Civil Engineering Commons^™

Mat-732: Experimental Study On The Capacity Of Barrier Deck Anchorage In Mtq Pl-3 Barrier Reinforced With Hm-Gfrp Bars With Headed Ends, Michael Rostami, Khaled Sennah, S. Milad Dehnadi

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

A recent design work conducted at Ryerson University on PL-3 bridge barrier has led to an economical glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar detailing for sustainable construction. A PL-3 barrier wall of 27.6 m length was constructed using the proposed GFRP bar configuration, incorporating the use of V-Rod headed-end bars. The proposed barrier configuration was recently crash tested to qualify its use in Canada’s highway bridges. Then, wall segments of this barrier were tested under static loading to-collapse to determine their structural behavior, crack pattern and ultimate load carrying capacity under simulated vehicle impact load. Test results led to establishing …

Mat-734: Increasing The Durability And Resilience Of Tall Buildings With Precast Concrete Enclosure Systems, Randy A. Van Straaten, John F. Straube, C. Alex Lukachko

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

In this paper precast concrete wall systems are compared to curtain wall and window wall systems in terms of durability and disaster resilience of multi-story buildings. Window wall systems are currently the enclosure system of choice for tall residential buildings in most parts of North America.

Precast concrete wall systems can be expected to last the lifetime of a building with routine seal replacement. These are highly durable systems. Windows within precast concrete wall systems will require replacement in 25-35 years but represent a limited portion of the wall area and hence are less costly and have less impact on …

Mat-735: Optimizing Performance Of Zinc Coated Reinforcing Steel In Concrete Structures, Martin Gagné, Shannon Pole, Frank Goodwin, Gary Dallin

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Corrosion of steel reinforcing bar (rebar) is the most significant cause of concrete failure, resulting in expensive repairs and premature structure replacements across the country. This paper will discuss a new, low-cost, zinc coating process for rebar. The properties of this new coated rebar and its contribution to improvement of concrete performance will be presented together with the status of related national and international standards. The Continuous Galvanized Rebar (CGR) coating process is similar to galvanizing of sheet steel. The zinc coating is durable and resistant to abrasion that is routine during transport and construction, but is also highly ductile …

Mat-736: Development Of High Strength Nano-Silica Modified Rubbercrete, Bashar S. Mohammed, Muhd Fadhil Nuruddin, Nasir Shafiq

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Several research works have been carried out to study properties of concrete containing crumb rubber (rubbercrete) as a partial replacement to fine aggregate. Rubbercrete exhibits numerous benefits compared to conventional concrete such as lower in density, increased ductility, enhanced plastic capacity, higher toughness, higher impact resistance, better chloride penetration, lower thermal conductivity, higher noise reduction factor and better electrical resistivity. It has also been known to have better energy dissipation, durability and damping ratio. However, the main drawbacks of rubbercrete are decreasing in strengths and Young's modulus. Therefore, to improve strengths of the rubbercrete, the crumb rubber has been pre-coated …

Mat-737: The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves And Analytical Modeling To Estimate Elasticity Modulus Of Rubber Concrete Specimen, Hadda Hadjab, Ahmed Arbia, Oussama Boulekfouf

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

This research work aims to evaluate the influence of the addition of rubber aggregates on elasticity modulus experimentally by using ultrasonic waves and theoretically by analytical models. Based on ultrasonic waves in concrete specimen at different percentages of rubber granules, one can evaluate the static modulus (Estatic) from the dynamic elastic modulus (Edynamic), according to British code. From the obtained experimental results, one can conclude that the use of rubber granules has the potential for vibration damping capacity. In other words, the rubber granules, reduces the kinetics of ultrasonic pulses in the material. This reduction is due to the decreasing …

Mat-739: Influence Of Slag Chemistry And Composition On The Hydration And Mechanical Properties Of Supersulfated Cement, Rana Masoudi, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

This research evaluates ways of improving early-age property of supersulfated cements. Mechanical performance of SSC was studied after optimizing the slag- calcium sulfate- alkali activator composition. This study was conducted using four slags of different chemical composition. The purpose was to find a correlation between slag composition and compressive strength and determine the influence of anhydrite content and alkali activator content on the hydration process of SSC. The results demonstrated that the compressive strength of mortars was strongly influenced by the Al2O3 content of the slag, which also influenced the optimum mix composition of the SSC mixtures. Mixtures containing slags …

Mat-741: Impact Behaviour Of Shape Memory Alloy Hybrid Fibre-Reinforced Engineered Cementitious Composite, Mohamed A. E. M. Ali, Ahmed M. Soliman, Moncef L. Nehdi

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the impact behaviour of an innovative hybrid-fibre engineered cementitious composite (ECC) incorporating randomly dispersed short shape memory alloy fibres (SMA). A modified drop weight test was conducted on specimens from various ECC mixtures with and without SMA fibres. The impact behaviour was evaluated and compared based on the ability to dissipate energy and sustain impact load without damage. Results show that the addition of SMA to ECC mixtures significantly enhanced their performance under impact loading. The amount of dissipated energy by ECC increased by about 51% as a result of SMA fibre addition. …

Mat-742: Effect Of Supplementary Cementitious Materials On The Resistance Of Mortar To Physical Sulfate Salt Attack, Semion Zhutovsky, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Physical sulfate salt attack is one of the most rapid and severe deterioration mechanisms in concrete structures. One of the most common approaches to improve resistance of concrete to sulfate attack is to use supplementary cementitious materials. However, physical salt attack may still cause damage to concrete with supplementary cementitious materials. Moreover, according to some literature sources, some supplementary cementitious materials may even reduce resistance to physical salt attack. The current research investigates the effect of supplementary cementitious materials on the ability of mortars to resist physical sulfate salt attack and its relationship with pore structure and transport properties. Mortar …

Mat-743: Full Scale Manufacturing Of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete Pipe, Lui S. Wong

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

A research project titled “Development of Fibre-Reinforced Concrete Pipes” funded by Con Cast Pipe and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) was conducted between 2011 and 2014 by Professor Moncef Nehdi and his research team at Western University to study the structural behaviour of steel fibre reinforced concrete pipe (SFRCP). 142 pieces of SFRCP, and 58 pieces of conventional reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and non-reinforced concrete pipe with 300 mm, 450 mm, 600 mm inner diameters were manufactured using existing fully-automated equipment. These SFRCP specimens contain various fibre contents and two fibre types. During the manufacturing week, …

Mat-744: Assessment Of Performance Of Bio Self-Healing Mortar Using Diatomaceous Earth And Silica Fume, Ahmed J. Al Bughdadi, Mohamed N. Abou-Zeid

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Cracking represents a major threat for the integrity and performance of structures. Self-healing concept was introduced to construction materials in order to enhance their performance and extend their service life with less repair. This study aims at assessing the performance of Portland cement mortar incorporating self-healing Bacillus Pseudofirmus bacteria using Diatomaceous earth (DE) to immobilize precursor and bacteria in mortar and lowering the pH level of mortar by using silica fume to provide a suitable growth environment for bacteria to generate limestone. The specimens were prepared at three different bacteria dosages and three DE dosages. Cracking of specimens was induced …

Mat-745: The Effect Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag And Silica Fume On The Durability Of High Performance Concrete In Bridge Decks, Abdulaziz Alaskar, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

High-performance concrete typically has a low water to cementing materials ratio (w/cm), high binder content and may contain high levels of supplementary cementitious materials. The effects of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and silica fume (SF) on the durability of HPC were investigated. In this study, HPC mixtures at 0.33 w/cm were made with two sources of blended cements containing 8% SF mixed with 25 and 50% GGBFS replacements by mass of cement. The compressive strength, drying shrinkage, thermal deformation and transport properties were tested. The preliminary test results have shown that increased fineness of the blended cement enhances …

Mat-752: Field Testing And Evaluation Of Reclaimed Materials As Aggregate For Opss Granular B Type Ii, Adam C. Schneider, Hassan Baaj, Paul Lum, Stephen Senior

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

In urbanized regions of Ontario, the road construction industry faces a number of challenges due to the growing scarcity of locally-sourced natural aggregate materials and increased restrictions on the approval and development of new aggregate extraction sites. In an effort to maintain sustainable and economical sources of construction aggregates, companies are increasingly seeking to supplement or replace natural aggregates with available artificial materials such as crushed reclaimed concrete aggregate (RCA), and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP).

Currently, Ontario Provincial Standard Specification (OPSS) 1010 permits the use of processed reclaimed construction materials in a variety of road base, subbase and asphaltic concrete …

Mat-754: Internal Curing Of High Performance Concrete Using Lightweight And Recycled Concrete Aggregates, Mohamed S. Afifi, Mohamed N. Abou-Zeid

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Concrete curing is of paramount importance in order for concrete to meet performance requirements. Conventionally, curing has been conducted by means of water sparkling, wet burlap or a curing compound. For performance and environmental reasons, internal curing has been gaining increased attention. However, more data is needed for the effectiveness of this curing technique when used in various concrete mixtures.

This investigation addresses potential utilization of internal curing in high performance concrete (HPC). Internal curing was introduced by means of three aggregates: perlite, pumice and recycled aggregates; all of which were incorporated into HPC mixtures. Conventional mixtures were prepared and …

Mat-755: Sustainable Road Construction For Heavy Traffic Using High Strength Polymeric Geocells, Sanat K. Pokharel, Meisam Norouzi, Ian Martin, Marc Breault

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Construction Sustainability has been the focus of debate ever since the Brundtland commission report ‘Our Common Future’ defined Sustainable Development. Kyoto Protocol and subsequent climate change conferences leading up to the Paris submit this year has put still more emphasis on this agenda. Construction of heavy traffic unpaved access roads require huge amount of aggregate mining and long haulage in the areas of scarce virgin aggregate. Conventional practices in these road constructions seek structural adequacy but never specifically address the sustainability issue. Innovative technology that can reduce the volume of aggregate material while maintaining the structural integrity is required to …

Mat-756: Investigation Of The Impact Of Rap Gradation On The Effective Binder Content In Hot Mix Asphalt, Saeed S. Saliani, Alan Carter, Hassan Baaj

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Nowadays, it is common to add a little amount of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixes without changing too much properties such as modulus and low temperature cracking resistance. Not only will those mixes be able to make roads last longer, but they will be a greener alternative to usual mixes. In order to make a flexible pavement design, the mixture behavior is usually characterized with the complex modulus. To have a high modulus mix, you need to control the gradation precisely even when RAP is added. When performing a mix design to incorporate RAP, it is desirable to …

Mat-758: Constructability Benefits Of The Use Of Lightweight Foamed Concrete Fill (Lfcf) In Pavement Applications, Michael L. J. Maher, John B. Hagan

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Lightweight Foamed Concrete Fill (LFCF), also known as cellular concrete, has been growing in use in transportation infrastructure projects over recent years. LFCF is a versatile construction material that has now been in use for over 30 years. A number of recent road rehabilitation projects have demonstrated some of the benefits of use. With a greater emphasis on sustainability on all provincial and municipal road projects, new solutions are being sought to minimize the generation of waste and deliver better performing pavements that require less maintenance interventions. Roads over peat and organic deposits pose challenges for road agencies. They are …

Mat-759: Particle Size Analysis As A Means To Better Understand The Influence Of Fly Ash Variability In Concrete, Yasar Abualrous, Daman K. Panesar, R. Doug Hooton, Bhupinder Singh

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Fly ash is generated from thermal power stations as an industrial by-product of coal combustion materials. Its particles are generally glassy, spherical in shape, and typically range in size from 0.5-300 µm. Coal fly ash is widely used as a partial cementitious material in concrete, which not only offers economic and environmental benefits but also improves concrete performance. However, variability of the physical description and chemical composition of fly ash has been considered to be a major barrier to its increased use in cement and concrete. In this study the variability and properties of fly ash are characterized with an …

Mat-760: Comparison Of Laboratory Performance Tests Used To Assess Alkali-Silica Reactivity, Farideh Golmakani, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Alkali-silica reaction of certain concrete aggregates can lead to premature deterioration and maintenance problems in concrete structures. The CSA A23.1-14A/ASTM C1293 concrete prism test (CPT) and the CSA A23.2-25A/ASTM C1260/ASTM C1567 accelerated mortar bar test (AMBT) are the two main procedures used in CSA and ASTM standards for examining the potential alkali-silica reactivity (ASR) of aggregates and also for assessing the effectiveness of supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) in suppressing ASR. The long testing duration of the CPT and the unreliability of the rapid AMBT have led to development and evaluation of a third method, the accelerated concrete prism test (ACPT). …

Mat-761: The Effect Of Temperature On The Lateral Response Of Unbonded Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Isolators, Alexander N. Sciascetti, Yasser M. Al-Anany, Michael J. Tait

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Base isolation is a method that can be employed to significantly reduce the demands on a structure during a seismic event. This method has shown considerable success in reducing the adverse effects of earthquakes, including damage and loss of life. The main concept of base isolation is to reduce the seismic demand on a structure by placing isolators beneath the superstructure at points where load is transferred to the foundation. One of the most commonly used types of isolator is the elastomeric isolator. These isolators are traditionally comprised of layers of elastomer and steel. More recently, research has been completed …

Mat-762: Building Sustainable Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement Using Gfrp Bars: Case Study-Highway 40 West-Montreal, Canada, Abdoulaye Sanni B., Hamdy M. Mohamed, Denis Thébeau, Brahim Benmokrane

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement designs (CRCP) are premium pavement designs that are often used on heavily-trafficked roadways and urban corridors. Although CRCP typically is an effective, long-lasting pavement design, it can develop performance problems when the aggregate-interlock load transfer at the transverse cracks is degraded. The prevalence of wide cracks in CRCP has frequently been associated with ruptured steel and significant levels of corrosion. Because of that, there has been recent interest in identifying new reinforcing materials that can prevent or minimize corrosion-related issues in CRCP. Glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars are one product being investigated for use in CRCP …

Mat-763: Assessment Of Ultra-High Performance Fibre Reinforced Concrete- Normal Strength Concrete Or High Strength Concrete Composite Members In Chloride Environment, Luaay Hussein, Lamya Amleh

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of composite members of ultra-high performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) and normal strength or high strength concrete (NSC/HSC) in chloride environments. Experimental studies were carried out on UHPFRC-NSC/HSC prisms in order to investigate the effect of dry and wet cycles on the flexural capacity of those composite members. Each prism specimen was designed with the UHPFRC layer in tension and the NSC/HSC layer in compression. Three fibre volume contents (1%, 1.5%, and 2%) were investigated. The test results revealed that the degradation in the flexural capacity of UHPFRC-NSC/HSC specimens after exposure …

Ncma Groundwater Model Using Usgs Modflow-2005/Pest, Brian Matthew Wallace

Master's Theses

A numerical model for the NCMA aquifer complex is presented. The objective of the study is to develop a numerical groundwater model for the NCMA aquifer system to enhance the understanding of subsurface groundwater flow. Infiltration, streamflow, pumping, and return flows are implemented to characterize the aquifer complex over time. The numerical model is calibrated to municipal and monitoring well data, average monthly water balances, and hydraulic contours. Transient aquifer inflows and outflows are assessed in the results of the study and are compared to balance terms from previous studies. The 2007 Todd Engineers Study subsurface inflows and outflows generate …

Structural Calculations For Nepal Vocational Learning Center, Nicholas Petrarca

Architectural Engineering

This project goal is to build a Leadership Vocational School for youth, women, differently abled, and local leaders of rural and Kathmandu Nepal. The client for this project is an organization called Sakcham Rural Nepal and they partnered with a humanitarian organization called Journeyman International to find Architecture and Architectural Engineering students to design a safe, attractive and functional building to fit their needs.

Beyond The Scs-Cn Method: A Theoretical Framework For Spatially Lumped Rainfall-Runoff Response, Mark Bartlett, Anthony J. Parolari, Jeffrey Mcdonnell, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Since its introduction in 1954, the Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) method has become the standard tool, in practice, for estimating an event-based rainfall-runoff response. However, because of its empirical origins, the SCS-CN method is restricted to certain geographic regions and land use types. Moreover, it does not describe the spatial variability of runoff. To move beyond these limitations, we present a new theoretical framework for spatially lumped, event-based rainfall-runoff modeling. In this framework, we describe the spatially lumped runoff model as a point description of runoff that is upscaled to a watershed area based on probability distributions that …

Removal Of Trace Metal Contaminants From Potable Water By Electrocoagulation, Joe Heffron, Matt Marhefke, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated the effects of four operational and environmental variables on the removal of trace metal contaminants from drinking water by electrocoagulation (EC). Removal efficiencies for five metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel) were compared under varying combinations of electrode material, post-treatment, water composition and pH. Iron electrodes out-performed aluminum electrodes in removing chromium and arsenic. At pH 6.5, aluminum electrodes were slightly more effective at removing nickel and cadmium, while at pH 8.5, iron electrodes were more effective for these metals. Regardless of electrode, cadmium and nickel removal efficiencies were higher at pH 8.5 than at pH …

Experimental Building Demonstration Model With Viscous Fluid Dampers, Blake Thomas Reeve, Brianna Jean Kufa, Aden Malek Stepanians, Sophie Carmion Ratkovich

Architectural Engineering

The Architectural Engineering major places a heavy emphasis on structural dynamics and the role of wind and seismic loading in building analysis and design. Buildings of high importance that are critical to community function, such as hospitals, often utilize supplemental damping devices like supplemental viscous fluid dampers or base isolators to reduce the overall demands on the structural system. The design and analysis of these dampers are typically not taught at the undergraduate level, and is frequently performed by mechanical engineers, in lieu of structural engineers.

To better understand and research building behavior with supplemental damping devices, our multi-disciplinary team …

A Comparison Of Risk Assessment Models For Pipe Replacement And Rehabilitation In A Water Distribution System, Lyle John Nemeth

Master's Theses

A water distribution system is composed of thousands of pipes of varying materials, sizes, and ages. These pipes experience physical, environmental, and operational factors that cause deterioration and ultimately lead to their failure. Pipe deterioration results in increased break rates, decreased hydraulic capacity, and adverse effects on water quality. Pipe failures result in economic losses to the governing municipality due to loss of service, cost of pipe repair/replacement, damage incurred due to flooding, and disruptions to normal business operations. Inspecting the entire water distribution system for deterioration is difficult and economically unfeasible; therefore, it benefits municipalities to utilize a risk …

Design Of Magnesium Phosphate Cement Based Composite For High Performance Bipolar Plate Of Fuel Cells, Wenbin Hao, Hongyan Ma, Zeyu Lu, Guoxing Sun, Zongjin Li

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this work, we report a comprehensive study on a magnesium phosphate cement (MPC) based composite as the construction material for high performance bipolar plates of fuel cells. MPC with partial replacement of fly ash was employed as the binding matrix. Some carbon-based materials, such as graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes were used to construct the conductive phase. A simple hot-press process was applied to produce the composite. The formula and the structure of the composite was modified and adjusted to optimize the properties of the composite to meet the US DOE 2015 technical targets, including …

Connected Vehicles And Rural Road Weather Management, Rhonda Young

PSU Transportation Seminars

Changing weather patterns and increases in extreme weather events has led to the deployment of more weather responsive traffic management strategies. As the transportation system moves towards a connected vehicle environment, questions arise as to how connected vehicle technology can support weather responsive systems. The presentation will discuss the use of connected vehicles in a rural environment as providers of mobile weather data. Two projects will be highlighted - a recently completed research project using passenger vehicle CAN-BUS data as weather surrogates, and the ongoing USDOT CV Pilot Deployment Project in Wyoming.

Cost-Effectiveness Of Rubber And Polymer Modified Asphalt Mixtures As Related To Sustainable Fatigue Performance, Mena I. Souliman, Michael Mamlouk, Annie Eifert

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Load associated fatigue cracking is one of the major distress types occurring in flexible pavements. Flexural bending beam fatigue laboratory test has been used for several decades and is considered an integral part of the Superpave advanced characterization procedure. One of the most significant solutions to sustain the fatigue life for an asphaltic mixture is to add sustainable materials such as rubber or polymers to the asphalt mixture. A laboratory testing program was performed on three gap-graded mixtures: unmodified, Asphalt Rubber (AR) and polymer-modified. Strain controlled fatigue tests were conducted according to the AASHTO T321 procedure. The results from the …