Civil Engineering Commons^™

Geographic Information System-Based Tools In Environmental Management, Zeinab Bedri, Michael Bruen

Articles

The authors reviewed existing modelling platforms as part of a large study of water and pollution pathways through catchments in Ireland (Irish EPA Pathways project). Worldwide, work on producing catchment management tools (CMTs) has been underway for some time and some of the tools identified here date from as early as 1989. Some of the management problems and model conceptualisations have not changed very much but now there is a stronger emphasis on water quality and more concern about a wider range of contaminants. What has changed substantially is the use of Geographical Information System and Graphical Windows interfaces as …

Electrochemical-Mechanistic Model For Concrete Cover Cracking Due To Corrosion Initiated By Chloride Diffusion, Goli Nossoni, Ronald S. Harichandran

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

A holistic electrochemical-mechanistic model of the corrosion of steel reinforcing bars inside concrete that accounts for the diffusion of oxygen and moisture into the concrete and rust layers, the densification of rust due to confinement, the flow of rust into the concrete pores, the development of internal pressure due to rust buildup, and cracking of the concrete cover is presented. The relationship between the corrosion current and the pressure buildup due to the corrosion products for different concrete cover thicknesses and concrete quality was calibrated through experiments using an accelerated corrosion test with an applied current. Results from finite-element analysis …

Flexural Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete T-Beams Strengthened With Nsm Composite System Under Accelerated Corrosion., Anes Bouchair

Theses

This research work aims at evaluating the effects of corrosion on flexural response of simply supported reinforced concrete (RC) T-Beams strengthened with near-surface-mounted carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (NSM-CFRP) strips. The research comprised experimental testing and analytical modelling. Test parameters included concrete grade, amount of NSM-CFRP strips, presence of U-wraps along the beam span, and time of corrosion exposure. A total of eighteen reinforced concrete beams with a T-shaped cross section were tested. Fourteen beams were strengthened in flexure and four beams were not strengthened to act as benchmarks. The strengthening regime included installation of either two or four NSM-CFRP strips into …

Retrofitting Of Shear-Deficient Reinforced Concrete T-Girders With Composite-Based Systems, Alaa Ahmad Ata Maali

Theses

This research examines the viability of using different composite-based systems to upgrade the shear resistance of shear-deficient reinforced concrete T-girders. The research comprised experimental testing and analytical investigation. Test parameters included the retrofitting system; externally-bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (EB-CFRP) laminates with or without a mechanical end anchorage (MA) and embedded through depth glass fiber-reinforced (ETD-GFRP) rebars; amount of internal stirrups; no stirrups, limited amount of stirrups with spacing s₁ = 0.6d, higher amount of stirrups with spacing s₂ = 0.375d; and initial shear damage prior to retrofitting; no damage, pre-cracking, and pre-failure.

The shear …

Thermal Numerical Analysis Of Vertical Heat Extraction Systems In Landfills, Michael Thomas Onnen

Master's Theses

An investigation was conducted to determine the response of landfills to the operation of a vertical ground source heat pump (i.e., heat extraction system, HES). Elevated landfill temperatures, reported various researchers, impact the engineering performance of landfill systems. A numerical model was developed to analyze the influence of vertical HES operation on landfills as a function of climate and operational conditions.

A 1-D model of the vertical profile of a landfill was developed to approximate fluid temperatures in the HES. A 2-D model was then analyzed over a 40 year time period using the approximate fluid temperatures to determine the …

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation With Online Model Updating, Adam Mueller

Masters Theses

Hybrid simulations have shown great potential for economic and reliable assessment of structural seismic performance through a combination of physically tested components, called the experimental substructure, and numerically simulated components, called the numerical substructure. Current hybrid simulation practices often use a fixed numerical model without considering the possible availability of a more accurate model obtained during hybrid simulation through an online model updating technique. To address this limitation and improve the reliability of numerical models in hybrid simulations, this study describes the implementation of an online model updating method in real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS). The Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) was …

Development Of Safety Performance Functions For Non-Motorized Traffic Safety, Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara

Masters Theses

This study investigates the factors which affect the safety of non-motorized transportation within the influence area of intersections to enhance development of safety performance functions (SPFs). The scope of this study is limited to the four Michigan cities of Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Flint and Grand Rapids. Due to the current lack of research regarding the appropriate size of the influence area, this study investigates the distance of crashes relative to the center of 148 intersections to identify the most probable area of influence for different crash types. For motorized and non-motorized crashes, 240 ft. and 137 ft. are proposed, …

Overtime Traffic Enforcement Evaluation: A Methodology For Selecting Agencies And Enforcement Periods, Dario Enrique Romero Santana

Masters Theses

Multiple studies have stated the advantages of police traffic enforcement on crash reduction (Zaidel, February 2002). It is very important to identify locations and time periods where police enforcement produces the greatest crash reductions. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the impact of overtime traffic enforcement on crash occurrence; (2) develop procedures to identify police agencies with potential to reduce targeted crashes; and (3) develop procedures to identify additional time periods in which enforcement activities should be conducted. In order to accomplish these objectives, many methodologies were explored. The study used crash and enforcement data collected by …

Lessons From The Green Lanes: Evaluating Protected Bike Lanes In The U.S., Christopher Monsere, Jennifer Dill, Nathan Mcneil, Kelly J. Clifton, Nick Foster, Tara Goddard, Mathew Berkow, Joe Gilpin, Kim Voros, Drusilla Van Hengel, Jamie Parks

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report presents finding from research evaluating U.S. protected bicycle lanes (cycle tracks) in terms of their use, perception, benefits, and impacts. This research examines protected bicycle lanes in five cities: Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, D.C., using video, surveys of intercepted bicyclists and nearby residents, and count data. A total of 168 hours were analyzed in this report where 16,393 bicyclists and 19,724 turning and merging vehicles were observed. These data were analyzed to assess actual behavior of bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers to determine how well each user type understands the design …

The Effect Of Clay, Cement And Fibers On The Strength And Durability Of Compressed Earth Blocks, Wyatt Adair Banker-Hix

Master's Theses

This Thesis examines the effect of soil characteristics, cement content and fibers on the strength and durability of compressed earth blocks (CEBs). This work expands on the available information regarding the constituent properties which affect the compressive and tensile strengths and durability of CEBs. Additionally, little research on the subject of synthetic fibers and their effect on strength and durability of CEBs is available and this work provides an initial study in this area.

To study the effects of fibers, as well as confirm the trends of previous research regarding the effects of clay and cement, 27 unique batches of …

Approach To Flood Mitigation - A Post Sandy Study In New Jersey Meadowlands Area, Banshari Datta

Theses

In the last decade the continuous change in the climate has resulted in an increased frequency of natural catastrophic events and the magnitude of their impact. The immense damage caused by such events brought to light the vulnerabilities of the impacted communities. Coastal communities are alarmingly vulnerable due to flood and storm surge impacts such as those caused by super storm Sandy in 2012. In order to mitigate this risk, the communities need to look beyond the short term recovery measures, and build a sustainable community by implementing long term mitigation measures. The objective of this thesis is to investigate …

Durability Studies On Native Soil-Based Controlled Low Strength Materials, Bhaskar Chittoori

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Integrated Pipeline Project (IPL) is a collaborative effort between the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) and Dallas Water Utilities (DWU), which bring additional water supplies to the Dallas / Fort Worth area. As part of a sustainability initiative, several studies were conducted to assess the reuse potential of excavated materials along the IPL project. One of these studies involved using the excavated material as an ingredient in Controlled Low Strength Material, often known as CLSM or flowable fill. This flowable fill can be used as bedding and haunch material in pipeline construction. These CLSMs meet the specifications in the …

One-Dimensional Dynamic Modeling Of The Lower Mississippi River, Tshering T. Gurung

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi River (MR) has been engineered with the development of the levee system, dams for flood control measures, jetties, revetments and dredging of the navigation channel. These alterations have reduced the replenishment of the sediment to the Louisiana Coastal area. To aid in the restoration planning, 1-D numerical models have been calibrated and validated to predict the river response to various changes such as channel modifications, varied flow conditions and hurricane situations. This study utilized the HEC-RAS 4.1 and the CHARIMA (Dr. Forrest Holly, University of Iowa). The models were calibrated for hydrodynamics and sediment using Tarbert Landing discharges …

Characterization Of Dredged Sediment Used In Coastal Restoration And Marsh Creation Projects, Gregory A. Mattson Ii

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

To minimize coastal land loss and create new land, dredged sediment has been in use in coastal Louisiana during the last several years. Engineering properties and material characteristics of dredged material are input parameters in several mathematical models used to predict the long-term hydrodynamic behavior of the coast. Therefore, proper characterization of the dredged material is of utmost importance in the correct design of coastal restoration and land creation projects. The sedimentation characteristics of the dredged material, among other factors, depends on the (a) grain size distribution of the dredged material, (b) salinity (fresh, brackish, or saltwater environment) of the …

3-D Hydrodynamic And Non-Cohesive Sediment Transport Modeling In The Lower Mississippi River, Grecia A. Teran Gonzalez

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop a 3-D numerical model on the Lower Mississippi River to simulate hydrodynamics and non-cohesive sediment transport. The study reach extends from Bonnet Carré Spillway (RM 127) to Head of Passes (RM 0). Delft3D with sigma coordinates was selected as the river modeling tool. This model River domain is characterized by a complex distributary system that connects the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. The boundary conditions were: water levels in the Gulf and Head of Passes; and discharges upstream. For the calibration, there are observed data for both types of boundary …

Hydrodynamics And Salinity Of Pontchartrain Estuary During Hurricanes, Sina Amini

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A hurricane is a combination of sustained winds, low atmospheric pressures and precipitation. Over the past decades, Louisiana has experienced several devastating hurricanes.

The east bank of the City of New Orleans is bounded by Lake Pontchartrain to the North and the Mississippi River to the South. Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish system connected to the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Borgne to the East. As a Hurricane enters the Estuary from the Gulf of Mexico, it imposes a sustained surge of a few meters which may lead to flooding in areas which are not protected by levees. These flood …

Plastic Deformation Of Steel Plates Under High Velocity Impact, Shawoon Kumar Roy

College of Engineering: Graduate Celebration Programs

• Measure material deformation under high velocity impact.
• Explore the capabilities of the newly developed Multiplexed Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (MPDV) system.
• Study factors that affect the accuracy of computational techniques to simulate high velocity impact.

Long-Term Behavior Of Hygrothermaly Conditioned Concrete-Filled Fiber-Reinforced Polymeric Tubes Subjected To Axial Load, Sergio Arambula, Felipe Acosta

Purdue Road School

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Dynamic Excitation Characteristics On Ambient Vibration Test Results For A Multi-Girder Bridge, Gibran Santana

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The bridge population in the US is currently aging and deteriorating rapidly. More than 30% of the bridges across the country have already exceeded their expected design life. Therefore, it is important to develop more timely, reliable and quantitative alternatives to the qualitative visual inspection approach that is currently used to evaluate these structures. One experimental approach that has been researched extensively for quantitatively characterize bridges is Ambient Vibration Testing (AVT) also known as Operational Modal Analysis (OMA). In this approach, the vibration responses of a structure due to unmeasured and uncontrolled ambient dynamic excitation are measured and analyzed to …

Dynamic Excitation Related Uncertainty In Ambient Vibration Testing Of A Truss Bridge, Ryan T. Dufour

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The aging and deteriorating state of bridges in the US, along with the many limitations of the visual inspection data that is used for assessing and evaluating their condition, have provided motivation for research on experimental methods to quantitatively describe and evaluate their in-situ performance and condition. Ambient vibration testing is one such global characterization approach that has been widely explored due to its low cost and ease of implementation for in-service bridges. The testing is used to identify the modal properties of the structure, typically the natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping ratios. Although ambient vibration testing has been …

Temperature Sensitivity Of Foamed Warm Mix Asphalt, Ryan Michael Hagedorn

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Foamed warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a technology that is beginning to be utilized across the United States. Often, producers are placing foamed WMA at decreased temperatures without fully understanding the properties of this relatively new product. By studying the volumetric properties of laboratory produced foamed WMA, this study sought to better understand the temperature sensitivity of foamed WMA and the potential factors that contribute to this sensitivity. Two mix designs containing primarily limestone aggregate were tested using differing binder grades. It was determined that binder grade, binder source and potentially the inclusion of recycled asphalt pavement all influence how …

Influence Of Different Rubber Modified Binder Variables On Performance Properties Of Porous Asphalt Mixtures, Katelyn Love

All Theses

Porous asphalt is a type of pavement in which surface water can permeate down into the subbase below. Open graded friction course (OGFC) is a type of porous asphalt often used as a surface course on top of dense graded pavements on high speed roadways. Due to an increase in waste tires, rubber modified asphalt has become an increasingly popular material around the world, including the US. The rubber modified asphalt is created by utilizing processed rubber particles blended into the mixture. This research investigated the effects of rubber modified binder on the performance of porous asphalt by evaluating the …

A Comparison And Evaluation Of Different Dynamic Characterization Approaches For Bridges, Juan Javier Torres Torres Goitia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to compare different dynamic characterization approaches for full scale bridge structures to devise a rapid and reliable Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) program in the aftermath of a natural or manmade hazard. Present methods for structural condition evaluation of bridge structures rely heavily on on-site visual inspections of each structure by specially trained engineers and technicians. It has been proved in the literature that this current method is subjective, time consuming and manpower intensive, all of which are not suited for the critical conditions following a hazard event. This study focused on comparing three different …

Comparing Ferrous Chloride And Ferrous Sulfate As Secondary Coagulants At The Beaver Water District Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Jenny Doyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In November 2012, the Beaver Water District (BWD) switched primary oxidants from free chlorine to chlorine dioxide (ClO2) to curb formation of trihalomethanes, a regulated group of organic disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Because ClO2 is reduced to chlorite (ClO2-), a regulated inorganic DBP, BWD incorporated ferrous salt into their coagulation regime to quench chlorite to chloride. In this study, two ferrous salts - ferrous chloride (FC) and ferrous sulfate (FS) - were compared as secondary coagulants in combination with alum, the primary coagulant. Ferrous salts were dosed stoichiometrically to reduce chlorite and alum was dosed at percentages (0-100%) relative to a …

Global Dynamic Characterization And Load Rating Of Bridge Structures Utilizing Economical Dynamic Excitation Devices, Eric Fernstrom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Experimental modal analysis (EMA) of bridges and other civil structures can be used to acquire quantitative data describing their condition, and enhance opportunities for structural health monitoring and related fields. The use of EMA on civil structures has been limited by the high cost of the excitation devices that are required for the best data quality. The objective of the research reported herein is to evaluate a low-cost excitation system for multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) EMA, enabling the production of accurate estimates of the global behavior of in-service bridges.

The prototype excitation system is composed of consumer entertainment devices, namely tactile …

Rapid Condition Assessment Of Bridges By Falling Weight Deflectometer, Jeremy David Rawn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) as an impact source to rapidly assess the condition of an in service bridge through the evaluation of its modal properties. Tests were conducted on two bridges, a Parker Pony Truss and a modern concrete deck on rolled steel beam bridge. Two full tests were performed on these structures with a hand held impact hammer and a falling weight deflectometer as sources for excitation. The advantage of using a FWD is that many transportation agencies already use these machines for pavement testing and …

The Investigation Of Cold-Mix Asphalt Creep Stiffness Testing Using Multiple Test Apparatuses And Gradations, Alexander Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many current methods of designing and testing Cold In-Place Recycled (CIR) asphalt are undesirable because they require large amounts of material and significant preparation. In an effort to lessen the cost and time of materials testing, this research utilizes several different methods of small scale testing of creep stiffness. These methods include using a Discovery Hybrid Rheometer (DHR) and a three point bending test to find the creep stiffness of emulsion based CIR. The new testing methods utilized samples on the scale of up to a hundredth the size of what the traditional methods of testing require. The two smaller …

The Characterization Of Foamed Asphalt Binders Using A Rotational Viscometer, John William Ryan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Foamed asphalt is a popular technic of vaporizing water into asphalt binder that falls under the umbrella term of warm-mix asphalt. In order to understand how to adjust mix designs for the use foamed asphalt, methods must be developed for characterizing different foamed asphalt binders. One way to characterize the asphalt binder is through viscosity testing using a rotational viscometer. The standard method of using a viscometer to measure the viscosity of asphalt binder is insufficient when dealing with foamed asphalts, so a new method has been created along with 4 metrics to analyze the data to characterize foamed asphalt …

Reliability Analysis For Shear In Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Bridges Using Shear Beam Database, Danile F. Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The objective of this report is to analyze and calibrate the reliability indices for shear in reinforced concrete bridge girders. Existing statistical models are based on limited experimental data from only a few research tests. These existing models show that our current procedures for analysis are about 10-15% less conservative for lightweight concrete compared to an analysis for normal weight concrete. Accurate load models are used to find shear and moment envelopes of loads applied to bridges. Analysis is based on different span lengths, span number and girder dimensions. Design calculations are performed using design values and loads calculated from …

Chemical And Hydrodynamic Mechanisms For Long-Term Geological Carbon Storage, Susan J. Altman, Wen Deng, For Full List Of Authors, See Publisher's Website.

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Geological storage of CO₂ (GCS), also referred to as carbon sequestration, is a critical component for decreasing anthropogenic CO₂ atmospheric emissions. Stored CO₂ will exist as a supercritical phase, most likely in deep, saline, sedimentary reservoirs. Research at the Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES), a Department of Energy, Energy Frontier Research Center, provides insights into the storage process. The integration of pore-scale experiments, molecular dynamics simulations, and study of natural analogue sites has enabled understanding of the efficacy of capillary, solubility, and dissolution trapping of CO₂ for GCS. Molecular dynamics simulations provide insight on relative wetting of …