Civil Engineering Commons^™

Statistical Study For Bridge Deterioration Across Alabama, Cameron Mcwilliams

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Fate And Impacts Of Triclosan, Sulfamethoxazole, And 17Β-Estradiol During Nutrient Recovery Via Ion Exchange And Struvite Precipitation, Yiran Tong, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Increasing emphasis on resource recovery from wastewater highlights the importance of capturing valuable products, e.g., nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, while removing contaminants, e.g., organic micropollutants. The objective of this research was to evaluate the fate of the micropollutants triclosan (present as a mixture of neutral and anionic species at neutral pH), 17β-estradiol (neutral at neutral pH), and sulfamethoxazole (anionic at neutral pH) during nutrient recovery using ion exchange-precipitation. Adsorption of the three micropollutants to the phosphate-selective ion exchange resins LayneRT and DOW-HFO-Cu ranged from 54% to 88% in Milli-Q water tests and 50% to 71% in …

Curriculum Innovation: Incorporating The Kern Engineering Entrepreneurial Network (Keen) Framework Into Online Discussions, Lisa Bosman, Brooke K. Mayer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to respond to the following research question: How does the Kern Engineering Entrepreneurial Network (KEEN) framework build interest in technical topic areas, impact student learning outcomes, and develop the entrepreneurial mindset when applied to the engineering classroom? The KEEN framework was developed to combine the entrepreneurial mindset with engineering education to produce a more valuable, strategically prepared engineer, rather than simply an “obedient engineer”. The framework proposes that the entrepreneurial mindset of students is increased by promoting curiosity, encouraging connections, and creating value. The results from this work provide insight into the impact and …

Virtual Reality Of Earthquake Ground Motions For Emergency Response, Ting Lin

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Ground motions interface earthquake science and engineering to advance understanding of seismic hazards and risk. Virtual reality provides an attractive tool to extend knowledge of the research community to a larger audience. This work visualizes emergency response under extreme motions, in the CAVE of the MARquette Visualization Laboratory. The visualization (a) displays ground motions (from the science community), (b) inputs these motions to structural models (from the engineering community) and illustrates the resulting responses, (c) translates structural responses to damage states of building elements, (d) creates a virtual room subjected to the perception associated with such earthquake shaking, and (e) …

Editorial" Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites For Structural Applications In Construction, Jun Deng, Marcus M.K. Lee, Baolin Wan, Giuseppina Amato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Tire-Pavement Interaction Modeling: Hyperelastic Tire And Elastic Pavement, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The interaction between deformable tire and pavement was studied using the validated finite element model; the full understanding of tire–pavement contact has implications for pavement damage prediction and pavement life-cycle assessment (fuel consumption estimation). The tire’s rubber and reinforcement were considered hyperelastic and linear elastic, respectively, with material constants obtained from the tire manufacturer (rubber) and laboratory testing (reinforcement). On the other hand, the pavement was assumed linear elastic supported by linear elastic springs. This assumption was made as a first step to examine the impact of using a deformable-on-deformable tire–pavement system to predict energy in the tire and contact …

Baseline Rolling Resistance For Tires’ On-Road Fuel Efficiency Using Finite Element Modeling, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi, Hasan Ozer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Calculation of truck tires rolling resistance, using the finite element method and considering variables such as incompressible visco-hyperelastic rubber materials, accurate tire geometry and steady temperature distribution, is presented. The model was validated using experimentally measured contact area and contact stresses. Rolling resistance was calculated for three values of axle load, tire inflation pressure, temperature and speed. In addition, regression analysis was used to propose a mathematical expression for predicting rolling resistance as a function of the considered variables. Finally, the contribution of tire’s rubber components to the internal energy was quantified, and it was found that sidewall and subtread …

Integrating The Macroscopic And Microscopic Traffic Safety Analysis Using Hierarchical Models, Qing Cai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crash frequency analysis is a crucial tool to investigate traffic safety problems. With the objective of revealing hazardous factors which would affect crash occurrence, crash frequency analysis has been undertaken at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. At the macroscopic level, crashes from a spatial aggregation (such as traffic analysis zone or county) are considered to quantify the impacts of socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, transportation demand and network attributes so as to provide countermeasures from a planning perspective. On the other hand, the microscopic crashes on a segment or intersection are analyzed to identify the influence of geometric design, lighting and …

Load Estimation, Structural Identification And Human Comfort Assessment Of Flexible Structures, Ozan Celik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stadiums, pedestrian bridges, dance floors, and concert halls are distinct from other civil engineering structures due to several challenges in their design and dynamic behavior. These challenges originate from the flexible inherent nature of these structures coupled with human interactions in the form of loading. The investigations in past literature on this topic clearly state that the design of flexible structures can be improved with better load modeling strategies acquired with reliable load quantification, a deeper understanding of structural response, generation of simple and efficient human-structure interaction models and new measurement and assessment criteria for acceptable vibration levels. In contribution …

Pavement Condition Index And Cost Of Ownership Analysis On Preventative Maintenance Projects In Kentucky, Dominic J. Michels

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The Commonwealth of Kentucky has seen increasing use over time of preventative maintenance treatments on its asphalt pavements. Performance of two of the most prevalent treatments employed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) – Thin Asphalt Overlay (Thinlay) and Microsurfacing – had yet to be examined in-depth through condition surveys. This thesis describes the data collection process to find the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of each preventative maintenance site in Kentucky from the last 10 years. With PCI from each site, deterioration curves were generated for each treatment – providing the estimated life extension benefit of each. The analysis then …

Segment-Based Reliability Assessment For Water Distribution Networks, Erika Hernandez Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

In recent years, water utilities have placed a greater emphasis on the reliability and resilience of their water distribution networks. This focus has increased due to the continuing aging of such infrastructure and the potential threat of natural or man-made disruptions. As a result, water utilities continue to look for ways to evaluate the resiliency of their systems with a goal of identifying critical elements that need to be reinforced or replaced. The simulation of pipe breaks in water reliability studies is traditionally modeled as the loss of a single pipe element. This assumes that each pipe has an isolation …

Annual Water Balance Model Based On Generalized Proportionality Relationship And Its Applications, Yin Tang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation research is to derive a type of conceptual models for annual water balance at the watershed scale. The proportionality relationship from the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number method was generalized to annual scale for deriving annual water balance model. As a result, a one-parameter Budyko equation was derived based on one-stage partitioning; and a four-parameter Budyko equation was derived based on two-stage partitioning. The derived equations balance model parsimony and representation of dominant hydrologic processes, and provide a new framework to disentangle the roles of climate variability, vegetation, soil and topography on long-term water …

Improving Safety Under Reduced Visibility Based On Multiple Countermeasures And Approaches Including Connected Vehicles, Yina Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effect of low visibility on both crash occurrence and severity is a major concern in the traffic safety field. Different approaches were utilized in this research to analyze the effects of fog on traffic safety and evaluate the effectiveness of different fog countermeasures. First, a "Crash Risk Increase Indicator (CRII)" was proposed to explore the differences of crash risk between fog and clear conditions. A binary logistic regression model was applied to link the increase of crash risk with traffic flow characteristics. Second, a new algorithm was proposed to evaluate the rear-end crash risk under fog conditions. Logistic and …

Developing Warrants For Designing Continuous Flow Intersection And Diverging Diamond Interchange, Meshal Almoshaogeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main goal of this dissertation is to have better understanding of design and operation of the Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) and Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) - as well as numerous factors that affect signalized intersection and interchange performance due to increased left-turn demand. The dissertation attempts to assess the need and justification to redesign intersections and interchanges to improve their efficiency. And to that end, an extensive literature review of existing studies was done with the prime aim of perceiving the principles of these innovative designs and determining the methodology to-be-followed, in order to reach the study's core. Accordingly, …

Polyurethane Fiber Reinforced Polymer Strengthening Of Shear Deficient Reinforced Concrete Beams, Yasir Al-Lebban

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of externally-bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites has been established as an effective means for the strengthening of shear-deficient reinforced concrete (RC) flexural members. Epoxy-based wet layup systems were predominantly employed in previous studies. In this study, carbon FRP pre-impregnated with polyurethane resin is utilized in strengthening shear-deficient RC beams and compared to an epoxy resin. Fourteen small-scale (96 in span, 6 in width, and 12 in height) and five large-scale (132 in span, 12 in width, and 17 in height) flexural specimens were tested, considering FRP system type (polyurethane versus epoxy), size effect, shear span-to-depth ratio, FRP configuration …

A Comprehensive Assessment Of Vehicle-To-Grid Systems And Their Impact To The Sustainability Of Current Energy And Water Nexus, Yang Zhao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to explore the feasibility of incorporating electric vehicles into the electric power grid and develop a comprehensive assessment framework to predict and evaluate the life cycle environmental, economic and social impact of the integration of Vehicle-to-Grid systems and the transportation-water-energy nexus. Based on the fact that electric vehicles of different classes have been widely adopted by both fleet operators and individual car owners, the following questions are investigated: 1. Will the life cycle environmental impacts due to vehicle operation be reduced? 2. Will the implementation of Vehicle-to-Grid systems bring environmental and economic benefits? 3. Will there be …

The Effectiveness Of Child Restraint And Bicycle Helmet Policies To Improve Road Safety, Claudia Bustamante

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analyzing the effect of legislation in children's safety when they travel as motor-vehicle passengers and bicycle riders can allow us to evaluate the effectiveness in transportation policies. The Child Restraint Laws (CRL) and Bicycle Helmet Laws (BHL) were studied by analyzing the nationwide Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to estimate the fatality reduction as well as drivers' decisions to use Child Restraint Systems (CRS) and bicycle helmets respectively. Differences in legislation could have different effects on traffic fatalities. Therefore, this study presents multiple methodologies to study these effects. In the evaluation of traffic safety issues, several proven statistical models have …

Physical Hydrogeological Modeling Of Florida's Sinkhole Hazard, Adam Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sinkholes are one of the major geohazards in karst terrain and pose a social, economic, and environmental risk. In Florida, sinkhole-related insurance claims between 2006 and the third quarter of 2010 amounted to $1.4 billion. Approximately 20 % of the United States is underlain by karst terrain formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks and is susceptible to a sinkhole hazard. Particularly, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania are known as sinkhole states. The scope of this study is to develop a physical model to simulate sinkholes (referred to as a sinkhole simulator), which can assess the qualitative …

Hydrologic Controls On The Natural Drainage Networks Extracted From High-Resolution Topographic Data, Milad Hooshyar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drainage networks are important geomorphologic and hydrologic features which significantly control runoff generation. Drainage networks are composed of unchannelized valleys and channels. At valley heads, flow changes from unconfined sheet flow on the hillslope to confined flow in valley. Localized confined flow dominates in valleys as a result of convergent topography with positive curvature. Channels initiate at some distance down from the valley head, and the transition from unchannelized valley to channel is referred to as the channel head. Channel heads occur at a point where fluvial transport dominates over diffusive transport. From the hydrologic perspective, channels are categorized as …

Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical Behavior Of Concrete At Elevated Temperatures, Manar Al Fadul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the light of recent tragic events, such as, natural disasters, arson and terrorism, studying the thermo mechanical behavior of concrete at elevated temperatures has become of special concern. In addition, the fact that concrete has been widely used as a structural material in many critical applications, such as high rise buildings, pressure vessels, and nuclear plants, enhances the potential risk of exposing concrete to high temperatures. Accordingly, the potential damage to large-scale structures during the course of the fire, besides the possible loss of human life, emphasizes the necessity to better understand the thermo-structural behavior and failure mechanism of …

Site Specific Sinkhole Risk Assessment In Central Florida Using Cone Penetrometer Testing, Ryan Shamet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As Florida's population is expanding and greater fluctuations in groundwater levels are being recorded, Central Florida has been experiencing a higher frequency of sinkhole occurrences than ever before in recorded history. Sinkholes in Central Florida are formed by a combination of bedrock weathering and overburden soil erosion due to the groundwater recharge and are a part of Florida's past and future geology. The initial stage of a sinkhole is referred to as soil raveling and is the most effective time to perform soil improvement measures, such as grouting, to mitigate further expansion of a subterranean void. Subsurface exploration tests, commonly …

Pedestrian Safety Analysis Through Effective Exposure Measures And Examination Of Injury Severity, Md Imran Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pedestrians are considered the most vulnerable road users who are directly exposed to traffic crashes. In 2014, there were 4,884 pedestrians killed and 65,000 injured in the United States. Pedestrian safety is a growing concern in the development of sustainable transportation system. But often it is found that safety analysis suffers from lack of accurate pedestrian trip information. In such cases, determining effective exposure measures is the most appropriate safety analysis approach. Also it is very important to clearly understand the relationship between pedestrian injury severity and the factors contributing to higher injury severity. Accurate safety analysis can play a …

Water And Energy Costs Of Landfilled Food Waste, Tonmoy Sarker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Energy and water are consumed or contaminated during both the production and disposal of wasted food. To date, evaluations of water and energy resources associated with food waste have considered only resources used in food production. To allow for the full characterization of food waste within a Food Energy Water (FEW) nexus framework, this study addresses a fundamental knowledge gap related to the energy and water impacts of food waste after disposal. Fluxes of water and energy related to disposal of wasted food in landfills within the state of Florida were characterized. It is estimated that each metric ton (Mg) …

Investigating And Modeling The Impacts Of Illegal U-Turn Violations At Medials Located On Florida's Limited Access Highways, Omar Al-Sahili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Illegal U-turn violations are considered part of the Wrong-Way Driving (WWD) maneuvers that could result in head-on crashes and severe injuries, which are often severe because of the high speed of the approaching traffic and limited time to avoid such crash. Therefore, reviewing this type of violation and understanding the contributing factors that may lead drivers to commit such illegal maneuver would help officials foresee and consequently minimize the potential risks that could lead to WWD crashes. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the illegal U-turn maneuvers on limited access facilities and find the significant contributing factors that …

Analysis Of Pedestrian Safety Using Micro-Simulation And Driving Simulator, Jiawei Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, traffic agencies have begun to place emphasis on the importance of pedestrian safety. In the United States, nearly 70,000 pedestrians were reported injured in 2015. Although the number only account for 3% of all the people injured in traffic crashes, the number of pedestrian fatalities is still around 15% of total traffic fatalities. Furthermore, the state of Florida has consistently ranked as one of the worst states in terms of pedestrian crashes, injuries and fatalities. Therefore, it is befitting to focus on the pedestrian safety. This dissertation mainly focused on pedestrian safety at both midblock crossings and …

Air Injection As A Scour Countermeasure At Bridge Piers, Ravi Teja Reddy Tippireddy

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Local scour is a major cause of concern for the stability of bridge piers and the safety of the public using the bridges. Structural countermeasures and flow-altering devices have been developed to deal with local scour. Many armoring structural countermeasures are very effective and efficient in clear water conditions but are susceptible to moving bed forms and leaching. The flow-altering devices are effective in both clear water conditions and moving bed forms, but are prone to clogging, less efficient in changing flow direction, etc. This study aims to reduce the local scour by injecting air in order to reduce the …

Uav-Based Bridge Inspection And Computational Simulations, Luis Duque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, has significantly increased in the field of civil engineering due to the poor condition of the United States’ infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently reported that more than 9.1% of the United States’ bridges were structurally deficient and required attention and maintenance to ensure appropriate structural performance. Meanwhile, current practices are expensive and unsafe for bridge inspectors, requiring innovative and safer methods for the study of bridges. The goal of this paper was to identify better techniques to not only inspect, quantify, and determine the effect …

Seismic Retrofit Case Study Of Reinforced Concrete Bridges With Buckling Restrained Braces, Michael K. Miotke

Civil and Environmental Engineering Master's Project Reports

Many highway bridges in Oregon have been designed with minimal considerations for seismic hazard and are in need of retrofit. Although buckling restrained braces (BRBs) are not necessarily a new concept, using them to seismically retrofit bridges is. This case study investigates the BRB retrofit concept as compared to traditional retrofit measures for a sample of typical vulnerable bridges in Oregon. The objectives of evaluating these cases were to determine the feasibility of the concept both in terms of performance as well as construction costs. This study builds on the ongoing research at Portland State University into the development of …

Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) Of Ore Transportation Route Alternatives For Eagle Mine, Soumith Kumar Oduru

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Transportation sector at large is a major consumer of fossil fuels and constitutes more than a quarter of the global greenhouse gas emissions. When making infrastructure route and mode choice decisions for new freight-oriented projects, it is important that environmental and emissions considerations are included as an integral part of the selection process. Emissions from freight transportation projects related to mining and natural resource industry are especially critical, as they involve high volumes and tonnages often in pristine environments. The most logical time for emissions analysis is during modal and route analysis that are often conducted in the planning stage …

Social, Economic, And Technical Feasibility Of Ablution Gray Water Reuse In Tong, Ghana, Adrienne Masterton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Water insecurity is a constant stressor for millions of people around the globe. The potential of gray water as an alternative water source has gained increasing attention in the literature. In water-scarce Muslim communities, the practice of ablution – the rinsing of the face, hands, and feet before prayer – offers a unique opportunity for gray water reuse.

This report investigates the feasibility of treating and reusing ablution gray water (AGW) with respect to religious acceptability, economic measures, and physical parameters in Tong, a rural community of Muslim subsistence farmers in northern Ghana. Investigatory tools included: household water use surveys, …