Civil Engineering Commons^™

Development Of An Access Charge Framework For High-Speed Rail Incorporating Rail Replacement Costs And Dynamic Train Characteristics, Nitesh Kumar Yadav

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis develops a framework to determine track access charges for shared high-speed rail corridors, with a focus on rail replacement cost driven by train-induced loads. The method explicitly accounts for both static loads, resulting from axle weights, and dynamic loads that arise from train speed and track geometry, particularly curvature. Train characteristics such as axle load, operating speed, frequency of service, and number of wheels are integrated with track parameters, including curve radius, to calculate the total vertical load. These loads are used to estimate the cumulative tonnage threshold for rail replacement and the resulting service life of the …

Efficient Wattle Design For High-Level Nuclear Waste Tanks, Jasmine B. Clarke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At the Hanford Site in Washington state and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, there are underground steel tanks that hold high-level nuclear waste (HLW) and nearly 450 million curies of radioactivity. At these sites, some leaks have been detected in HLW tanks. While detecting these leaks allows for identification of the issue, it does not solve the problem or prevent the leakage of HLW contaminants into collection pans and secondary containment. Repairing these leaks poses potential threats to workers for exposure risk. To address this issue, the present research seeks to create and utilize an active barrier in …

Analysis Of Incident Duration And Real-Time Incident Delay Estimation Using Big Data Analytics And Machine Learning Techniques, Zhubin Najafi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traffic incidents have a significant impact on freeway operations, leading to severe delays, congestion, fuel wastage, and economic losses for commuters. Each year, billions of gallons of fuel are wasted, and drivers incur thousands of dollars in lost time due to incident-related delays. To mitigate these effects, Traffic Management Centers (TMCs) implement incident management strategies aimed at reducing both the frequency and severity of incidents while ensuring their prompt and safe clearance.

Dynamic Message Signs (DMSs) are key tools used by TMCs to communicate travel times and incident information to commuters. Under normal conditions, default travel times are displayed on …

Investigating Decision Factors For Modularization And Standardization Decision On Early Project Phase: Qualitative Comparative Analysis, Amrit Shahi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modularization involves shifting site-based work to offsite locations to enhance overall productivity, reduce costs, shorten schedules, and improve project competitiveness. By developing and utilizing consistent designs, facility standardization further optimizes project schedules, costs, and value. When combined, they create a leveraging opportunity, as seen in the shipbuilding and manufacturing industries. While both strategies offer significant advantages, capital projects struggle to have a well-informed modularization and standardization decision during the early project phase (i.e., Opportunity Framing). This often results in improper implementation and lower modularization and standardization levels. The main cause for this is the industry’s limited understanding of early-phase high-level …

Non-Contact Acoustic Emission Detection Of Rail Defects Using Air-Coupled Sensors, Lei Jia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rail defects, whether internal or external, present significant safety risks. Acoustic Emission (AE) technology has emerged as a promising technique for monitoring damage progression and detecting these rail defects. This project addresses this critical concern by testing air-coupled optical microphones for non-contact AE detection. The goal of this research is to investigate AE signal characteristics using both rail-mounted and vehicle-mounted methods, establishing the understanding of AE signals in relation to defects and their effectiveness in identifying them.

This research focused on investigating air-conduct sensors in the lab-controlled pencil lead break (PLB) test. The objective was to evaluate the propagation characteristics …

Prediction Of Cost And Schedule Changes In Transportation Projects Through Historical Bid And Change Order Document Analysis – Using Oklahoma Dot Project Cases., Rabin Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction bid documents encompass project specifications, drawings, schedules, and other critical details and are the foundation for project bidding and execution. Accurate bid documents are essential to ensure project bids are competitive, realistic, and aligned with requirements. However, bid documents are susceptible to risks from various sources. Failure to identify and rectify these risks can result in inaccurate cost estimates and higher bids. Therefore, identifying and resolving risks within bidding or contract documents are of utmost importance. While prior research has shed light on potential risk factors within the bid documents, a noticeable gap remains in the literature regarding identifying …

Investigating Productivity Of Modular Buildings, Sibgat Mehedi Hasan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The modular construction industry has grown substantially, yet understanding of the relationships between project categories, sizes, and productivity remains limited. This study investigates these relationships in both permanent and relocatable modular construction projects across different sectors, including multifamily housing, dormitories, healthcare, education, retail, office, and workforce housing. Data from 303 permanent and 188 relocatable projects in the Modular Building Institute database were analyzed using Kendall's tau-b correlation and linear regression analyses. Key findings reveal that permanent projects outnumber and are generally larger than relocatable ones, with education being the most common project type. Significant positive correlations between project size and …

Analyses Of Thermal And Spectral Characteristics Of Artificial Turf And Natural Grass In Las Vegas Valley, Tarannum Kalam Khandoker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis presents a comprehensive analysis of the thermal and spectral characteristics of Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The first objective examines the effects of artificial turf on the urban thermal environment in the LVV by analyzing the impact of Land Surface Temperature (LST) and surface albedo at 26 ROIs that transitioned from natural to artificial turf, alongside another 26 ROIs that remained unchanged between 2018 and 2022 utilizing available Landsat 8 satellite images for the respective years. In the comprehensive comparison of ROIs over the two years in question, it was observed that transitioning to artificial turf correlated with elevated …

Assessment Of Success Factors And Comparative Analysis Of Public Private Partnership (P3) Project Performances Against Design-Build And Design-Bid-Build Project Delivery, Bandana Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Public-private partnerships (P3s) projects have gained widespread popularity in both developed and developing countries due to their ability to access new financing sources and shift specific project risks to the private sector. P3s has been an active area of research with a particular focus on the concept of Critical Success Factors (CSF). The growing interest and the diverse outcomes associated with P3s emphasize the need for a thorough investigation into the factors that contribute to successful P3 projects. This study focused on identifying the CSFs for P3 highway and building projects towards project objectives of achieving cost efficiency and schedule …

Improving Multi-Crane Planning On Construction Sites, Ali Khodabandelu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Designing the configuration of tower cranes, managing their operations, and coordinating material logistics are intricate processes that wield significant influence over the time, cost, productivity, and safety of construction projects. This complexity stems from the multitude of layout configurations, diverse crane types, varied tasks, and material supply points, all interacting within a dynamic environment. Collisions pose a heightened risk due to overlapping crane areas, further adding complexity to the planning of crane layouts and operations. Optimizing crane layout and operational planning while ensuring safety requires establishing effective connections between tasks, cranes, and material supply locations. Traditionally, research and industry practices …

Performance Comparison Of Design-Bid-Build (Dbb), Design-Build (Db) And Construction Management-At-Risk (Cmar) Methods, And Identification Of Critical Success Factors For Db And Cmar In Water And Wastewater Projects, Shrijan Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United States encounters numerous challenges within the water and wastewater sectors. The American Water Works Association mandates a capital investment of $1.3 trillion over the next 25 years for the restoration and renewal of water infrastructures throughout the United States. (AWWA). To design and construct cost-effective and time-efficient water and wastewater facilities without compromising the infrastructure quality, owners are adopting alternative approaches to project delivery like Construction Management-at-Risk (CMAR) and Design-Build (DB). These approaches introduce innovation and integration into project delivery, addressing specific limitations inherent in the traditional Design-Bid-Build (DBB) method. The rise in utilization of alternative delivery methodologies …

An Exploratory Pilot Study On Generating An Emergency Evacuation Vr Experience For A Real-Life Building Without Existing Bim Or Floor Plans, Naveed Ahmed

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the rising frequency of active shooter incidents and fire hazards in both private and public facilities, it is crucial to establish a strategy for an effective emergency evacuation response for minimizing its consequences. Modern technological advancements such as virtual reality (VR) and game engines offer the potential to serve as valuable evacuation training tools within a virtual environment, aiding real-time decision making. Previous studies highlight the benefits of using VR simulations for emergency evacuation training, enhancing safety; however, two challenging factors exist that hinder their application. First, many existing structures (especially for older buildings) lack an available computer model/approach. …

Unraveling Water Quality Issues In The Colorado River Basin: Utilizing Remote Sensing Satellite Images, Statistical, And Machine Learning For Improved Monitoring, Godson Ebenezer Adjovu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research was aimed at exploring innovative and cost-effective tools in understanding the spatiotemporal variability of water quality parameters in the Colorado River Basin (CRB), which includes the Colorado River and major reservoirs and lakes in the USA including Lake Mead. The river which arises in the state of Colorado and empties into the Republic of Mexico at the Gulf of California, is a source of water to seven US states and the Republic of Mexico and provides water to about 40 million people and million acres of farmlands in seven states in the western US and the Republic of …

Effects Of Loading Age And Transverse Reinforcement Ratio On Collapse Resistance Of Rc Frame Beams Under High Sustained Loads, Taiga Cibulka

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Catastrophic progressive collapses of reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings can be triggered by column failure. In such a scenario, the beams supported by the failed column shall be able to form an alternative load path guarding the building against collapse. The compressive arch action passively generated after losing a column has been identified as an effective load-resisting mechanism for axially restrained RC frame beams. However, the beams need to continuously carry the redistributed gravity loads sustaining in the structural system. Past research predominantly focused on the short-time collapse resistance of RC beams and little is known about their time-dependent response …

Investigating A Passive Treatment System For The Removal Of Nutrients From Urban Runoff, Jasminn Gray

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Environmental Protection Agency recognizes urban runoff as a major contributor of surface water pollution with nutrients as the second largest cause of surface water impairment in the United States. While a water quality standard of 100 lbs/day total phosphorus load allocation for all nonpoint sources is permitted for the Las Vegas Valley (LVV) under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, currently there is not a counterpart standard for nitrogen. With the continued development of the LVV and the depletion of the quantity of water in Lake Mead due to the ongoing drought, the concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen species …

Application Of Biochar For Antibiotic-Free Nutrient Recovery From Source-Separated Human Urine, Sayeda Ummeh Masrura

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In recent years, the application of biochar as a soil amendment has gained attention as a potential solution for nutrient management and environmental remediation. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced through the pyrolysis of biomass under oxygen-limited conditions, exhibits unique physicochemical properties making it an effective sorbent for nutrients and contaminants. Its high surface area, porosity, and stability provide an ideal matrix for nutrient retention and release, as well as the immobilization of pollutants. One area of particular interest is the application of biochar for nutrient recovery from source-separated human urine. Source separation of urine has gained momentum as a sustainable …

Optimized Indoor Temperature In Office Buildings Through Personalized Thermal Comfort Modeling, Raviteja Patchava

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Building occupants experience varying thermal comforts at static indoor set-point temperatures due to variances in preferences, needs, and activities, both within and among individuals. Despite advancement in smart building control systems, many building occupants remain dissatisfied with indoor temperatures. This study developed and created an optimization model to predict the optimized indoor temperature preferences in multiple-occupancy settings. To achieve this, personalized thermal comfort models for each occupant in a multiple occupancy space were developed. The personal comfort models serve as the foundation for predicting their individual thermal preference and developing indoor temperature optimization model. When predicting the individual thermal preference, …

Non-Destructive Means Of Predicting Masonry Prism Strength Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (Upv), Connor J. Barlow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current ASTM standards call for grouted masonry prisms to be tested for compressive strength at 28-days to ensure compliance with the structural design. In the event of failing tests, the subject samples may require redesign or reconstruction which can pose problems due to ongoing development around and including the prisms between the time of placement and obtaining test results. The purpose of this research is to determine if the use of ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) testing can be utilized to determine a correlation between prism composite strength of the masonry prism with ultrasound readings as to provide preliminary means of …

Identification Of Factors Contributing To Traffic Crashes By Analysis Of Text Narratives, Cristian D. Arteaga-Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fatalities, injuries, and property damage that result from traffic crashes impose a significant burden on society. Current research and practice in traffic safety rely on analysis of quantitative data from crash reports to understand crash severity contributors and develop countermeasures. Despite advances from this effort, quantitative crash data suffers from drawbacks, such as the limited ability to capture all the information relevant to the crashes and the potential errors introduced during data collection. Crash narratives can help address these limitations, as they contain detailed descriptions of the context and sequence of events of the crash. However, the unstructured nature …

Application Of Experimentally Calibrated Numerical Models For Prediction Of Composite Masonry Prism Strength, James Bristow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The composite masonry prism test is a common laboratory test to determine the compressive strength of a set of masonry prisms (f’mt) to verify that the composite masonry prism assembly, and more importantly, the constituent materials, are providing adequate strength. While constructing masonry structures, the subcontractors, designers, and inspectors rarely provide continuous supervision or inspection of the construction process. Accordingly, verification of grout mix design, mixed proportions, proper installation of blocks, placement of mortar, dimensions of joints, etc. are more traditionally performed on a periodic basis instead. However, through the use and review of the composite masonry prism test results, …

Effects Of Particle Size And Replacement Proportion Of Post-Consumer Glass In Concrete, Negasi Gebremichael

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Concrete, next to water, is the most used material (Gagg, 2014), which consumes natural or manufactured aggregates and resource-intensive cement. Concrete is also a more wasteful construction material than timber and steel. Depleting the natural resource due to aggregate extraction and the environmental unfriendliness of cement production have left the construction industry with no choice. Reducing waste, reusing, or recycling can help conserve natural resources. In this regard, the construction industry constantly seeks full or partial replacement of concrete aggregates and cement with recycled material. Glass is a candidate for replacing the three major components: cement, fine aggregate, and coarse …

Development And Application Of A Safety Index For Transit Stops: A Case Study From Las Vegas, Nevada, Rithesh Shivuni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research developed a methodology to evaluate safety proximate to transit stops through a Safety Index, identified key factors associated with fatal crashes proximate to bus transit stops, and illustrated the applications of these using a case study based on the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada, USA. The methodology is based on motor vehicle crashes that involve pedestrians recorded in the proximity of transit stops, and the severity of the crash outcomes. It focused on crashes which involved pedestrians that occurred within walking distances of individual transit stops. The severity of the crash outcomes was classified based on the …

Automated Approach For The Enhancement Of Scaffolding Structure Monitoring With Strain Sensor Data, Sayan Sakhakarmi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction researchers have made a significant effort to improve the safety of scaffolding structures, as a large proportion of workers are involved in construction activities requiring scaffolds. However, most past studies focused on design and planning aspects of scaffolds. While limited studies investigated scaffolding safety during construction, they are limited to simple cases only with limited failure modes and simple scaffolds. In response to this limitation, this study aims to develop an automated scaffold monitoring approach capable of monitoring large scaffolds. Accordingly, this study developed an automated scaffold safety monitoring framework that leverages sensor data collected from a scaffold, scaffold …

Behavior Of Axially-Restrained Reinforced Concrete Beams Under High Sustained Loads, Ghazaleh Mehdikhan Laleh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Following column failure in a reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure, a progressive collapse may result if the beams supported by the failed column cannot generate an alternate path to carry the redistributed gravity loads. Past studies of the collapse resistance of RC frame beams were limited to their short-time load-carrying capacity. Axially restrained frame beams experience a compressive arch action as a beneficial load-resisting mechanism not considered in a conventional structural design. Due to the compressive arch action, the column failure may not cause an immediate collapse; however, gravity loads still act on the damaged structure, inducing high sustained stresses …

Improving Pedestrian Safety With The Implementation Of The Demand-Responsive Transverse Rumble Strip As A New Traffic Safety Countermeasure, Md Shakhawat Hossen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The traditional TRS has been extensively used as a traffic calming device to provide cognitive alerts in the form of sound and vibration to drivers. However, TRS always remains fixed on the road and thus exerts cognitive alerts, irrespective of any potential downstream hazards. Moreover, the continuous exposure to rumble strips has been identified as a source of discomfort and annoyance for drivers, which limits its application to potentially useful scenarios. This study explores a rumble strip design with dynamic behavior named as Demand-Responsive Transverse Rumble Strip (DRTRS) in order to address the limitations of static TRS. The study incorporates …

Quaternary Ammonium Compounds As Precursors To Disinfection Byproducts, Padmanabhan Krishnaswamy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Disinfection of drinking water is crucial for providing a safe potable water supply. Some of the most common disinfectants employed are chlorine, chloramines and ozone. While these disinfectants successfully inactivate pathogenic microorganisms, they simultaneously react with inorganic or organic precursors to form toxic byproducts, most commonly referred to as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). While there is a wide variety of organic matter and disinfection byproducts known, in this study we have looked into the potential of certain quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) to act as precursors to form DBPs, namely trihalomethanes (THMs), haloacetonitriles (HANs) and nitrosamines.

The ubiquitous nature of QACs in …

Relationship Between Standardization Critical Success Factors (Csfs) And Project Performance, Binit Kumar Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Facility standardization strategy is defined as the development and use of consistent designs to align project stakeholders, objectives, and scope to capture and optimize schedule, cost, and value. The implementation and proper execution of this strategy can lead to considerable benefits, such as design once and reuse multiple times, along with learning curve benefits in fabrication, operations, and construction, as well as accelerated responds to schedule needs. Although standardization strategy is not a new idea; capital projects have failed to achieve high levels of facility standardization. The primary reason for this is the industry’s struggle to execute standardized projects successfully. …

Geometric Quality Assessment Of A Modular House Using Bim And Photogrammetric Point Clouds, Preetam Kapsikar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As-built documentation of modular structures is an important set of records for a project, that consist of construction drawings and specifications, project design modifications, prefabrication, and component assembly. In particular, manual geometric quality assessments of a structure’s prefabricated components are generally fraught with errors, making it extremely difficult to compare the as-built construction with the specified drawings, which affects the project. Furthermore, if the prefabricated components are manufactured with errors, this can result in construction schedule delays and high additional costs due to rework. Several technologies, such as point cloud data generated using laser sensors and LiDAR, have been developed …

Developing Lrfd Side Shear And End Bearing Resistance Factors For Design Of Axially Loaded Drilled Shafts In Soil Containing Caliche Layers Using The Monte Carlo Approach, Visar Farhangi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Conventional design and construction procedures of the drilled shafts (bored piles) are mainly developed for homogenous soils in the absence of highly cemented layers. However, the presence of competent and cementitious layers such as caliche deposits in soil profile can affect the resistance and settlement of pile foundations. This study concerns with the uncertainties on the resistance estimation of axially loaded drilled shafts in interaction with caliche layers The prime objective is to calibrate the side shear and end bearing resistance factors of axially loaded drilled shafts based on the soil characteristics of Nevada. The load-settlement responses of axially loaded …

Behavior Of Aged Reinforced Concrete Columns Under High Sustained Concentric And Eccentric Loads, Wenchen Ma

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Columns are critical components resisting the collapse of a reinforced concrete (RC) frame structure subjected to high sustained loads. Research on columns under sustained high stresses is very limited. At material level, past creep tests were focused either on concrete with ages less than 90 days or under a sustained stress less than 70% of short-time strength. At structural component scale, virtually no experimental data can be found for the response of axially loaded RC columns subjected to high sustained loads exceeding 75% of column short-time strength with loading age greater than 200 days. Even if a few experiments were …