Civil Engineering Commons^™

Machine Learning Technique For Damage Detection Of Rails On Steel Railroad Bridges Subjected To Moving Train Load, Md Masnun Rahman, Mohsen Amjadian, Mahesh Pokhrel, Constantine Tarawneh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Rail is one of the key elements of the railway system, and its role is to transmit the wheel load to the track bed and guide the train cars along the track. Rail is susceptible to rolling contact fatigue and wear due to being repeatedly subjected to the moving load of the train. This can eventually result in broken-rail damage and train derailment, which if happens on a railroad bridge, it can severely damage the bridge, such as the structural failure of the Tempe Town Lake steel railroad bridge in July 2020 that costed $11 million to repair. Therefore, early …

Veterans Memorial Park In Colon, Mi, Madelyn Landry

Honors Theses

Located in St. Joseph County, MI, the Village of Colon offers a charming small-town feel and a close connection with nature. For this project, our team will be working to create a new design for a small community park located in the downtown area of Colon along the shores of Palmer Lake. The American Legion is seeking to re-imagine the park into a Veterans memorial to celebrate the service of village residents who have served in the armed forces. Elements requested to be incorporated into the memorial include granite stonework with etched displays, flags for each branch of the military, …

Calibration And Use Of S3f Sensor For Normal And Shear Stress Measurements In Soil, Hussein Alqrinawi

LSU Master's Theses

Innovative sensors can provide new capabilities to monitor and understand the behavior of soil, rock, and geo-structures and help geotechnical engineers make informed decisions about the construction and maintenance of geo-structures. This study introduced, calibrated, and validated one such sensor, the Surface Stress Sensitive Film (S3F) point sensor, for both normal and shear stress measurements in soil along the soil-structure interface. The measurements of S3F sensor rely on the deformation of an elastic film that is monitored by a floating element embedded in the elastic film. This sensor provides measurements of the 3D deformation of the film which are converted …

Numerical Investigations Of Gfrc Beams Strengthened In Shear With Innovative Techniques, Marwa H. Bondok, Gamal I. Khaleel, Ahmed S. Debaiky, Mohamed H. Makhlouf

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This paper discusses the Finite Element analysis (FE) conducted to predict the behavior of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC) beams without shear reinforcement (stirrups) and strengthen them with proposed techniques to increase their shear strength. for this study, A total of eighteen (18) (120 * 300 * 2200 mm) specimens were modeled using Ansys™ mechanical. The main variables were the percentage of discrete glass fiber in the concrete (0.0, 0.6, and 1.2%), the type of main reinforcing bars (steel or GFRP), the shear strengthening material (GFRP or steel) links, the strengthening systems (side near-surface mounted (SNSM) bars, externally bonded (EB) …

System Dynamics And Topsis Models For Sustainable Building Materials Selection Considering Life Cycle Assessment, Shimaa Elshoubaky, Emad Elbeltagi, Mohammed Abd Elrahman, Islam Elmasoudi

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Construction industry is the most contributor to the environmental impacts. Achieving sustainability in construction is complicated, but one of the most optimal strategies is selecting sustainable building materials.

The major goal of this study is to present a new idea for choosing sustainable building materials (SBMs) by simulating sustainability parameters' behaviour. This research proposes a System Dynamics (SD) model along with the TOPSIS method based on the dynamic interactions among a number of sustainable criteria to help decision makers in sustainable building materials selection. The sustainable criteria that form system boundary are determined from previous studies and experts′ opinions. The …

Examining The Impact Of Different Street Lighting Schemes On Traffic Safety And Drivers’ Behaviors At Unsignalized Intersections, Hisham Mohamed Abdu Kunnah

LSU Master's Theses

Lack of visibility is one of the main challenges that significantly impact drivers’ ability to safely perform driving tasks at night especially at unsignalized intersections. Several prior studies indicated that lighting enhances nighttime traffic safety. Nevertheless, lighting is not mandatory at unsignalized intersections in many states including Louisiana. This study aimed to investigate if lack of lighting is a contributing factor that affects traffic safety at unsignalized intersections in Louisiana. In addition, this study strived to identify current lighting policies adopted by other states, examine if there are any low-cost countermeasures implemented by other states to improve nighttime visibility, and …

Assessing The Ability Of Arduino-Based Sensor Systems To Monitor Changes In Water Quality, Josiah Hacker

Honors College Theses

Access to safe water is vital to public health. While developed countries like the United States are recognized as having reliable and safe water, many small water utilities struggle with supplying consistent water quality. Technicians of these utilities will periodically test water samples from the influent and throughout the distribution system. However, this laborious and costly process does not capture sudden changes in influent water quality due to environmental conditions or pipes breaking in the distribution system. Here I show how an Arduino-based sensor can be used as a real-time, low-cost monitor of water quality parameters. Specifically, I developed a …

The Influence Of The Addition Of Recycled Asphalt Shingles On The Compressive Strength Of Concrete, William E. Webb

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) as an additive on the compressive strength of concrete. This was accomplished by designing a concrete mix and creating 4” by 8” cylindrical test specimens containing 0, 5, 10, and 15 percent RAS by weight. The compressive strength was measured through axial loading until failure utilizing a compression testing apparatus. With these results, a relationship between the content of RAS and compressive strength was able to be developed, giving insight as to how RAS could be used in concrete mixes in the future. This study …

Component Testing And Characterization Of An Innovative Pressurized Sand Damper For The Response Modification Of Structures, Konstantinos Kalfas

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

This study is partly motivated by the need to develop sustainable energy dissipation devices that do not suffer from oil leakage due to failure of their end seals and from displacement limitations; and partly from the need to develop a robust damper that consists only of traditional civil engineering materials (sand and steel) in association with the use of post-tensioned steel rods with which practitioner civil engineers are familiar. Past failures of fluid dampers are both disruptive and costly, therefore not in-line with the current design paradigm of sustainable engineering, where the design and construction of structural systems shall meet …

Vibration Control Of A Two-Story Base-Isolated Building Using A New Tuned Mass Multi-Sliding Friction Damper, Mohsen Amjadian, Syed Muhammad Bilal Haider

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper studies the use of a new Tuned Mass Multi-Sliding Friction Damper (TMMSFD) to increase the damping capacity of seismic isolators installed on a two-story base-isolated building to limit their lateral deformations. The proposed TMMSFD consists of a set of several masses that are laterally attached to the superstructure floor through linear springs. These masses are placed on top of each other one by one and are allowed to slide with respect to each other during the earthquake. The bottom mass that carries the weight of upper masses is in contact with the superstructure floor. The damping of system …

An Inexpensive, Reproducible Method To Quantify Activated Sludge Foaming Potential: Validation Through Lab-Scale Studies And Year-Long Full-Scale Sampling Campaign, Grace K. Scarim, Emily Lou Lamartina, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Daniel Zitomer, Ryan J. Newton, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Activated sludge is a conventional treatment process for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). Foaming events are a common operational issue in activated sludge and can lead to decreased treatment efficiency, maintenance issues, and potential environmental health risks. Stable foaming events are caused by biological and chemical drivers (i.e., microbes and surfactants) during the aeration process. However, foaming events are difficult to predict and quantify. We present an inexpensive and easy-to-use method that can be applied at WRRFs to quantify foaming potential. Subsequently, the method was applied over a year-long …

Serviceability Analysis And Feasibility Study Of Rooftop Pv System On Commercial Buildings In New York City, Daniel A. Shedo

Master's Theses

Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU) blocks (Ballasts) to counterbalance an uplift wind pressure on Photovoltaic (PV) panels have been used widely. In contrast to mechanically attaching PV panels through penetration of a roof slab, the use of CMU blocks is preferred by many building owners, as penetrating and attaching the panels to a roof slab will pose a serious threat to the warranty of roof membranes, which typically last for 30 years. On the other hand, placing CMU blocks along with PV panels and other system components on a rooftop slab adds additional dead load, which may raise a concern regarding …

Load Rating Evaluation Of Deteriorated Prestressed Channel Girders, Alexander Zane Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is conducting a multi-year effort to load rate its inventory of over 9,400 bridges. This includes many bridges that are load posted due to potential structural considerations (e.g., outdated design loads, members whose capacity is difficult to assess, structural degradation). The number of load-posted bridges in South Carolina is expected to increase significantly due to recent efforts from SCDOT to assess the current state of bridge infrastructure. It is expected that the increased scrutiny may result in more load postings, which in turn may lead to restrictions on truck routes, potential bridge closures, …

Speckle Development And Application In Uav-Based Digital Image Correlation For Transportation Infrastructure Monitoring And Assessment, Taylor Wyatt

Theses and Dissertations

A critical aspect of civil infrastructure is structural health monitoring, of which digital image correlation (DIC) has been proven to be an effective and appropriate method. There is sufficient literature on the use of stationary DIC, but an unexplored aspect is DIC-equipped unmanned aircraft systems. It has been verified in University of South Carolina labs but has not been proved in a field environment. One of the challenges of field implementation is large scale speckle application. This work focusses on identifying and addressing challenges in bringing UAV-DIC technology from the lab to the field. This includes the development of optimized …

Peak And Differential Temperature Determination Of Drilled Shafts, Amanda A. Lewis

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The term “mass concrete” characterizes a specific concrete condition that typically requires unique considerations to mitigate extreme temperature effects on a structure. Mass concrete has historically been defined by the physical dimensions of a “mass”-ive concrete element with the intent of identifying when differential temperatures may induce early-onset cracking, leading to reduced service life. More recently, in addition to differential temperature considerations, extreme upper temperature limits have been imposed by the American Concrete Institute to prevent long-term concrete degradation. Studies dating back to 2007 show shafts as small as 48 inches in diameter can exceed both differential and peak temperature …

Physics-Based Crystal Plasticity Model For Predicting Microstructure Evolution And Dislocation Densities, Juyoung Jeong

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This work presents three different studies investigating plastic deformation mechanisms in metals and alloys using crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) modeling. The first study presents a new nonlocal crystal plasticity model for face-centered cubic single crystals under heterogeneous inelastic deformation. The model incorporates generalized constitutive relations that incorporate the thermally activated and drag mechanisms to cover different kinetics of viscoplastic flow in metals and describes the plastic flow and yielding of single-crystals using dislocation densities. The model is compared to micropillar compression experiments for copper single crystals and clarifies the complex microstructural evolution of dislocation densities in metals. The second …

Analytical Method For Predicting Lateral Facing Deflection Of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Abutment Walls, Thang Pham, S. Mustapha Rahmaninezhad, Andres Palma, Truc Phan, Thuy Vu

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls have been recently used as bridge abutments to directly support spread footings on the reinforced soil mass. This application reduces the requirement for using traditional deep foundations, such as piles or drilled shafts, to support bridge beams. GRS abutment walls are generally subjected to high footing loads that are close to the wall facing. Although GRS abutment walls with modular block facing have been the subject of a number of studies, there are limited methods to predict the profile of the lateral facing deflections along the height of the GRS abutment walls. Lateral deflections along the …

Port-Of-Entry Simulation Model For Potential Wait Time Reduction And Air Quality Improvement: A Case Study At The Gateway International Bridge In Brownsville, Texas, Usa, Benjamin Stewart, Hiram Moya, Amit U. Raysoni, Esmeralda Mendez, Matthew Vechione

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The mathematical study known as queueing theory has recently become a major point of interest for many government agencies and private companies for increasing efficiency. One such application is vehicle queueing at an international port-of-entry (POE). When queueing, fumes from idling vehicles negatively affect the overall health and well-being of the community, especially the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents that work at the POEs. As such, there is a need to analyze and optimize the border crossing queuing operations to minimize wait times and number of vehicles in the queue and, thus, reduce the vehicle emissions. For this …

Adiabatic Temperature Rise And Durability Performance Of Slag Blended Concrete, Hai Zhu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Performance and durability of slag blended concrete was investigated in this study focusing on slag and cement characteristics. Seven slags with variable Al2O3 content, Al2O3/MgO ratio and fineness were selected for investigation. The eight selected cements included ASTM Type I, Type I(HA), Type II(MH), Type II(MH)(HA), and Type IL(10 and 14). Cementitious materials studied here were subjected to a battery of tests including physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization. Performance and durability testing included heat of hydration measurements, sulfate optimization, external sulfate resistance, adiabatic temperature rise and chloride ingress.

Adiabatic temperature rise was assessed on 60% slag blended concrete, using Type …

The Intersection Of Utility Coordination And Sue, Natalie Parks, Ken Kerr

Purdue Road School

ASCE recently released two new SUE standards—ASCE 38-22 is the updated SUE standard commonly used during the utility coordination process during design, and ASCE 75-22 is the new utility as-built standard that is essential for the accurate location of newly relocated facilities in construction. This presentation will illustrate the interaction and relationship between SUE and utility coordination to enhance project deliverables and reduce risk during construction.

Alternative Delivery: Beyond Design-Build, Steve Davidson, William Stringer

Purdue Road School

Owners are facing increased pressure to deliver major infrastructure projects in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Pain from inflation and labor/material short- ages are felt nationwide. To maximize limited budgets, owners are exploring alternative delivery methods. Attendees will learn about the benefits and pitfalls of progressive design-build (PDB) and construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC). Presenters will share best practices for determining if PDB and CM/GC are appropriate for your project and provide case study examples.

Environmental Assessments On A Local Project, Robert Winebrinner, Trevor Wieseke, Summer R. Elmore, Alison Krupski, Mike Maurovich

Purdue Road School

This presentation will go through the environmental process of a recent $125M local project within Noblesville. What are the major differences between the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) process as it relates to an environmental assessment (EA)? What is required, what is not required, and what is optional? How long does the process take? Join us as we walk through this exciting process and experience.

Design, Collaborate, Thrive: The Broad Ripple Avenue Project, Jessica Hawley, Emily Nelson, Ericka Miller

Purdue Road School

Broad Ripple Avenue (College Avenue to Winthrop Avenue) needed large-scale stormwater improvements. With the help of the Lochmueller Group and the Broad Ripple Village Association, Indianapolis DPW perceptively took this opportunity to also improve pedestrian facilities and regional multi-modal connectivity by combining multiple regional projects into one construction contract. This consolidation allowed for a cohesive public message through proactive public involvement. Presenters will share how consensus was built between invested parties through a successful public and private partnership.

Evansville Airport Terminal And Passenger Access, Jamin Heldt, Nate Hahn

Purdue Road School

The Evansville Airport has completely updated the terminal area and passenger access to the terminal. A plan is underway to expand the passenger parking area in the future. This presentation will review the past updates and walk through future goals.

South Bend Airport Tw B Realignment And Apron Project, Lisa Kinsman, Patrick Mac Carthaigh, Jeff Thoman, Ashley Thorsen

Purdue Road School

South Bend Airport is in the process of a major reconstruction project to realign Taxiway B to provide a Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM), separate Taxiway B from the Terminal Apron, and make adjustments to the terminal apron to correct drainage. This presentation will provide a full review of the project.

Additive Manufacturing Of Engineered Cementitious Composites With Ultra-High Tensile Ductility, Amir Bakhshi

Civil Engineering ETDs

One of the critical factors in the development of additive manufacturing in the construction industry is designing suitable materials for 3D printing applications. 3D concrete printing (3DCP) has gained significant attention due to the abundance and availability of concrete. However, concrete is a brittle material and, without proper reinforcement, cannot meet the requirements for structural purposes. Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), known for high ductility, and strain-hardening with low fiber contents, can potentially eliminate the need for steel reinforcement in 3D printing without any need for manual placement of reinforcement. A set of systematic tests on ECC mix designs' fresh and …

Planning For Pedestrians And Bicyclists During Construction Projects, John Habermann, P.E.

Purdue Road School

This session will explore how the Texas Department of Transportation Waco District addressed pedestrian/bicyclist safety and mobility during a multi-year construction project along I-35. This presentation will demonstrate the value of online tools, field implementations, and data collection. Attendees will learn the value of assembling a stakeholder steering committee; counting pedestrian and bicyclists before, during, and after construction; effectively using pavement clings; and using a webpage dedicated to pedestrian/bicyclist updates.

Interstate Highway Congestion Policy Request: When And How, Douglas Homan, Alan Holderread, Michelle Witkowski

Purdue Road School

This session will highlight current IHCP tables, policy tables, request templates, analysis tools, INDOT queue analysis spreadsheet, INDOT detour route summary spreadsheet, hourly day-of-the-week con- version factors, additional modeling efforts, common and repeated mistakes, IHCP exception checklist, and example projects.

Economic Development And Infrastructure, Gary J. Pool

Purdue Road School

This presentation will cover how the developments on the Olio Road Corridor have affected Hancock County’s roadway deterioration and construction, revenue and funding, and public involvement.

Pedestrian Maintenance Of Traffic For Designers, Katherine Smutzer

Purdue Road School

This presentation with summarize current guidance being developed for the maintenance of pedestrian traffic during construction. The presentation will provide designers with guidance on INDOT’s decision-making hierarchy and expectations related to the documentation and development of pedestrian maintenance of traffic plans.