Civil Engineering Commons^™

Experimental Evaluation Of J-Integral For Fiber Reinforced Concrete Subjected To Impact Loading, Piyushkumar Patel

Theses

This research presents an experimental Evaluation of J-Integral for Fiber Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Impact Loading. Three-point edge notched bend specimen were employed in evaluation of J-Integral using both the multi-specimen, and the single specimen techniques. In the multi-specimen technique three different notch lengths were employed for extracting the energetic fracture parameter J_Ic. In the single specimen technique, the method developed by Rice[13] was used to evaluate J_Ic at three different notch lengths.

Different proportions of fiber were employed in determining the J_Ic values. Experimental results from present study indicates that the J_Ic values calculated …

Study Of Steel-Concrete Interface Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Members, Jun Wan

Theses

The main objective of this thesis work is to study the steel-concrete interface behavior of reinforced concrete members using the nonlinear finite element method.

The reinforced concrete member was modeled as a continuum consisting of plane stress rectangular elements which represent the concrete, pin-joint two node bar elements which represent the reinforcing steel, and the nondimensional linkage elements which represent the bond stress-slip, aggregate interaction and dowel action effects. The load increment procedure is employed to carry out the nonlinear analysis.

An axially loaded tensile specimen, a deep beam specimen and a shallow beam specimen were analyzed. The results from …

Experimental Evaluation Of J-Integral For Concrete Subjected To Impact Loading, Naishan Zhang

Theses

This thesis presents an experimental evaluation of J-integral for concrete subjected to impact loading. Twenty four three-point bend specimens with two different thicknesses and mid-span notch lengths were tested under impact velocities of 167.22 in/sec (424.74 cm/sec) and 261.78 in/sec (664.92 cm/sec). Multi specimen method was used to analyze and estimate J_I and its critical J^-Ic values. Effects of specimen thickness and impact velocity on J^-Ic values were observed and discussed. Evaluation of J^-Ic Values from the experimental results of this study indicated that can be characterized as a material constant even under different impact velocities. …

The Evaluation Of The Impact Of Reducing The Domestic Wastewater Phosphorus On The Algal-Related Water Quality Of The Hudson/Raritan Estuary And Northern New Jersey's Coastal Waters, Ron Gautreau

Theses

An investigation was undertaken to examine the planktonic algal-related water quality of the Hudson/Raritan Estuary and northern New Jersey's coastal waters with respect to quantifying the relationship between the amount of phosphorus loading to the planktonic algal-related water quality responses. Recreational and commercial uses of northern New Jersey's coastal waters have at times been impaired by excessive growth of planktonic algae. Using population equivalents and export coefficients the amount of domestic wastewater and land runoff derived phosphoruscontributed to the Estuary was estimated. The P load contributed to the Estuary via the discharge of New York and New Jersey domestic wastewater …

Unsaturated Column Studies Of Silty Sand Using A Conservative Tracer, Canagasabapathy Nallianathan

Theses

A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the flow and mass transport of a conservative tracer in the unsaturated phase. For this purpose, a relatively "large-scale" cylindrical column(12 in. O.D. x 4 feet long) was fabricated and equipped with tensiometer and psychrometer sensors.

The soil used in the study was a New Jersey based silty sand compacted to an average dry density of 93 lb/ft³. The soil was permeated with a 0.5 M NaCl solution infiltrated at the top of the column using a perforated spiral tube assembly. The permeant was applied at a constant rate of approximately …

Co-Metabolism Of Pentachlorophenol With Glucose Using Two-Stage Anaerobic Activated Carbon Fluidized Beds, Zen Wang

Theses

Abstract - Detoxification of pentachlorophenol by using a two-stage anaerobic biological activated carbon fluidized bed has been investigated. Glucose was introduced as a cosubstrate to determine the relationship between the glucose/PCP ratio and the extent of PCP detoxification in such a system. This system has been proved to be effective in the removal of both PCP and COD. Ratio of glucose to PCP predominates the performance of the system throughout the whole course of this experiment. At a glucose/PCP ratio of 0.33, the system has a highest reduction of both PCP and COD. Addition of glucose to the highly PCP …

Decontamination Of Contaminated Clay Soils By Thermal Treatment, Chandrakanthi Weerasinghe

Theses

An experimental investigation on the desorption of contaminated clay soils by thermal treatment was performed. This study was carried out on two clay soils (kaolinite and bentonite) sorbed with three liquid organic compounds (phenol, chlorophenol, and chlorobenzene). The study consists of two different phases, the adsorption and desorption. The results on batch equilibrium adsorption were correlated with different isotherm models of which the Freundlich isotherm model was found to be best fit in predicting adsorption capacities of kaolinite, and that for bentonite was found to be the linear isotherm model.

A thermal desorption study followed the equilibrium adsorption study. A …

Development Of A Rock Model Testing Capability At The New Jersey Institute Of Technology And Testing Of Plane Stress Models Possessing A Central Circular Opening With A Nearby Horizontal Discontinuity, David R. Good

Theses

This thesis had three main objectives. They were to develop a rock model testing capability at N.J.I.T. by (1) developing and building a load testing frame for rock models, including all necessary appurtenances and load measuring devices, (2) developing a rock modelling material and quantifying its properties, and (3) applying the capabilities described in items 1 and 2.

A high capacity load test frame was constructed from structural steel members. Heavy screw rams were utilized to apply load and specially constructed proving rings were employed to accurately measure load. Additionally, load platens and other support equipment were constructed.

The model …

Estimation Of In-Situ Compression Index Of Contaminated Clays Using The Electrical Method, Prasanna Ratnaweera

Theses

For contaminated clay soils, it has been found that current testing methods to determine compressibility characteristics do not truly identify the physico-chemiral interaction present in the soil-pore fluid-electrolyte system. Most methods are virtually impracticable due to various reasons such as evaporation of pore-fluid, difficulty of handling toxic chemicals, etc. Also, destructive test methods may not maintain in-situ conditions while testing.

The electrical properties of soils, the dielectric dispersion in particular is considered to represent the amount of physico-chemical interaction present in the soil-pore fluid-electrolyte system. For uncontaminated soils, correlations between the dielectric dispersion and the slope of the isotropic consolidation …

Estimation Of Modified Proctor Densities Based On Visual Identification, Ramesh Damodaram

Theses

Often in construction jobs requiring controlled compaction, there is a delay involved in testing the soil sample to be used as a structural fill. Here a rational approach has been adopted to get these values from 600 test data available. Using these data, appropriate relationships between grain sizes, maximum dry densities and optimum moisture content were developed. From these, two tables were derived to estimate the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content based on grain size distribution.

In a fill control job, if the borrow pit happens to change, the field personnel could obtain soil samples and send them …

Sorption Characteristics And Their Effects On Geotechnical Properties Of Clay Soils, Arambawattage Mahendra Rodrigo

Theses

An experimental investigation on the sorption characteristics of clay soils with liquid organics (phenol, chlorophenol, nitrophenol and chlorobenzene) and their effects upon geotechnical properties was undertaken. The investigation consisted of two different phases, namely, (1) the sorption/ desorption study, including kinetic rate, equilibrium time, isotherm modeling, and (2) geotechnical properties due to clay/ liquid organic interactions. The results of kinetic rate study indicate that the equilibration time for the contaminants way dependent upon the hydrophobic or the hydrophelic nature of the chemical. For equilibrium adsorption models, the linear isotherm was found to be the best fit in predicting sorption capacities …

Sorptive And Geotechnical Characteristics Of Kaolinite, Chi-Yuan Shih

Theses

The sorption/desorption behavior of phenol and chlorobenzene as well as their influence on geotechnical characteristics of kaolinite were studied. The results reveal that the sorption process follows closely with the Freundlich adsorption isotherm whereas the sorption/desorption ratio depends upon the characteristics of organic compounds.

A series of geotechnical properties tests was also undertaken after achieving equilibrium at different concentrations of organic compounds. It was found that the parameters such as liquid limit, plastic limit, optimum moisture content, and dry density increase with an increasing-concentration of organic compounds.

The relationship between the geotechnical, properties and sorption behavior of soils provides the …

Study Of The Structure And Capacity Of Construction Industry In Pakistan, Tayyab A. Ansari

Theses

The construction industry is the second largest sector in Pakistan's economy after agriculture. It is a fragmented industry which includes very small and very large contracting groups. It includes professional groups such as architects, engineers, management personnel etc. Major part of this industry is dominated by material's suppliers, vendors etc.

In the light of the developments which have taken place particularly over the last ten years, the study has covered the capacity of the construction industry in terms of estimated output, availability of manpower, demand and production of building materials , financial problems, credit, quality of work, the role of …

Softening Response Of Concrete In Direct Tension, Teresa Cintora

Theses

Due to the increased attention in nonlinear fracture mechanics and numerical methods of cementitious material, it has become necessary to have a reliable investigation of the post-peak softening response of concrete under direct uniaxial loading. But due to the brittleness of the material previous researchers have encountered great difficulty in obtaining complete data regarding the load-deformation behavior. This study uses a strain-controlled testing method and therefore the post-peak curve can be more easily obtained. Based on these results a unique formula for the normalized load vs. deformation curve has been proposed to be applied in fracture analysis applications.

Expert Systems Approach For Means Of Egress Analysis, Dimitrios N. Dontas

Theses

The use of Expert Systems has grown dramatically during the 1980's. Developed as a branch of Artificial intelligence, knowledge based Expert Systems were at first of academic interest only. With successful application of knowledge based Expert Systems to medical and other diagnostic problems, industrial and commercial use of this technique is also increasing significantly. As of 1986, fifty percent of the Fortune 500 companies are embarked in their own Expert Systems research.

A variety of knowledge based Expert Systems has been developed for the Civil Engineering design and construction industries. The applications cover a wide range of subjects, including among …

Determination Of Project Duration For Resource Constrained Projects Without Using Resource Scheduling Procedure, Rabindra Nath Karmakar

Theses

The problem addressed in this thesis is that of determining the practicability of equating measures of network and resource characteristics to the early finish date of a project which is constrained by resources. The output of standard critical path calculations along with information on resource profiles that are easy to calculate can be of use in estimating resource constrained project duration.

Twenty two different equations ( developed by Hall) were used to find the estimated project finish dates. These results were compared to the schedule resulting from the application of the heuristic rule of minimum activity float. It is shown …

Friedman's Model Of Calculating The Optimum Bid Price Using Dbase Iii Plus, Selim Uzel

Theses

The micro-computer program, BIDCALC presented in this thesis is offered as simple, practical, and proven approach to developing an effective data-based competitive bidding strategy. BIDCALC is written in dBASE III Plus programming language for MS-DOS based computers.

Main purpose of the program is to evaluate the optimum bid using the Friedman's model of Maximizing the Expected Profit. At the same time the program keeps track of necessary competitor and project information in data base files which are easily transferable to other software packages. The program is capable of generating a variety of reports in a matter of seconds.

BIDCALC is …

Column Base Plate Under Eccentric Loading, Ja-Pung Sheu

Theses

The understanding of the strength and deformational behavior of column base plates is of paramount importance in the analysis and design of pipe and pressure vessel supports. Both elastic and plastic stress analyses, using ANSYS computer program to simulate the strength and deformation of column base plates anchored over a concrete block with an eccentric load, are presented in this study. The work presented here includes the effects of bolt pretension and prying actions of stressed flexible plates.

The analytical results were benchmarked with the published test data by D.P. Thambiratnam and P. Paramasivam for the maximum longitudinal strain along …

Reliability Of Existing Bridge Inspection And Evaluation Procedures, Leroy R. Klouser

Theses

In general, bridge inspection is subjective since visual observation and the basic inspection tools cannot reveal hidden structural deterioration, such as corrosive and delaminated rebars embedded in the concrete. Based on the NJDOT SI&A report, a scale (9 to 0) is used in rating five bridge components. This approach seems reasonable, since the time span, manpower and cost are limited throughout the counties of New Jersey. On the other hand, based on the scaling system, the SI&A reports can vary depending upon the exposed surface appearance and the experience of the bridge inspector.

Water, de-icing agents, freezing and thawing cycles …

Use Of Latex Modified Concrete For Repairs And Overlays, Chen-Hoang Lo

Theses

Latex modified concrete and polymer concrete have been widely used for bridge deck overlays and crack repairs for the past decade. In recent years, many of these repaired structures were found to be defective. The causes of these failures are not clearly confirmed. Some blame the quality of the latex products while manufacturers accuse the contractors of improper placement and/or surface preparation. While most of these failures largely appeared to be debonding and delamination of the overlays, excessive cracks, possibly shrinkage cracks, were also reported in the overlaid LMC.

To evaluate the suitability of using latex modified concrete for crack …

Approximate Methods For Analysis And Design Of Channel And Tee Shaped Reinforced Concrete Columns Under Axial Compression And Biaxial Bending, Chayan Bhattacharyya

Theses

Combined Bending and Axial Compression for irregular shaped (such as L-shaped, Channel shaped, T-shaped) reinforced concrete short column is a common design problem. Current code provisions and the available design aids do not offer an insight into the determination of strength and ductility of biaxially loaded reinforced concrete columns. The reason is that the information on the behavior of irregular shaped reinforced concrete members under combined biaxial bending and axial load is not well known. They are usually overdesigned and this may cause the structure to be stiffer, which may result in loss ductility when applied to seismic regions. Thus …

Post-Cracking And Nonlinear Microcomputer Analysis In Reinforced Concrete Beams, Pedro Ricardo Munoz Arias

Theses

The main objective of this Thesis work is to study a non-linear behavior of reinforced concrete structures using the Finite Element Method and an incremental load strategy.

Bond between steel and concrete is simulated using linkage spring elements. The proposed model has a generalized crack propagation capability and it accounts for nonlinearities due to cracking and material properties.

Load-displacement relationships describing the aggregate interlock along the crack and the dowel action at the level of reinforcement are incorporated into a computer program.

A simply supported reinforced concrete beam is analyzed from zero load until failure. Contributions to the shear capacity …

Construction Labor And Productivity : Productivity Improvements, Stavros C. Nicolaou

Theses

Construction productivity has been on the decline in the last decade. Although an important factor in the nation's economy, productivity of construction labor has been given little attention over the years. A review of the literature dealing with construction was performed that revealed the importance of the declining productivity as well as the confusion among construction managers and labor leaders as to what productivity is all about and how it can be improved. It has been found also, that construction labor motivation, which is the most important factor in improving productivity, is almost nonexist. Very few construction companies employ any …

A Study Of Failure Modes In Rock Resulting From Pile Penetration, Girish Mehta

Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to physically examine the failure mode of a rock mass as a result of pile penetration. In addition, the static bearing capacity of piles bearing in rock was investigated. This was accomplished in the laboratory by performing model tests using a dynamic pile driving device.

Tests were performed using 1 inch nominal diameter model pipe piles and H-piles. Piles were driven into a simulated rock mass consisting of clay-masonry bricks. Following pile driving, the rock mass was carefully dissected and observations of the failure mode were made.

A new technique was developed to preserve …

Non-Linear Finite Element Of Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Members, Chellathurai Jeyamohan

Theses

A finite element analysis of reinforced concrete members is used to study the initiation and propagation of cracks and the behavior at the interface of concrete and steel. The increase of concrete strength due to the biaxial compression and the shear capacity of the cracked elements are also considered in the analysis.

The results of the present analysis are compared with some available experimental data in beam tests. It has been found that the present analysis is capable of calculating the stress ( or moment ) and strain ( or deformation ) from zero load upto the ultimate load.

Construction Loan Proposal : A Model For Contractors, Saeed Ahmed

Theses

This thesis is an attempt to outline a construction loan proposal. The purpose is to provide an average contractor with an insight which could help him toward a preparation of a better proposal and better understanding of the subject matter itself.

Feasibility Of State-Of-The-Art Project Planning Techniques In Pakistan, Ahmed Mansoor Ansari

Theses

The objective of this work is two-fold:

1. Technological transfer of the best suitable state of the art techniques for implementation in the construction industry of Pakistan.

2. A vehicle intended for American readers to gain insight of the present methods of working in Pakistan.

In harmony to the first of the forestated ambitions this work covers subjects widely ranging from introducing the concept of proven scheduling techniques as CPM, PERT to the application of these techniques via advanced computer technology.

Frequently, American professionals and consulting firms are invited to participate to administer or design specialist construction projects in Pakistan. …

Computer-Aided Storm Sewer Design For Apple Macintosh, Andrea Cancalosi

Theses

The design of storm sewer systems because of its repetitive calculations lends itself to the use of computers for time-efficient solutions. The program developed designs storm sewer systems. Runoff is calculated using the Rational method. The rational method yields satisfactory results for relatively small areas and is widely used for stormwater calculations in urban areas.

Before, during or after the calculation process, the input data can be edited using a user-friendly editor incorporated into the program. Input data can be viewed by display on the screen or printed at any time while editing.

From the given input data, the program …

Failure Surface Of A Square And Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Members [Sic] Under Combined Biaxial Bending And Tension, Ravindra M. Khanapure

Theses

This thesis describes the development and use of three dimensional strength interaction diagrams of reinforced concrete sections for different loading conditions. It also gives a comprehensive overview of modes of failure surfaces and provides design aids for members subjected to biaxial bending and axial tension. This is the phenomena which is rather overlooked analytically and graphical predictions are made. The computer program provides a special tool for the analysis and fast interation of combination of loadings and moments.

Bond Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Under Impact Loading, Abu Rayhan Md Muniruzzaman

Theses

This thesis covers experimental investigations of bond behavior of reinforced concrete specimen under impact loading. A computer assisted data acquisition system was selected for data acquisition and control. This entire electronic system involved mainly a multichannel digital oscilloscope and an IBM-AT micro computer. All specimens were tested by a modified instrumented Charpy tester assisted by the electronic system.

15 test specimen were prepared in order to perform the experimental investigations. Each 3x3x16 inch specimen was reinforced with a single deformed bar mainly 3/4" and 1/2" diameter and three catagories of concrete mainly plain, 1%, and 2% (by volume) steel fiber …