Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Optimizing Flash Flood Prediction In Arid And Semi-Arid Regions: A Comparative Evaluation Of Infiltration Models And Parameter Estimation Guidance Across Spatial Scales, Sara Rassa

Civil Engineering ETDs

This study improves flash flood prediction by analyzing the vital role of infiltration models in hydrologic modeling, especially for areas with scarce data. It offers new parameter estimation guidance for three infiltration models—initial-constant (IC), linear-constant (LC), and Green-Ampt (GA)—based on plot-scale rainfall simulations. The research emphasizes the impact of soil texture, moisture, and crust on model parameters. A comparative analysis of four models (curve-number, IC, GA, and LC) using data from Arizona's Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed under different calibration scenarios shows the GA model's superiority in certain conditions, though it faces issues of equifinality in unconstrained calibrations. Meanwhile, the simpler …

Flexural Investigation And Retrofit Of Aashto Type Iii Prestressed Girder-Deck System With Strand Bond Damage, Haoran Ni

Dissertations - ALL

Prestressed concrete (PC) bridge girders play an important role in highway bridges because of their embedded prestressing strands and low cost. They can provide adequate flexural strength depending on the integrity of the concrete-strand bond. However, highway bridges near industrial facilities are often subjected to heavy trucks. Under frequent overloads, the large deflections of bridge girders may induce deterioration of the bond between the strands and concrete at critical sections during bending, resulting in debonding of the strands in the most critical section region, over the span length. This study describes an in-depth analysis of the flexural strength of a …

Multi-Scale Analysis Of The Structure-Mechanics Relationship Of Mycelium-Based Bio-Composites, Libin Yang

Dissertations - ALL

The construction industry faces significant challenges due to the environmental impact of traditional materials like steel and concrete, whose production is energy-intensive and contributes to environmental pollution. This issue is exacerbated by the growing global demand for construction materials, driven by an increasing population. Concurrently, the agricultural and wood industrial sectors produce vast byproducts, such as straw, husk, coir, sawdust, and wood chips. They are often considered as wastes and disposed of through methods like burning. Such a reckless treatment releases greenhouse gases that further lead to environmental degradation. Mycelium, the vegetative part of fungi, presents a natural, promising solution …

Fate, Composition And Formation Of Unknown N-Nitrosamines In Wastewater And Wastewater-Impacted Waters, Changcheng Pu

Dissertations - ALL

N-Nitrosamines form as byproducts during oxidative water treatment or occur as impurities in consumer and industrial products. N-Nitrosamines and their precursors pose significant concerns for water utilities exploiting wastewater-impacted water supplies, as many N-nitrosamines are potential human carcinogens and have genotoxicity. To date, research on N-nitrosamines in environmental engineering has primarily focused on the occurrence, sources, formation, and control of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in the broad context of drinking water and wastewater treatment. However, NDMA and the few other N-nitrosamines of current interest only constitute a fraction of the larger pool of total N-nitrosamines (TONO) in source waters and wastewater, while …

Past And Future Predictions Of Climate Change And Urbanization Effects On The Carbon, Nitrogen, And Water Dynamics In Northeastern Forest Ecosystems, Linghui Meng

Dissertations - ALL

Human activities have significantly influenced the structure and function of forest ecosystems in the northeastern US. Urbanization directly reduces forest area and alters forest functions. Forest growth, health, and function can also be affected by climate change, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, and air pollution including ground-level ozone (O3) and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. Critical questions for research and environmental management are: How will urbanization, climate change, and air pollution interact to influence the function of forest ecosystems, and how will changes in these environmental drivers alter the function of forests in the future? In this dissertation, I simulate the …

Multi-Physics-Based Modeling Of Cracks In Asphalt Concrete, Md Amanul Hasan

Civil Engineering ETDs

Cracking is the most prevalent distress in an asphalt concrete (AC) pavement, and it leads to structural deterioration and premature failure, thereby costing taxpayers a lot of dollars. Accurately assessing AC's cracking performance is necessary for pavement longevity, yet current methods often fall short. For instance, relying solely on binder creep tests to determine low-temperature grade inadequately predicts the AC pavement's low-temperature cracking problem. Understanding AC's loading rate- and temperature-dependent fracture behavior is crucial for gaining insight into the crack propagation in AC. In the first part of this study, a new physics-based analytical methodology is developed utilizing the bending …

Discrete Element Method Investigation Of The Dynamic And Seismic Response Of Embedded Geotechnical Systems, Ahmed Khamiss, Usama El Shamy

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the seismic response of various embedded geotechnical systems utilizing the discrete element method (DEM). Embedded geotechnical systems play a crucial role in enhancing the stability and resilience of various structures as they provide solid foundations for infrastructural elements such as buildings, bridges, and transportation networks. The behavior of various embedded systems such as tunnels, pier foundations, and wind turbine foundations is investigated when subjected to seismic loading. In the first study, the seismic response of tunnels constructed in a deposit of granular soil of depth greater than 20 m is examined. Three-dimensional discrete element method simulations were …

Investigating The Effects Of Suspended Algal Content, Dissolved Oxygen, And Temperature On A High-Frequency Acoustic Attenuation System In A Controlled Laboratory Environment, Noah Watson

Honors Theses

The Single Frequency Acoustic Attenuation System (SFAAS) has been developed at the National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA). This system uses acoustic methods to monitor fine suspended sediment concentration in streams. Site-specific calibrations are necessary for this system, and previous research has indicated that algal concentration or dissolved oxygen concentration of water may affect collected data. Temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and fluorescence, used as a proxy for algal concentration, were monitored during this system’s use, and calibrations were derived to account for the effect of each of these variables on acoustic measurements. It has been shown that temperature has a …

Evaluation Of Error Sources In Dynamic Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (Mimo) Tests, Odey Yousef

Civil Engineering ETDs

Dynamic testing of systems is used to characterize the relationship between inputs and outputs using frequency response functions (FRFs). Multiple input and multiple output (MIMO) techniques are crucial for realistic representation. In MIMO tests, environmental conditions are replicated by inverting the FRF matrix for input estimation. Steps include system identification, FRF inversion, input estimation, and input application. Each of these steps are nontrivial and require careful attention. Error sources manifest as error between desired and experimental outputs. Significant efforts to minimize this error exist, yet literature lacks a formal understanding of their origins. This research focuses on 3 of these …

Imaging Of Structural Timber Based On In Situ Radar And Ultrasonic Wave Measurements: A Review Of The State-Of-The-Art, Narges Pahnabi, Thomas Schumacher, Arijit Sinha

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the rapidly growing interest in using structural timber, a need exists to inspect and assess these structures using non-destructive testing (NDT). This review article summarizes NDT methods for wood inspection. After an overview of the most important NDT methods currently used, a detailed review of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Ultrasonic Testing (UST) is presented. These two techniques can be applied in situ and produce useful visual representations for quantitative assessments and damage detection. With its commercial availability and portability, GPR can help rapidly identify critical features such as moisture, voids, and metal connectors in wood structures. UST, which …

Chloride Binding Mechanism In Seawater-Mixed Uhpc, Wei Zhang, Dawei Ding, Mengmeng Li, Tiao Wang, Hongyan Ma, Binmeng Chen, Hongxing Hu, Jizhou Chen, Xiaomin Liu, Dongshuai Hou

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rapid development of marine concrete structures and the sharp shortage of freshwater resources contribute to the wide investigation of seawater-mixed ultra-high-performance concrete (swuhpc). However, few studies have investigated the chloride ions (cl-) binding mechanism of swuhpc. Herein, the chloride binding experiments and molecular dynamics (md) simulation were carried out to reveal the physically and chemically bound cl- mechanisms of swuhpc. The results of the experiments clearly demonstrate that the addition of silica fume (sf) led to a significant decrease in the capacity of cl- binding. Conversely, the incorporation of metakaolin (mk) resulted in a marked increase in the content …

The Use Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Properties Of Green Roof Media And Granular Soils, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

This study investigates using repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological properties of lightweight Green Roof media and granular pavement soils.

Green Roof Media Green roofs aim to bring the advantages of suburban agriculture to urban environments while improving energy efficiency and enhancing stormwater management in public, commercial, and residential buildings. Previous studies by City Tech undergraduate research assistants demonstrated significant modification in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric up to 3% textile by weight (%Tex) at an aspect ratio of 1:1. The effects of mixing repurposed whole textile fiber with Green Roof media is evaluated with regards …

Effect Of Waste Covid-19 Masks On Compaction Characteristics Of Silty-Clay Soil, Sydney K. Lawson

Honors College Theses

The present study aims to explore the effect of adding shredded waste Covid-19 masks to silty-clay soil on the soil’s compaction characteristics for beneficial use in embankment, the subgrade of roadways, or backfill. This was accomplished by using two different types of masks: blue surgical masks and KN95 masks. Both mask types were hand shredded into half-inch sections using safety-scissors. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are the two most important compaction characteristics, and they were determined by the Standard Proctor Compaction Test (ASTM D698 / AASHTO T99). The change of both the MDD and OMC …

Navigating The Relationships Among Food Waste Practices, Environmental Intentions, And Sustainability Knowledge Of Students, Merri Claire Minshew

Honors College Theses

Colleges and university campuses are among the greatest food wasters in the US due to combined over production and plate waste from consumers. While some schools have developed programs aimed at reducing and sustainably managing food waste, much of it ends up in landfills and produces greenhouse gas emissions. The overall goal of the research was to collect a comprehensive data set on university students’ food waste practices and behavior, environmental and sustainability knowledge, and environmental intentions. For probing relationships among these drivers, a structural equation model and student survey was developed. The survey of 37 questions was collected on …

Climate Change Impacts On Bridge Scour Risk In New York State, Alexis Torres

Publications and Research

Bridge scour, the erosion of sediment around bridge foundations, is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. This problem is exacerbated by severe storms and the impacts of climate change, which can increase the risk of scour-related bridge failures. Effective prioritization and mitigation of scour risks is crucial for enhancing the resilience of transportation networks. Addressing the level of Scour to abutments that are submerged in large bodies of water caused by climate is a monumental task and operation to facilitate.

Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Hydrogen Production Via Various Pv-Assisted Electrochemical Water Splitting Techniques, Achyuth Ravilla, Ilke Celik

Student Research Symposium

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) and photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) water-splitting technologies have emerged as cost-effective options for large-scale green hydrogen production in industrial applications. Solar to hydrogen (STH) efficiencies of these technologies have reached up to 20% and several pathways have been explored to drive down the cost of hydrogen using these technologies to less than $2/kg. However, the environmental impact assessment of these technologies for industry-scale deployment has not been explored in previous studies. This study assesses the environmental impacts of PEC and PV-EC technologies by conducting a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. The functional unit considered for this assessment is 1 kg of …

Performance-Based Risk Assessment For Large-Scale Transportation Networks, Anteneh Deriba, David Y. Yang

Student Research Symposium

Efficiently assessing the risk of asset failure due to deterioration or extreme events is crucial for transportation asset management. Traditional methods often lack effectiveness in directly evaluating system performance-based risks, facing challenges like the exponential increase in system states and the emergence of low-probability high-consequence events ("grey swan" events). To address these, this paper introduces a novel performance-based risk assessment approach for large-scale transportation networks, inspired by the Transitional Markov Chain Monte Carlo (TMCMC) method. This method transforms the risk assessment problem into a high-dimensional posterior distribution, with system risk acting as the normalization factor (evidence). It also provides risk-based …

Revitalizing Turtle Creek Park, Michael Hardyway, Ethan Harm, Abbey Jacoby, Casey Stephenson

Final Reports in ENST 411: Environmental Community Projects

We current ENST 411 students, Abbey Jacoby, Michael Hardyway, Ethan Harm, and Casey Stephenson have chosen to work with Jim Knight, East Buffalo Township, the Merrill Linn Land and Waterways Conservancy, and many others in an attempt to revitalize Turtle Creek Park for a plethora of reasons. Three of us are majoring in biology, and two are majoring in environmental science, which makes much of the information and techniques relevant in Turtle Creek applicable to our courses of study. This project included heavy hands on work which allowed us students to leave a memorable and impactful influence on the Lewisburg …

Quality Assurance And Quality Control For Reinforced Concrete Inspections, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

Ensuring the safety and longevity of structures is paramount in concrete construction projects. Cases like the Big Dig ceiling collapse, which occurred on July 10, 2006, when a concrete ceiling panel measuring 20' x 40' and debris weighing 26 short tons (52,000 lb) fell within Boston's Fort Point Channel Tunnel, underscore this importance (Wald, M. L., 2007). Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) are crucial in mitigating such risks. QA ensures that materials and methods meet predetermined performance, design, and reliability standards specified in contracts and customer arrangements. On the other hand, QC is a strategic process businesses use …

Influence Of Four Veterinary Antibiotics On Constructed Treatment Wetland Nitrogen Transformation, Matthew V. Russell, Tiffany L. Messer, Deborah A. Repert, Richard L. Smith, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt, Daniel D. Snow, Ariel P. Reed

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The use of wetlands as a treatment approach for nitrogen in runoff is a common practice in agroecosystems. However, nitrate is not the sole constituent present in agricultural runoff and other biologically active contaminants have the potential to affect nitrate removal efficiency. In this study, the impacts of the combined effects of four common veterinary antibiotics (chlortetracycline, sulfamethazine, lincomycin, monensin) on nitrate-N treatment efficiency in saturated sediments and wetlands were evaluated in a coupled microcosm/mesocosm scale experiment. Veterinary antibiotics were hypothesized to significantly impact nitrogen speciation (e.g., nitrate and ammonium) and nitrogen uptake and transformation processes (e.g., plant uptake and …

Reasonable Construction Method For Grade Ⅳ Surrounding Rock In Single‑Hole Four‑Lane Super‑Span Highway Tunnel, Li Heyin, Gao Jingming, Li Yanfeng, Xun Wenjie, Dong Fangfang, Zhang Jiangang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to study the reasonable constr uction method of super-span highway tunnels，the Xinghuacun No.1 tunnel included in the reconstruction and expansion project of the Xiaocaohu –Urumqi section of the Lianyungang –Khorgos Expressway in Xinjiang was studied.The numerical simulation method was used to analyze the deformation and stress of the supporting structure of the Grade tisurrounding rock in the super-span highway tunnel constructed by the center diaphragm （CD） method，the upper-bench CD method，and the three-bench and seven-step excavation method.Under the premise that the deformation and the stress of the supporting structure met the design requirements，the advantages and disadvantages of each construction …

Intelligent Bridge Lifecycl E Maintenance System Based On Long‑Term Inspection, Ye Zhiwei, Zhang Jiaxin, Tan Haishan, Fan Lei, He Wen, Dong You, Wu Wanglin

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The current bridge maintenance sy stem in China primarily relies on bridge inspection data to prioritize the state of bridges and allocate a limited budget accordingly.This strategy focuses on repairing bridges with low performance，concentrating on restorative maintenance but ignoring preventive maintenance.In view of the total lifecycle cost，the repair-oriented method may require a lower initial investment but leads to significant resource consumption in the mid to late stages.Based on existing highway bridge maintenance systems，an intelligent maintenance system relying on Chinese standards and bridge inspection data and combining repair and prevention was developed.The system model mainly consisted of two modules：the bridge performance …

Mechanical And Deformation Characteristics Of Piles In Coastal Soft Soil Areas Considering Softening Effect, Wang Fei, Yan Yu, Jiao Lidong, Shen Fengqi, Chen Lu, Liu Jianhua

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to discuss the mechanical and deformation behavior of piles in coastal soft soil areas under horizontal load，the corresponding simplified mechanical model was established according to the loading characteristics of piles in coastal soft soil areas.Secondly，the softening effect of coastal soft soil was considered to modify the existing p-y curve model.On this basis，the differential equation of pile deflection in coastal soft soil areas was derived，and its internal force and displacement were solved by the transfer matrix method.A nonlinear calculation method of piles in coastal soft soil areas considering the softening effect was obtained.Finally，the influence of softening parameters，pile diameter，and elastic …

Experimental Study On Fracture Performance Of Emulsified Asphalt Cold Recycled Mixture, Chu Chenfeng, Deng Jun, Zhou Chen, Wang Zi ’Ang, Kuang Ao, Liu Hongfu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Cracking in emulsified asphalt cold recycled pavements is one of the main constraints on their large-scale application in road engineering.To study the fracture performance indicators of cold recycled asphalt mixture and the improvement measures of crack resistance performance，this study investigated three types of mixtures：ordinary emulsified asphalt，basalt fiber，and styrene-butadiene rubber （SBR） modified emulsified asphalt.This study conducted a four-point bending strength test on notched beams，and acoustic emission tests of the beam with prefabricated cracks were carried out to evaluate the fracture performance of three different emulsified asphalt cold recycled mixtures in road engineering.The evaluation criteria included strain energy release rate，stress intensity factor，energy …

Experiment On Strength And Deformation Characteristics Of Marine Silt Cement Soil And Their Relationship, Deng Wu, Liu Weizheng, Chen Tie, Ge Mengyuan

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to study the compre ssive，flexural，and shear strength and deformation characteristics of marine silt cement soil，a series of laboratory mix ratio tests were carried out，so as to test the changes in unconfined compressive strength fcu，flexural strength ff，normalized shear strength τqg，normalized principal stress difference （σ1‒σ3）/σ3，and compression modulus Es under different dosage of curing agents，curing ages，and cement-to-lime ratios.In addition，the correlation between different parameters was investigated.The results show that the performance of the improved samples with cement and lime is 2%‒17% higher than that with cement alone under the same dosage.The strength of cement soil is proportional to the dosage and age …

Study On Compression Characteristics Of Solidified Mud‑Sand Mixed Fillers Considering Particle Breakage, Han Chao, Yu Yuezhong, Bai Bin, Xu Zhihao, Zhang Xianmeng, Liu Yinying, Kong Shuoying

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The mixed filler of solidified mud and sand provides an ideal solution for the resourceful disposal of wasted engineering mud，and the compression characteristics of filling engineering are closely related to the strength characteristics and particle breakage characteristics of mixed fillers.This study conducted large size compression tests on mixed fillers with different particle gradations and established a discrete element method （DEM） model that incorporated particle breakage for the side-limited compression tests of solidified mud-sand mixed fillers.The changes in the compression modulus of the mixed fillers and the amount of solidified soil particle breakage during compaction were investigated.The study placed a special …

Mechanical Performance Of Uhpc Building Envelope Based On Topological Optimization And Modular Composition, Zhou Zhixuan, Jiang Youbao, Liu Jun, Xiang Yi, Zhou Hao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To ensure a safe，aesthetic，and lightweight building envelope，an ultra-high performance concrete （UHPC） building envelope and its node connection mode were proposed based on topological optimization and modular composition.Firstly，the UHPC building envelope was optimized by using the method of minimizing structural compliance subjected to given material volume constraints，and the mechanical performance before and after optimization was compared.The modular design was adopted，and the optimization result of the most unfavorable stress area in the model was taken as the basic configuration unit.Then，UHPC tenon and mortise nodes were proposed，which could be simply assembled into modules.By considering the weak mechanical performance of nodes，the finite element analysis …

Key Techniques For Demolition Of Multi‑Span Continuous Arch Bridge With Concrete‑Filled Steel Tubes, Wan Chengf U, Zeng Wenli

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Taking the demolition project of Jianhu Bridge as the research background，the demolition of arch bridges with concrete-filled steel tubes under complex conditions was studied.First，the current bridge demolition methods and application status were introduced，and three bridge demolition schemes were put forward according to the difficulties of the bridge demolition.The appropriate demolition scheme for the bridge was selected after comparison，and the sequence of arch bridge demolition was explained.Then，the stress characteristics of the bridge at each construction stage were analyzed，and the theoretical and measured displacement and stress at the most unfavorable stage during demolition were compared.Finally，the influence of material strength and temperature on …

Parameter Sensitivity Analysis Of Single‑Tower Cable‑Stayed Bridge With Mixed Beam, Chen Kongliang, Ye Jianxin, Xu Yufeng, Huang Zhuobin, Guo Fengtao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To improve the efficiency of the review simulation model of the bridge monitoring unit and study the influence of different parameters of the single-tower mixed beam cable-stayed bridge on the bridge ’s completed state in the construction process，this paper，taking the cable-stayed bridge of Tongji Road in Foshan with a span of （200+68+46） m as the engineering background，adopted the single control variable method and response surface-Monte Carlo method for sensitivity analysis.Taking the main beam alignment，main tower alignment，main beam stress，and the variation of cable-stayed bridge force as control objectives，this paper studied the influence of the variation of main beam weight，initial tensile force，and …

Design And Installation Technology Of Hanging Basket For Long‑Span Concrete Girder Cable‑Stayed Bridge, Zeng Xianliu, Pang Jianguo, Chen Cheng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The main bridge of Zhungeer Yellow River Super Major Bridge is a （160+440+160） m double tower double cable plane full floating system concrete grider cable-stayed bridge.The main beam is a 28.4m wide double box prestressed concrete structure.It was constructed by cantilever pouring with a front fulcrum hanging basket.The maximum weight of the cantilever pouring section is 5 800 kN.To ensure the integral rigidity of the hanging basket，the hanging basket bearing platform adopted the steel box girder structure.The long and large components were connected by high-strength bolts made in sections to facilitate the transportation and installation of the hanging basket.The hanging …