Civil Engineering Commons^™

Using Aqueous Geochemistry Of Acid Mine Drainage To Spatially Investigate Concentrations Of Rare Earth Elements Throughout West Virginia, Pennsylvania, And Maryland, Elyssa Lynn Allen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rare earth elements (REEs) are an important commodity utilized in many industries such as electronics, defense, manufacturing, medicine, and green energy production. A lack of economical domestic sources forces the United States to import a majority of its supply, and incentivizes novel methods of acquisition. Mining regions of the United States, such as Appalachia or the West, are afflicted with acid mine drainage (AMD) impacted surface waters. REEs occur in varying concentrations within coal seams, indicating that coal and its waste are potential avenues of recovery that might also incentivize the remediation of coal impacted areas. Understanding spatial and geochemical …

Sustainable Nutrient Management Opportunities For Small Communities In The U.S. With Lagoon Wastewater Treatment Systems, Denis Sigei Ruto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lagoon wastewater treatment systems are among the most widely used secondary treatment technologies serving small and rural communities in the United States due to their low capital and operating costs, minimal energy requirements, and operational simplicity. While effective for removal of organic matter and suspended solids, most lagoon systems were not designed to achieve advanced nutrient removal. As regulatory priorities increasingly emphasize control of total nitrogen and total phosphorus to protect receiving waters and public health, lagoon-dependent communities face growing compliance challenges. These challenges are exacerbated by aging infrastructure, limited technical capacity, financial constraints, and insufficient infrastructure data, highlighting the …

Feasibility Study Of Concurrent Removal Of Organics And Ammonium Using An Iron Dosed Upflow Anaerobic Sludge-Blanket Bioreactor, Morgan Elizabeth Amos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aerobic microbial reactions have commonly been utilized in treatment processes to oxidize and remove organics and nitrogen through aeration, using processes such as nitrification that converts ammonium (NH₄⁺) into nitrite (NO₂^-) and nitrate (NO₃^-). Anoxic microbial reactions like denitrification often require organic compounds as an external source to chemically reduce the oxidized nitrogen (NO₃^- and NO₂^-) to nitrogen gas (N₂) for nitrogen removal from the liquid phase. These mainstream processes have a high chemical cost and energy footprint which results in an increased release …

Influence Of Deck Area And Average Daily Traffic On The Deterioration Of Bridge Superstructures., Faysal Ahamed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are responsible for maintaining approximately 623,000 bridges across the United States. Effective bridge management requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing structural deterioration. Numerous studies have explored the effects of average daily traffic (ADT) and deck area (DA) on bridge deck deterioration. Given the interdependence between bridge decks and superstructures, it is plausible that ADT and DA significantly influence superstructure condition ratings and deterioration trends. However, their impact on superstructures remains insufficiently studied. In addition, existing studies primarily focus on overall bridge deterioration without adequately differentiating between superstructure designs and materials and maintenance authorities. …

Quantifying Subsurface Pavement Temperatures Subject To Future Climates And Implications For Pavement Resilience, Austin Michael Jarrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Assessment of anthropogenic climate change impacts in pavement design and analysis remains limited within engineering practice, despite growing recognition of the need for climate-resilient roadway infrastructure. Research efforts have increasingly focused on integrating future climate projections into mechanistic-empirical pavement design, which represents the leading edge of the state of practice. However, a lack of consensus persists regarding the optimal methods for incorporating climate projections, particularly in the selection of downscaling techniques and global climate models (GCMs) to ensure accuracy and applicability for pavement performance analysis. This research investigates the impact of statistical downscaling methodologies and GCM selection routines on subsurface …

Prioritizing Amd Impaired Watersheds For Watershed-Scale Restoration Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, James Nicholas Marino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remains a significant environmental challenge in coal-mining and hard rock regions like West Virginia, degrading water quality and ecosystem health. Traditional site-specific remediation efforts often prove inefficient in addressing AMD at large scale. This study explores watershed-scale restoration as a more effective solution, leveraging centralized treatment facilities and multi-source pollution management. This study will follow Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to develop a structured rubric for grading watersheds. The process involves identifying critical criteria, organizing them into a hierarchy, and generating weights for clusters of criteria through collaboration with decision makers. …

Framework To Guide The Review And Update Of Wvdoh Schedule Review Practices And Specifications, Myles Joshua Avery

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roadway and bridge construction projects are often complex, necessitating high quality schedules to ensure the work is completed on time and within budget. The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) utilizes scheduling procedures and policies outlined within the Prosecution and Progress section of its Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges to ensure timely and cost-effective project deliveries. Recently, concern has risen that the existing language within this section is outdated and fails to cater to modern scheduling techniques, technologies, and industry practices. In turn, WVDOH personnel question whether schedules that follow the existing specifications align with the complexities, types, values, …

In-Plane Shear Stiffness Of Stay-In-Place Forms And Bracing Effects On The Torsional Stability Of Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders, Ethan L. Host

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Press-brake-formed tub girders have welded internal angle bracing that is believed to be necessary for torsional stability under eccentric loading. However, this bracing creates fatigue weld hotspots overtime, which are subject to cracking. This study was performed to assess the torsional behavior of the Valmont U12 press-brake-formed tub girder (PBFTG) under various configurations using finite element analysis (FEA) modeling and experimental laboratory testing. The primary objective was to (1) determine the necessity of various angle bracing throughout the beam, and the effects removing said braces has on the torsional stiffness of the girder and (2) investigate the use of stay-in-place …

Analysis And Field Demonstration Of A Mobile Dewatering Cell For Acid Mine Drainage And Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate, Hunter David Vance

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A field scale mobile dewatering cell was constructed and demonstrated to investigate the filtration efficiency and dewatering characteristics of the cell. The cell was tested using hydraulic preconcentrate (HPC) from an active AMD treatment plant located in the Morgantown, WV area. HPC is a sludge-like material that comes from a two-stage treatment process of acid mine drainage, and it contains various rare earth elements. The cell was filled with HPC over time and the influent HPC and effluent water exiting the cell were tested each time the cell was filled. Taking these samples and other measurements, the filtration efficiency and …

Reuse Of Calcium Carbonate (Caco3) Recovered From Discarded Carpets As Filler In Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (Frp) Composites, Roshan Devkota

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over four billion pounds of carpet are discarded annually in the United States, making carpet waste a significant environmental concern. Calcium carbonate (CaCo₃) constitutes up to 45% of the mass of most synthetic carpets. Reusing this CaCo₃ as a filler in the rapidly growing fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) industry, which is projected to reach USD 10.38 billion, presents a low-cost, practical approach to developing a market-based solution to post-consumer carpet waste.

This study investigates the reuse of CaCo₃ recovered from discarded carpet backing as a filler in FRP composites, focusing on its mechanical viability in comparison to virgin CaCo₃. The methodology …

The Impact Of Skew On The Flexural Behavior Of Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders, Matthew Allan Weatherholt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is a group of bridge and buried soil steel structure industry leaders who have joined together to provide educational information on the design and construction of short span steel bridges in installations up to 140 feet in length. Press-brake-formed-tub-girders (PBFTGs) were developed by a technical working group within the SSSBA in response to a rising demand for rapid infrastructure replacements for short span bridge applications. PBFTGs are produced from structural steel plate and can be finished as weathering steel or galvanized. After being cold bent to the appropriate shape, shear studs are welded …

A Durability Evaluation Of Class B Concrete Bridge Substructures Under West Virginia Freeze–Thaw Conditions, Nathaniel Wayne Dunbar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluates whether the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) Class B concrete specification for bridge substructures remains adequate under modern durability and design-life expectations. The current specification, which permits a minimum compressive strength of 3,000 psi, reflects practices established when shorter service lives were generally assumed. Modern AASHTO LRFD provisions are based on a 75-year design life, raising concern that this lower-strength concrete may not provide sufficient durability under West Virginia’s climatic conditions.

To address this issue, bridge inspection data, regional climate mapping, and durability modeling were used to assess the condition and performance of concrete substructures across …

Recovery Of Iron And Aluminum From Acid Mine Drainage For Beneficial Uses, Katelyn Renee Pepe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread issue across the globe, in which some of the most critical cases are created by the mining industry. Researchers have investigated ways to derive benefits from AMD, such as precipitating rare earth elements (REEs) to generate potential revenue from AMD treatment and supplement market demand. However, the bulk of precipitated sludge is composed of iron and aluminum, which also have market value but are discarded in current practice.

Using the Omega site in West Virginia (WV) as a representative AMD source, the objectives of this study are (1) to determine a replicable precipitation …

Performance And Field Testing Of Geotextiles For Dewatering Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate From Hardrock Amd, Ian R. Bird

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As part of ongoing efforts to develop a domestic Rare Earth Elements (REE) supply chain the Hydraulic Preconcentrate (HPC) produced at the Horseshoe bend treatment plant (HsB) was manufactured and evaluated as a potential source for feedstock. After the existing clarifiers on the site were flipped to the desired pH set points, HPC was manufactured and pumped to 24 geobags. The geobags were then passively dewatered to increase the total solids percentage. The geobags evaluated were comprised of: Woven geotextiles, composite (woven and non- woven), and geobags augmented with Capillary Channel Fiber (CCF). Column Filtration Tests (CFTs) were performed onsite …

Static Response Of Frp Structural Systems – Piles, Platforms, And Poles, Manish Adhikari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study addresses the static response of three Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) structural systems (piles, platforms, and poles) under static loads. This research aims to improve safety and sustainability in modern infrastructure by bridging the knowledge gap currently that exists between the experimental behavior and theoretical predictions.

FRP round piles (18-inch in diameter) were tested under axial compression, shear, four-point bending and fatigue. Both the load-deflection and stress-strain responses were analyzed. Coupon tests were conducted and related to the outcomes of full-scale test data. Two major differences were observed in the response of the bending test specimens with modulus of …

Benchmarking The Global Warming Potential Of Asphalt Pavements In West Virginia, Md Reasad Samrat

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the rising focus on sustainable infrastructure, interest in environmentally friendly paving practices has grown significantly. This thesis investigates the environmental impacts of asphalt mixtures in West Virginia from a sustainable asphalt mix design perspective, with a particular emphasis on the utilization of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The research aligns with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Climate Challenge, which aims to encourage state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to implement low-carbon materials and consider the ecological effects of their paving activities. This study establishes the initial benchmark values for greenhouse gas emissions associated with asphalt pavements in West Virginia. The …

Evaluation Of Probable Maximum Precipitation (Pmp) For West Virginia To Predict Current And Future Pmp & Utilizing Acid Mine Drainage (Amd) Sludge In Reclamation, Grace Katherine Kerr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis includes two main topics: 1) evaluation of probable maximum precipitation (PMP) for West Virginia to predict current and future PMP, and 2) utilizing acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge as a reclamation plan.

Probable maximum precipitation (PMP) is essential for dam design as well as for the inspection, operation, maintenance, and repairs of these facilities. West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Dam Safety utilizes the 6-hr, 10-mi² (26-km²) PMP established by Hydrometeorological Report (HMR) 51 based on the analysis of extreme rainfall. These PMP are outdated because there have been unaccounted for extreme rainfall events that …

Understanding Learners' Perception Of Virtual Reality-Assisted Learning In Engineering Education, Mohammad Samin Mansur

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Virtual reality (VR)-assisted learning may facilitate an immersive and interactive learning environment and enable learners to explore and interact with learning content at their own pace and interest. However, it is still unknown how well VR is received in engineering learning while empowering autonomy and personalization. The objective of this study is to investigate learners' perceptions of VR-assisted learning in engineering education while allowing learners to learn at their own pace, driven by their personal preference. To this end, experiments were conducted, in which thirty engineering students were recruited and immersed in a VR setting designed to deliver an interactive …

Stormwater Responses To Climatic And Land Cover Changes In Lowly Urbanized Subcoastal Environments, Md Tanvirul Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stormwater runoff is widely considered a significant factor in coastal inundation and water quality degradation. The main objective of this thesis is to determine the potential impacts on stormwater runoff in lowly urbanized coastal/subcoastal environments under a changing climate and land use/cover. The East Fork San Jacinto River Basin (Area = 2577 of southern Texas, USA was considered a pilot area for this study. Given the sparse availability of high-resolution precipitation data in space and time, this research first evaluated four remotely sensed and/or reconstructed precipitation products (CMORPH-CDR, MERRA, PERSIANN-CDR, and PRISM) by comparing the data with the historical gauge …

Performance Evaluation Of Composite Utility Structures Under Wildfires And Mitigation Methods, Siddhant Sitoula

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite utility poles and crossarms have been getting wider attention from the utility industries because of their advantages over the traditional wooden, concrete, and steel poles. Wood is vulnerable to fire, rot, and animal damage. Concrete poles are heavier, increasing both transportation and installation costs of the poles, in addition to limited-service life (40-50 years). Similarly, steel poles have durability and safety concerns because of their inherent corrosive nature and conductivity. These disadvantages are significantly reduced by the use of FRP composites in utility structures because of FRP’s strength, specific gravity, flexibility, non-conductivity and durability …

Advancing Gfrp Column Design: Strength, Effective Lengths, And Failure Modes, Jack Alan Wykle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites have become an increasingly popular choice in construction industry due to their higher strength-to-weight ratio, ease of manufacture including lower Embodied Carbon Factor, and better durability in harsh environmental conditions than conventional structural construction materials. Currently, GFRP composite column design lacks well-established design standards due to the material's unique properties such as lower bending and shear stiffness than steel, differing compressive and tensile moduli, which leads to complexities in computing buckling capacities under local effects such as flange or web buckling and even torsional buckling under off-centered compression loading. Therefore, GFRP columns will behave …

Frp Pedestrian Bridges, Joseph Ryan Virga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Advanced fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are being used as mainstream structural materials to build complex infrastructure systems. Such application of FRP composites can be attributed to their high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, higher energy absorption, durability, and competitive life-cycle costs. FRP composites are increasingly being considered as suitable alternative structural materials to traditional construction materials such as timber, concrete, and steel.

In this work, detailed experimental investigation has been carried out on different types of glass FRP composite pedestrian bridges with FRP and/or timber deck. Four full-scale FRP pedestrian bridges, including 70`×8.5’ and 70’×10’ single-span bridges, a 16’×8’ …

Understanding Emerging Travel Behavior In New York City, Md Amdad Hossen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many large cities face significant challenges in providing safe, economical, equitable, reliable, and efficient mobility services. Moreover, mobility service options have been changing unprecedentedly due to the advent of emerging mobility services. Understanding the impacts of emerging mobility services (e.g., for-hire vehicles, bike sharing) on other travel modes (e.g., transit, non-motorized modes, personal car) and evolving travel behavior is critical to promote sustainable modes for urban residents and reduce auto-dependency. New York City (NYC) has been conducting annual mobility survey since 2017 to understand the emerging travel behavior and mode choice characteristics. This dataset presents a unique opportunity for conducting …

Strengthening Of Damaged Structural Members With External Frp, Krishna Tulasi Gadde

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are excellent alternatives to traditional materials for civil infrastructure. Several researchers have worked on the application of FRP composites for construction, repair, and rehabilitation of structures. This research aims at evaluating the use of carbon, glass, basalt, and hybrid FRPs with epoxy and polyurethane resin systems for rehabilitation of damaged structural components. Following evaluations were carried out in this research: (i) tension testing of FRP coupons, (ii) compression testing of concrete cylinders with and without damaged sections/FRP reinforcements, (iii) flexural testing of external-FRP reinforced RC beams with and without damages, (iv) pull-off tests on FRP …

A Computer Vision-Based Method For Tack Coat Coverage Inspection Using Drone-Collected Images, Aida Da Silva

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tack coat is a thin asphalt applied between the existing surface and asphalt overlay during road rehabilitation. The uniformity of tack coat coverage plays a vital role in providing adhesive bonding between the two layers in the pavement structures. To ensure tack coat uniformity, the current practice primarily relies on manual inspection during construction by field experts. This process is time-consuming and tedious, and the results can be subjective and error-prone. Drones have emerged as a non-destructive sensing technology in the construction industry for many inspection practices. Unlike other non-destructive inspection technologies, drones offer benefits ranging from accelerating data collection …

Visual Sensing For Comprehensive Granular Traffic Data Collection In Support Of Intelligent Transportation Applications, Linjun Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Comprehensive granular traffic data collection has been identified as one of the most essential tasks in the development of intelligent transportation systems (ITS). With the recent advances in electro-optical sensors and computational capacities, machine vision is regarded as cost-efficient for traffic data collection. However, the existing vision-based methods are only applicable for collecting limited types of traffic data, and a unified method allowing for comprehensive traffic data collection is still missing in the existing literature. Moreover, there are still challenges that exist for the use of the existing vision-based methods in real settings, including low accuracy and compromised applicability due …

Concentrated Wastewater Treatment Using A Ferric Iron-Dosed Anaerobic Upflow Sludge Blanket Reactor For Recovery Of Phosphorus And Ammonium, Carley E. Shingleton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluated the performance of a novel, ferric iron-dosed anaerobic bioreactor to recover two separate nutrient products from concentrated wastewaters -- phosphorus as vivianite (Fe₃(PO₄)₂×8H₂O) and an ammonium-containing effluent with low organics. A bench-scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor fed with a synthetic wastewater (458.0 mg/L total organic carbon, 282.7 mg/L ammonium, and 84.4 mg/L phosphate) was dosed with a ferric chloride solution at an org. C/Fe³⁺ molar ratio ~17.5 to facilitate organic carbon oxidation coupled to iron reduction. The reactor design allowed natural settling of vivianite to its …

Weigh-In-Motion Data-Driven Pavement Performance Prediction Models, Mohhammad Afsar Sujon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effective functioning of pavements as a critical component of the transportation system necessitates the implementation of ongoing maintenance programs to safeguard this significant and valuable infrastructure and guarantee its optimal performance. The maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (MRR) program of the pavement structure is dependent on a multidimensional decision-making process, which considers the existing pavement structural condition and the anticipated future performance. Pavement Performance Prediction Models (PPPMs) have become indispensable tools for the efficient implementation of the MRR program and the minimization of associated costs by providing precise predictions of distress and roughness based on inventory and monitoring data concerning …

Feasibility Of Applying Motion Magnification In Subsurface Defect Detection For Concrete And Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Specimens, Nagavardhani Malineni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Irrespective of size and complexity, every civil infrastructure needs certain scrutiny regarding its structural health to ensure its serviceability during its lifetime. In olden times such scrutiny was done with the aid of destructive testing methods using sensors that required cumbersome and expensive installations and led to the destruction of at least part of the tested specimen. However, in recent times, many non-destructive methods, such as acoustic emission testing, electromagnetic testing, and laser testing methods have emerged, leaving the specified tested specimen undisturbed. With the advancement in sensor technology like motion magnification and with the help of access to high-speed …

Investigating The Change In Pavement Cracking Data Due To Automated Data Collection Methods, Faisal Quibria Chowdhury

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Data collection on pavement surface cracks is crucial for the state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to make informed decisions on maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation (MR&R) activities. The collected cracking data is translated into a pavement performance indicator to assess the condition of pavement sections and identify MR&R needs based on predetermined threshold values set by the state DOTs. State DOTs have transitioned from manual to automated data collection as automation offers many advantages over manual data collection, such as improved data collection rates, efficiency, cost reduction, and safety. As the state DOTs have integrated automated data into the pavement performance …