Civil Engineering Commons^™

Monitoring The Threat Of Sinkhole Formation Under A Portion Of Us 18 In Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Using Tdr Measurements, Kevin O'Connor, Matthew Trainum

Sinkhole Conference 2015

Sinkhole formation is a common occurrence in northeast Iowa, and U.S. 18 in Cerro Gordo County was constructed over an area where sinkhole formation had only been locally known. It had not been recorded or identified in the Iowa DNR database at the time. Since 2004, sinkholes have developed along the right of way. Geophysical surveys contributed very little in the identifying the cause. However a Soil Survey (drilling program) identified numerous voids within carbonate bedrock. The soil borings indicated that shale overlying the carbonate rock has been removed/eroded, and resulted in the development of a karst subsurface through the …

Practitioner Interview, Eric Loucks

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Phone interview with Eric Loucks from CDM Smith by Marcio Giacomoni and Meghna Babbar-Sebens. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Water Resource Systems Analysis - University Of Kentucky, Lexington, Lindell Ormsbee

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Graduate course in water resource systems analysis offered at University of Kentucky, Lexington in Fall 2015.

Engineering Optimization: Methods/Applications - Colorado State University, John Labadie

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This course provides a comprehensive treatment of methods of optimization with focus on linear programming and its extensions, network flow optimization, integer programming, quadratic programming, and an introduction to nonlinear programming. The goal is to maintain a balance between theory, numerical computation, problem setup for solution by computer algorithms, and engineering applications. Course taught at Colorado State University.

Water Resources Systems Analysis - University Of Texas San Antonio, Marcio Giacomoni

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Systems Analysis methods use algorithmic and mathematical approaches for problem-solving. These are powerful methods that can be applied to solve complex design and management problems for water resources systems and other engineering areas. This class will focus on optimization methods, such as linear programming, integer programming, nonlinear programming, genetic algorithms, and dynamic programming, and their application to water resources systems. Advanced Systems Analysis methods, including sensitivity analysis, alternatives generation, and multi-objective optimization will be introduced to address the complexities associated with public sector decision-making. Course taught at University of Texas San Antonio.

Characterize Behavior Of Geogrid Reinforced Ballast At Different Levels Of Degradation Through Triaxial Shear Strength Test And Discrete Element Modeling, Yu Qian, Debakanta Mishra, Erol Tutumluer, Hasan A. Kazmee

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Recent research efforts at the University of Illinois have aimed at studying geogrid applications in railroad track structures, specifically focusing on ballast and subballast reinforcement. Ballast, typically comprising large sized aggregate particles with uniform gradation, is an essential layer in the railroad track substructure to facilitate load distribution and drainage. The primary mechanism of load transfer within the ballast layer involves inter-particle contact between ballast particles. Similarly, the effectiveness of ballast reinforcement with geogrids is primarily governed by the geogrid-aggregate interlock. Such interaction and the effectiveness thereof can change significantly as the level of grain size and shape degradation or …

Environmental Systems Analysis - Hong Kong University Of Science And Technology, Hong Kong, Ng Tze Ling

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Undergraduate course in environmental systems analysis offered at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong in Fall 2015.

Concrete-Filled-Large Deformable Frp Tubular Columns Under Axial Compressive Loading, Omar I. Abdelkarim, Mohamed Elgawady

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The behavior of concrete-filled fiber tubes (CFFT) polymers under axial compressive loading was investigated. Unlike the traditional fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) such as carbon, glass, aramid, etc., the FRP tubes in this study were designed using large rupture strains FRP which are made of recycled materials such as plastic bottles; hence, large rupture strain (LRS) FRP composites are environmentally friendly and can be used in the context of green construction. This study performed finite element (FE) analysis using LS-DYNA software to conduct an extensive parametric study on CFFT. The effects of the FRP confinement ratio, the unconfined concrete compressive strength …

A Semantics-Based Approach To Construction Cost Estimating, Mehrdad Niknam

Dissertations (1934 -)

A construction project requires collaboration of different organizations such as owner, designer, contractor, and resource suppliers. These organizations need to exchange information to improve their teamwork. Understanding the information created in other organizations requires specialized human resources. Construction cost estimating is one of the processes that requires information collected from several sources including a building information model (BIM) created by designers, estimating assembly and work item information maintained by contractors, and construction resource cost information provided by resource suppliers. Currently, it is not easy for computers to integrate the information for construction cost estimating over the Internet. This study discusses …

The Importance Of The “Local” In Walkability, Cynthia Carlson, Semra Aytur, Kevin Gardner, Shannon Rogers

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Transportation infrastructure and transportation behaviors consume significant natural resources and are costly to municipalities, states, and the federal government. Small cities, in particular, may find themselves with high costs. Although transportation has been extensively investigated, methods that may enable small cities to act are still lacking. To investigate the influence that neighborhood-level built environment characteristics have on adult personal transportation decisions within small cities, this study combined community-based research, a multi-level analysis of residents, and a case study approach in two (North-Eastern United States) New Hampshire cities, Portsmouth and Manchester. Neighborhood-level physical characteristics were determined using Geographic Information Systems and …

Spatial Variability Of Subsurface Soil Conditions Causing Roadway Settlements, Ömer Bilgin, Kevin Arens, Mark Salveter, Alexander Dettloff

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Settlement of problematic soils constituting the roadway subgrade may result in pavement distress and structural failure, requiring periodic pavement patching and resurfacing. Many of these problems occur as a result of the settlement of soft cohesive and organic soils. Due to the extent of roadway projects and the limited frequency of boring locations, spatial variability of subsurface soil conditions, and sometimes due to an inadequate extent of exploration, these problematic soils may not be identified suitably during subsurface explorations. An extensive subsurface exploration program was implemented for detailed characterization of subsurface conditions for a relatively short section of an existing …

A Risk Assessment Of The Impacts Of Coastal Flooding And Sea Level Rise On The Existing And New Pump Stations 113, Norfolk, Va, David A. Pezza

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The author assessed the risk to a wastewater pump station and a planned replacement located nearby due to coastal flooding and rising sea levels. The locations for the pump stations are in the Larchmont neighborhood by the Lafayette River tidal estuaries in Norfolk, Virginia. The Lafayette River is a tributary to the Elizabeth River, which flows to the Chesapeake Bay. The low-lying areas along the river are subject to coastal surges caused by tropical and extra-tropical storms that flood the bay.

The region is considered one of the urban areas most exposed to the accelerating rate of rising sea levels. …

Experimental And Predicted Behavior Of Frp Beam-Columns Including Retrofitting, Ali Al-Huazy

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents the outcome of a theoretical and experimental study of Fiber Reinforce Polymer (FRP) beam-columns with uniaxial bending and including retrofitting. The research involved the design and fabrication of a testing apparatus which was then used for a series of beam-column tests. Three different types of beam-column cross sections were used, namely, channel section, I-section, and square tube section. Six non-retrofitted beam-columns were tested in addition to two retrofitted ones. The members were subjected to an eccentric vertical load applied through a lever arm generating gradually increasing axial load and uniaxial bending moment up to the maximum load. …

Behavior And Strength Of Pultruded Frp I-Section Columns Including Uniaxial And Biaxial Bending, Emad M. Amin

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents the outcome of a study of the behavior and strength of pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) I-section columns including uniaxial and biaxial applied bending moments. Also included in the study is a critical assessment of ASCE-LRFD Pre-standard for pultruded FRP structures in view of the rigorous analysis presented herein. The theoretical solution is based on a system of three coupled differential equations of equilibrium combined with pinned flexural and torsional boundary conditions. Effects of induced warping due to second-order terms as well as initial out-of-straightness are accounted-for in the governing differential equations. Detailed investigations into the …

Recent Progress In Performance Evaluations And Near Real-Time Assessment Of Operational Ocean Products, Fabrice Hernandez, Edward Blockley, Gary B. Brassington, Fraser Davidson, Prasanth Divakaran, Marie Drévillon, Shiro Ishizaki, Marcos Garcia-Sotillo, Patrick J. Hogan, Priidik Lagemaa, Bruno Levier, Matthew Martin, Avichal Mehra, Christopher Mooers, Nicolas Ferry, Andrew Ryan, Charly Regnier, Alistair Sellar, Gregory C. Smith, Sarantis Sofianos, Todd Spindler, Gianluca Volpe, John Wilkin, Edward Zaron, Aijun Zhang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Operational ocean forecast systems provide routine marine products to an ever-widening community of users and stakeholders. The majority of users need information about the quality and reliability of the products to exploit them fully. Hence, forecast centres have been developing improved methods for evaluating and communicating the quality of their products. Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) OceanView, along with the Copernicus European Marine Core Service and other national and international programmes, has facilitated the development of coordinated validation activities among these centres. New metrics, assessing a wider range of ocean parameters, have been defined and implemented in real-time. An …

Seismic Fragility Analysis For Highway Bridges With Consideration Of Soil-Structure Interaction And Deterioration, Xin Zong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Bridges are critical elements within the highway transportation network. It is very important for the owner or designer to perform the risk assessment of the highway bridges during extreme events, such as earthquakes, due to their importance to the network, commerce, economic vitality and mobility. Recent studies show that seismic fragility curves are useful tools for the seismic risk assessment of highway bridges.

Although general seismic fragility approach has been well established in the last two decades and numerous retrofit methods have been applied to highway bridges in New York City (NYC) metropolitan area, which has been classified as moderate …

Practitioner Interview, Richard Males

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Phone interview with Richard Males from RMM Technical Services, Inc. by Meghna Babbar-Sebens and Marcio Giacomoni. Interview questions asked inquired about (i) practitioner’s professional background, (ii) practitioner’s personal experience with systems analysis techniques and software in their job, (iii) role, benefits, and challenges in using systems analysis concepts in the water resources engineering profession, and (iv) recommendations for improving education of environmental and water resources systems analysis in universities.

Bugg, Becky (Fa 815), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Folklife Archives Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 815. Paper titled “ Process of Milling: Case Studies,” prepared by Becky Bugg a folk studies student at Western Kentucky University. Bugg documents flour mills in Mercer County and Meade County, Kentucky.

Root Causes Of Premature Pavement Failures Of Arkansas Interstate System, Nazmul Huda Chowdhury

Student Theses and Dissertations

As part of a major rehabilitation program during 1999-2004, several sections of the Arkansas Interstate Systems were overlayed. Some of these sections experienced severe distresses (rutting and cracking), while the others were performing well. The objective of the study is to evaluate the root causes of the poor performing pavements. Consequently, historical data were analyzed and mechanistic tests were performed on collected core samples from existing pavements in order to establish correlations with parameters influencing the aforementioned distresses. The initial high roughness value and high asphalt binder- aggregate ratio in poor performing sections indicate a stiffer mixture susceptible to premature …

2015 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2015 ENGR333 project focused on building operational efficiency.

I asked the students “What would it take for Calvin College to save $600,000/year on campus operations?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s Physical Plant director Phil Beezhold.

Viability Assessment Of The Use Of Ground Tire Rubber In Asphalt Pavements, Biswajit Kumar Bairgi

Student Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to assess the viability of the use of ground tire rubber (GTR) in paving materials. In an experimental plan, a PG 64-22 binder has been modified with different contents (10%, 15%, and 20%) of GTR to prepare asphalt rubber (AR). The Fourier Transformation Infrared (FTIR) test, Atomic Force Microcopy (AFM) imaging, Superpave tests, and moisture susceptibility tests have been conducted in this study. The FTIR analysis revealed the presence of various alkanes, and amines groups in unmodified and GTR-modified binders, respectively. The AFM image analysis showed that there are ‘bee-like’ structures in the PG …

Caracterización De Las Propiedades Indices De Los Flujos De Lodos En 3 Km2 De La Ladera Oriental De La Ciudad De Medellín, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

La caracterización de las propiedades índices de los geomateriales es una de las labores más importantes en la ingeniería geotécnica, al ser estos un insumo fundamental para la identificación y determinación de propiedades geomecánicas de los suelos. Las principales propiedades índices estudiadas en la geotecnia son el contenido de agua, los límites de Atterberg, la granulometría, el peso unitario y la gravedad específica, las cuales son la base para clasificación de suelos. En este artículo se presenta el análisis estadístico de las propiedades índices de suelos tipo flujo de lodos de la ladera oriental de Medellín, a partir del análisis …

Propiedades Geotécnicas De La Turba Intervenida Antrópicamente, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

La intervención antrópica en turberas genera cambios significativos en las propiedades geotécnicas de un material orgánico, altamente compresible y con baja resistencia al esfuerzo cortante. Existen diferentes formas de intervención, dependiendo de las tradiciones de cada lugar. Sin embargo, los procesos de intervención más comunes son la precarga por medio de terraplenes y el drenaje, las cuales generan una reducción en el contenido de humedad, la compresibilidad y la permeabilidad, así como un incremento en la resistencia al esfuerzo cortante. En el presente artículo, se discute el efecto de la intervención antrópica en las propiedades geotécnicas de las turbas, a …

Continuum-Scale Investigation Of Evaporation From Bare Soil Under Different Boundary And Initial Conditions: An Evaluation Of Nonequilibrium Phase Change, Andrew C. Trautz, Kathleen M. Smits, Abdullah Cihan

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications - Archive

Evaporation and condensation in bare soils govern water and energy fluxes between the land and atmosphere. Phase change between liquid water and water vapor is commonly evaluated in soil hydrology using an assumption of instantaneous phase change (i.e., chemical equilibrium). Past experimental studies have shown that finite volatilization and condensation times can be observed under certain environmental conditions, thereby questioning the validity of this assumption. A comparison between equilibrium and nonequilibrium phase change modeling approaches showed that the latter is able to provide better estimates of evaporation, justifying the need for more research on this topic. Several formulations based on …

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Collapse Vulnerability And Fragility Analysis Of Substandard Rc Bridges Rehabilitated With Different Repair Jackets Under Post-Mainshock Cascading Events, Mostafa Fakharifar, Genda Chen, Ahmad Dalvand, Anoosh Shamsabadi

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Past earthquakes have signaled the increased collapse vulnerability of mainshock-damaged bridge piers and urgent need of repair interventions prior to subsequent cascading hazard events, such as aftershocks, triggered by the mainshock (MS). The overarching goal of this study is to quantify the collapse vulnerability of mainshock-damaged substandard RC bridge piers rehabilitated with different repair jackets (FRP, conventional thick steel and hybrid jacket) under aftershock (AS) attacks of various intensities. The efficacy of repair jackets on post-MS resilience of repaired bridges is quantified for a prototype two-span single-column bridge bent with lap-splice deficiency at column-footing interface. Extensive number of incremental dynamic …

Integrating Distributed Sources Of Information For Construction Cost Estimating Using Semantic Web And Semantic Web Service Technologies, Mehrdad Niknam, Saeed Karshenas

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A construction project requires collaboration of several organizations such as owner, designer, contractor, and material supplier organizations. These organizations need to exchange information to enhance their teamwork. Understanding the information received from other organizations requires specialized human resources. Construction cost estimating is one of the processes that requires information from several sources including a building information model (BIM) created by designers, estimating assembly and work item information maintained by contractors, and construction material cost data provided by material suppliers. Currently, it is not easy to integrate the information necessary for cost estimating over the Internet.

This paper discusses a new …

Development Of A Pedestrian Demand Estimation Tool, Kelly Clifton, Patrick Allen Singleton, Christopher D. Muhs, Robert J. Schneider

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most research on walking behavior has focused on mode choice or walk-trip frequency. In contrast, this study is one of the first to analyze the destination choice behaviors of pedestrians. Using about 4,500 walk trips from a 2011 household travel survey in the Portland, OR, region, we estimated multinomial logit pedestrian destination choice models for six trip purposes. Independent variables included terms for impedance (walk-trip distance); size (employment by type, households); supportive pedestrian environments (parks, a pedestrian index of the environment variable called PIE); barriers to walking (terrain, industrial-type employment); and traveler characteristics. Unique to this study was the use …

Comparisons Of Linear Regression Models For Properties Of Alkaliactivated Binder Concrete, Arkamitra Kar, Udaya B. Halabe, Indrajit Ray, Avinash Unnikrishnan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Concrete with alkali-activated binder (AAB) is increasingly considered as a better alternative to conventional portland cement (PC) concrete due to its superior sustainable and green properties. In order to promote the practical usage of AAB concrete, a previous study by the present authors proposed models on correlations among their mechanical and nondestructive properties. The present study extends the previous knowledge by proposing new improved models using linear regressions to predict compressive strengths and modulus of elasticity from ultrasonic pulse velocities. The models are developed for both unstressed and stressed AAB concrete with different curing temperatures. The accuracies of the models …

Developing Pavement Performance Prediction Models For The State Of Arkansas, Lena Baker Abu-Ennab

Theses and Dissertations

Pavement management systems (PMS) provide a methodology for synthesizing all the activities related to the pavement network. These include all the activities involved in the planning and programming, design, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation (1). The effective implementation and utilization of PMS requires a systematic approach involving condition assessment and performance modelling. A very important part of such approach is the use of pavement performance prediction models to predict the future condition of pavements based on present condition. This study presents a methodology used to develop network level pavement performance prediction models for the pavement network in the state of Arkansas. …