Civil Engineering Commons^™

Mechanical Property Relationships Of Cement Or Lime Stabilized Soils Throughout A Pavement's Life, Leigh E.W. Ayers

Theses and Dissertations

Soil-cement is an integral part of pavement design, especially in areas that are aggregate deprived, such as Mississippi. Current designs are reliant on the relationship of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) to other mechanical properties. The other properties discussed in this dissertation are Modulus of Elasticity (E), Indirect Tensile Strength (St), and Modulus of Rupture (MOR). This dissertation includes a comprehensive review of past design methods and mechanical property relationships. While some mechanical property relationships were shown to be well understood (i.e. St to UCS), others were not as accurate, especially for the later life mechanical properties (i.e. MOR to UCS …

Impact Of Climate Oscillations/Indices On Hydrological Variables In The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer., Meena Raju

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA) is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the United States. The main objectives of this research are to identify long term trends and change points in hydrological variables (streamflow and rainfall), to assess the relationship between hydrological variables, and to evaluate the influence of global climate indices on hydrological variables. Non-parametric tests, MMK and Pettitt’s tests were used to analyze trend and change points. PCC and Streamflow elasticity analysis were used to analyze the relationship between streamflow and rainfall and the sensitivity of streamflow to rainfall changes. PCC and MLR analysis …

Development And Evaluation Of Seasonal, Continental-Scale Streamflow Forecasts, Elissa Marie Yeates

Theses and Dissertations

Methods of forecasting streamflow using atmospheric ensembles and hydrologic routing have greatly improved over the past decades. These forecasts anticipate the timing and magnitude of streamflow peaks, enabling early warning of floods. Recent advances in atmospheric modeling have enabled production of forecasts months ahead, which are less precise but give a useful sense of trends.

The purpose of this study is to produce and evaluate a seasonal streamflow forecast model using a Muskingum routing hydrologic model coupled with runoff from a land surface model, and atmospheric input from a medium-term atmospheric and precipitation model. To evaluate the skill of the …

Development Of An Analytical Method For Design Of Electromagnetic Energy Harvesters With Planar Magnetic Arrays, Mohsen Amjadian, Anil K. Agrawal, Hani H. Nassif

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, an analytical method is proposed for the modeling of electromagnetic energy harvesters (EMEH) with planar arrays of permanent magnets. It is shown that the proposed method can accurately simulate the generation of electrical power in an EMEH from the vibration of a bridge subjected to traffic loading. The EMEH consists of two parallel planar arrays of 5 by 5 small cubic permanent magnets (PMs) that are firmly attached to a solid aluminum base plate, and a thick rectangular copper coil that is connected to the base plate through a set of four springs. The coil can move …

Development, Characterization, And Modeling Of Physical, Mechanical, And Durability Properties Of Sustainable Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Tawsif M. Hasan

ETD Archive

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an advanced concrete material with superior mechanical strength, high tensile ductility, and exceptional durability, including negligible permeability. Despite these excellent material properties, the use of UHPC in structural applications is limited because of the high cost of commercially available UHPC products. Therefore, developing non-proprietary UHPC mixtures using local materials is a viable way to reduce the initial cost of UHPC. In this research, sustainable and cost-effective UHPC mixtures were developed using locally sourced materials so that UHPC may be more affordable to a wider variety of applications. Specifically, locally available Type I-II cement, local sand …

Smart Intersections: Cooperative Traffic Control For Longer Battery Life Of Communicant Autonomous Vehicles, Fushata Andani Mohammed

Master of Science in Civil Engineering Theses

Abstract

The recent advances in information and communication technologies have enabled cooperative traffic control at signal-free intersections, which can significantly improve safety of the roads and performance of urban networks. The impacts of cooperative control of traffic on the battery life of communicant autonomous vehicles (CAVs), however, are not necessarily positive. This research develops an analytical model for the battery-capacity loss rate of CAV platoons coordinated to pass through signal-free smart intersections with no interruption. The main objective of the research is to demonstrate the importance of adjusting the macro-level setting of the cooperative control system for enhancing the battery …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts: Conceptual Scheduling, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy caused nearly $19 billion in damages in New York City including 69,000 residential units across the five boroughs. This disaster precipitated a post-disaster-rebuilding (PDR) project including roughly $4.2 billion in a Community Development Block Grant allocated towards PDR projects. A portion of the grant was used to construct a living breakwater in Tottenville, Staten Island, consisting of a resiliency approach to risk reduction through erosion prevention, wave energy attenuation, and enhancement of ecosystems and social resiliency to improve resistance to storms for the community of Tottenville. The ridges of each breakwater are designed with …

Analysis Of Properties Of Asphalt Binder With The Addition Of Lignin, Frank A. Martin Junior

Honors College Theses

As asphalt ages, its resistance to shear diminishes due to a change in composition, resulting in the need for repaving of roads. Current additives to asphalt binder focus on increasing the strength of the binder, but do nothing to prevent the ageing of the asphalt binder. Lignin is a biological additive that is known for its resistance to ultraviolet radiation. This research aims to study Lignin as an asphalt additive, which exhibits properties that can increase the resistance of degradation due to aging, as well as increasing the strength of the asphalt binder. This was done through the comparison of …

Sustainability In Construction Practices As Emphasis On Environmental Investing In Esg Model Grows, Maddie Heal

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to emphasize the importance of growing investment on environmental initiatives in business ESG models in regard to sustainable practices in construction. The ESG acronym is known as the environmental, social, and governance efforts that businesses strive to incorporate in their models to increase the responsibility of operations.

Investors continue to seek out responsible businesses when choosing which ventures to pursue. The analysis of the current construction crisis, current investments in the right direction of Eco-friendly design regarding construction, and the threats and benefits incentivizing those investments elucidates the need to emphasize socially responsible investment …

Determining Earthquake Impacts On Arkansas' Roadway Network: An Application Of Hazus., Simon Rothwell

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Natural hazards are a dangerous and unpredictable aspect of life on earth. They can cause devastating damage to our surroundings that makes movement of people, goods, and emergency services difficult. There is a need to plan for these disasters to ensure that damages to our infrastructure and people are minimized. It can be difficult for planners to determine which parts of a roadway network are most vulnerable to a specific disaster and what their impact on the rest of the network may be. This thesis uses a nationally available natural disaster estimation tool developed by FEMA called “Hazus” (FEMA, 2020). …

Port Infrastructure Resilience Through Combined Wind-Surge Demand Characterization, Kaley Callaway

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States economy is reliant on maritime transportation for 70% of imports and exports. Structures that are integral to the operation of ports, such as cranes, are jeopardized when tropical storms approach land. While wind is the only environmental load used to design dockside container cranes, storm surge often accompanies severe wind events and can create large structural loads. This study focuses on determining coupled storm-surge demands and the effect of waves on dockside container cranes. A damage index prediction tool that considers both maximum wind speed and storm surge height is developed and applied to historical hurricane data …

Refining Particle Size Specification For Asphalt Emulsion, Pedro Luis Diaz Romero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pavements begin to deteriorate as soon as they are constructed, and traffic is released. The rate at which a pavement deteriorates depends on the material quality, the environment, and the loads carried. To properly preserve pavements and extend their life, various pavement preservation treatments are used. For flexible pavements, a considerable number of these treatments use asphalt emulsion (which are refer to simply emulsions from here on). Emulsions are classified based on their particle charge and reactivity. Emulsions used in chip seals are usually of rapid set reactivity and are classified based on tests over fifty years old.

It has …

Cyclic Behavior Of Laterally Skewed Special Moment Frame Connections: Experimental Testing And System-Level Analyses, Mohammad Hossein Kashefizadeh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Special moment frames (SMFs) are frequently used in high seismic areas for architecturally constrained designs. SMFs provide lateral system stiffness without the use of braces that often obstruct views and architectural features. Current American Institute of Steel Construction (ASIC) provisions (AISC 341-16) provide prequalified SMF connection details; however, all prequalified details only consider orthogonal connections between the beam and column. This dissertation investigates the effect of adding skew within SMF beam-to-column connections. The study presented herein involves system-level dynamic time-history analyses of skewed SMF connections, the analytical component-level investigation into the effect of the concrete slab on behavior of the …

Rapid Non-Nuclear In Situ Density And Moisture Content Measurement Of Soil, Mateo Lopez

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Adequate soil compaction is important for the stability and safety of structures and transportation infrastructure. Thus, methods utilized to obtain properties that control the quality of compaction in the field are essential to ensure proper construction. These properties include; total density, dry density, total unit weight and dry unit weight of the compacted soil. The most common method to measure these properties in the field is the Nuclear Density Gauge. Moisture content and density results are obtained using the Nuclear Density Gauge in one to four minutes. However, this method requires specialized training and strict storage requirements in addition to …

Validation Of Cfd Tornado Pressure On Building And Wind Field With Ttu Vortex Chamber Measurements, Sumit Verma

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Structural failure of low-rise buildings is the root cause of higher number of casualties, death tolls and economic losses at the place of occurrence of tornadoes. Proper design of low-rise buildings in tornado-prone areas require accurate estimation of tornado-induced wind loads; however, exhaustive research to estimate the wind loads reliably on buildings during tornadic events is still lacking. Several studies have been carried out to investigate the magnitude of forces induced by tornado winds on buildings from experimental as well as computational side. However, the wind pressures obtained on the building from different experimental studies have shown significant variation from …

A Campus Connected: An Analysis Of University Outdoor Spaces, Skylar Wilson

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to analyze the evolution of outdoor renovations on East Tennessee State University’s campus by examining the effects these renovations have had on students and faculty, and then using this data to propose possible successful renovations to the remainder of the University Commons project. To complete this project, data was obtained through East Tennessee State University administrative faculty interviews, surveys of students residing in campus resident halls, and observations. By examining the impact on behavior, designers and developers are then able to successfully determine the factors that aid in positively influencing human behaviors. Design suggestions …

Hydrodynamic Forces On Stream-Crossing Bridges – Consideration Of Flow Parameters, Bridge Geometry, And Debris, Shah Md Imran Kabir

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: This thesis examines the interaction of flood flow with bridge superstructures by considering the effects of the flow parameters, bridge geometry, debris, and bridge substructures. The hydrodynamic forces are expressed by using force and moment coefficient charts to portray the effect of bridge submersion, bridge position with respect to the channel bed, flood velocity, and bridge geometry. Of the 580,000 bridges in the United States, 83% span streams and rivers that may subject them to floods and debris loads. Although bridges are designed to withstand hydrodynamic forces, the most frequent causes of failure are attributed to hydraulic events, including …

Asset Management Of Wastewater Interceptors Adjacent To Bodies Of Water, Mohammad Bani Fawwaz

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation presents the viability of managing a pipeline network adjacent to bodies of water to maximize asset life by evaluating the significant factors that affect the condition levels of pipeline assets. Pipeline asset management derives from pipelines’ physical conditions, condition rating, and serviceability through testing, monitoring, and analyzing rupture history. The remaining asset life and structural condition of the pipeline network running near and under bodies of water are often hard to predict. In case of pipeline failure, exuberant damages will occur to the surrounding environment, adding up to disruption in service and repairing costs. This research develops Multinomial …

Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation Of Rebar Corrosion In Concrete, Khadiza Binte Jalal

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Corrosion of rebar is considered the leading cause of deterioration in concrete structures. When steel rust, it occupies larger volume and creates pressure on the concrete, leading to cracking and spalling. As the cross-section is being compromised, the structural capacity of the reinforced concrete structure is reduced. Corrosion is a slow natural electrochemical process that affects the long-term performance. However, sometimes premature catastrophic failure occurs due to corrosion, especially in chloride environments. Moreover, the cost of repair and replacement of deteriorated structures has become a major liability for management agencies. Consequently, it is important to determine the level of …

A Physical Model Of Deadmans Run, Quinn Brandt

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

A physical model of Deadmans Run and a pair of railroad bridges was constructed to assess the impacts of the bridges on flood flows. Lower Platte South Natural Resources District is planning a series of improvements to Deadmans Run to improve flood conveyance capacity and remove approximately 500 homes and businesses from the floodplain. The rail bridges are located less than a mile from the confluence of Deadmans Run and Salt Creek, meaning the bridges present a significant bottleneck to the planned improvements. The physical model was used to characterize the drag effects caused by the bridges, which was used …

Strain Measurements In Skewed Reduced Beam Section Special Moment Frame Connections, Elizabeth Moriconi

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A series of experimental tests were conducted in the Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC) at the University of Arkansas to evaluate the effect of beam skew on a reduced beam section. Various degrees of skew on deep and shallow column depths were tested following a cyclical loading protocol, established by the AISC Seismic Provisions, to analyze the capacity of the out-of-plane skew connection [1]. Using the prequalified cyclical loading protocol allows for the evaluation of SMF connections in skew configurations against seismic events. Strain distributions throughout the RBS section, the welded beam-column connection, and the column flange were …

Comparing The Stiffness Of Cold In-Place Recycled Asphalt Pavement To Hot Mix Asphalt: Determining The Reproducibility Of The Stiffness Rebound Test, Tanner Turben

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Stiffness Raveling Mechanism Test (SRMT) was originally developed as an indirect measure of pavement stiffness to determine a pavement’s tendency to ravel, a type of damage. Regarding rehabilitation of existing roadways by Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) Cold In-Place Recycling (CIR), concern of field repeatability was expressed (Hill & Braham, 2016).

An analysis of lab-compacted samples of CIR and Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) was performed to determine if the results could be reproduced between CIR and HMA. Additionally, the experiment observed the effects of percent air voids, temperature, and moisture conditioning on CIR and HMA. Three samples were prepared for …

Community Transportation Needs And Willingness To Use Shared Micromobility: A Case Study Of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Anthony Michael Kammerer

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Shared micromobility is utilized in “targeted service areas with the usage generally intended for short trips such as "first- and last-mile" connections to complete trips made via other modes, including transit” (Price et al., 2021). In the United States, this practice has especially taken off with the implementation of sharing-based systems. This is evidenced by ridership numbers in the United States growing from 84 million riders nationwide in 2018 to 136 million riders in 2019 (NACTO, 2020). Users often use their smart phone or another similar device to unlock the vehicle after paying a fee on the device through their …

An Extraction Method To Quantify The Fraction Of Extracellular And Intracellular Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Aquatic Environments, Kassidy N. O'Malley, Walter M. Mcdonald, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

As the abundance and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes increases in the environment, there is a concurrent increase in the threat to public and ecosystem health. Extracellular antibiotic resistance genes (eARGs) are cell-free DNA that can promote the development of antibiotic resistance via transformation by competent bacterial cells. Despite this role, eARGs have not been well characterized in different environmental waters. Their small size and low concentrations in some aquatic environments render them difficult to extract. The aim of this research was to modify an eARG extraction method to determine the abundance of both eARGs and intracellular ARGs (iARGs) in …

Fixed-Bed Column Study Of Phosphate Adsorption Using Immobilized Phosphate-Binding Protein, Faten B. Hussein, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Bio-adsorption using high-affinity phosphate-binding proteins (PBP) has demonstrated effective phosphorus removal and recovery in batch-scale tests. Subsequent optimization of design and performance of fixed-bed column systems is essential for scaling up and implementation. Here, continuous-flow fixed-bed column tests were used to investigate the adsorption of inorganic phosphate (orthophosphate, Pi) using phosphate-binding proteins immobilized on resin (PBP–NHS) targeting Pi removal to ultra-low levels followed by recovery. Time to breakthrough decreased with higher influent Pi concentration, smaller bed volume, and higher influent flow rates. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson breakthrough models adequately described PBP-NHS resin performance with a correlation coefficient of R2 > 0.95. …

Assessing Flooding Impact To Riverine Bridges: An Integrated Analysis, Maria Pregnolato, Andrew O. Winter, Dakota Mascarenas, Andrew D. Sen, Paul Bates, Michael R. Motley

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Flood events are the most frequent cause of damage to infrastructure compared to any other natural hazard, and global changes (climate, socioeconomic, technological) are likely to increase this damage. Transportation infrastructure systems are responsible for moving people, goods and services, and ensuring connection within and among urban areas. A failed link in these systems can impact the community by threatening evacuation capability, recovery operations and the overall economy. Bridges are critical links in the wider urban system since they are associated with little redundancy and a high (re)construction cost. Riverine bridges are particularly prone to failure during flood events; in …

Pedestrian Evacuation: Vulnerable Group Member Influence On The Group Leaders’ Decision-Making And The Impact On Evacuation Time, Terra Lynne Elzie

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As pedestrian evacuations of buildings, outdoor venues, and special events occur, dynamic interactions between pedestrians and vehicles during egress are possible. To model pedestrian and vehicle evacuations, simulation models have evolved to incorporate more realistic crowd characteristics and behaviors to provide improved results. Past studies using modeling and simulation, specifically agent-based modeling, have explored pedestrian behaviors such as decision-making, navigation within a virtual environment, group formations, intra-group interactions, inter-group dynamics, crowd behaviors such as queuing and herding, and pedestrianvehicle interactions. These studies have led to relevant insights helpful to improving the accuracy of evacuation times for normal and emergency egress …

Reconstruction Of As-Built Civil Infrastructure Using Lidar To Support Digital Twin Visualization, Jose Luis Lugo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Digital twin (DT) technology is state-of-the-art for engineering processes using a virtual model of a physical system with near real-time data exchange (either fully or semi-automated) during the process (collection and feedback). The potential of DT for as-built civil infrastructure remains relatively unexplored. To achieve the expectation of a DT, three main capacities must be met: (1) accurate virtual twin of physical asset (2) continuous data acquisition and data management (3) automated or semi-automated decision making from the data exchange. The challenge addressed herein is to determine a feasible approach to create an accurate virtual model (efficiently) from light detection …

Equity Driven Data Analysis For Public Transportation Planning, Gerardo Ivan Valenzuela Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Existing public transportation planning methods use a trip-based approach rather than a user-based approach; a user-based approach is sensitive to a broader range of planning strategies and policies, especially those that affect or take into consideration how users spend their time and resources. Even though transportation planning agencies such as Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) are required to strive for environmental and social justice, there is still a gap that needs to be filled. Urban population growth and urbanization with its impact on public planning require continuous research to address the constantly evolving challenges when it comes to transportation. As cities …

Detailing Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Anchorage For Shear Strengthening, Paul Joseph Ryan

Theses and Dissertations

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) have increased in popularity in the repair and strengthening of reduced shear capacity of concrete bridges. Significant design challenges arise when using CFRP to repair or strengthen bridge girders as the top faces of girders are in contact with decking (i.e. the members cannot be fully wrapped). A full wrap laminates all faces with CFRP and ensures that the failure mode is governed by shear fracture combined with, or followed by, fracture of the CFRP. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Structural Design Manual permits three-sided wrapping schemes (i.e. U-wraps), but the CFRP must be …