Civil Engineering Commons^™

Alternate Method For Determining The Liquid Pressure Recovery Factor, Bryson H. Parker

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

The term liquid pressure recovery factor aids in determining the flowrate through valves at the maximum flowrate under choking conditions. The pressure recovery factor can be difficult to determine for certain types of valves based on the industry standard procedure. This report looks at the current industry standard procedure and adds a procedure in the event of the industry standard not being feasible. Often it is not feasible for a testing facility to supply enough flow through the valve to reach the industry standard. The industry standard is to test the valve at the maximum flowrate with a constant upstream …

Expected Structural Damage, Residual Capacity, And Repairability Of Light-Frame Timber Houses, Mikayla Caruthers

Master's Theses

Earthquake damage in light-frame timber structures is commonly evaluated using peak inter-story drift. However, drift alone does not fully represent the remaining structural capacity of a building or its ability to be repaired following a seismic event. Although expected structural damage, residual capacity, and repairability have each been studied extensively, these concepts are often considered independently, leaving limited guidance that links them within a unified post-earthquake assessment methodology.

This thesis establishes an integrated framework that relates expected structural damage, residual capacity, and repairability for light-frame timber residential structures. Existing literature was synthesized to develop drift-based damage-state classifications, identify methods for …

The Influence Of Rainfall And Land Cover Change On Streamflow Variability In Eastern Florida Watersheds, Brynn Romberger

Theses and Dissertations

Streamflow in Florida watersheds is influenced by both land cover change and rainfall variability, but separating their contributions is difficult because both have changed over recent decades. This study evaluated rainfall trends and land cover change to determine which better explains flood and drought threshold exceedance across 27 USGS streamflow gauges within the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) from 1985 to 2025. Streamflow was characterized using change-point, trend, and variability analyses with a six-threshold exceedance framework. Land cover was quantified using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), rainfall characteristics were derived from the Analysis of Records for Calibration …

Evaluation Of Dredged Sediments As A Partial Replacement For Fine Aggregate In Mortar And Concrete, Ashish Gautam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

The feasibility of using dredged sediment from the Mobile River as a partial replacement for fine aggregate in mortar and concrete was investigated through a series of laboratory characterization and performance evaluation. Three dredged sediment samples (A, B and C) were initially examined, and Sample A was selected for further evaluation due to its closer resemblance to natural fine aggregate. This sample exhibited lower moisture content, higher sand equivalent values, higher specific gravity, and lower absorption. Mortar mixtures with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100% dredged sediment replacement showed decreasing workability as the replacement level increased. The 20% …

Wildfire Impacts On Fluvial Hydrology From Watershed To National Scales, Paige G. Tunby

Civil Engineering ETDs

Wildfires alter the water quantity and quality in downstream river networks. Fires promote biodiversity, maintain habitat, and provide many ecosystem services in a fire-adapted landscape. However, changes in the natural fire regimes can alter ecosystem function and threaten the water security of impacted downstream communities. The magnitude, timing, and persistence of these impacts are difficult to predict due to the lack of high-resolution datasets with adequate coverage to evaluate spatiotemporal trends after a fire. This dissertation moves us beyond the status quo to evaluate post-fire fluvial responses across scales, from the event-scale impacts after the Hermit’s Peak-Calf Canyon wildfire in …

Identifying Failure Behaviors In Stereolithography From Varied Print Orientations, Kevin Veltre

Theses and Dissertations

Stereolithography (SLA) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that utilizes photopolymerization to create three-dimensional shapes by strategically printing layers of material. Printing parameters such as layer orientation, print resolution and post cure can affect a specimen’s homogeneity, longevity and mechanical characteristics. Because of this variability, print parameters must be carefully considered when designing products and print processes for desired components, as manufacturers often fail to include all relevant print settings when advertising mechanical properties. For this study, 130 SLA-printed specimens were created with 100-micron print layer thickness and print orientations varying between 0 and 90, including intermediate orientations, to observe …

Feasibility Of Using Untreated And Treated Rice Straw Fibers As A Modifier For Hot Mix Asphalt, Aditya Chowdhury

Civil Engineering Theses

Flexible pavements are subject to progressive deterioration driven by repeated traffic loading, environmental exposure, and material degradation, which causes distress. This study presents an integrated research framework that combines laboratory performance evaluation of rice straw fiber (RSF)-modified hot mix asphalt with machine learning-based pavement distress prediction to advance sustainable pavements. Three plant-produced HMA mixtures were modified with untreated and alkali-treated RSF at dosage levels of 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% by total mixture weight. FTIR spectroscopic analysis confirmed that alkali treatment induced significant chemical modifications to the fiber surface, increasing hydroxyl group availability and enhancing fiber–binder adhesion. Alkali-treated RSF consistently outperformed …

Fuel Tank Seismic Stability Program-Informed Displacement Maps Of Portland's Critical Energy Infrastructure Hub, Ana Tijerina Esquino

Dissertations and Theses

Oregon's Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Hub in northwest Portland contains a large portion of the state's liquid fuel storage and distribution capacity and is located in an area susceptible to liquefaction and earthquake-induced permanent ground deformation during a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Initial Seismic Vulnerability Assessments submitted under Oregon's Fuel Tank Seismic Stability program provide valuable facility-specific information, but the assessments vary in subsurface characterization, treatment of fine-grained soils, ground motion selection, and deformation estimation methods. This variability complicates interpretation of regional seismic risk and motivates a consistent corridor-scale analysis.

This thesis develops CPT-informed displacement estimates for representative cross sections …

Policy Analysis Of The Inclusion Of Mitigation Measures In The Re-Design And Construction Of The New Frances Scott Key Bridge, Patrick John O'Connor

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis discusses the tragic event of the container ship MV Dali impacting the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, leading to the collapse of the structure and killing six people despite having collision mitigation protections in place. This research examines how late twentieth-century structures are inadequate for current shipping demands and emphasizes that updated mitigation design criteria must accommodate larger modern vessels as governments replace or upgrade these structures. This paper will examine four case studies of different collisions that have similar circumstances to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse and review National Transportation Safety Board reports …

Fatigue And Healing Performance Of Asphalt Materials Modified With Nanomaterials And High-Polymer Asphalt Binders, Samuel M. Addai

Theses and Dissertations

Fatigue cracking is one of the primary distress mechanisms affecting asphalt pavement durability under repeated traffic loading and environmental aging. Although asphalt binders possess an inherent ability to heal micro-damage during rest periods, this healing capacity is often insufficient to fully counter progressive fatigue damage under field conditions. This thesis investigates the fatigue and self-healing behavior of asphalt binders and mixtures modified with nanomaterials and advanced polymer-based systems. Nanomodified binders were evaluated using Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS) and Linear Amplitude Sweep with Healing (LASH) tests within the VECD framework to quantify fatigue resistance and healing behavior under different rest periods …

Transport Properties And Microstructural Development Of Co₂-Cured, Co₂-Infused, And Cold-Weather Concrete, Arlene Jane Looc

Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to advance the understanding of durability and transport behavior in emerging CO₂-cured and cold-weather concrete technologies. Limited work has examined long-term durability indicators such as permeability, resistivity, and pore connectivity in these types of concrete. To bridge this gap, the study evaluates transport properties alongside microstructural changes that govern the progression of hydration and the evolution of pore structure. This study measures transport properties, determines correlations between resistivity and fluid ingress, and analyzes the evolution of pore structure. To achieve this, the experimental program evaluated three concrete mixtures for external CO₂ exposure, nine for dry ice infusion, …

A Machine-Learning-Based Systematic Framework For Modeling Compression And Recompression Indices For Florida Soils, Michael Morales

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis develops a machine-learning framework for estimating the compression index and the recompression index of Florida soils from routinely measured index properties, and reports two studies that build it. Consolidation settlement design requires both indices, and both are obtained from the incremental-loading oedometer test, which occupies a specimen for one to two weeks; the index tests that accompany it are complete within hours. Empirical correlations have filled that interval since the 1950s, but their coefficients are calibrated on specific soil populations and transfer poorly between regions. The first study analyzes 376 consolidation tests compiled for the Florida Department of …

Influence Of Stormwater Flooding Events On The Mobile County School District Student Population, Kadence Kali Johnston

Honors Theses

Mobile County, Alabama, receives among the highest annual rainfall totals in the United States resulting in frequent stormwater flooding that intersects with existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Within the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS), 77% of students are economically disadvantaged and over 10% experience homelessness, creating heightened risk for educational disruption during flood events. This study investigates how stormwater flooding influences school attendance, closures, and academic performance across MCPSS, providing insight into how climate-driven hazards exacerbate educational inequities. The research integrates flood frequency, school performance metrics, and GIS flood-zone mapping and teacher perceptions to understand how flooding affects student learning opportunities. …

The Impact Of Using Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials In Asphalt Binder And Mixtures, Ayyaz Fareed

Theses and Dissertations

Asphalt concrete is a widely used paving material for roadway construction; however, pavement distresses such as thermal cracking (non-load associated), fatigue cracking (load-associated), and rutting (permanent deformation) continue to challenge the performance and longevity of flexible pavements. These issues diminish ride quality, reduce service life, and contribute to increased maintenance needs. Several modifiers, including polymers and fibers, have been used to mitigate pavement deterioration, yet improving the thermal response of asphalt mixtures remains a significant concern, particularly in climates with substantial temperature fluctuations. Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCMs) have recently emerged as a promising solution due to their ability to …

Design And Implementation Of A Honeycomb Damping System For The 2026 Eeri Seismic Design Competition, Vera Nguyen, Lauryn Wojcik

Architectural Engineering

The authors of this report were a part of the 2026 Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) chapter at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In July 2026, they will travel to Portland, Oregon with 12 students to compete in the Undergraduate Seismic Design Competition hosted by EERI. The competition required teams to develop a comprehensive structural design proposal that included computer-based modeling and analysis, construction of three physical models, and the preparation of both a technical poster and oral presentation for a proposed high-rise building located in Portland, Oregon. Cal Poly’s “Illahee Tower” was designed with an emphasis on …

Analysis And Design Of Auger Cast Piles With Isolation Casing, Zachary Lindsay

Master's Theses

This research addresses the analysis and design of double cased piles. Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs a large rail system both above and below ground that connects the entire Bay Area. BART requires that all new constructions avoid transmitting axial load to their tunnels from adjacent piles. If piles fall within the zone of influence, builders must install double cased piles. Double casing is where there is an extra casing around the pile, with an air gap between them. The air gap prevents load from transferring to the outer casing. The length of this casing is called the isolation …

Integrating Sustainability Into Engineering Education, Riley R. Moller

Master's Theses

Engineering decisions shape lasting technology that affects environmental integrity, public safety, economic stability, and social equity. As global challenges such as climate change, infrastructure vulnerability, and rapid technological advancement intensify, the responsibilities placed on engineers continue to expand. Sustainability provides a framework for addressing these interconnected pressures through systems-based design and long-term thinking. Yet, sustainability education within engineering programs remains unevenly integrated, often positioned as elective or peripheral rather than as a foundational component of professional preparation.

Prior research shows that sustainability is most frequently addressed through stand-alone courses rather than embedded across required curricula, reflecting disciplinary structures that prioritize …

City Farm Slo Sheep Pen Improvements, Oscar Rocha

Construction Management

City Farm SLO is a non-profit that focuses on educating under-served and at-risk youth on health, success, and environmental responsibilities. The organization’s mission is accomplished while connecting many people from different backgrounds, which include diverse ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds. City Farm SLO promotes hands-on learning, providing opportunities for Cal Poly Construction Management students to build on the farm. This senior project consists of the construction of a 50 cubic yards sheep hill, vehicle access gates, side entry gate, front catch pen, and back corral fencing. Outside of the field construction, there was extensive planning to coordinate with the farm’s …

Mechanics And Physical Attributes Of Nature-Based Alterations: Rock Reinforcement And Urban Heat Island Assessment, Mary Chikondi Ngoma

Dissertations

Ground improvement is critical to geotechnical and geo-engineering systems, where modification of the properties of geomaterials (rocks and soils) is required to maintain stability and prevent failure of infrastructure installed within and around them. This need has become increasingly important with rapid urbanization and population growth, which intensify demands on surface and subsurface systems and further challenge the performance of supporting geomaterials. As a result, there is growing interest in nature-based solutions, particularly biologically mediated processes such as biocementation, which can enhance the physical, hydraulic, and mechanical properties of geomaterials while offering environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional ground improvement techniques. …

An Analytical Framework For Quantifying Urban And Community Resilience To Natural Hazards From Cell-Phone Gps-Location And Traffic-Flow Data, Georgios Chatzikyriakidis

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Urban areas are increasingly exposed to natural hazards while accommodating a growing share of the global population, yet a consistent science-based framework for quantifying urban and community resilience remains lacking. This dissertation develops a physics-based analytical framework grounded in statistical mechanics and the quantitative theory of Brownian motion. A city is conceptualized as a complex medium in which citizens move analogously to Brownian particles within a viscoelastic environment, influenced by socioeconomic interactions and infrastructure functionality.

A central premise is that urban resilience, interpreted as engineering resilience (an outcome), can be quantified through a single metric: the mean-square displacement MSD=⟨r²(t)⟩, of …

Quantitative Assessment Of Cybersecurity Risk Variability Across Transportation Modes, Paulo Carreon

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Transportation systems are increasingly dependent on digital technologies, networked communications, and cyber-physical integration, making cybersecurity an important issue for operational continuity, resilience, and safety. Although cybersecurity risks in transportation are widely recognized, much of the existing research remains mode-specific and lacks a standardized quantitative framework for comparing risk across transportation systems. This study develops a quantitative, incident-based approach for assessing cybersecurity risk variability across four major transportation modes: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, and Road. The study is based on a manually constructed dataset of 189 publicly reported transportation cybersecurity incidents collected from 2000 to 2025. Each incident was coded into structured …

Structural Design And Analysis Of The Civil Engineering Capstone Project, William R. Webster

Honors Theses

The structural elements of a office building designed for the University of Mississippi civil engineering senior design project were designed and analyzed. The proposed building is a shared office building located on an empty parcel on Oxford Commons Boulevard. Using the 2018 International Building Code (IBC), the structural loads were determined to be the following: 20 psf roof live load, 20 psf dead load, 20 psf snow load, and 15.6 psf rain load. These loads yielded a factored LRFD design load of 56 pdf. Using these loads and manuals provided by Nucor Vulcraft, the roof deck was determined to be …

Quantifying The Value Of Adaptability: Bridging Real Options Analysis And Adaptable Building Design, Miranda Grice

All Dissertations

As the demands of the built environment continually evolve, buildings are expected to meet changing occupancy needs, or otherwise they become obsolete. Despite positive research on the benefits of adaptable building design, there is a knowledge gap regarding the long-term economic benefits of these designs. Practical methods are needed to determine if premium costs associated with adaptable designs are justified by the economic benefits inherent in adaptability. Therefore, this dissertation provides a discussion on the application of the financial theory of options analysis to the design of adaptable buildings. Additionally, a model and accompanying tool are presented as a solution …

An Investigation Of The Restrained Expansion Behavior Of Bcsa And Sbcsa Concretes And Their Chemical Prestress Potential, Adhish Paudel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement, an alternative cement, is increasingly used in the United States for its fast-setting and rapid strength gain characteristics, particularly for rapid pavement construction and repair. In addition, BCSA exhibits some early age expansion when moist cured due to the formation of ettringite. Under restrained conditions, expansive cements can be used to generate chemical prestress in reinforced concrete or to offset prestress losses in prestressed concrete. This study investigates the restrained expansion of concrete made from traditional BCSA and a new BCSA cement formulation intended to provide increased initial expansion behavior. Concrete samples were tested using …

A Comparative Analysis Of Macro-Scale And Micro-Scale Pcswmm Models For Urban Flood Simulation In The Ormond Drainage System, Binit Gautam

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This research utilized an existing SWMM modeling framework of the Ormond area within St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. A micro scale PCSWMM model was updated using GIS Derived values for CN, percent imperviousness, and subcatchment slope and compared to an macro-scale model. Models were compared under several storm events, which included the recent May 14, 2020 storm as well as 2-, 10-, and 100-year design storms. Peak flow, total inflow volume, and hydrograph characteristics were analyzed to assess response of each model.

The results show that the macro-scale model generally produces higher peak flows and total volumes, while the micro-scale model …

Exploring The Role Of Video Games In Civil Engineering Education And K-12 Stem Engagement, Jillian S. Codron

Architectural Engineering

Civil engineering education has traditionally emphasized a linear progression from theory to application, with foundational concepts introduced in lecture before being reinforced through laboratory or design experiences. While effective for advanced learners, this approach can limit early engagement for K–12 students who may struggle to connect abstract principles to realworld engineering practice. This project examines the use of video games as interactive, feedback-driven environments for introducing civil engineering concepts and practices to younger learners in more exploratory and accessible ways.

The study pursues four primary objectives: evaluating the educational affordances of selected video games; examining how gaming experiences have influenced …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling Of Counter-Current Flow In Channels Separated By A Membrane, Akram Mashhour Riziq Abdullah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Counter current flow in channels separated by membrane were studied in several published studies. The present study aims to numerically and analytically simulate and physically describe the distribution of pressure, volume flow rate and velocity in counter current flow module. Numerical simulation Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was performed by solving Navier-Stokes (N–S) equations in the channels and membrane pores (vertical channels) to determine pressure and velocity fields. An analytical solution one-dimensional (1-D) model was developed to simulate the flow in the channels and membrane pores by solving the continuity and Darcy’s Law to obtain pressure and volume flow rate. Accordingly, …

Investigating Calcium Oxychloride Deterioration In Concrete: Analyzing Variation In Laboratory Testing Procedures, Standardized Testing Protocols, And Industry Implementation., Joey Roy Parker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Access to sustainable infrastructure is critical for society. In the U.S., over $350 billion is spent annually to maintain roadways providing access to education, medical care, and citizen consumer needs. Maintaining service of these systems during severe winter weather events is a significant challenge for maintenance personnel across the country. The use of deicing/anti-icing materials to lower the freezing temperature is a popular mitigation technique used to provide reasonable driving conditions during these times. The combination of these materials, freeze/thaw cycles, and precipitation produce perpetual deterioration and corrosion within reinforced concrete pavements and bridges. In the U.S., over 60% …

A Review Of Ufgs And Ufc Specifications For The Mixture Design Process Of Military Airfield Concrete Pavements, Emaduddin Ahmad

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Military airfield concrete pavements require exceptional durability and performance, guided by the stringent criteria of the Department of Defense (DoD) Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-25-04 and Unified Facilities Guide Specifications (UFGS) 32 13 14.13. Currently, the mixture design approval contains severe pre-construction bottlenecks, primarily due to comprehensive requirements of testing all aggregate sources within six months of project commencement. This rigid approach forces redundant and time-consuming laboratory tests, such as the ASTM C666 freeze-thaw durability test, to be conducted even when utilizing consistent aggregate sources. This thesis reviews the current UFGS mixture design process to identify critical bottlenecks in the …

Field Testing Of Retrofits To Improve The Structural Behavior Of South Carolina Flat-Slab Bridges, Jacob Bowers

All Theses

The South Carolina Department of Transportation manages approximately 2,300 “flat-slab” bridges statewide, with an average age of 58 years, according to the National Bridge Inventory (NBI 2024). Many of these structures were originally designed for H10 or H15 truck loadings, which are significantly below current design standards. As a result, numerous bridges have been load-posted, restricting freight movement, emergency response, and local connectivity. While full replacement provides a long-term solution, it is often cost-prohibitive and disruptive. Accordingly, the South Carolina Department of Transportation is seeking cost-effective retrofit strategies that improve performance and extend the service life of these bridges. Implementing …