Civil Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Real World Toll Plazas Using Driving Simulation, Kali Carroll

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Toll plazas are becoming an essential part of the highway system, especially within the state of Florida. Many crashes reported on highways occur at toll plazas. A primary reason for many vehicle collisions happening at these facilities is the fact that each toll plaza agency has different design, signage and marking criteria. This, in turn, causes driver confusion and possible last minute weaving maneuvers. Even though the varying design of toll plazas is a clear highway safety factor, research in the field is very limited but expanding. This study focuses on one toll plaza, in particular the Dean Mainline Toll …

Impact Of The Longer Change And Clearance Intervals On Signalized Intersections And Corridors, Mohammed Alfawzan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Evaluating the impact of longer change and clearance intervals on signalized intersections and corridors is the main goal of this study. In fact, the Florida department of Transportation (FDOT) has adopted a new signal retiming effort in a number of signalized intersections along several corridors. The Orange County started implementing the new signal timing from December, 2013 and completed it in June, 2015. The other objective of this new signal timing is to minimize the red light running rate. This study is dedicated to investigate the signal retiming effort adopted by the FDOT and how the new signal timing might …

The Effect Of Building Information Modeling On Design And Construction Industry, Yahya Alassaf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Construction industry's evolution is, historically, in the lowest level, if compared to other industries, such as auto manufacturing. Construction is a multidisciplinary industry, considering that designers, contractors, and owners are all involved in the same project, each one seeking their own interests. The complex environment surrounding design and construction makes the decision-makers hesitate about adopting new methodology. Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a new method and technology, which can improve both the design and the construction processes. The adoption of BIM is increasing significantly over the last years, and its effects can be seen on real life projects. In order …

Sinkhole Monitoring Using Groundwater Table Data, Ton Tu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida might be one of the most sinkhole-active areas on the earth. Due to its unpredictability and significance of occurrence, the development of sinkhole monitoring techniques is imperative to minimize sinkhole-induced hazards. Several methods have been used to evaluate sinkhole risks, including destructive methods, such as Standard Penetrating Tests (SPT) and Cone Penetrating Tests (CPT), geophysical method, and sensor-based groundwater monitoring method. However, few studies are available for comprehensive understanding of spatiotemporal sinkhole mechanism by combining different exploration methods under realistic experimental conditions. The objective of this study is to understand spatiotemporal sinkhole mechanism, using SPT, CPT, ground penetrating radar …

Mechanistic Behavior Of Uhpc And Uhpc Composite Structural Components, Munaf Al-Ramahee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The resistance of reinforced concrete is mobilized through the composite action of two materials with different mechanical behaviors and physical features. Enabling the composite action requires a transfer mechanism between the concrete and the reinforcement which is referred to as bond. The bond model can be defined as a traction-slip relation tangent to the interface. The bond strength between different types of concrete, internal reinforcement, and external reinforcement has been of interest to structural engineers for decades. Experimental tests have been carried out to validate the existing bond models and introduce new bond models for special cases of concrete or …

Microscopic Safety Evaluation And Prediction For Special Expressway Facilities, Ling Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expressways are of great importance and serve as the backbone of a roadway system. One of the reasons why expressways increase travel speeds and provide high level of services is that limited access is provided to permit vehicles to enter or exit expressways. Entering and exiting of vehicles are accomplished through interchanges, which consist of several ramps, thus the spacing between ramps is important. A weaving segment might form when an on-ramp is closely followed by an off-ramp. The geometric design of ramps and the traffic behavior of weaving segments are different from other expressway segments. These differences result in …

Evaluating Wrong-Way Driving For Florida Interstates And Toll Road Facilities: A Risk-Based Investigation, And Countermeasure Development, John Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this dissertation was to examine wrong-way driving (WWD) events on Florida toll roads and Interstates. The universe of WWD data contains many sources of WWD events or incidents. Most of the previous research focused only on WWD crashes without considering other data such as WWD citations and 911 calls related to WWD incidents. While WWD citations and 911 calls data is abundant, this data has been largely overlooked in other studies. This dissertation provides a novel and holistic approach for evaluating WWD risk, which considers other risk factors such as WWD citations and 911 calls in addition …

Evaluation Of Crash Modification Factors And Functions Including Time Trends At Intersections, Jung-Han Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic demand has increased as population increased. The US population reached 313,914,040 in 2012 (US Census Bureau, 2015). Increased travel demand may have potential impact on roadway safety and the operational characteristics of roadways. Total crashes and injury crashes at intersections accounted for 40% and 44% of traffic crashes, respectively, on US roadways in 2007 according to the Intersection Safety Issue Brief (FHWA, 2009). Traffic researchers and engineers have developed a quantitative measure of the safety effectiveness of treatments in the form of crash modification factors (CMF). Based on CMFs from multiple studies, the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Part D …

Investigation Of Infrared Thermography For Subsurface Damage Detection Of Concrete Structures, Shuhei Hiasa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deterioration of road infrastructure arises from aging and various other factors. Consequently, inspection and maintenance have been a serious worldwide problem. In the United States, degradation of concrete bridge decks is a widespread problem among several bridge components. In order to prevent the impending degradation of bridges, periodic inspection and proper maintenance are indispensable. However, the transportation system faces unprecedented challenges because the number of aging bridges is increasing under limited resources, both in terms of budget and personnel. Therefore, innovative technologies and processes that enable bridge owners to inspect and evaluate bridge conditions more effectively and efficiently with less …

Behavior Of Hollow-Core Composite Columns Under Torsion Loading, Sujith Anumolu

Masters Theses

"The effect of torsional loads could be significant along with axial and flexural loads on bridge columns during earthquake excitations. The present study presents the torsional behavior of hollow-core steel-concrete-steel columns (HC-SCS) and hollow-core fiber reinforced polymer-concrete-steel columns (HC-FCS). The HC-SCS comprises of sandwiched concrete shell between two steel tubes whereas in HC-FCS column, the outer steel tube of HC-SCS column was replaced by the FRP tube. Both columns have stay-in place permanent form-work to the concrete shell in the form of outer and inner tubes. The steel tubes serve as longitudinal and shear reinforcement to the column. Finite element …

Numerical Model Water Quality For Hidalgo County, Texas; Main Drainage System, Jose Orvyl Gonzalez, Grimaldo Carrillo, Jungseok Ho

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Increasing urbanization, water intake, and human water interaction of drainage canals of the Hidalgo County watershed seals the drainage basin and expands floodplains along the canal-side. Incremental use of drainage systems affects the amounts of nutrients that can cause an exposure to residues of agriculture chemicals, water related parasitic diseases, and fecal diseases. Proper water quality management is crucial for pollutant transport detection, estimation of non-point source discharge, and prediction of pollutant discharge at water endpoints. This research seeks to improve the understanding stormwater quality and quantity that is influenced by the frequency of human-water contacts and associated with treatment …

Behavior Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete Bridge Deck Panels Compared To Conventional Stay-In-Place Deck Panels, Valter Gora Venancio

Masters Theses

"The remarkable features of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) have been reported. Its application in bridge construction has been an active research area in recent years, attributed to its higher compressive strength, higher ductility and reduced permeability when compared with conventional concrete and even high-strength concrete. Those characteristics are known to increase bridge durability and, consequently, decrease life-cycle maintenance costs.

With that in mind, this study investigated the performance of UHPC stay-in-place (SIP) bridge deck panels subjected to high loads in both flexure and shear. The test matrix consisted of twelve (12) half-scale panels that were 4 feet long and 2 …

Evaluation Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (Uhpc) In Joints Of Bridge Girders, Saipavan Rallabhandhi

Masters Theses

"Joints are often considered as the weak link in a structure and often deterioration of the structure initiates from the joints. Joints transfer the stresses from super-structure to sub-structure and in this process are subjected to large transfer stresses. Not much attention is given to the design of joints as they are positioned in low moment regions and typically a 4 to 6 ksi (28 to 41 MPa) concrete is used to fill the joints. One of the solution to this problem is Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). In the recent past significant research has been done to use UHPC in …

Influence Of Mix Design Parameters On Dynamic Segregation Of Self-Consolidating Concrete And Consequences On Performance Of Precast Beams, Aida Margarita Ley Hernandez

Masters Theses

"Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) is more vulnerable to stability problems as a consequence of its high flowing ability compared to conventional vibrated concrete. Dynamic segregation refers to the tendency of the concrete constituents to separate from the suspended matrix, usually in horizontal direction while being cast into the formwork or due to an impact. Similarly to static segregation, dynamic segregation can affect the homogeneity of SCC. Therefore, it is highly essential to ensure a proper dynamic stability in order to enhance the uniformity of in-situ properties of pre-stressed beams.

In this research project, the effects of SCC mix design parameters are …

Shear Behavior Of Reinforced Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Concrete, Noor S. Yacob

Masters Theses

"The geopolymerisation of aluminosilicate materials such as fly ash has been a radical change in construction material's chemistry and composition, compared to the portland cement-based concrete calcium silicate-hydrate chemistry. The adoption of fly ash in concrete industry is a good use of by-product ashes to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas implicitly. However, in this research, the replacement of portland cement by fly ash is 100%, which makes it a zero-cement concrete with no proprietary chemical additives.

Geopolymer concrete (GC) is a revolutionary synthetic material that combines sustainability and high engineering properties, and it is relatively cost-effective compared to portland …

Chronic Exposure To Triclosan Sustains Microbial Community Shifts And Alters Antibiotic Resistance Gene Levels In Anaerobic Digesters, Daniel Elliott Carey, Daniel Zitomer, Anthony D. Kappell, Melinda J. Choi, Krassimira R. Hristova, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Triclosan, an antimicrobial chemical found in consumer personal care products, has been shown to stimulate antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. Although many studies focus on antibiotic resistance pertinent to medical scenarios, resistance developed in natural and engineered environments is less studied and has become an emerging concern for human health. In this study, the impacts of chronic triclosan (TCS) exposure on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and microbial community structure were assessed in lab-scale anaerobic digesters. TCS concentrations from below detection to 2500 mg kg⁻¹ dry solids were amended into anaerobic digesters over 110 days and acclimated for >3 solid …

Emerging Investigators Series: Pyrolysis Removes Common Microconstituents Triclocarban, Triclosan, And Nonylphenol From Biosolids, J. J. Ross, Daniel Zitomer, T. R. Miller, C. A. Weirich, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Reusing biosolids is vital for the sustainability of wastewater management. Pyrolysis is an anoxic thermal degradation process that can be used to convert biosolids into energy rich py-gas and py-oil, and a beneficial soil amendment, biochar. Batch biosolids pyrolysis (60 minutes) revealed that triclocarban and triclosan were removed (to below quantification limit) at 200 °C and 300 °C, respectively. Substantial removal (>90%) of nonylphenol was achieved at 300 °C as well, but 600 °C was required to remove nonylphenol to below the quantification limit. At 500 °C, the pyrolysis reaction time to remove >90% of microconstituents was less than …

Transient Analysis Of Analyte Desorption Due To Thermal Cycling With Varying Pulse Duration, Patrick Getz, Christopher Carron, Stephen M. Heinrich, Fabien Josse, Oliver Brand

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper introduces heating pulse duration modulation on a chemically sensitive, polymer-coated resonant cantilever platform for analyte discrimination during the desorption phase. As in our previous work, the embedded heaters enable real-time measurements of analyte sorption into the polymer film, without the need for traditional valve systems and reference gases [1-2]. This work particularly looks at the effects of varying pulse lengths on the sensor responses, while holding the heating power constant. A model differential equation is developed for the sensor response based on both the device sensitivity and transient response. This model can then be used together with estimation …

Total Value Of Phosphorus Recovery, Brooke K. Mayer, Lawrence A. Baker, Treavor H. Boyer, Pay Drechsel, Mac Gifford, Munir A. Hanjra, Prathap Parameswaran, Jared Stoltzfus, Paul Westerhoff, Bruce E. Rittmann

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Phosphorus (P) is a critical, geographically concentrated, nonrenewable resource necessary to support global food production. In excess (e.g., due to runoff or wastewater discharges), P is also a primary cause of eutrophication. To reconcile the simultaneous shortage and overabundance of P, lost P flows must be recovered and reused, alongside improvements in P-use efficiency. While this motivation is increasingly being recognized, little P recovery is practiced today, as recovered P generally cannot compete with the relatively low cost of mined P. Therefore, P is often captured to prevent its release into the environment without beneficial recovery and reuse. However, additional …

Stability Sensitivity Of Low-Rise Steel-Moment Framed Buildings To Hazard-Independent Damage, Trey Reynolds Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural stability has been the subject of much research in recent years. Simply, structural stability may be vieas the ability of the structure’s response to be relatively unaffected by perturbations to its system. Stability of low-rise steel-moment framed buildings and their sensitivity to perturbations from significant damage are the focus of this work. Perturbations, or changes from the normal state of the structural system, have the ability to affect the structural response. Second-order geometric effects imposed through column axial loads, and/or initial out-of-plumbness during the construction process, are a comperturbation in steel framing systems. If the structural members subjected to …

A Characterization Of The Water Quality Conditions And Pollutant Loads In Surface Waters Near The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’S Combined Sewer System In Cleveland, Ohio, Nathan Zgnilec

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD, Cleveland, OH) serves over one million citizens through the operation of three waste water treatment plants. NEORSD provides this service through combined and separated sewer systems, which, during rainfall events, are known to deliver large volumes of untreated wastewater containing high concentrations of Escherichia coli (E.coli), ammonia nitrogen, and phosphorus. NEORSD is currently investing $3 billion over the next 25 years to mitigate its combined sewer overflows and plans to allocate additional funds to improve remaining pollutant sources related to its system, e.g. separated sewers. A suite of PC-SWMM pollutant loading models have …

Integrated Computational And Experimental Evaluation Of Electromagnetic Energy-Induced Self-Healing Performance Of Asphalt Composites, Zigeng Wang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The objective of this doctoral research is to investigate the electromagnetic energy induced self-healing effect of modified asphalt mixture material by developing computational and experimental characterization tools. More than 90% of the pavements in United States are constructed by asphalt mixture. The durability of pavement decreased by distresses has significant impact on maintenance costs. The asphalt mixture has self-healing capability because the asphalt could flow and fill the microcracks if enough external energy can be transmitted to the asphalt mixture system. However, the self-healing capability of asphalt is limited based on the climatic condition and traffic volume. Therefore, it is …

A Sustainability-Based Project Selection Algorithm: Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection (Steps) Algorithm, Bharathi Bhattu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Multi-dimensional aspects play a vital role in the task of project-decision making. Environmental effects are to be considered in addition to other technical and non-technical aspects in order to avoid undue environmental damage. This current work introduces a new decision-making algorithm (Socio-Technical-Economic Project Selection or STEPS) that is demonstrated with the use of RCA (recycled concrete aggregate) as riprap for slope stabilization and erosion control which leaches chemical arsenic when in contact with water. Arsenic has long been recognized for its lethal properties. The main intention of introducing this new algorithm is to use sustainability concepts of social, technical, and …

Methodology For Analyzing Epoxy-Cnt Phononic Crystals For Wave Attenuation And Guiding, Madhu Kolati

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Phononic crystals (PhnCs) control, direct and manipulate sound waves to achieve wave guiding and attenuation. This dissertation presents methodology for analyzing nanotube materials based phononic crystals to achieve control over sound, vibration and stress mitigation. Much of the analytical work presented is in identifying frequency band gaps in which sound or vibration cannot propagate through these PhnCs. Wave attenuation and mitigation analysis is demonstrated using finite element simulation. Engineering principles from current research areas of solid mechanics, solid-state physics, elasto-dynamics, mechanical vibrations and acoustics are employed for the methodology. A considerable effort is put to show that these PhnCs can …

Combining Interval And Probabilistic Uncertainty In Engineering Applications, Andrew Martin Pownuk

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In many practical application, we process measurement results and expert estimates. Measurements and expert estimates are never absolutely accurate, their result are slightly different from the actual (unknown) values of the corresponding quantities. It is therefore desirable to analyze how this measurement and estimation inaccuracy affects the results of data processing. There exist numerous methods for estimating the accuracy of the results of data processing under different models of measurement and estimation inaccuracies: probabilistic, interval, and fuzzy. To be useful in engineering applications, these methods should provide accurate estimate for the resulting uncertainty, should not take too much computation time, …

Beneficial Reuse Of Marine Sediment, Sinead Tangney

Theses

Dredging is essential for ports and harbours to maintain navigational access. In Ireland approximately 1.2 million m^ is dredged annually and the management of this dredged sediment is an ongoing issue. This thesis investigates the management options available for marine dredged sediment and examines the technical, environmental and economic feasibility and social acceptability of a range of specific beneficial uses of marine sediment.

A literature review is presented on the international dredging industry and outlines why dredging is an essential infrastructural activity. Current dredged marine sediment management techniques are presented and discussed.

An overview of the Irish dredging industry is …

Thermal Envelope Analysis Of Local Authority Low Rise Housing Based On Stock Aggregation Theory Using A Remote Feature Extraction Technique., James Pittam

Theses

Understanding the buildings thermal envelope is paramount to analysing existing problems which facilitate cold bridging and low surface temperatures. As no detailed housing stock database is in existence in Ireland which describes the geometrical configuration of the existing housing stock, and to create one would be a major challenge, this research set out to develop a high speed remote cataloguing and geometrical data extraction methodology to build such a database. Replacing traditional measurement methods with a remote method allows for the rapid extraction of fagade information. A remote surveying process is proposed named, the Virtual Survey Method, for the classification …

A Multi-Objective Sustainable Model For Transportation Asset Management Practices, Marketa Vavrova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Transportation Asset Management (TAM) practices have gained popularity in the United States and worldwide with the aim to provide the required level of service for the transportation infrastructure network in the most cost-effective manner. However, TAM is a complex decision-making process because many objectives and different perspectives, often producing conflicting goals, must be considered.

This Dissertation presents a Multi-Objective Sustainable (MOS) model to integrate economic, social, and environmental sustainable objectives into TAM decision-making. The objective is to develop a holistic multi-objective asset management approach integrating environmental and social sustainability related performance measures with traditional indicators, such as asset condition and …

Environmenal Impact Assessment And Removal Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds In Municipal Wastewater Treatment, Juan C. Bezares-Cruz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The presence of compounds of emerging concern (CECs) such as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and herbicides in municipal wastewater present environmental challenges because conventional treatment systems were not designed to remove such compounds. The removal of Bisphenol-A (BPA), 17?-Estradiol (E2), 17β-Ethinylestradiol (EE2), nonylphenols (NP), and select herbicides and pesticides were investigated in two municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) in El Paso, TX. In addition, the environmental impact of the two municipal wastewater treatment plants was investigated, including the theoretical addition of UV/H2O2. The use of UV/H 2O2 was studied in a UV bench scale pilot unit, and its performance was …

Estimating Air Pollution Concentrations Using Moves-Generated Site-Specific Traffic Emissions, Mayra Consuelo Chavez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The research presented here attempts to estimate air pollution concentrations using MOVES and site-specific traffic emissions particularly those emissions surrounding three different air-monitoring stations. The objectives of this research include using MOVES capability to conduct project-level analyses, choosing impact zones to create emissions inventories. Emissions inventories provided by the MOVES model for impact zones within the El Paso county area were used to identify a relationship between air monitoring stations' measured results and emission estimates from a project-level analysis. The research hopes to identify an optimum zone radius that can be used to compare MOVES estimates with air monitoring stations …