Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Developments In Construction Insurance And Their Effects On General Contractors, Luke Z. Martin

Construction Management

Before a construction project can begin, insurance must be purchased by each involved construction player to ensure the financial and physical health of the project and those working to complete it. The necessity of construction insurance on every project has turned it into a behemoth of a market sector, one that significantly affects the construction industry as well as a plethora of others. Although many are unaware, developments and shifts in construction insurance deeply affect the well-being of the public, from the roads they drive on to the buildings they live and work in. This research piece will delve into …

Cal Poly Construction Management 2022 Summer Bootcamp Team Service Project, Chris Montero

Construction Management

This paper describes the project logistics and pre-construction planning of the 2022 Cal Poly Construction Management Summer Bootcamp service-learning project, including a plan, schedule, and estimate of materials. The service-learning project will be a wooden park bench for the San Luis Obispo Botanical Gardens. Four teams of six students each will be provided drawings and, throughout the week-long summer camp, each team will have nine hours and thirty minutes to interpret the plans, cut the materials, and build one bench. The first day will consist of a one-hour project introduction that focuses on the fundamentals of plan reading and preparation …

Las Vegas Commercial Contractors' Mitigation Techniques For Inflationary Impacts, Kannen I. Caldwell

Construction Management

Recent rises in inflation have impacted global business. The construction industry in particular has experienced a decrease in already slim margins due to a plethora of factors. Employers have had difficulty affording increased labor rates to accommodate higher costs of living, ultimately leading to a labor shortage in many areas. Supply chain issues are a product of this labor shortage, but also a myriad of other inflation related issues like the price of gas and global trade agreements. This has led to dramatically increased lead times and has posed major supply chain management issues for project management teams. Construction professionals, …

Growing Grounds Farm, Santa Maria - Greenhouse Planter Bench Tables, Joseph Miller

Construction Management

This paper covers the planning, fundraising, design, construction, and installation associated with building the Growing Grounds Farm of Santa Maria greenhouse planter bench tables. Growing Grounds prides itself on nourishing the local community through a combination of horticulture therapy, and vocational training for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. The farm offers various opportunities for socialization and interaction with coworkers and customers. After meeting with the farm managers, Anna Wiens and Keith Bartlett, it was clear that this project was of the highest priority. Upon agreement of the project, the farm managers and I determined the future vision and …

Urban Densification At Twin Creeks Apartments: High-Density Living With Low-Density Luxuries, Ryan Griswold

Construction Management

Urban sprawl is characterized by the rapid growth of the extent of cities and towns. In the United States, urban sprawl is greatly influenced by housing density. In the past half-century, developers have favored constructing and consumers have preferred living in neighborhoods of detached, single-family homes. This is because low-density living provides more housing services, or additional benefits, than most high-density developments, such as apartments and townhomes. Residents of low-density living often have more privacy, outdoor space, interior natural light, and many other benefits over residents of higher-density developments. However, Twin Creeks Apartments, located in San Luis Obispo, California, is …

Future Of Augmented And Virtual Reality In Construction, Cameron Ghoddoucy

Construction Management

A series of virtual design contractors were interviewed regarding the future involvement of augmented and virtual reality software integration with construction processes. Within the construction industry, VDC specialists rely on Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create digital models that can be used to analyze the design of a building from all points of view. The interviewees responded to questions about software implementation advantages, and related user experiences. Six interviews were conducted, amongst three industry leading companies. Their assumptions of future AR and VR usage in construction were based on learned knowledge and prior field exploration. …

The Effect Of Relative Humidity On Eddy Covariance Latent Heat Flux Measurements And Its Implication For Partitioning Into Transpiration And Evaporation, Weijie Zhang, Martin Jung, Mirco Migliavacca, Rafael Poyatos, Diego G. Miralles, Tarek S. El-Madany, Marta Galvagno, Arnaud Carrara, Nicola Arriga, Andreas Ibrom, Ivan Mammarella, Dario Papale, Jamie R. Cleverly, Michael Liddell, Georg Wohlfahrt, Christian Markwitz, Matthias Mauder, Eugenie Paul-Limoges, Marius Schmidt, Sebastian Wolf, Christian Brümmer, M. Altaf Arain, Silvano Fares, Tomomichi Kato, Jonas Ardö, Walter Oechel, Chad Hanson, Mika Korkiakoski, Sébastien Biraud, Rainer Steinbrecher, Dave Billesbach, Leonardo Montagnani, William Woodgate, Changliang Shao, Nuno Carvalhais, Markus Reichstein, Jacob A. Nelson

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

While the eddy covariance (EC) technique is a well-established method for measuring water fluxes (i.e., evaporation or 'evapotranspiration’, ET), the measurement is susceptible to many uncertainties. One such issue is the potential underestimation of ET when relative humidity (RH) is high (>70%), due to low-pass filtering with some EC systems. Yet, this underestimation for different types of EC systems (e.g. open-path or closed-path sensors) has not been characterized for synthesis datasets such as the widely used FLUXNET2015 dataset. Here, we assess the RH-associated underestimation of latent heat fluxes (LE, or ET) from different EC systems for 163 sites in …

Long-Term Asset Prioritization To Support District Planning, Melissa R. Sallberg

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (USAF) relies on its installations to project military power across the globe. However, due to the deferred infrastructure maintenance and recapitalization backlog of $33 billion as of 2019 (Wilson & Goldfein, 2019), it is more critical than ever for base-level community planners to focus their attention to the projects that will achieve each installation’s long-term goals. The recent incorporation of asset management principles into the USAF District Planning Process allows a unique opportunity to improve the existing scoring model for a holistic look at what matters to enterprise leaders and community planners making the plans …

Sea Level Rise Impacts On Wastewater Treatment Plants And Their Social Vulnerability Differences, David S. P. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Many of the United States’ major cities that have a high population are located along the coast. The number of people residing in low elevation coastal areas, be-low 10 meters, is increasing. Coastal areas may be affected by various short- and long-term climate hazards, such as sea level rise (SLR). Climate change induced SLR will threaten residents and infrastructure in low-lying coastal areas. A household’s capacity to respond to hazards is highly dependent on its socio-demographic situation which determines its social vulnerability. Wastewater treatment facilities area particularly critical piece of infrastructure often located in low-lying areas due to gravity fed …

Designing And Evaluating A Smartphone App To Increase Underserved Communities’ Data Representation In Transportation Policy And Planning, Courtney Cronley, Anna O'Dell, Noelle Fields, Stephen P. Mattingly, Nicole Iroz-Elardo, M. Christine Highfill, Rebecca Cole, Mary Kris Stringfellow

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

The current global focus on transportation equity, as well as a move towards smart mobility, highlights the need for more representative transportation data to inform transportation planning. In this case study, an interdisciplinary research team describes the process of refining and evaluating the utility of a transportation daily diary mobile-phone-based app. The process is framed through transportation equity and diverse key stakeholder engagement. The team custom-designed the app, MyAmble, to capture successful transportation behaviors, as well as latent demand, defined as travel not taken but desired, among underserved populations. Stakeholder focus groups with subject matter expert (n = …

Topological Variability In Water Distribution Networks, James M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Water distribution networks are critical infrastructure characterized by difficulties in their assessment and deteriorating performance due to aging components. Resilience analysis of networked infrastructure has replaced traditional risk analysis to focus on performance. Global Resilience Analysis can provide useful information to decision makers and system managers regarding repair and expansion of networks. Network performance has been found to be directly informed by network structure. This work leverages graph theory to assess network qualities that correlate with resiliency characteristics across 69 real world water networks. These networks are then grouped by their structural properties through k-means clustering and compared using parametric …

Investigation Of Possible Alternatives To Fossil Fuels For The Dod In Indopacom, Terrence W. Caploe

Theses and Dissertations

Energy security, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and geopolitical concerns in the south pacific require diversification and independence from legacy energy sources in the Indo-Pacific Combatant Command (INDOPACOM) area of operation (AO). The United States Government has placed mandates and directives to minimize the impacts of GHG on the climate. These orders require divestment from GHG producing fuel sources by 2050. This study compares the energy alternates to Jet Propulsion 8 (JP8) as Ammonia, Hydrogen, and Lithium-ion Batteries. The study uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tools to determine the environmental impacts of various energy candidates in the South Pacific. These results …

The Kinetics Of Biocontaminant Inactivation: A Comparative Study With Bacillus Globigii And Bacillus Anthracis, Leigh M. Durden

Theses and Dissertations

Bacillus anthracis has been a biological threat for decades and after the 2001 terrorist attack via the U.S. Postal Service where five people died, there was heightened awareness and inquiry on the subject (Goel, 2015; Greenberg et al., 2010; Nicholson & Galeano, 2003; Spotts Whitney et al., 2003). The health risk to humans makes this biological agent, a Tier 1 agent and one of the most likely to be used in an attack (Anthrax as a Bioterrorism Weapon | CDC, n.d.; Driks, 2009; Rose & Rice, 2014). B. anthracis is one of most resistant and potent biological warfare agents as …

Civilian And Military Civil Engineer Mission In The Space Domain, Linda E. Kuster

Theses and Dissertations

Military and civil interest in space-based operations has increased dramatically in recent years due to the discovery of life sustaining properties such as water on Mars and advancements in cyber technology. Civilian sector discussions and research have centered on the establishment of permanent extraterrestrial infrastructure, while discussions from the military perspective have focused on providing reliable, resilient infrastructure, capable of withstanding cyber-based and kinetic attacks. Both perspectives account for known threats and sustainment methods required to ensure success in the space domain. With the existence of threats for the military and civilian missions, civil engineers will undoubtedly be critical to …

Net Zero Water Air Force Installations, Kenneth R. Mcknight

Theses and Dissertations

The United States continues to face problems of a reduction in quality and quantity of groundwater sources because water extraction exceeds natural source recharge. The Air Force has recognized the importance of these groundwater sources but has put minimal effort into determining their contribution to the depletion of these sources. The purpose of this study is to determine this contribution by determining whether Air Force installations are net zero water. This is done using a geospatial information system to determine the volume of water recharging groundwater sources associated with an Air Force installation. This volume is then compared to the …

A New Generation Of Dense-Graded Asphalt Mixtures With Superior Performance Against Stripping And Moisture Damage, Mostafa Elseifi, Zahid Hossain, Md. T.A. Sarkar, Hossam Abohamer, Mohammad Oyan

Publications

The presence of moisture beneath the pavement surface is a matter of great concerns as it is responsible for significant distresses such as asphalt concrete (AC) stripping, fatigue cracking, rutting, and poor durability of asphalt mixes. The objective of this study was to evaluate and recommend an asphalt mixture design that would provide superior performance against AC stripping and cracking. To achieve this objective, a laboratory test factorial was developed to evaluate the use of nanomaterials, emerging anti-stripping agents, warm-mix asphalt technologies, and adhesion promotors. In the experimental program, the modified Lottman test (AASHTO T 283) and the Indirect Tensile …

Response Of The Metastable Pitting Corrosion Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Produced Ti–6al–4v To H+ Concentration Changes, Yuwei Cui, Liangyu Chen, Liqiang Wang, Jun Cheng, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is limited research on metastable pitting corrosion in an acidic environment, and acid is a major challenge for material corrosion. Therefore, this work investigated the metastable pitting corrosion of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)-produced Ti–6Al–4V, in Hank’s solution, at different pH values (pH = 3, 5, and 7). This work investigated the effect of acid on the characteristics of passive films, as well as the change in metastable pitting behavior. Based on the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the passive film will be inhibited and dissolved under the influence of H+. The higher …

Moisture Sources Of Precipitation In The Great Lakes Region: Climatology And Recent Changes, Zhao Yang, Yun Qian, Pengfei Xue, Jiali Wang, T. C. Chakraborty, William J. Pringle, Jianfeng Li, Xiaodong Chen

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Given the critical role of precipitation on hydroclimate, we quantified the contributions of moisture source regions to precipitation in the Great Lakes Region (GLR) using multiple reanalysis data sets. Results show that the Great Plains (GPs) and the GLR itself are the primary sources of moisture. The moisture sources for the double peaks in the GLR precipitation that occur in June and September are identified, which is caused by a shift in the peak timing of moisture contribution from the GLR and GPs. In particular, moisture from the GPs contributes more to the heavy precipitation, while moisture from the GLR …

Evaluating Automated Truck Platoon (Atp) Deployment For The Los Angeles–Inland Empire Trade Corridor Enhancement, Shailesh Chandra, Aastha Chaudhary, Prakhar Srivastava, Jose Torres-Aguilera

Mineta Transportation Institute

The California Freight Mobility Plan 2020 lists the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor region as a prominent industrial hub experiencing an increase in freight flows. The California Freight Mobility Plan also regards automated truck platoon (ATP) as an emerging opportunity to minimize congestion on the trade corridor routes. Percentage change in accessibility from 2022 (“without” ATP) to 2040 (“with” ATP) is calculated for the eighteen industry sectors of the Los Angeles-Inland Empire trade corridor. The application of the accessibility formulation was carried out with data on travel time from I-710 and I-10 within Los Angeles County. The findings suggest that …

Current And Future Trends Of Construction Project Performance Models: A Review, Method Mtana

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The construction industry (CI) has experienced outstanding growth and contributed to economic growth for many countries, with enormous foreign investments that require quality projects. High pressure to reduce the construction cost and time commonly put the industry at risk of lower quality and safety of the construction facilities. Like many other developing countries, Tanzania needs more stringent quality control measures in the construction sector to contribute positively to sustainable growth. This study thus reviews current and future trends in construction industry performance in Tanzania. The literature review on construction projects (CPs) performance is based on information on time overruns from …

A Mathematical Algorithm Approach For Estimating Water-Based Paint Requirements For A Given Wall, Ismail W. R. Taifa Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The research aimed to improve the accuracy of estimating water based paint requirements for a given wall using mathematical algorithms. The approach used in this study included a survey and document review to obtain details concerning paint. The study focused on water-based paints, including silk, weather guard, emulsion hi-cover and polyvinyl acetate (PVA) roof paint used in Tanzania’s building and construction industry. Data collected from the field study were analysed systematically. It was observed that there is a high level of familiarity in improving the accuracy of estimation of the required water-based paints, namely silk, weather guard, emulsion hi-cover and …

Exploring Current And Future Research Trends On Safety Climate In Construction Projects, Kamugisha Joseph Kajumulo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Clients, consultants, and contractors in the construction industry can benefit from a safety climate by obtaining knowledge of attitudes and perceptions for better safety outcomes. However, the current and future research trends for safety climate in construction projects have not yet been fully examined. In order to solve this problem, a systematic review of previous research findings using a social network approach must be conducted, and future trends for the safety climate in building projects must be identified. Sixty-three peer reviewed articles were gathered to study the literature on safety climate in construction projects. A social network approach was employed …

Investigation Of Electrically Isolated Capacitive Sensing Skins On Concrete To Reduce Structure/Sensor Capacitive Coupling, Emmanuel Ogunniyi, Alexander Vareen, Austin Downey, Simon Laflamme, Jian Li, Caroline Bennett, William Collins, Hongki Jo, Alexander Henderson, Paul Ziehl

Faculty Publications

Damage to bridges can result in partial or complete structural failures, with fatal consequences. Cracks develop in concrete infrastructure from fatigue loading, vibrations, corrosion, or unforeseen structural displacement. Effective long-term monitoring of civil infrastructure can reduce the risk of structural failures and potentially reduce the cost and frequency of inspections. However, deploying structural health monitoring technologies for crack detection on bridges is expensive, especially long-term, due to the density of sensors required to detect, localize, and quantify cracks. Previous research on soft elastomeric capacitors (SECs) has shown their viability for low-cost monitoring of cracks in transportation infrastructure. However, when deployed …

Collaboration Between Science And Art Through A Special International Symposium For Ecosystem Health And Sustainability, Changwoo Ahn Dr.

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

The collaborations between ecosystem restoration and art practices was epitomized by the eco-artist Jackie Brookner who said: “it is not a matter of the scientists providing the hard-core research and artists the soft outreach; rather, the dynamics engendered in the space between disciplines is full of information necessary to solve complex problems at the systemic level”. This paper reviews and summaries the goals, activities, and lessons learned from a special symposium, which was held at the 12^th INTECOL (International Congress of Ecology) conference in Beijing, China, August 21 through 25, 2017, where about 3000 people attended from 70 countries. …

Steam And Environmental Justice In An Interdisciplinary Context, Paula Farca, Alina Handorean, Jürgen Brune

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This course proposes an interdisciplinary perspective, envisions unique synergies between environmental justice concepts and STEAM projects on mining, and aims to solidify a foundation based on justice, equity, equality, and empathy for STEM students and faculty. Our (S)TEAM made of professors in three academic departments underscores interdisciplinary and diversity connections through an interdisciplinary team-taught course, units on environmental justice related to mining, teaching of literary texts, and STEAM projects. We also involved faculty, alumni, and our campus and city community through STEAM exhibits.

Gömböc The Great, Indigo M. Strickert, Lori E. Bradford

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

A sonnet written about the mathematics behind the self-righting shape of some tortoise shells.

Importance Of Snowmelt On Soil Nitrate Leaching To Groundwater – A Model Study, Sahila Beegum, Arindam Malakar, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The movement of nitrate to surface water bodies during snow accumulation and melting has been extensively studied, but there are only limited studies on the influence of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater. The present study investigated the impact of snow processes on nitrate leaching to groundwater based on a simulation modeling approach using HYDRUS-1D. HYDRUS-1D model has a temperature threshold-based snow model in addition to water, solute, and heat simulation components. The snow component in HYDRUS-1D was previously not applied to snow simulation studies since the method does not consider a detailed physical and process-based representation of snow …

Implications Of Good Faith In Construction Contracts, Nadine Rashed

Theses and Dissertations

The principle of good faith is making inroads and continues to significantly impact various contractual arrangements. In most civil legal systems, good faith is present as a core principle. Nevertheless, its definition is beyond doubt scarce in the construction industry. However, the common law lacks the good faith obligations. Good faith is one of the fundamental principles that impact the contractual obligations between the contracting parties. This paper creates an urge to address the implications of good faith on construction contracts in the pre-contract and post-contract award stages. Therefore, the paper’s objective is to propose a legal/contractual clause that meets …

Enhancing Performance Of Gravity Driven Membranes For Water Purification In Small Rural Communities, Amr Ezzat Melligy Mr.

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rapid population growth in Egypt, providing safe drinking water is becoming an ongoing challenge especially in rural scattered communities. It became more crucial than ever to find innovative and affordable solutions to purify water and reduce water-borne diseases. Ultrafiltration and micro-filtration membranes has been successful in large, centralized plants and is currently one of the popular solutions to provide high quality product water. However, using those membrane systems in rural areas is challenged by several parameters; among which are; the absence of skilled workers, stable energy sources and availability of chemicals. The goal of this thesis is …

Vr-Based Safety Training Program For High-Rise Building Construction, Sahar Badr

Theses and Dissertations

The rates of fatal and non-fatal accidents within the construction industry across the globe are surging despite the massive efforts that are being exerted toward maintaining a safe working environment. Past research has proved that the provision of effective safety training programs is a primary course of action that should be taken to minimize construction accidents, fatalities, and both fatal and nonfatal injuries.

However, in acknowledging the limitations of traditional safety training programs within the construction industry, several researchers have addressed the urge to incorporate novel training practices that are based on the modern virtual reality (VR) technology to promote …