Civil Engineering Commons^™

Airfield Infrastructure Management Using Network-Level Optimization And Stochastic Duration Modeling, Mohamadhossein Noruzoliaee, Bo Zou

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper proposes a facility-specific modeling approach to plan maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) activities on a network of airport runway pavement facilities. The objective of the modeling approach is to minimize system M&R cost while recommending M&R activities for each runway pavement facility over a planning horizon. To do so, pavement condition forecast is derived from estimating stochastic duration models which capture the inherent uncertainty and dynamics in pavement deterioration and impacts of exogenous factors. Building on the pavement condition forecast, a network optimization-based M&R planning framework is developed which accounts for the interdependence of M&R activities among facilities as …

Bending Response Of Timber Mortise And Tenon Joints Reinforced With Filler-Modules And Frp Gussets, Andrew Robert Pacifico

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 2013, the California Bay Area (CBA) passed a set of ordinances to ensure that their 10,000 plus timber soft-story buildings were prepared for seismic events, through nondestructive evaluation methods. Many property owners are searching for an affordable retrofitting system that will also meet CBA’s new laws focusing on installations by the mandated deadlines in 2020. Over the past three to four decades, Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites have found their way into the civil infrastructure sector for rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to evaluate the bending behavior retrofitted mortise and tenon timber joints reinforced with engineered wood …

Stormwater Infrastructure And The Threat Of Climate Change, Eric Mccaslin

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this report is to analyze the modernization of stormwater infrastructure systems and the growing impact of climate change on said systems. Growing population rates and increasing urban settlement are leading to the water demand approaching the water supply capacity. Climate change is the root of several potentially severe issues affecting water resources as well as the rapidly increasing coastal and urban populations including but not limited to rising sea levels and the increasing severity and frequency of storms. Many cities, especially older or low income ones, also may not have adequate systems in place to handle the …

Artificial Intelligence Of Stormwater Operations, Eric Bednar

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The current infrastructure in our country will not be able to adequately support the growing demands of an exponentially increasing population. A rise in population contributes to a greater service demand necessary to treat sanitary sewer waste which in many cases contributes to the flow of combined sewers. When it comes to managing these combined sewers, rain and the snowmelt caused from climate changes are major factors that need to be addressed. Some water treatment facilities do not have the ability to treat the capacities or peak flows that a system experiences, resulting in combined sewer overflows which are both …

Artificial Intelligence In Wastewater Treatment Facilities: Implementing Practical New Technologies For The End User, Jordan Spano

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Design phase operator input can prove useful; however, it is not essential in every application, as Akron’s treatment plant implemented AI to increase treatment capacity without design-phase operator input. They implemented a system flight simulator, a few hours training, and have communicated with the designer to make system tweaks as needed. In larger applications, the owner may benefit greatly by incorporating design input from operational staff. Those representing a municipality as a project owner for a treatment plant upgrade should always maintain an active role in the design of smart water infrastructure. They must keep the operators in mind when …

Analysis Of Standardized Concrete Mixes, Riley Graybeal

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Concrete is one of the most common materials used in construction. It is mass produced throughout the country, with numerous different designs for concrete mixes. A common practice among concrete manufacturers is to use a standardized concrete mix design. These standardized mix designs are pre-tested and are not usually altered frequently. The hypothesis of this research project is that manufacturers do not constantly investigate new ways to save on their mixes, and simply use the same standardized mix designs.

In this research, investigations into what alterations may reduce the cost of standardized mixes began with a baseline mix design provided …

Bs News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

A Bridge Rehabilitation Strategy Based On The Analysis Of A Dataset Of Bridge Inspections In Co. Cork, Liam Dromey

Masters

Ageing highway structures present a challenge throughout the developed world. The introduction of bridge management systems (BMS) allows bridge owners to assess the condition of their bridge stock and formulate bridge rehabilitation strategies under the constraints of limited budgets and resources. This research presents a decision-support system for bridge owners in the selection of the best strategy for bridge rehabilitation on a highway network. The basis of the research is an available dataset of 1,367 bridge inspection records for County Cork that has been prepared to the Eirspan BMS inspection standard and which includes bridge structure condition ratings and rehabilitation …

Analysis Of Demand On Shared Mobility Packages In University Campus, Sandar Win

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Shared mobility is the emerging service and comes in various forms. In Chulalongkorn University, innovative shared mobility services such as shared bicycle (CU Bike), small electric vehicle sharing (Ha:mo) and ride sharing tricycle (Muvmi) are offered along with conventional free bus (Pop bus) circulation. This study aimed to explore the attributes of the monthly mobility package which have effect on student’s decision while offering the integrated service package for CU students. Two phases of questionnaire surveys were conducted to find out the satisfaction on existing mobility services quality, barriers that discourage students from using shared mobilities, and factors that influence …

Global Food Security Under Climate-Water-Energy Nexus, Ehsan Najafi

Dissertations and Theses

During the last few decades, the global agricultural production has risen and technology enhancement is still contributing to yield growth. However, population growth, water and energy crisis, and extreme weather, climate change, etc. threaten the global food security. The focus of this study is to advance the understanding of the associations between crops productivity and large scale and local scale climatic variables, climate change, technology enhancement and assessing food-water-energy nexus to enhance global food security in a sustainable manner considering current available resources. As decision-makers try to improve food security, it is important to identify the impact of technology enhancement …

Heavy Truck Collision With Bridge Piers, Ran Cao

Dissertations and Theses

Based on bridge failure data compiled by the New York State Department of Transportation, collision, both caused by vessels and vehicles, is the second leading cause of bridge failures after hydraulic. The current AASHTO-LRFD (2017) specification recommends designing a bridge pier vulnerable to vehicular impacts for an equivalent static force of 2,670-kN (600 kips) applied in a horizontal plane at a distance of 1.5 m (5.0 feet) above the ground level. The vast majority of research studies on vehicular collision with bridge piers have been carried out with single-unit trucks, which are typically classified as medium-duty vehicles weighing about 89 …

Hydroclimate Drivers And Atmospheric Dynamics Of Floods, Nasser Najibi

Dissertations and Theses

Our preliminary survey showed that most of the recent flood-related studies did not formally explain the physical mechanisms of long-duration and large-peak flood events that can evoke substantial damages to properties and infrastructure systems. These studies also fell short of fully assessing the interactions of coupled ocean-atmosphere and land dynamics which are capable of forcing substantial changes to the flood attributes by governing the exceeding surface flow regimes and moisture source-sink relationships at the spatiotemporal scales important for risk management. This dissertation advances the understanding of the variability in flood duration, peak, volume, and timing at the regional to the …

A Dynamic Risk Management Framework For Water And Environmental Sustainability, Arun Ravindranath

Dissertations and Theses

The risks and vulnerabilities facing reservoir systems in river basins shift dynamically over time and space. These risks involve regime changes and shifts, throughout which one observes the transition of water availability from prolonged dry periods to prolonged wet periods. Ensuring reliability of water supply under these hydrological regime shifts involves understanding how these regime shifts can be identified, characterized, and quantified. This dissertation describes a dynamic risk management (DRM) framework for water management at the basin level whose main features are (1) a system of updating risk assessments and policy recommendations on a yearly basis, where the risk assessments …

Unmanned Aerial And Traversing Vehicle -- A Mobile Platform For Bridge Inspections, Clayton A. Fritsche

Masters Theses

“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have been rapidly growing in popularity since their creation. This study aimed to create a robotic platform used to assist in the inspection process of the nation’s aging and deteriorating bridges. To this end, a multimodal inspection robot that utilized both flying and driving technologies, was designed, analyzed, and tested for aerial, traversing, and their transitional operability. The design, herein referred to as the “BridgeBot”, was evaluated both computationally and experimentally. A finite element model of the BridgeBot was established and analyzed under static loading scenarios to help determine stress distributions and …

Performance Of One-Part And Two-Part Class C Fly Ash-Based Alkali Activated Mortars, Cedric Chani Kashosi

Masters Theses

“Seeking an eco-friendly concrete, researchers have conducted studies to fully replace ordinary Portland cement (OPC) with fly ash (FA) producing alkali-activated concrete (AAC). Results showed better performance of AAC in terms of high early compressive strength, and durability compared to conventional concrete. However, much is still unknown about the behavior of AAC. From the type of materials used, the curing procedure, and long-term strength development of these binders; a thorough investigation is needed in order to fill the existing gap from previous studies and thus make a step forward to the safely use of AAC in the construction industry. The …

A Study On End-Anchorage And Bond Behavior Of Steel-Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Matrix Composites Externally Bonded To A Concrete Substrate, Christopher Michael Moore

Masters Theses

"Fiber reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites are a strengthening material consisting of continuous fibers embedded in an inorganic matrix that have the potential to provide additional flexural and shear strength to concrete and masonry members. When used for external strengthening, however, debonding of the material is often observed due to slippage of the fiber with respect to the matrix, causing loss of composite action and a reduction in load carrying capacity. The composite utilized in this study consisted of continuous steel fibers embedded in an inorganic cementitious matrix bonded to a concrete prism. Additionally, an end-anchorage system was implemented with …

Development Of Test Methods For Characterizing Extrudability Of Cement-Based Materials For Use In 3d Printing, Jonathan Thomas Kuchem

Masters Theses

"3D printing is the process of creating three-dimensional objects using an automated additive manufacturing process. The 3D printing process has been used with materials such as metals and polymers, but application with cement based materials for the construction industry has yet to be developed. In this research, two main problems were investigated for printing cement based composite materials: extrudability and tensile reinforcement. Fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) was studied as an internal reinforcing system to increase tensile/flexural strength. First, FRC was studied to investigate mechanical properties and use of fibers from waste tires as an environmentally friendly option. A reference mixture with …

Changes In Fresh Properties Of Flowable Concrete Induced By Pumping And Composition Of The Lubrication Layer, Alexis Salinas

Masters Theses

"Pumping is an easy method to move concrete while keeping stability. It is worldwide accepted as one of the principal methods for concrete placement, as it accelerates construction. Typically, concrete acceptance in terms of fresh quantitative empirical properties (i.e. slump/slump flow and air content) are performed prior to the pumping process. However, empirical measurements have the drawback that they only measure 1 point. Rheology is better tool to evaluate the behavior of concrete. Pumping is a process that induces considerable shearing in the concrete that can impact its rheological properties. Therefore, the magnitude of these changes in fresh properties depends …

Synthesis Of Fault Traces In Se Louisiana Relative To Infrastructure, David Culpepper, Elizabeth Chinn Mcdade, Nancye Dawers, Mark Kulp, Rui Zhang

Publications

Geological faulting has been implicated as a contributor to subsidence, coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in southern Louisiana. This report reviews whether fault motion, either by slow creep or more sudden slip, can cause deformation of engineered structures resulting in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. The impact of surface, or near-surface, geologic faulting on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in southeastern Louisiana, but the state has a vast amount of energy-sector subsurface data that to date has been under-utilized for transportation and other near-surface engineering applications. Recent and on-going work by research groups at Tulane University, University of …

Load Rating Mobility As A Framework For Bridge Owners, Bryan Keith Stephens

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this time of financial economy, bridge owners are faced with the important decision of where to focus financial assets while attempting to determine which structures are in most need. Bridge Engineers and researchers alike agree that a large portion of the United States bridge population are reaching the end of their design life. Researchers are currently investigating various means and methods of lengthening the amount of usefulness of these key pieces of infrastructure. This paper introduces the novel idea of bridge Load Rating Mobility and how it can be leveraged by stake holders to assist in making those financial …

Towards Multiple Model Approach To Bridge Deterioration, Jin A. Collins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) marked the start of a new era in transportation in the United States. ISTEA required transportation agencies to take a proactive approach to planning and management of their assets. This included requirements for managing pavement, bridges, safety, congestion, public transportation, and intermodal systems. For horizontal transportation assets (i.e., bridges and pavement), deterioration modeling is an essential tool (Yanev and Chen 1993). Since ISTEA, Bridge Management Systems (BMS) have been utilized to inform decision-making regarding bridge projects such as maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement (MR&R) under financial limitations (Agrawal, Kawaguchi, and Chen 2010). …

Structural Design Of Complex Components, Armando Antonio Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) is determined to develop a launch vehicle that is made completely of additive manufacturing materials, has the capability to transport a 100 lb payload to low earth orbit (LEO) as well as completing the design of a strucutral steel mobile launch stand that has the capability of withstanding the launch vehicle's static and dynamic loadings. The project will consist of carbon composite components to reduce weight while maintaining efficiency, strucutral steel components to resist extreme loadings and maintain strucutral shape, and lastly …

Quantifying Early-Age Concrete Mechanical Properties And Curing Conditions Utilizing An Automated System, Benjamin Arras

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The validation of concrete quality based on the 28-day strength is a lengthy process. Predicting concrete mechanical properties through early-age methods can streamline the construction process. Early-age concrete behavior consists of assessing the concrete curing as-related to setting stages, the hydration process, strength and stiffness development, while considering various environmental system parameters. This paper reports on a nondestructive method for observing the early-age strength and modulus development of concrete mixes over seven days in a controlled, laboratory setting. An apparatus was designed and built for continuous acquisition of seismic modulus data (using free-free resonant column) and heat of hydration/maturity information …

Decision Support Tools For Parking Management On University Campuses, Okan Gurbuz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

University campuses generate and attract trips with unique characteristics. Most universities are constantly challenged by the parking congestion issues. To manage campus parking infrastructure, most universities have established parking departments. This department is referred as the University Parking Office (UPO) in this Dissertation. There is no methodology or tool to assist the UPOs in their decision-making process. This Dissertation focuses on student parking and has developed models and methodologies as decision support tools to assist UPOs in managing student parking on campuses.

This Dissertation answers six Research Questions related to parking management on university campuses: (1) How many students are …

Shear Stress Estimates In The Approach And Bridge Section By Using Various Formula, Jun Seon Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shear stress is the resistance force on top of the contact surface caused by moving flow and is one of the important variable in fluid mechanics. Thus, a lot of researches have been conducted to predict accurate value of shear stress. However, calculating shear stress with existing equations has several limitations because only gradually varied flow and/or uniform flow was considered in their studies. Therefore, direct applying those methods into complex flow type, such as around a bridge, to predict shear stress is questionable.

Thus, laboratory experiments were carried out in a laboratory flume to attack the objective of this …

Numerical Modeling Of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation And Comparison With Microseismic Data At A Field Site, Carter Lawrence Hulcher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A hydraulic fracturing site in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA was selected to be a research site for the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) project which was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The overall objective of the MSEEL research project is to evaluate and improve technologies to enhance shale gas recovery with minimal impacts on the environment. The field site has two previously drilled wells and two newly drilled wells for extracting natural gas. A separate exploratory well (or “science well”) was also drilled and includes a geophone array to extract important seismic/microseismic event information, which …

Calculation Methods Of Radon-222 Radiological Activity For Norm Plant With Ventilation, Pedro M. Dieguez-Elizondo, Paul G. O'Donohoe, Tomas Gil-Lopez, Juan Castejon-Navas, Miguel A. Gálvez-Huerta

Articles

A procedure is proposed to determine the radiological activity of air present in the working area of a NORM (Naturally-Occurring Radioactive Materials) plant. This NORM plant is located in the United Arab Emirates and is dedicated to the recycling of material and equipment used in oil extraction facilities. Substantial quantities of NORM waste will be present inside the enclosed plant facilities and will exhale significant amounts of Radon-222 into the working environment. The continued inhalation of this gas and its progeny has been shown to cause lung cancer. In order to reduce the concentration level of the aforementioned gas to …

Economic Appraisal Of Hybrid Solar-Biomass Thermophotovoltaic Power Generation, Cm Iftekhar Hussain, Aidan Duffy, Brian Norton

Conference Papers

The techno-economic parameters that influence the commercial deployment of hybrid thermophotovoltaic (TPV) solar power generation are determined using annual system simulations. It has been found that a TPV cell price of E5/cm2 or less together with a TPV operating temperature under 800°C is required for a hybrid solar–biomass TPV power plant to be economically competitive with the state-of-the-art hybrid solar–biomass Rankine cycle power plants.

Accuracy Of 3d Point-Cloud And Photo-Based Models Of City Street Intersections, Mariah D. Peart

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

From Georgia Southern University’s Built Environment and Modeling lab, this study compares point positions and distance measurements completed with state-of-the-art instruments and equipment. A modern, 12-second, laser scanner, a modern unmanned aerial vehicle and a highly accurate, 1-second robotic total station were employed for this study. The latter serving as the benchmark instrument. The main objective of this quantitative comparison is to explore the accuracy and usability of a relatively large point-cloud model, as a virtual surveying tool for redesign/reconstruction purposes. This project involves the generation of large, 3D, point-cloud models of two busy and complex city street intersections. One …

Finite Element Modeling Of Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls Built With Welded Wire Wall Panels, Dejuan G. Solan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, a finite element modeling of Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls using welded wire wall panels was performed. The implementation of finite element modeling and analysis proved to be quite efficient in simulating the three-dimensional behavior of wall panels that are a part of MSE walls. The comprehensive finite element model included defined concrete and steel material properties in order to present both the realistic behaviors of each component in the model as well as better facilitating and increasing the accuracy of the simulation of numerous finite element analysis (FEA) cases. FEA was employed to simulate welded wire …