Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Biofilm Colonization On The Dynamics Of Microplastics In Turbulent Flow, Liyuan Joanna Hou

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Covid-19 Transmission And Population Mobility Over Time, Tanmoy Bhowmik, Naveen Eluru

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores the dynamic relationship between COVID-19 transmission and transportation mobility, with an emphasis on understanding the time-varying bidirectional interplay across the different phases of the pandemic. To gain insight into this relationship, we analyzed county-level data on transmission and mobility patterns from the United States over a 74-week period using a comprehensive list of factors including: temporal factors, socio-demographics, health indicators, health care infrastructure attributes, and spatial factors. For our analysis, we proposed a simultaneous econometric model system that explicitly accounts for the bidirectional relationship between COVID-19 transmission and mobility patterns while also accounting for the influence of …

Prediction Of Moisture Resistance Of Aggregate Binder System Through Physicochemical And Mechanical Assessment, Khaja Sameer Sadat

Student Theses and Dissertations

Moisture sensitivity has been a significant factor in pavement deterioration for several decades. The primary objective of the proposed research is to quantify the interface-level adhesion forces between bitumen samples and various types of aggregates. Aggregates and binders from varying sources with an anti-stripping agent were utilized for routine tests, micro-level tests, and elemental analysis. Pneumatic Adhesion Tensile Testing Instrument (PATTI) was discovered to be a more straightforward, simple, and repeatable adhesion testing method. The PATTI test revealed that sandstone exhibited higher adhesion values due to its greater porosity and absorption potential than limestone. The Texas Boiling test removed human …

Air Content Variation In Concrete At Different Stages Of Its Lifecycle, Mohammad Sarfaraz Uddin

Student Theses and Dissertations

In cold climates, concrete structures are susceptible to deterioration from the freezing and thawing of water within the concrete. The arrangement of air voids is crucial for the concrete to endure the freeze-thaw cycles. This research investigates changes in the air void system within concrete using a super air meter and the properties of both fresh and hardened concrete at various stages, including mixing and after pumping. Laboratory mixes used different dosages of air-entraining admixes and included Rice Husk Ash (RHA) as a supplementary material. Adding RHA to the mix resulted in a decrease in air content of about 2.2%, …

Effective Integration Of Waste Plastics In Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures: Towards Sustainable Infrastructure, Venkatsushanth Revelli

Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated the potential of waste plastics such as low density polyethylene(LDPE), high density polyethylene(HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate(PET) and polystyrene (PS) for designing superior performing asphalt mixtures. Both wet mixing and dry mixing methods were adopted for designing plastic modified asphalt mixtures. Initially LDPE and HDPE were selected for developing plastic modified binders, based on melting characterization, determined from differential scanning calorimeter(DSC). In wet mixing process, the influence of dosage, size of plastic, blending duration and interaction between plastic and asphalt were assessed. Plastics were found to exhibit phase separation with asphalt, while finer particles take only longer to segregate …

Comparative Analysis Of Muskingum Routing: Traditional Vs. Ai-Assisted Methods, Vida Atashi

AI Assignment Library

In this assignment, students will apply traditional and AI-assisted Muskingum routing methods to real-world discharge data from the USGS over a 10-day period. The goal is to compare these approaches, enhancing skills in hydrological modeling and data analysis crucial for water resources engineering.

The Role Of Micromobility In The Changing Urban Mobility Landscape, Mostafa Jafarzadehfadaki

All ETDs from UAB

The growing prevalence of micromobility has significantly impacted urban mo-‎bility, offering a sustainable and convenient alternative for short trips in urban settings. ‎As cities grapple with increasing congestion, pollution, and the demand for efficient ‎mobility solutions, micromobility options like e-scooters and e-bikes have emerged as ‎popular modes of transportation, particularly in densely populated areas. While earlier ‎research has contributed to understanding micromobility and its impact on urban set-‎tings, significant knowledge gaps still exist. Therefore, a comprehensive study is neces-‎sary to explore the multifaceted dimensions of e-scooter adoption, usage patterns of mi-‎cromobility, and their implications for urban transportation systems and traffic …

Common Ground Newsletter Fall 2024, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

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Sustainable Mobility, Shams Tanvir

Mavs Open Press Open Educational Resources - Archive

This textbook and OER material cover tools and basic knowledge required to prepare transportation engineers and planners to contribute towards a carbon-neutral mobility future. The goal of the textbook is to train engineering students on existing tools and policy levers that can be used to incorporate emerging transportation technologies in a sustainable, equitable, and efficient manner.

Fundamentals Of Math, Physics, And Statistics For Future Transportation Professionals, Anurag Pande, Peyton Ratto, Ahmed Farid

Mavs Open Press Open Educational Resources - Archive

This textbook and OER material cover tools and basic knowledge required to master the prerequisite essentials of physics, mathematics, and statistics applied in transportation engineering. The textbook modules are intended for students with undergraduate degrees in planning and other less technical fields who are interested in pursuing transportation careers where background engineering knowledge is required.

Assessment Of Efficiencies Of Different Additives To Improve Cbr Value For The Highway Industry, Ahmed H. El-Bosraty Eng., Ahmed M. Ebid Dr., M. Bahr Prof.

Future Engineering Journal

The structural design of flexible or rigid paving layers depends on the strength of the foundation soil, which is expressed by the California Bearing Ratio (CBR). Soil strengthening and improvement techniques vary according to the type of soil, whether it is granular or cohesive. This study is concerned with evaluating the efficiency of three techniques used to improve the properties of granular soil, the first by using natural fibers, the second by using synthetic fibers, and the third by mixing with powders. The study methodology relies on reviewing, studying, classifying and comparing the previously published work in this context to …

Reduction In Scc Form Pressure Through In-Situ Co2 Mineralization, Sean Monkman, Soo Duck Hwang, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One challenge of using self-consolidating concrete (SCC) for cast-in-place structural applications is that the rheological properties of the concrete (low yield stress and low plastic viscosity) can lead to increased lateral pressure exerted on the formwork. High structural build up and thixotropy can reduce the lateral pressure, thereby allowing for simpler formwork and faster construction. The addition of CO₂ to SCC, in proportions from 0.063 % to 0.250 %, by weight of cement, was investigated as a rheology modifier. The CO₂ served to increase the plastic viscosity with little impact on the dynamic yield stress up to a …

Price Escalation In Construction Projects: Examining National And International Contracts, Bahaa Chammout, Islam H. El-Adaway, Mohammad Abdul Nabi, Rayan H. Assaad

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The construction industry has witnessed unprecedented disruptions in the supply chain (SC) over the past four years due to the consecutive impacts of the 2018 steel and aluminum tariffs, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. SC disruptions have been linked to price escalations, the management of which varies across different construction contracts. Thus, there is a timely need to understand the contractual implications of price escalation clauses. This article fulfills this research requirement by following an interdependent research methodology. First, the authors analyzed and compared price escalation provisions under various US-based, international, and UK-based standard design-bid-build contracts. Second, the …

Design Frameworks For Ventilative Cooling: Perceptions From Building Design Practitioners In Ireland And The United Kingdom, Maha Sohail, Adam O'Donovan, Paul D. O'Sullivan

Publications

The global increase in building cooling demands poses a challenge for designers striving for net zero energy consumption. The prevalent use of mechanical cooling underscores the necessity for designers to consider Ventilative Cooling as a viable alternative in the early stages of building design. This paper presents findings from an exploratory survey and semi-structured interviews of industry experts in Ireland and the United Kingdom about their design processes and experienced-based approaches to designing Ventilative Cooling. The findings suggest that the pre-design stage has the same influence for promoting ventilative cooling strategies as the schematic and detailed design stages for practitioners, …

Environmental Engineering 3.0: Faced With Planetary Problems, Solutions Must Scale-Up Caring, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther, Linda A. Mccauley

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal.

2024 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek Young, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Unified Approach For Addressing Temporal Instability In Road Safety Analysis, Kazi Redwan Shabab, Tanmoy Bhowmik, Mohamed H. Zaki, Naveen Eluru

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Multivariate models are widely employed for crash frequency analysis in traffic safety literature. In the context of analyzing data for multiple instances (such as years), it becomes essential to evaluate the stability of parameters over time. The current research proposes a novel approach, labelled the mixed spline indicator pooled model, that offers significant enhancement relative to current approaches employed for capturing temporal instability. The proposed approach entails carefully creating independent variables that allow us to measure parameter slope changes over time and can be easily integrated into existing methodological frameworks. The current research effort compares four multivariate model systems: year …

Quantitative Assessment Of The Architect's Role Under Us Standard Construction Contracts: A Graph Theory Approach, Mariam Elazhary, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway, Sammi Young

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Evaluating the Architect's Role in Construction Contracts is Vital for Improving the Contractual Relationship and Preventing Disputes. Standard Contracts Define the Architect as an Owner's Agent And/or a Contract Administrator. Studies Often Use Qualitative and Subjective Evaluations to Analyze the Architect's Role. However, there is a Lack of Quantitative Measures that Objectively Evaluate the Architect's Capacities in Construction Contracts. This Paper Fills This Knowledge Gap. This Study Proposes a Quantitative Graph Theory-Based Approach to Analyze the Architect's Roles under Three Standard Forms of Construction Contracts in the US: (1) Extracting and Classifying Party Interactions; (2) Modeling the Interactions using Network …

The Role Of The Metaverse In Transforming The Management Skill Set Of Construction Practitioners, Ali M. Saad, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Asphalt-Binder Mixtures Evaluated By T1 Nmr Relaxometry, Rebecca M. Herndon, Jay Balasubramanian, Magdy Abdelrahman, Klaus Woelk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt pavements make up a majority of the essential transportation systems in the US. Asphalt mixtures age and degrade over time, reducing the pavement performance. Pavement performance critically depends on the aging of asphalt binder. The aging of asphalt binder during construction is traditionally modeled by rolling thin film oven (RTFO) testing, while aging during service life is modeled by pressure aging vessel (PAV) testing. Comparing these models to the aging of binders in actual pavements is limited because, to be used for current testing, binders must be separated from the pavement's aggregate by solvent extraction. Solvent extraction will, at …

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (Nmr) Assessment Of Bio And Crude Oil-Based Rejuvenation, Rebecca M. Herndon, Jay Balasubramanian, Magdy Abdelrahman, Klaus Woelk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt binders in pavements lose their stability through aging and eventually fail in the field. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to monitor the primary longitudinal relaxation time of asphalt samples and the ratio of material that carries this primary relaxation time has been shown to indicate the impact of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on the aging of asphalt pavements. Longitudinal NMR relaxation was used to investigate two types of proposed asphalt rejuvenators, a bio-oil-based rejuvenator and a crude-oil-based rejuvenator. Two different binders with the performance grades (PG) 64-22 and 76-22 were considered for their interactions with the rejuvenators. After 72 h …

Asphalt-Binder Mixtures Evaluated By T1 Nmr Relaxometry, Rebecca M. Herndon, Jay Balasubramanian, Magdy Abdelrahman, Klaus Woelk

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt pavements make up a majority of the essential transportation systems in the US. Asphalt mixtures age and degrade over time, reducing the pavement performance. Pavement performance critically depends on the aging of asphalt binder. the aging of asphalt binder during construction is traditionally modeled by rolling thin film oven (RTFO) testing, while aging during service life is modeled by pressure aging vessel (PAV) testing. Comparing these models to the aging of binders in actual pavements is limited because, to be used for current testing, binders must be separated from the pavement's aggregate by solvent extraction. Solvent extraction will, at …

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

Spot, Zone And Overcoat Painting Of Steel Bridges, Christopher Goff, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Over the past 25 – 30 years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has replaced lead-based coatings on many bridges, often with zinc-based systems. But many of these coating systems are now degrading and reaching the ends of their service lives. Historically, KYTC has relied entirely on remove-and-replace painting, however, given the programmatic costs associated with remove-and-replace painting and constraints imposed by limited funding, the agency needs to explore more economical options, such as spot, zone, and overcoat painting. This report discusses use cases for spot, zone, and overcoat painting and lays out guidelines staff can use to determine what method …

Impact Of 3d Printing Parameters On Static And Fatigue Properties Of Polylactic Acid (Pla) Bone Scaffolds, Hamed Bakhtiari, Alireza Nouri, Majid Tolouei-Rad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In the present study, polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds with a 60 % porosity and gyroid pore structure were 3D printed using the extrusion-based method and employing various printing parameters. The specimens were loaded under quasit-static and cyclic conditions and their mechanical behaviour were evaluated. The Taguchi method was utilized to design experiments and investigate the impact of printing parameters on the compressive properties of the scaffolds. Moreover, thermography analysis was used to examine the influence of cyclic heating during fatigue experiments. The results indicated that extrusion width was the sole variable significantly affecting the quasi-static properties of scaffolds. The largest …

Design, Fabrication, And Physical Properties Analysis Of Laminated Low-E Coated Glass For Retrofit Window Solutions, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Mikhail Vasiliev, Boon Kar Yap, Mohammad Aminul Islam, Yaseer Fouad, Tiong Sieh Kiong

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The ever-growing demand for improved energy efficiency in buildings has stimulated a stream of research focused on innovative retrofit energy solutions. Laminated low emissivity (Low-E) type coated glass components can be used in retrofitting window systems for enhancing energy savings provided by the insulating properties of glass laminates containing these heat-mirror-type coatings. In particular, custom-designed double-silver low-E coatings embedded into the laminate structure (directly facing the polymer interlayers during and after the lamination) are of interest due to being protected from environmental exposure, enabling easy component transportation, storage, and window retrofits. In this study, we provide some details on the …

Forecasting Construction Material Prices Using Macroeconomic Indicators Of Trading Partners, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Supply chain instabilities and inflated material prices have had a disruptive impact on cost estimating of construction projects. While several research efforts used national macroeconomic indicators to forecast the prices of domestically produced construction materials, none of the existing studies investigated whether the lagged macroeconomic indicators of the main trading partners could enhance the predictability of the prices of cement, steel, and lumber in the US construction sector. This paper fills this knowledge gap. The authors adopted a multi-step methodology that included: (1) collecting data on the target variables and the candidate leading indicators; (2) identifying the structural breaks in …

High-Mast Tower Foundation – Phase Ii, Ammar Al Maabreh, Abdelrahman Awawdeh, Marc Maguire, Jay Puckett, Brandon Kreiling

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Challenge: High-mast luminaire supports used in the US transportation sector are typically steel poles that are attached to a baseplate via a butt or socket weld. Many have failed primarily due to fatigue cracking at the weld toe. Significant research in the US improved the fatigue performance of these structures; however, failures still occur due to high-cycle cracking at the weld toes, or at other fatigue-prone details. Additionally, poles are failing in moderate winds that create galloping. Galloping is an aerodynamic phenomenon where the wind excitation frequency matches the pole’s natural frequency creating resonance. The top amplitudes are many times …

Influence Of Plastic Coating Temperature On Recycled Concrete Brick Coarse Aggregate, Jamil Ahmed Joy, Chowdhury Zubayer Bin Zahid, S. M. Imdadul Islam

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The generation of waste from the demolition of old structures poses a significant environmental challenge. Recycling these materials as aggregates in concrete offers a potential alleviation of environmental impact. While recycled aggregates offer promise as a remedy, they are not without drawbacks. However, innovative approaches have been developed to overcome these limitations. Among these, plastic coating stands out as a particularly sustainable solution. This study investigates the influence of plastic coating temperature on recycled concrete brick aggregates (RCBA), which serve as coarse aggregates. The RCBA were coated with locally sourced polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at varying temperatures, such as 250 °C, …

Engineering-Enhanced Theatre: How Engineering Involvement Can Aid Regional Theatres, Albert M. Le

Architectural Engineering

Engineering and theatre are disciplines not often associated with each other within regional and small theatre companies in the United States. The distinction between the two fields of study is not simply from the fundamental differences between how each field is taught and practiced, but also the difficulties encountered within a scope of theatre often constrained with limited budget and time for each production. However, when beginning to explore the intersection between engineering and theatre, it is found that the empirical nature of current theatrical practices can be countered, and scenic design and construction can be re-envisioned with engineering involvement …