Civil Engineering Commons^™

Compressive Behavior Of Masonry Columns Confined With Steel Reinforced Grout (Srg) Composite, Sarah Elizabeth Jemison

Masters Theses

"In this study, a new type of composite comprised of steel fiber cords embedded in a natural hydraulic lime mortar matrix, known as steel reinforced grout (SRG), is explored for the use in confinement of masonry columns. An experimental study was carried out to understand the behavior of solid clay brick masonry columns confined by SRG jackets. Twenty-four confined and seven unconfined columns with a square cross-section were tested to failure under a monotonic concentric compressive load. Test parameters considered were the column corner condition, number of fiber jacket layers, and number of fiber overlapping faces. SRG confinement improved the …

Back Calculation Of Intelligent Compaction Data For Mechanical Properties Of Soil System, Afshin Gholamy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

For national economy, it is very important to have a reliable infrastructure. Because of this, all over the world, new roads are constantly being built and old roads are being maintained and, if necessary, expanded and/or repaired. Building a good quality road is very expensive, it costs several million dollars per kilometer. It is therefore crucial to make sure that the newly built and newly repaired roads are sufficiently stiff - so that they can withstand the predicted volume of traffic for a sufficient number of years. Current methods of estimating the stiffness are time-consuming and labor-consuming. The most accurate …

Effects Of Gradation And Moisture Content On Resistivity Of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall Backfill Materials, Jose Luis Arciniega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The service life of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls depends on the corrosion rate of the metallic reinforcement used in their construction. The resistivity of the backfill aggregates needs to be measured accurately in order to estimate realistically the corrosion rate of the reinforcement. Resistivity testing is usually performed using the traditional soil box on the portion of the aggregates that passes a No. 10 or No. 8 sieve to either select or reject the backfill. For a more reasonable characterization of the corrosivity of coarse backfills, it is desirable to use their actual gradations. To that end, several resistivity …

Influence Of Mix Design Parameters On Performance Of Balanced Asphalt Mixtures, Luiza Helena Barros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the popularity of the Balanced Mix Design (BMD) concept, the need for performance tests that can reliably evaluate the cracking and rutting potentials of asphalt concrete (AC) mixes has become more critical. A great deal of effort has been focused on incorporating test methods that can potentially improve the current AC mix-design processes and consequently screen underperforming AC mixes. However, the influence of mix design parameters on the performanceof BMD mixes that provide pavement engineers and designers with thorough guidelines and a reliable and consistent test protocol has not been extensively documented.

This Thesis presents an experimental evaluation of …

High Recovery Inland Desalination: A Technical And Economic Performance Evaluation Of Zero Discharge Desalination And Other Technologies, Malynda Aragon Cappelle

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Increasing population and diminishing freshwater resources are leading to increased competition between users of freshwater, both in terms of surface water and groundwater. Desalination can augment the water supply, but conventional approaches like reverse osmosis are usually limited to 70-80% recovery. Inland brine disposal options are often limited, presenting significant technical and economic obstacles to implementing desalination technology. In comparison to conventional desalination technologies, high recovery desalination methods such as Zero Discharge Desalination (ZDD) offer substantially higher potable water yield (i.e., 95-98%) from brackish water. ZDD is a hybrid process that combines reverse osmosis (RO) or nanofiltration (NF) with electrodialysis …

Optimization For The Allocation Of Funds For Pavement Maintenance In Pavement Management Systems, Armando Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pavement maintenance and rehabilitation are critical and costly elements for highway agencies. A challenge for transportation agencies is to preserve roadways in an appropriate condition and extend the pavement service life while maintaining the safety and satisfaction of its users, and maximize the benefits obtained by the repair investments. Pavement maintenance programming is increasing in complexity due to limited resources and increments in traffic and population. Management decisions are usually based on personal judgment by pavement managers and sometimes those decisions are not even supported by previous experience. Research shows that optimization methods can produce significant benefits when transportation agencies …

Evaluation Of Orthophosphate Based Corrosion Inhibitors In Treated Water For El Paso Region, Francisco Solis Jr

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Corrosion is an electrochemical phenomenon that involves the deterioration of a metal by the reaction of itself with its surrounding environment. One of the greatest issues for water utilities around the country is to keep the water quality safe. Corrosion can affect the quality of the water that we use on a daily basis by adding a bad taste, increasing the concentration of heavy metals, and allowing outside contaminants to enter the distribution system. The use of phosphate based corrosion inhibitors was tested in two different metals: iron and copper. The phosphate in the inhibitors react with the calcium in …

Investigating Early Age Behavior Of Portland Cement Concrete In Arid Regions, Evan Wolf

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The early-age behavior and properties of portland cement concrete change rapidly over time as a result of the hydration process. Comprised of a series of chemical reactions, this process accelerates nonlinearly with the curing temperature. Gaining knowledge and understanding of the phases of the hydration process (i.e., dormant, setting, and hardening) plays an important role in the timely opening of roads, resuming of construction, and achieving long-term performance. Standard tests such as ASTM C403 arbitrarily define the time of initial and final setting of concrete. Despite decades of studies concerning setting times, actual predictions still span hours, while the quality …

Utilization Of Digital Image Correlation Technique In Asphalt Testing, Alejandra Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over 90% of the roads in the United States are paved with hot mix asphalt (HMA). These asphalt pavements include many mix types, such as permeable friction course (PFC), stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and conventional dense graded mixes. The performance of the HMA is an important factor in pavement design programs used by many departments of transportation. The type of HMA selected not only influences the performance of the pavement structure, but also the pavement's life cycle cost. The performance life of an HMA mix is to be studied further with experimental data in order to contribute and expand on …

Geospatial Relationship Of Intelligent Compaction Measurement Values With In-Situ Testing For Quality Assessment Of Geomaterials, Luis Alberto Lemus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of Intelligent Compaction (IC) in the construction of transportation infrastructure as a tool for quality control of compacted geomaterials has attracted the attention of a number of highway agencies. Compaction quality has been conventionally assessed using density, and to a less extent, modulus-based spot measurements at selected locations along the roadway section. While spot measurements do not provide a thorough rendition of the level of compaction of the roadway, IC technology is effective in meeting full coverage requirements. IC roller measurements are accelerometer-based measurements recording machine-ground interaction assumed to be indicative of the stiffness of the compacted geomaterial. …

Evaluation Of Recycled Gypsum Application Dosages To Enhance The Water Infiltration Rate At Water Retention Ponds, Jorge Luis Navarrete

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The retention ponds play central role for efficient collection, removal, and drainage of rainfall runoff from surrounding streets to minimize flooding and damage. However, low percolating retention ponds may result in an extended ponding of water, abundance bacteria accumulations, mosquito breeding, environmental hazards, among others. The presence of clayey soils and soil sodicity reduces infiltration rates of retention ponds. To enhance the infiltration rate of ponds, it is proposed to use recycled gypsum (RG), as a soil amendment in retention ponds consisting of clayey soils to enhance low infiltration rates.

To evaluate the influence of RG in clayey soils as …

Technical Project Management: Union Of Systems Engineering Processes With Project Management Processes, Deyaaldeen M. Abusal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Today, most projects in technical fields utilize project management to complete projects as planned, and some of the projects utilize system engineering to cover the project in both technically and commercially. This Thesis investigates the relationship between Project Management (PM) and Systems Engineering (SE) to determine if a suitably professional level of management and level of quality can be achieved. When studying PM and SE separately and make a comparison between both, there is much overlap between these two mature fields. The project could be planned and completed solely by either process. This study combines both fields of Project Management …

Resilience Modeling Of Surface Transportation System In Mixed Traffic Environment, Shofiq Ahmed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Large-scale natural disasters challenge the resilience of surface transportation system. The objective of this research was to develop a resilience model of surface transportation system in mixed-traffic environment considering varying Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) penetration scenarios. As deployment of CAVs are expected to improve traffic operations, a resilience model was developed in this research to evaluate the resilience performance of a transportation system with several CAV penetration levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) for a given budget and recovery time. The proposed resilience quantification model was applied on a roadway network considering several disaster scenarios. The network capacity …

Roofing Practices And Fall Prevention In The Construction Industry, Hadi A. Shishtar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roofing is an important profession in the construction industry yet there is a lack of understanding of its safeness. It is generally believed that roofing is an occupation that can be easily practiced by anyone. However, there are many key factors that are associated with roofing, which may impact the lives of roofers who often face major risks at work. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), roofing is one of the leading causes of falling deaths among construction workers. The Bureau of labor statistics has reported that roofers are highly exposed to non-fatal injuries. They have also …

The Determination Of The Concrete Tensile Creep At Early Age Using The Ring Test, Tadamon Mohammed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, the modified double power law (MDPL) model is used to determine the tensile creep of concrete at an early age based on the ASTM C1581 restrained shrinkage ring test. Three concrete mixes using Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) were tested. The three concrete mixes were cast, and each underwent the ring tests up to cracking. Mechanical properties of concrete at the age of 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days were tested to find the compressive strength, tensile strength and Young’s Modulus of concrete. The strength tests results were obtained from both 4x8 inch and 6x12 inch cylinders. …

Modeling The Impacts Of Sea Level Rise On Storm Surge Inundation In Flood-Prone Urban Areas Of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Luca Castrucci, Navid Tahvildari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Hampton Roads is a populated area in the United States Mid-Atlantic region that is highly affected by sea level rise (SLR). The transportation infrastructure in the region is increasingly disrupted by storm surge and even minor flooding events. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of SLR impacts on storm surge flooding in the region. We develop a hydrodynamic model to study the vulnerability of several critical flood-prone neighborhoods to storm surge flooding under several SLR projections. The hydrodynamic model is validated for tide prediction, and its performance in storm surge simulation is validated with the water …

Absorption Coefficient Dependent Non-Linear Properties Of Thin Film Luminescent Solar Concentrators, S. Chandra, M. Rafiee, John Doran, S. J. Mccormack

Articles

This research article studied absorption coefficient dependent losses and efficiency of thin film luminescent solar concentrator (LSC). The optimum absorption coefficient was determined by fabricating red dye doped thin film LSCs with varying absorption coefficients of 24–202 cm-1. The optical, electrical, and ray-trace model predicted results were compared to establish the optimum absorption coefficient for fabricated thin film LSCs. The optical and electrical efficiencies of thin film LSCs are a function of absorption coefficient; follow linearly at lower values, gradually becoming non- linear at higher values of absorption coefficient which restricts the overall efficiency. The multi layered ray–trace model predicted …

Building Information Modeling (Bim) Impact On Construction Performance, David D. John

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study is designed to address the need for having a measure for Construction Performance on BIM-assisted construction projects. Through this study a new Construction Key Performance Indicator (CKPI) matrix is identified and created by the author. The CKPI could be used to assess BIM-assisted projects. Utilizing a sequential mixed methodology approach, academic and practitioner perspectives are assessed. A qualitative content analysis and quantitative descriptive analysis based on demographics are conducted to establish a better understanding of BIM and Construction Performance. The academic perspective is used to assess the relevance of BIMM and CKPI indicators, and the practitioner perspective is …

Detection Of Buried Non-Metallic (Plastic And Frp Composite) Pipes Using Gpr And Irt, Jonas Kavi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigated alternative strategies for making buried non-metallic pipes (CFRP, GFRP, and PVC) easily locatable using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). Pipe diameters up to 12" and buried with up to 4 ft. of soil cover were investigated. The findings of this study will help address the detection problem of non-metallic pipelines and speed the adoption of composite pipes by the petroleum and natural gas industry. The research also investigated the possibility of locating buried pipes transporting hot fluids using Infrared Thermography (IRT).

Results from the study have shown that, using carbon fabric and aluminum tape overlay on non‑metallic pipes …

Investigation Of Rapid Remote Sensing Techniques For Forensic Wind Analyses, Yijun Liao, Richard L. Wood, Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammadi, Peter J. Hughes, J. Arn Womble

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Perishable damage data resulting from severe windstorms require efficient and rapid field collection techniques. Such datasets permit forensic damage investigations and characterization of civil infrastructure. Ultimately, observed structural damage serves as a proxy approach to estimate wind speeds for storms that include hurricanes, tornadoes, straight-line winds, etc. One of the more common methods to collect, preserve, and reconstruct three-dimensional damage scenes is the use of an unmanned aerial system (UAS), commonly known as a drone. Onboard photographic payloads permit scene reconstruction via structure-from-motion; however, such approaches often require direct site access and survey points for accurate results, which limit its …

Behavior Of Cold-Formed Steel Metal Industrial Buildings, Adrianna M. Early, Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammadi, Richard L. Wood, Kara D. Peterma

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

This paper presents research focused on understanding the observed behavior of cold-formed steel (CFS) metal buildings during Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall Friday, August 25, 2017 between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, Texas. Through the Geotechnical Extreme Event Reconnaissance (GEER) association (funded by the National Science Foundation) a team of structural engineers and researchers performed rapid and detailed assessments of structural damage caused by the hurricane. The National Science Foundation gathered photographs, damage assessments sheets, and three-dimensional laser point cloud data of severely damaged cold-formed steel industrial buildings. The Port Aransas County Airport experienced severe damage to several cold-formed steel …

Post-Earthquake Structural Damage Assessment Through Point Cloud Data, Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammadi, Richard L. Wood

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Structural damage assessment following an extreme event can provide valuable information and insight into unanticipated damage and failure modes to improve design philosophies and design codes as well as reduce vulnerability. Oftentimes, structural engineers create finite element models (FEM) of the structure in which numerous model parameters require calibration to simulate the current state. This information may include structural plan details (geometry), material characteristics (strength and stiffness parameters), as well as observed damage patterns (cracks, spalling, etc.). Ground-based lidar (GBL) scans and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) can rapidly capture dimensionally accurate point clouds of the structure or facility of interest. Furthermore, point …

Damage Assessment Of Built-Up Areas Via Uas-Sfm Derived Point Cloud Data, Mohammad Ebrahim Mohammadi, Richard L. Wood

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

In the aftermath of extreme events (e.g., earthquakes, tsunami, tornados, etc.), rapid and reliable identification of the damage in a built-up area are crucial in to rescue, recovery, and reconstruction operations. While it is critical to conduct efficient emergency response management, lack of classified or tagged damaged regions due to communications and accessibility limitations can further delay recovery operations, rescue efforts, and resource management. Furthermore, critical and perishable damage scenes can also be lost during recovery and cleanup operations immediately following the event. In recent decades, advances in remote sensing technologies demonstrate a great potential to perform rapid reconnaissance and …

Analysis Of Low-Cost Bluetooth-Plus-Wifi Device For Travel Time Research, Ernest Tufuor, Laurence Rilett

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

MOTIVATION • Collecting real-time travel data via intelligent transportation systems (ITS) rely heavily on technologies that are expensive and challenging to maintain. • Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are the most popular low-cost communication protocols that can give a good understanding of spatial and temporal nature of travel.

USEFULNESS: This will be important for two main reasons: • Allow research to be conducted in a cost effective manner on all types of facilities. • Offers the opportunity to undertake comprehensive empirical studies on link and path travel time distributions especially for arterial roads

gBT COMPONENTS AND COST • A unit of the …

Extraction Of Phase-Resolved Wave Data From X-Band Radar Imagery, Alexandra Simpson

Link Foundation Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation Fellowship Reports

Typically, phase-resolved measurements of the sea surface are limited to single-point time series from in situ sensors, or arrays of multiple in situ sensors. The deployment of such devices is costly and time intensive, and the wave data they provide is limited in its spatial coverage and directional accuracy. Several remote sensing options, including optical video and X-Band marine radars, offer the possibility of full 2D reconstruction of the phase-resolved directional sea on spatial scales of kilometers. Ocean waves are visible in radar imagery as the ubiquitous backscatter from short wind ripples is modulated by the longer gravity waves. However, …

Scope Management Strategies For Engineering Leaders To Improve Project Success Rates, Kevin Lee Ramage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Civil engineering projects undertaken without successful implementation of scope management strategies by project leaders are approximately 10% more likely to fail than projects undertaken with scope management strategies. Using scope management theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore scope management strategies used by some project leaders in the engineering field to improve project success rates. Data were collected using semistructured interviews with 3 purposefully selected project leaders in Georgia, and a review of project completion reports, budget reports, government proposals, and scope management documents. Data analysis occurred using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, …

Ethical Decision-Making In Construction Engineering Projects, Monique Sidaross

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Problems exist with ethical decision-making in U.S. construction engineering projects.

The purpose of this study was to explore factors that affect ethical decision-making in engineering construction in the United States. The general concepts of marketing ethics, Kohlberg's discussion of ethical and moral reasoning development, and Gillian's discussion of ethical care served as the basis of the conceptual framework. Factors that inhibit ethical decision making were addressed in the research questions. The resulting narrative framework included implementable initiatives based on these factors that could improve the quality of ethical decision-making and the impact of these initiatives on the cost and quality …

Enhancing The Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt's Storage Stability Through The Control Of Its Internal Network Structure, Mohyeldin Ragab, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The current research investigated the effect of the internal network structure developed in the crumb rubber modified asphalt (CRMA) on its storage stability. The authors investigated the influence of asphalt-crumb rubber modifier (CRM) interaction parameters (interaction time, interaction speed, and interaction temperature) on the development of the internal network structure in CRMA. The authors found that the existence of three dimensional (3D) network structures in the CRMA enhanced its storage stability. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy was utilized to determine the nature of CRM components responsible for the development of 3D network structure in the liquid phase of CRMA. This …

Meso-Scale Simulation Of Size-Dependent Shear Behavior In Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Reinforced Concrete Beams Without Stirrups, Sina Khodaie

Theses and Dissertations

There is extensive experimental evidence of the decrease in the shear stress at failure at increasing effective depths in concrete beams reinforced with glass fiberreinforced polymer (GFRP) bars without shear reinforcement. An important practical implication is that extrapolating strength values from typical laboratory-scaled experiments to design larger members may be misleading. The complexity of the underlying mechanics is reflected in the difficulty of using commercially available numerical tools to accurately estimate shear strength irrespective of beam size. This dissertation presents research on a Lattice Discrete Particle Model (LDPM) based model to simulate the response of scaled slender GFRP reinforced concrete …

Acoustic Emission Detection In 304h Stainless Steel Due To Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking, Joseph W. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Storage of spent nuclear fuel has become problematic in past decades due to delayed completion of long-term repositories for various reasons. Temporary storage containers called Dry Cask Storage Systems (DCSS) made of stainless-steel and surrounded by reinforced concrete have been in use but are exceeding their designed usage periods. Defects in canisters can be exacerbated in climates susceptible to high humidity and salinity levels. As inspection and relicensing of DCSS increases, more efficient monitoring techniques could save nuclear facilities valuable time and resources. Crack detection of the canister walls or welds in real time may be possible utilizing acoustic emission …