increased dependence on infrastructure networks make our society vulnerable to natural disasters. Decision makers need to understand the intensity of potential natural disasters to take necessary actions to minimize their impacts. In Southwest United States, wildfires are increasing in frequency and magnitude. The literature review shows limited studies in evaluating the impacts of post-wildfire floods on civil infrastructures and residential zones. Earth dams are vulnerable to post-wildfire floods. The increased post-wildfire runoff volumes due to changes in soil characteristics and reduced vegetation could result in overtopping failure of an earth dam (dam-break scenario), …

On The Flux Richardson Number In Stably Stratified Turbulence, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy, Jeffrey R. Koseff

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The flux Richardson number Rf (often referred to as the mixing efficiency) is a widely used parameter in stably stratified turbulence which is intended to provide a measure of the amount of turbulent kinetic energy k that is irreversibly converted to background potential energy (which is by definition the minimum potential energy that a stratified fluid can attain that is not available for conversion back to kinetic energy) due to turbulent mixing. The flux Richardson number is traditionally defined as the ratio of the buoyancy flux B to the production rate of turbulent kinetic energy P. An alternative generalized definition …

Habitat For Humanity Apartment Complex Redesign, Megan August, Molly Bencomo, Ashley Waite

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

This project consists of the redesign of a three-story apartment complex for Habitat for Humanity that will be constructed in Walnut Creek, CA in 2017. A project in Fremont, CA served as the basis for the design. However, the height of the complex in Fremont exceeded the Walnut Creek Building Code height limitations, making the redesign of this timber structure necessary. The challenge was to reduce the structural space between stories to 9.5 inches in order to achieve comfortable interior clearances and meet the City of Walnut Creek’s height restriction. The structural components for Building Type A in the Las …

Quantitative Risk Evaluation Of Obstacle Limitation Surfaces For Final Approaches At Airports, Amila Silva, Alexandre G. De Barros

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) are the main safeguard against objects that can pose a hazard to aircraft operations at and around airports. The standard dimensions of the most of those surfaces were estimated using the pilot’s experience at the time when they were included in the standard documents. As a result, some of these standards may have been overestimated, while others may not provide an adequate level of safety. With airports moving to the Safety Management System (SMS) approach to design and operations safety, proper evaluation of the level of safety provided by OLS at specific sites becomes important to …

Probability Model Of Corrosion-Induced Cracking Time In Chloride-Contaminated Reinforced Concrete, Chunhua Lu, Jinmu Yang, Ronggui Liu

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Corrosion-induced concrete cover cracking caused by chloride ion is an important indication of durability limit state for marine reinforced concrete (RC) structures and can ultimately determine the structural service life. In this paper, considering the random nature of factors affecting the corrosion cracking process, a probabilistic model which expands on the deterministic model of cover cracking time is developed by using Monte Carlo simulation technique. The results showed that the time to corrosion cracking can be modelled by the Weibull distribution. Finally, the probabilistic analysis for the cracking time is applied to an in-site RC bridge girder with four different …