Civil Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Discrepancies In South Carolina Traffic Collision Forms, Jackson Wegmet

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to improve the accuracy of information recorded in the South Carolina traffic collision forms. To accomplish this, it examines 200 forms containing information about fatal crashes in work zones between 2014 and 2020 to determine how many discrepancies exist between the written narrative and other fields. In addition to obtaining these statistics, this thesis seeks to identify factors that influence discrepancies. To test the hypothesis that crash complexity and weather influence the investigating officer’s level of processing (a theory developed by Craik and Lockhart in 1972), and consequentially his/her ability to complete the traffic …

Load Determination, Strengthening, And Behavior Study Of Prestressed Concrete Channel Bridge Girders In South Carolina, Elhussien Khaled Elbatanouny

Theses and Dissertations

The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is currently engaged in a multi-year effort to assess the structural integrity of its inventory of over 9,000 bridges. This assessment process is expected to result in an increase in the number of bridges that require load postings, repairs, or replacements across South Carolina. This could potentially lead to adverse economic repercussions due to restricted truck routes, bridge closures, repair work, and the need for bridge replacements. To alleviate the escalating costs associated with these challenges, it is imperative to explore methods aimed at reducing the need for load postings and bridge closures …

Electric Freight Transportation System Planning And Truck Operation Optimizations, Xuanke Wu

Theses and Dissertations

The substantial demand for fossil fuel consumption is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, drawing considerable public attention to health and environmental problems. As a result, vehicle electrification is currently recognized as the most effective approach to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation. However, compared to traditional fossil fuel-powered vehicles, electric vehicles have notable disadvantages, including higher upfront purchasing price, longer recharging time, and most significantly, lower driving ranges. All these challenges can potentially result in increased overall operational costs for logistics companies. This thesis proposes a comprehensive optimization modeling framework for electric freight transportation system planning and operations with …

Field And Laboratory Characterization Of Subgrade Resilient Modulus For The Aashtoware Pavement Me, Kazi Moninul Islam

Theses and Dissertations

The new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) uses the subgrade resilient modulus (MR) as the key input parameter to represent the subgrade soil behavior for pavement design. This research focused on field and laboratory characterization of subgrade resilient modulus assessing the effects of predicted distresses and IRI on the flexible pavement. The results of this study are presented in the form of three chapters and peer-reviewed journal manuscripts. Firstly (Chapter 3), MR was obtained indirectly from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) data using a back-calculation tool (i.e., SCDOT, BAKFAA, and AASHTOWare 2017) or from empirical correlations with soil index properties. MR …

Floodplain And In-Channel Sedimentation In The Bedrock Congaree River, Sc, Mahsa Ahmadpoor

Theses and Dissertations

The Congaree River planform is characterized by an abrupt increase in channel sinuosity in the downstream direction. Such a change is not typical of alluvial meandering rivers but has been observed in mixed bedrock-alluvial rivers. This motivated the first study of this dissertation, specifically designed to determine if the Congaree River is indeed a mixed bedrock-alluvial river in its low sinuosity (upstream) reach. To test this hypothesis, sonar-based measurements of channel bed and sublayer elevation were performed from Columbia to the Congaree River-Wateree River confluence. The sublayer is here defined as the first surface visible in the sonar measurements underneath …

Assessing Spatio-Temporal Variations And Trends Of Rainfall Over Somalia From 1991 To 2020, Paul Ts Limbu Sr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study aims to examine the spatiotemporal variability and trends of rainfall over Somalia using the Mann-Kendall (MK) test and Sen’s slope estimator to investigate the trend and magnitude of the rainfall changes and the arithmetic mean and coefficient of variation (CV) to examine the rainfall variability. To achieve this aim, the gridded monthly satellite rainfall datasets from Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS) for the period between 1991 and 2020 were used. Results show that annual rainfall generally exhibits bimodal rainfall distribution, March to May (Gu) and September to November (Deyr), though southern coastal regions receive extended …

Application Of Mangrove Timber In Reinforcing Concrete, John K. Makunza Jkm

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Use of mangrove timber beams for supporting floor slabs in historic buildings in Zanzibar Stone Town is still applied although the available structural data on mangrove timber is inadequate. This concern has called for an investigation on the structural properties of mangrove timber, so that the information obtained could help to establish the structural strength of the existing floor slabs in historic buildings. Hence, mangrove timber specimens were sampled from Zanzibar, and tested in the laboratory for their strengths in tension, compression and shear. The test results showed that mangrove is a hardwood timber of strength class D70, the highest …

Assessment Of Spatial Variability Of Groundwater Potential Using Remote Sensing And Gis-Based-Criteria Evaluation For Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Augustina Alexander

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Groundwater is an important resource for the continuous provision of water supply in both urban and rural areas. Lack of enough knowledge about the spatial variability of groundwater potential zones (GWPZS) has a negative impact on groundwater extraction development and management and may result into over exploitation. In this study, analytic hierarchy approach (AHP)-coupled with multi criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and GIS techniques were employed to integrate hydrogeological, geological as well as topographical data to assess spatial variability of groundwater potential zones of Dar es Salaam city. Seven thematic layers such as lithology, slope, land-use, lineament, drainage, soil, and rainfall …

Extraction And Characterization Of Fibres From The Bark Of Ficus Nekbudu Tree, Liberato V Haule

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper investigates the extraction and characterization of fibres from the bark of the ficus nekbudu tree. The Ficus Nekbudu Fibres (FNF) was extracted from the bark by retting in water and then treatment with sodium hydroxide solution. The extracted FNF was analysed for chemical composition, physical, tensile, surface, structural and thermal stability properties. Findings on the chemical composition indicated that FNF has cellulose (49.9 %), lignin (13.4%), ash (7.1%) and water content (8.1%). From the physical investigation it was found that FNF has density (1.42 ± 0.005 g/cm3) and moisture regain (9.2 ±0.3%). From mechanical investigation it was found …

Designing A Model Of Solar Photovoltaic Water Pumping System For Off-Grid Localities In Tanzania, Imani Mruma

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Modeling of photovoltaic (PV) water pumping system for rural water localities is vital especially in these modern days, in Tanzania. This is due to the rise of high number of solar-powered rural water projects constructed lacking appropriate design. The fate result into poor and substandard projects delivering below expectations. Kikombo Solar Water Project situated in Dodoma; Tanzania is one among poorly designed solar project chosen as a case study to validate proposed model. The main problem of Kikombo project is unsatisfactory amount of water from domestic points to satisfy population demand. This matter has been raised by pumping-station attendants and …

Vulnerable Road User Safety: Data Collection, Analysis, And Countermeasures, Anahita Kakhani

Theses and Dissertations

The safety of pedestrians and bicyclists (vulnerable road users) has become a paramount global concern, especially with a 53% and 31% surge in related crashes over the past decade in the U.S. Despite transportation agencies implementing various safety measures to address this issue, the number of severe injuries among these road users continues to climb annually. This underscores the urgent need for innovative methodologies and technologies to pinpoint the factors compromising their safety. To do so, this study aimed to introduce and employ techniques and countermeasures to gain deeper insight into risks faced by vulnerable road users. This study includes …

Developing A Smart And Sustainable Public Transportation System: A Case Study In Camden, New Jersey, Zahra Vafakhah

Theses and Dissertations

The transportation sector is a major contributor to air pollution and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. As a significant source of emissions, public transportation presents an opportunity for mitigation through electrification. However, transitioning to an electric bus fleet necessitates substantial investments in bus procurement and charging infrastructure. To address the associated costs, this study introduces a mixed-integer linear mathematical model developed to optimize the location of on-route fast charging stations within bus networks. The central objective of this optimization formulation is to minimize the overall cost of establishing the charging infrastructure. The study employs a real-world case study focusing on a …

Evaluation Of Digital Twin Approaches For Thermal Modeling And Energy Optimization For Existing Buildings, Jason Bastie Muermann

Theses and Dissertations

Residential, commercial, and industrial building sectors in the United States were responsible for 42% of the nation’s consumption of 100.2 quadrillion BTUs of energy in 2019 [1]. 80% of the nation’s energy is sourced from fossil fuels, including coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Fossil fuels are known contributors to carbon emissions and climate change, making energy reduction vital. Consequently, New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NJDMAVA) is tasked with evaluating energy consumption and efficiency in all New Jersey Army National Guard (NJARNG) facilities, as mandated by TAG Policy Letter 18-5, Executive Order 13990, and the Energy Independence and …

Social Vulnerability Of The People Exposed To Wildfires In U.S. West Coast States, Arash Modaresi Rad, John T. Abatzoglou, Erica Fleishman, Miranda H. Mockrin, Volker C. Radeloff, Yavar Pourmohamad, Megan Cattau, J. Michael Johnson, Philip Higuera, Nicholas J. Nauslar, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding of the vulnerability of populations exposed to wildfires is limited. We used an index from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the social vulnerability of populations exposed to wildfire from 2000–2021 in California, Oregon, and Washington, which accounted for 90% of exposures in the western United States. The number of people exposed to fire from 2000–2010 to 2011–2021 increased substantially, with the largest increase, nearly 250%, for people with high social vulnerability. In Oregon and Washington, a higher percentage of exposed people were highly vulnerable (>40%) than in California (~8%). Increased social vulnerability of …

An Investigation Into Ireland’S Bim Skills Gap, Guadalupe Centanni, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The adoption of digital skills within the Irish AEC Sector has the potential to enhance efficiency and competitiveness among its stakeholders. Despite this opportunity, there is still a high demand for skilled BIM professionals, which cannot be currently met. To meet this skills demand and directly target future skills gaps within Ireland, several challenges must be addressed to facilitate broader BIM adoption. This paper focuses on addressing this gap by identifying steps to be followed to develop skilled professionals within BIM. This has been achieved by investigating the extent to which construction stakeholders in Ireland comprehend BIM and, examiningthe training …

Accelerating Bim Adoption In Ireland: A Ten-Year Review Of Cita Bim Gathering Proceedings, Alan Hore, Roger West, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

Digital construction interfaces have been studied extensively over the last few decades, with an ever-grow- ing catalogue of publications. The CitA BIM Gathering conferences have played a key role in bringing together the research and industry communities ina collaborative setting over the past decade in Ireland. In this paper the authors systematically review 10 years of papers published in the BIM Gathering pro- ceedings since the inaugural conference in 2013. A total of 175 papers involving over 200 authors have been reviewed and classified under the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) recommendations in respect to ac- celerating BIM adoption. The …

Industry Colloquium Report, Robert Moore

Reports

In the ever-evolving landscape of the construction industry, digital transformation has emerged as a pivotal force reshaping the way projects are conceived, executed, and delivered. This transformation, fuelled by cutting-edge technology and innovative practices, holds the promise of greater efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration within the construction sector.

This report offers a comprehensive summary of the Build Digital Project colloquium. It provides actionable insights and recommendations for clients, supply chain partners, and for prioritisation within the Build Digital Project pillars. As the industry partners seek to build a more efficient, sustainable, and collaborative construction sector, understanding and harnessing the invaluable insights …

Shrinkage And Consolidation Characteristics Of Chitosan-Amended Soft Soil: A Sustainable Alternate Landfill Liner Material, Romana Mariyam Rasheed, Arif Ali Baig Moghal, Sai Sampreeth Reddy Jannepally, Ateekh Ur Rehman, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Kuttanad is a region that lies in the southwest part of Kerala, India, and possesses soft soil, which imposes constraints on many civil engineering applications owing to low shear strength and high compressibility. Chemical stabilizers such as cement and lime have been extensively utilized in the past to address compressibility issues. However, future civilizations will be extremely dependent on the development of sustainable materials and practices such as the use of bio-enzymes, calcite precipitation methods, and biological materials as a result of escalating environmental concerns due to carbon emissions of conventional stabilizers. One such alternative is the utilization of biopolymers. …

Antibiotic Resistance In Urban Stormwater: A Review Of The Dissemination Of Resistance Elements, Their Impact, And Management Opportunities, Kassidy N. O'Malley, Walter M. Mcdonald, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The public health crisis of antibiotic resistance is a growing threat across the world that is only expected to intensify in the coming years. The cycling of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment via urban stormwater runoff is one means by which humans are exposed to resistant bacteria as traditional gray stormwater infrastructure facilitates the transport of resistance elements into water bodies utilized by the public. In this review, existing research on the occurrence of ARGs in urban stormwater runoff is critically reviewed with the goal of determining the role of stormwater in the dissemination and development of antibiotic …

Impact Of Corrosion Inhibitors On Antibiotic Resistance, Metal Resistance, And Microbial Communities In Drinking Water, Lee K. Kimbell, Emily Lou Lamartina, Stan Kohls, Yin Wang, Ryan J. Newton, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Corrosion inhibitors, including zinc orthophosphate, sodium orthophosphate, and sodium silicate, are commonly used to prevent the corrosion of drinking water infrastructure. Metals such as zinc are known stressors for antibiotic resistance selection, and phosphates can increase microbial growth in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Yet, the influence of corrosion inhibitor type on antimicrobial resistance in DWDS is unknown. Here, we show that sodium silicates can decrease antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), while zinc orthophosphate increases ARB and ARGs in source water microbial communities. Based on controlled bench-scale studies, zinc orthophosphate addition significantly increased the abundance of ARB …

In Situ Monitoring Of The Hydration Of Calcium Silicate Minerals In Cement With A Remote Fiber-Optic Raman Probe, Bohong Zhang, Wenyu Liao, Hongyan Ma, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study utilized a novel in situ fiber-optic Raman probe to continuously monitor the hydration progress of tricalcium silicate (C3S) and dicalcium silicate (C2S) without the need for sampling, from early hydration stage to later stages, and from fresh to hardened states of paste samples. by virtue of the remarkable ability of this technique in characterizing either dry or wet and crystalline or amorphous samples, the hydration processes of C3S and C2S pastes with different water-to-solid (w/s) ratios could be monitored from the start of the hydration reaction. the main hydration products, calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) and portlandite/calcium hydroxide (CH), …

Challenges In Optimization For The Performance On Sustainability Dimensions In Reverse Logistics Social Responsibility, Sumarsono Sudarto, Katsuhiko Takahashi, Mochammad Dewo

Makara Journal of Technology

Reverse logistics social responsibility is preferred as the most acceptable solution for addressing the challenges in stakeholders’ debate regarding social responsibility in supply chains because it involves as many actors as possible in the supply chain to perform social responsibility to achieve sustainability. This paper explores the challenges in achieving optimal policies in sustainability dimensions for collection and recycling facilities in reverse logistics. Sustainability dimensions include economic, environmental, and social aspects. The reverse logistics is modeled on System Dynamics, and a simplified statistical analysis using a contour chart is employed in numerical experiments. Results show a narrow area of optimal …

Investigating The Resistance Properties Of Concrete Containing Waste Carpet Fibers, Faezeh Nejati, Ali Mahboobi

Makara Journal of Technology

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the use of waste carpet fiber (WCF) and assessing the resistance properties of concrete. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effect of the internal processing of concrete containing WCF on increasing its resistance properties. At the same time, the secondary goals pursued in the research included determining the optimal percentages of carpet fibers in improving compressive strength, tensile strength, and bending strength. The materials used included cement, aggregates, water, WCF, and super lubricant. This research applied seven mixing designs: A, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, and D2. …

Permeability Prediction For Expansive Soil Based On Physical Properties Using Artificial Neural Networks, Ferry Fatnanta, Imam Suprayogi, Nicola Rabb Ranata, Soewignjo Agus Nugroho, Agus Ika Putra

Makara Journal of Technology

Permeability is a soil parameter related to the construction industry to understand the processes of infiltration, runoff, and settlement. The risk of testing errors is inevitable in permeability investigations, especially in expansive soils. Trial and error in permeability testing becomes difficult due to soils with small pore sizes and large shrinkage expansion. Several studies related to soil physical properties that affect permeability have been conducted. However, the correlation results obtained still have poor accuracy. Artificial neural networks (ANN) are machine learning systems that can change their structure to solve problems that are included in the system. The use of ANNs …

Improving Square Skirted Foundations Behavior On Sand, Tamer Al-Shyoukhi, Ayman Altahrany, Mahmoud Elmeligy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Shallow foundations' behavior is enhanced by using skirts to confine the soil beneath the foundation. The bearing capacity and settlement of skirted foundations resting on the sand are influenced by the size of the skirt cell and shear strength of sand. Experimental modelling was carried out on an axially square-skirted footing resting on sand in this study. Plaxis-3D software was used for numerical analysis to support the experimental results. The numerical analysis results validated the experimental results. The outcomes of the study demonstrated that skirts wider than the footing size increased the bearing capacity of skirted foundations. In the case …

Failure Analysis Of Light Poles On Highway Bridges Exposed To Extreme Winds, Yanlin Chen

LSU Master's Theses

Light poles are critical secondary structural components that support the functionality and safety of transportation systems. However, they are tall slender structures vulnerable to wind load. This research attempts to analyze the mechanism of the widespread failure (69 poles failed) of light poles on an elevated highway bridge exposed to Category 4 Hurricane Laura (2020). To understand the mechanism of the failure, a comprehensive analysis is conducted. A nonlinear finite element model is created to simulate the structural responses. Wind pressures are obtained and applied to the FEM to perform nonlinear static and transient analysis. Research results indicate that, when …

An Object-Based Ground Filtering Of Airborne Lidar Data For Large-Area Dtm Generation, Hunsoo Song, Jinha Jung

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Digital terrain model (DTM) creation is a modeling process that represents the Earth’s surface. An aptly designed DTM generation method tailored for intended study can significantly streamline ensuing processes and assist in managing errors and uncertainties, particularly in large-area projects. However, existing methods often exhibit inconsistent and inexplicable results, struggle to clearly define what an object is, and often fail to filter large objects due to their locally confined operations. We introduce a new DTM generation method that performs object-based ground filtering, which is particularly beneficial for urban topography. This method defines objects as areas fully enclosed by steep slopes …

Deep Learning Techniques For Efficient Evaluation Of Asphalt Pavement Condition, Kamel Mahdy, Ahmed Zekry, Mohamed Moussa, Ahmed Mohamed, Hassan Mahdy, Mohamed Elhabiby

Mansoura Engineering Journal

For the last few decades, researchers have been devising a simple and cost-effective method to evaluate pavement distresses to give decision-makers adequate feedbacks about the pavement condition of a certain road. Fortunately, with the evolution and progression of computer vision tools and techniques, good results had been achieved regarding the detection, classification, and quantification of road distress. In this paper, a new efficient process of road distress analysis using deep learning models is introduced. This new process was tested on a collected road dataset to evaluate the efficiency and speed of this low-cost road maintenance system. Promising results were obtained …

Skills Matter – Up-Skilling Across Construction Stakeholders For Emerging Roles, Avril Behan, Paul Mccormack, Barry Mcauley

Conference Papers

The EU’s Climate Target Plan To 2030 (European Union 2020b) of achieving at least 55% reduction in Green House Gas emissions from 1990 levels, delivering towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, requires systems-level change in the way we design, construct, and operate our built assets. Funding initiatives, such as co-ordinated by BUILD UP Skills, aim to deliver upskilling to the market but targets set by the European Skills Agenda may not be reached at current achievement levels. This paper presents the results of one completed and the progress of one ongoing Horizon 2020 funded project, BIMcert and ARISE, respectively. Learning …

Machine Learning-Enabled Regional Multi-Hazards Risk Assessment Considering Social Vulnerability, Tianjie Zhang, Donglei Wang, Yang Lu

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The regional multi-hazards risk assessment poses difficulties due to data access challenges, and the potential interactions between multi-hazards and social vulnerability. For better natural hazards risk perception and preparedness, it is important to study the nature-hazards risk distribution in different areas, specifically a major priority in the areas of high hazards level and social vulnerability. We propose a multi-hazards risk assessment method which considers social vulnerability into the analyzing and utilize machine learning-enabled models to solve this issue. The proposed methodology integrates three aspects as follows: (1) characterization and mapping of multi-hazards (Flooding, Wildfires, and Seismic) using five machine learning …