Civil Engineering Commons^™

Exploring The Use Of Piox System For Treatment Of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds, Alexander Pearson

Civil Engineering Theses

In this thesis, the Photon Initiated Oxidation (PIOx) system was investigated for its possible use in the treatment of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs). It was theorized that the unique design of the system, namely the multiple wavelengths of UV light and the micronfoam would improve removal rates of the test contaminant when compared to other systems. 17β-estradiol was chosen as the test contaminant due to the compounds known sensitivity to ozone exposure. Two methods of testing were used, the first to test an idealized homogenous concentration (method one) and the second to mimic the sudden influx of contaminant that would …

Evaluation For Using Expended Bioelectrochemical Systems As Soil Amendments For Improved Corn Plant Growth And A Drought Resistant Soil., Jackson Lee Sauers

Theses and Dissertations

A long-held practice is to mix agricultural soil with a soil amendment to improve growing conditions in crops. A common soil amendment is biosolids produced from both municipal and dairy wastewater due to the macro- and micronutrients within it. Both the agricultural and wastewater industries are participating in the Circular Economy concept (CEC). Two experiments explored using expended bioelectrochemical systems (BES) that treated either synthetic dairy wastewater (DWW) or synthetic municipal wastewater (SWW) as soil amendments to improve corn plant growth when treated with three different nutrient treatments: 100%- 50%- and 0% Hoagland Nutrient Solutions. Biochar and used terracotta clay …

Behavior Of Completely Automated Evapotranspiration Estimation (Eemetric), Atiqullah Atif

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evapotranspiration (ET) is the second-largest component in the water balance equation, globally consuming 70% of the earth’s annual precipitation. Accurate and consistent estimation of ET is essential for ensuring water resources sustainability, proper management, planning, and regulations of water resources. Though a 100% accurate estimation of ET may not be feasible with the current technology, there are proven techniques that give us estimates of ET we can heavily rely on. Mapping Evapotranspiration at High Resolution with Internalized Calibration (METRIC) is a widely used surface energy balance model that produces relatively accurate ET maps utilizing remote sensing data and requires skilled …

Experimental And Numerical Study: Sheet Pile Abutment Systems For Water-Crossing Bridges, Hung Phi Van

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Sheet piles are geotechnical-structural elements with interlocking edges together that are driven into the ground to deliver soil retention and excavation support. Steel sheet pile walls are widely used for retaining walls, riverbank protection, seawalls, cofferdams, etc. In Nebraska, sheet pile walls prevent scouring and protect backfill for bridge abutment systems. While sheet piling is not designed and applied to resist vertical load, several recent studies attempted to investigate whether sheet piles could be employed for axial load bearing. Many projects from Europe and some in the U.S. have utilized the axial load-bearing capacity of sheet piles in bridge abutment …

Stochastic Approach To Hydrological Dam Safety In The Framework Of The New Dam Safety Standards In Spain, Iván Gabriel-Martin, Francisco J. Caballero, Álvaro Sordo-Ward, Luis Garrote

Protections Conference

The approval of the Technical Safety Standards for dams and reservoirs in Spain in 2021 increased the hydrological safety requirements, being necessary to check if measures have to be implemented in dams designed according to the prior standards. Some of these dams have scarce instrumentation and lack of hydrometeorological data. This work proposes a simple but sounded fully-stochastic methodology for assessing the hydrological safety of dams within this situation, potentially applicable outside academia. The methodology has been applied to a case study based on a real dam, and compared the results obtained to those of the standard deterministic procedure. We …

Wirewall A Follow Up: Labratory And Field Measurements Of Wave Overtopping, Tim Pullen, Jenny Brown, Margaret Yelland, Robin Pascal, Richard Pinnell, Chris Cardwell, David Jones

Protections Conference

At the Protections 2018 conference, the WireWall wave overtopping research project was introduced. WireWall uses recent advances in high frequency capacitance wire technology that can measure overtopping data. Wave overtopping has now been measured in the laboratory and in the field using the WireWall system. Here we provide an update on the validation of the system in flume tests and results from the first field measurement campaign.

Before deployment in the field, an extensive set of tests were carried out in one of the 2D wave flumes at HR Wallingford. These tests simulated known wave conditions from a buoy near …

Methodology For Calculating The Response Of Porous Media For Evaluating Grass Response To Overtopping Loads, Myron Von Damme, Dennis Den Ouden-Van Der Horst

Protections Conference

Grass covers offer a level of erosion protection against hydrodynamic loads induced by overtopping waves. The development of an accurate failure criterion for grass covers has been hampered by the lack of understanding of how grass fails. Methods have been developed to predict the hydrodynamic loads that act on the levee surface and consequently are transmitted to the porous grass cover and subsoil. However, it is unknown how these hydrodynamic surface loads on the soil are distributed amongst the pore water pressures and effective stresses, thereby offering a significant challenge for engineers to simulate the transmission of stresses into the …

Hydraulic Computations For Stepped Concrete Overlays Of Embankment Dams, Tony L. Wahl, Sherry L. Hunt, Kem C. Kadavy, Henry T. Falvey

Protections Conference

One method for rehabilitating and modernizing embankment dams is the addition of a concrete overlay that protects the embankment and allows floods to pass safely over the dam. Roller compacted concrete is commonly used, which makes it practical to use a stepped construction that also enhances energy dissipation. Analysis of flow conditions over such structures requires computation of aerated flow and its effects on flow depth, training wall design, and energy dissipation. This paper describes Spillway Pro, an energy-based water surface profile calculation tool for smooth spillway chutes (Wahl et al. 2019), recently improved to also analyze stepped chutes. The …

Field Testing Of The Overflow Erosion Of Rhone River Levees, Christophe Picault, Fabrice Campette, Stéphane Bonelli, Sylvie Nicaise, Naim Chaouch, Faustine Byron, Yves Gremeaux, Alexis Doghmane, Mathys Garoui, Jordan Herbeck, Frédéric Golay

Protections Conference

It is important to quantify the soil resistance against erosion caused by the overflow of dikes and levees. Small-scale tests are not recommended, as they do not provide a correct representation of the actual soil in place and do not take into account the geometry of the structure. For this reason, the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) developed an on-site overflow device in 2015. The procedure followed is based on ASTM-D6460 standard. Two tests were performed in May 2022 on a Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) dike near Avignon (France). The dike is 6.2 m high; …

Recent Case Histories Of Cascade Failures And Overflowing Events Of Embankment Dams, Alexius Vogel, Jean-Robert Courivaud, Katarzyna Jarecka

Protections Conference

Excessive rainfall and extensive flooding within the context of a changing environment show the fact that resistance to overflowing erosion of embankment dams needs to be better assessed because of the increasing number of dam failures caused by overflowing, implying the necessity of a reaction to this kind of challenges. Better understandings of the embankment failure processes and the dominant parameters affecting these kinds of failures are necessary for predicting and modeling the breach processes. Acquiring this better understanding of the physical processes and a numerical prediction capability requires progressing in parallel in laboratory and field test investigations of embankment …

Evaluating Arkansas Weathering Steel Bridge Performance, Yessenia Gonzalez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Weathering steel enhances corrosion-resistant steel features over conventional steel when a patina properly forms on the weathering steel surface. Weathering steel is a low carbon steel of less than 0.3% carbon by weight and has a chemical composition including other alloying elements such as nickel, copper, and chromium that develops a patina. The patina is a dense protective oxide film layer that develops on the steel member surface. The patina defends the steel from corrosion by preventing moisture, oxygen, and contaminant penetration. However, long periods of moisture and deicing chemicals applied during wet wintry conditions hinder proper patina formation. Without …

Improving Building Cfd Peak Pressure Computation Using Les With A Focus On Inflow Turbulence Methods And Grid Spacing Size., Zahra Mansouri

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structural failures by extreme winds often leads to economic losses and even deaths. Proper design of buildings requires accurate estimation of wind loads to prevent structural damage. Using routine guidelines generally leads to the underestimation of buildings’ peak pressures, in which most failures occur. To estimate wind loads more accurately three different methods (i.e., field measurement, wind tunnel (WT), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)) are in use. A well-validated CFD provides more flow field details at lower costs compared to field measurements and WT. As strong winds are extremely turbulent, the effects of turbulence in wind should be incorporated into …

Performance Evaluation Of The Modified Moisture Barrier In Stabilizing Shallow Slope Failures, Muhasina Manjur Dola

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Each year significant number of highway slope failures are reported in the United States, especially in states like Texas where expansive clayey soil is prevalent. Slopes constructed over expansive clay often experience recurring shallow failures following their construction which poses maintenance problems to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). These shallow slope failures can be primarily attributed to the considerable volume change that expansive clay soil undergoes from seasonal climatic variation. Furthermore, under unsaturated conditions during dry periods, high matric suction (i.e., negative porewater pressure) exists in soil slopes. The existence of matric suction contributes to the shear strength of …

Development Of A Decesion Tree To Rehabilitate Or Replace The St. Francis Bridge Over Ih-30, Md Farhan Abir

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

ABSTRACT: The ASCE infrastructure report card indicated that about 42% of the nation’s bridges are over 50 years old, and 7.5% of the bridges are structurally deficient. The 61-year-old St. Francis bridge over IH-30 is one of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) bridges that exhibit significant deterioration in the superstructure, including potholes and delamination in the deck. The bridge was load posted to 28,000 lb. limit and has substandard vertical and horizontal clearances to the bottom chord of the beams and supporting piers, respectively, which creates a high risk for vehicle impact. In 2017, an over-height truck struck the …

Study Of The Impact Of Atmospheric Variability On Subsurface Methane Emissions: Application To Leak Detection And Quantification For Underground Natural Gas Pipeline Leaks, Shanru Tian

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Natural gas (NG), taken as a bridging fuel for achieving a low-carbon future, has rapidly grown to be a significant component of the global energy system and requires extensive pipeline infrastructures, most of them buried underground. Fugitive methane (CH4) emissions from NG pipeline leaks pose environmental, safety, and economic threats to the public. An effective leak detection and quantification (LDAQ) survey method is critical to identifying a leak and assessing the size when it has occurred, thus initiating appropriate response actions to repair it and accounting for the environmental risks accurately. However, gaps exist between LDAQ survey methods, and the …

Investigation Of Models To Predict The Remaining Useful Life Of Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe, Ahmad Mahmoud Jibreen

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The water distribution system in the United States consists of 2.2 million miles of pipelines with water main breaks that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2021 Report Card estimated results in six billion gallons of drinking water lost daily. Detecting the state of pipeline deterioration should always be a top priority in the water pipeline industry This dissertation statistically evaluates data from more than 70,000 electromagnetic inspections that have been performed since the installation of these pipes in 1971. The scope of this dissertation is related to performance and degradation of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) which is …

Investigation Of Geopolymer Based Soil Stabilization Methods For Expedient Airfield Pavement Surfaces, Brett Albertson

All Theses

The United States Air Force (USAF) has the unique capability of being able to interdict superior airpower anywhere, at any time. However, superior airpower is only as effective as the amount of time an aircraft can spend in a particular area. The closer an aircraft can get to the mission need, the more time that can be spent in the air, or the less time that must be spent moving in and out of the operational area. Through the use of skilled and experienced men and women, the USAF is able to apply expedient and unsurfaced airfield paving techniques that …

Performance Based Design And Machine Learning In Structural Fire Engineering: A Case For Masonry, Deanna Craig

All Theses

The volatile and extreme nature of fire makes structural fire engineering unique in that the load actions dictating design are intense but not geographically or seasonally bound. Simply, fire can break out anywhere, at any time, and for any number of reasons. Despite the apparent need, fire design of structures still relies on expensive fire tests, complex finite element simulations, and outdated procedures with little room for innovation. This thesis will make a case for adopting the principles of performance-based design and machine learning in structural fire engineering to simplify the process and promote the consideration of fire in all …

Finite Element Approach On Minimization Of Cracks At I-Girder Ends Induced By Prestress, Sangit Rauniyar

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Prestressed I-girders are one of the very commonly and widely used girders for bridges. It is produced at precast plant and transported to bridge site. To produce a prestressed I-girder, strands are first pulled and concrete is poured in I-girder’s formwork. Once the concrete reaches a desired strength, strands are released which induce prestress in I-girder. There are mainly two types of design for I-girders-one that requires debonding of strands at the end of I-girders and another that requires harping of strands at the end of I-girders. The debonding and harping of strands are done to reduce tension at the …

Improving The Analysis And Prediction Of Coastal Flooding During Hurricane Landfalls Through Coupled And Integrated Modeling, Md Arifur Rahman

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: As the intensity and frequency of landfalling tropical storms are likely on the rise in a warming climate, coastal communities are increasingly being exposed to flooding caused by storm surges compounded by heavy rainfall. Prediction and reanalysis of storm surges, especially compound flooding, rely on wind and pressure fields either from parametric tropical cyclone wind models or numerical weather model reanalysis. Both are subject to significant errors during landfall. Besides, land surface attributes and different storm structures influence the intensity and location of compound flooding in coastal areas. Therefore, this dissertation aims to improve the analysis and prediction of …

Performance Evaluation Of Recycled Plastic Pins In Two Layers To Stabilize Deep Slope Failures, Sachini Madanayake

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Slope failures are a common occurrence in highway embankments throughout Texas due to the presence of high plastic clays with expansive behavior. Although shallow slope failures are prevalent, slope failures extending deeper into the slope occur due to the development of micro and macro cracks. The cracks facilitate the infiltration of rainwater deeper into the slope over time. Slope failures incur thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs every year for transportation departments across the country. Recycled Plastic Pins (RPP) have been identified as an effective, cost efficient, and sustainable solution to stabilize shallow failures. The resistance of RPP is mobilized …

Influence Of Climate And Droughts On Visibility Degradation In Saudi Arabia, Saleh Alhathloul

All Dissertations

The spatial and temporal distribution of temperature and precipitation determines the availability of water resources for ecosystems. The hydrological cycle can be disrupted by differences in meteorological variables and the random nature of water demand. Horizontal visibility degradation is an indicator of the changes in local meteorological variables, rainfall deficits, and drought conditions. Long-term analysis of meteorological variables and visibility records helps understand the causes of visibility degradation. The first objective of this dissertation is to investigate the long-term variability of horizontal visibility along with metrological variables based on annual and seasonal time scales over Saudi Arabia. The second objective …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Measuring Acoustic Nonlinearity Of Elastic Materials Using Thermal Modulation Of Ultrasonic Waves, Bibo Zhong

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nonlinear acoustic techniques have been used to determine the nonlinear properties of materials. Existing methods either require complex equipment to measure absolute nonlinear coefficients or can only be used on laboratory-sized specimens. A recently developed thermal modulation method addresses the limitations of existing methods, but further theoretical analysis and validation are required.

In this dissertation, theoretical analyses were first conducted to study the mechanically and thermally induced acoustoelastic effect. Beginning with the wave equation, the relationship of the ultrasonic wave velocity with respect to mechanical strain and the thermal strain was derived in detail. These analyses provided theoretical support for …

The Rise Of Terrorism In Africa And What It Means For U.S. Policymakers, Bridget Mary Hughes

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes three case studies to measure the rise of terrorism in Africa. This qualitative data leads the reader to one ultimate question: what does the rise in terrorism in Africa mean for the United States (U.S.) and U.S. policymakers, National Security academia, students in National Security, if anything at all? The answer is: if civilian and military compounds are being targeted by these violent extremists, as these three case studies demonstrate, it is my recommendation that U.S. policymakers cease sending troops to the African theater and, instead, allocate funding to the citizens and nonprofits of the countries whom …

Evaluation Of Relationship Between Sulfate Content And Electrical Resistivity, Zobair Ahmed

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Texas soils typically have sulfate content due to certain geologic formation types. Soil sulfate needs to be identified and quantified to minimize damage to infrastructure caused by sulfate-induced heave. Electrical Resistivity Imaging can identify the presence of sulfate content in the soil. Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) is a non-destructive and fast way of obtaining continuous soil substructure profiles. Moisture fluctuations and soil heterogeneities can be found using an ERI approach. As a result, ERI is growing in popularity as a tool in geotechnical engineering, yet at the moment, it only offers qualitative data. It can be challenging to determine quantitative …

Effects Of Particle Size And Replacement Proportion Of Post-Consumer Glass In Concrete, Negasi Gebremichael

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Concrete, next to water, is the most used material (Gagg, 2014), which consumes natural or manufactured aggregates and resource-intensive cement. Concrete is also a more wasteful construction material than timber and steel. Depleting the natural resource due to aggregate extraction and the environmental unfriendliness of cement production have left the construction industry with no choice. Reducing waste, reusing, or recycling can help conserve natural resources. In this regard, the construction industry constantly seeks full or partial replacement of concrete aggregates and cement with recycled material. Glass is a candidate for replacing the three major components: cement, fine aggregate, and coarse …

Development And Application Of A Safety Index For Transit Stops: A Case Study From Las Vegas, Nevada, Rithesh Shivuni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research developed a methodology to evaluate safety proximate to transit stops through a Safety Index, identified key factors associated with fatal crashes proximate to bus transit stops, and illustrated the applications of these using a case study based on the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada, USA. The methodology is based on motor vehicle crashes that involve pedestrians recorded in the proximity of transit stops, and the severity of the crash outcomes. It focused on crashes which involved pedestrians that occurred within walking distances of individual transit stops. The severity of the crash outcomes was classified based on the …

Erosion And Resuspension Of Cohesive Sediments In Coastal Louisiana, Laith Qasem Shamaileh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this study is motivated by the need to improve the predictions of cohesive sediment erosion and subsequent transport. In addition, the knowledge of the geotechnical engineering soil properties related to the erosion of sediments in coastal Louisiana has broad implications as these properties are used in transport models guiding the current restoration efforts. The erosion measuring device used in the study is the Cheng-Han Tasi and Wilbert Lick Shaker. Previous studies have been conducted before using the Shaker, but challenges with the calibration of the shear stress hampered the resuspension results produced by the Shaker. Therefore, …

Numerical Simulation Of Hydrodynamic Forces On Riverine And Coastal Bridges Subjected To Extreme Weather Events, Fahad Pervaiz

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Recent bridge failures due to hurricane-generated storm surges and riverine flood events have highlighted the vulnerability of bridge infrastructure to extreme hydrodynamic loading. In addition to posing an immediate risk to human life, bridge failures can hinder evacuation planning and emergency response efforts. Changes in flood frequency and intensity due to climate change and urbanization may alter the hydrodynamic conditions along urban streams, further stressing bridge infrastructure designed based on historical flow conditions. As a result, quantifying the structural response and stability of bridges under current and future hydrodynamic conditions is crucial to improving transportation safety and efficiency. This …