Civil Engineering Commons^™

Assessing Public Perception And Proposing An Organized Questionnaire For The Deployment And Adoption Of Autonomous Vehicles, Md Rakibul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Since the general public will play a central role in the evolution of AVs, research has been performed to assess their perception and acceptance of AVs. Nevertheless, the most potential users of AVs, i.e., young, students, and more educated people, have not received any particular focus in those studies. This research gap has motivated us to assess their perceptions. Extensive data analyses of the survey at the University of Central Florida with a sample of 315 reveal that on average 57% of the respondents were familiar with AVs, and about 44% of the respondents felt positive perceptions toward AVs. Around …

Development Of A Decision-Making Tool For Prediction Of Rainfall-Induced Landslides, Faisal Shakib Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Landslides are frequently observed in mountainous places following prolonged periods of rain, frequently resulting in substantial topography changes. They pose a significant risk to human lives and the built environment globally, particularly in areas prone to excessive rainfall. While slope failures can occur because of human-caused factors such as slope loading or toe cutting for construction purposes, many failures occur because of rainfall penetrating an otherwise stable slope. A greater understanding of the characteristics and mechanics of landslides is consequently critical for geotechnical research, particularly in evaluating prospective mitigation strategies. The potential of slope failure is a primary consideration when …

Sewer Vapor Intrusion Pathway: Simulation Of Indoor Piping Systems And Operation Of Aroma-Voc Gas Analyzer, Hong Cheng Tay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Vapor Intrusion (VI) is a transport phenomenon that occurs when contaminants migrate from sub-surface sources into indoor spaces. Sewer tunnels, plumbing connections, and piping infrastructures can be important contributors to an increased potential of VI in a site, which results in indoor concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC). In the present work, the topic of sewer VI pathways were investigated through a prototype made from various types of indoor plumbing pipe fittings. This prototype simulates indoor piping systems and determine whether air and VOC were escaping through the pipe fittings. Moreover, this study is the first effort to use a …

Investigation Of Pfas Exposure Risks In Kentucky Using Mapping Tools, Sweta Ojha

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of environmentally-persistent compounds, are environmentally ubiquitous and challenging to remediate. Several studies show that PFAS are detected in drinking water systems when sampling is conducted, making human exposure via drinking water an important health consideration. This research: 1) develops a mapping tool for prioritizing sampling locations; 2) establishes a method for making GIS data and meta(data) in the mapping tool accessible; 3) fosters decision making by integrating knowledge brokering and the alignment interest and influence matrix (AIIM). The tool developed is this research is a geospatial and statistical PFAS hot-spot screening model that …

Load And Pressure Distribution As A Function Of Dynamic Contact Stress At The Railroad Crosstie-Ballast Interface, Habib Abdil Unluoglu

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Excessive crosstie wear and abrasion and ballast wear and fouling are two of the fundamental problems contributing to inadequate railroad track performance. This adversely affects the attainment and long-term maintenance of desired track geometric requirements. The magnitudes and distribution of the stresses at the crosstie-ballast (CT-B) interface must be known to determine the stress distribution on the ballast. However, the stresses at the top of the ballast often vary significantly. This study examines a new approach to predicting dynamic contact pressures at the interface of crosstie and ballast using the ‘square wave theory.’ A data set of in-track CT-B interfacial …

Understanding The Differences Between Industry Objectives And Institutional Learning, Kristen Schell

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

To combat understaffing in the construction industry, it is necessary to employ the best candidates possible. By identifying the most desirable skills in a construction employee from an industry perspective, institutional learning can better prepare graduates for the construction workforce. Currently there exists an information gap in the objectives of the construction industry and institutional learning. This gap produces graduates, professors, and employers with expectations that do not align. Reducing this gap will aid in the success of hiring recently graduated construction students who can meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. Construction students who are fresh out of college …

Using Stream Restoration To Mitigate Stormwater Runoff In An Urban Watershed: A Case Study, Jonathan M. Brantley

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The goal of this case study was to evaluate the effectiveness a 275 m regenerative stream restoration design to mitigate stormwater runoff in a highly urbanized watershed. The restoration resulted in a wide, wetland-like floodplain, comprised of a rock base that was overtopped with a filtration media (approximately 30% woodchips and 70% topsoil). The creation of the floodplain-wetland complex in tandem with filtration media lead to increased storage capacity and an increase in hyporheic exchange within the system. Significant reductions were found for the storm hydrograph parameters volume, peak discharge, and time to peak. Reductions in baseflows were also noted …

Non-Destructive Characterization Of Bio-Cemented Soils Via Seismic Wave Measurement, Kyle Best

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The final outcome of this project is to examine the mechanical and resulting physical properties of bio-treated soil through microbial activity via non-destructive testing by seismic waves. The proposed bio-treatment strategy is through supplying specific nutrients for indigenous microbes within a soil specimen which in return produce calcium carbonates. The bio-minerals produced during these biogeochemical activities will improve the mechanical properties of soil by making cementation between soil grains. Additionally, a theoretical laboratory experimentational description will be provided to explain any associative effects on a specimen's water permeability or mechanical strength due to bio-mineralization within the samples. The characterization of …

Spatiotemporal Analysis Of Taxi And Transportation Network Companies (Tnc) Demand In The Wake Of Covid-19, Dewan Ashraful Parvez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The objective of the thesis is to understand the factors affecting spatiotemporal ridehailing demand patterns as the COVID-19 pandemic has evolved. Specifically, the current study examines the key contributing factors of weekly ridehailing demand by employing Taxi and Transportation Network Companies (TNC) trip data from January 2019 through December 2020 for New York City. The ridehailing demand is partitioned across four time periods including Morning Peak, Morning Off Peak, Evening Peak and Evening Off Peak to accommodate for the time-of-day specific variations. Drawing on the high-resolution NYC data, the current study developed pooled spatial panel models to accommodate for the …

Development Of Active Learning Data Fixing Tool With Visual Analytics To Enhance Traffic Near-Miss Diagnosis, Jinyu Pei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

This study proposes a software to upgrade the UCF SST's Automated Roadway Conflicts Identification System (ARCIS), a pixel-to-pixel manner automated safety diagnostics and conflict identification system. The system is developed to extract vehicles' trajectories and traffic parameters using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) video and utilizing deep learning techniques. A user-friendly tool to improve rapid system development with active-learning, data analysis, and visualization techniques is introduced, which is capable of traffic safety near-miss diagnostics based on the ARCIS output. Multiple approaches are used to enhance the system performance, including video stabilization, object filtering, stitching multiple videos, vehicle detection and tracing. In …

Finite Element Method Calculation Of A Prestressed Self Consolidating Concrete Beam, Vladyslav Machulsky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, a prestressed concrete box beam produced for the Stalnaker Run Bridge (SRB) replacement project using self-consolidating concrete (SCC) was simulated using finite element method (FEM) numerical technique. ANSYS, a commercial FEM software, was used to build the prestressed SCC box beam model. The FEM model was developed to understand the behavior of concrete and steel under prestressing loads, long-term effects, and superimposed loads. The SOLID65 and REINF264 element types were chosen to simulate the behavior of concrete and steel materials. Experimentally measured mechanical properties of concrete from the SRB project were used in the analysis allowing for …

Expanding The Applicability Of Press-Brake-Formed Tub Girders Through The Extension Of The Maximum Span Length And The Evaluation Of Pier Continuity, Robert M. Tennant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) is a group of bridge and buried soil steel structure industry leaders who provide educational information on the design and construction of short-span steel bridges in installations up to 140 feet in length. Within the SSSBA technical working group, a modular, shallow press-brake-formed tub girder (PBFTG) was developed to address the demand in the short-span steel bridge market for rapid infrastructure replacement solutions. PBFTGs consist of modular, shallow, trapezoidal boxes fabricated from cold-bent structural steel plate. A concrete deck, or other deck option, may be placed on the girder, and the modular unit …

Comparative Analysis Of Bridge Abutment Types, David Fell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project was developed to serve as a brief overview of design practices and considerations in the selection of highway bridge abutment types. This involved a review of literature in the form of reviewing national design guides and department of transportation (DOT) requirements from both US DOTs and international DOTs. The abutment types covered in this research included conventional reinforced concrete abutments with bearings, integral abutments, and semi-integral abutments. This research focused solely on highway bridge abutments, particularly on Ohio Department of Transportation design requirements due to their extensive use of semi-integral abutments. Superstructure elements and geometric requirements are primary …

Improving Traffic Efficiency At Tallmadge Circle Considering Autonomous Vehicles, Benjamin Mallinak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In a set of behavioral recommendations outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), navigating a roundabout is listed as one of twenty-eight regularly required abilities that a highly automated vehicle must be able to complete. As autonomous vehicle technology is developed, refined, and proven to meet these ability expectations, roundabouts and traffic circles that experience high volumes of traffic are anticipated to benefit from an improved efficiency of traffic flow. For Tallmadge Circle and other similar traffic control configurations, the degree of improvement will be dependent on the steps taken to utilize the capabilities of the autonomous vehicles …

Moisture Dependence Of Electrical Resistivity In Under-Percolated Cement-Based Composites With Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Geuntae Hong, Seongcheol Choi, Doo-Yeol Yoo, Taekgeun Oh, Yooseob Song, Jung Heum Yeon

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Cement-based piezoresistive composites have attracted significant attention as smart construction materials for embedding self-sensing capability in concrete infrastructure. Although a number of studies have been conducted using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a functional filler for self-sensing cement-based composites, studies addressing the influence of the internal moisture state on the electrical properties are relatively scant. In this study, we aim to experimentally investigate the effect of internal moisture state on the electrical resistivity of cement-based composites containing MWCNTs as an electrically conductive medium to raise a need for calibration of self-sensing data considering the internal moisture state. To this end, …

Concentration Of Fecal Coliforms In Marine Waters Using Satellite Images In The Vicinity Of Pucusana. Bay, Peru., Y A. Palma-Gongora, F V. Zuta-Medina, Luis Angel Gomez-Cunya

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Water quality monitoring in coastal areas is challenging due to cost and time constraints. Identifying and selecting sampling sites accurately and effectively is crucial for efficient monitoring. The need for efficient monitoring of marine waters has led to exploring the use of remote sensing as one helpful alternative. Remote sensing is practical in several applications based on pattern recognition and information processing of large terrestrial and aquatic surface areas. Collected information is processed with various image processing techniques to identify objects such as microorganisms. Fecal coliforms are microorganisms that are indicators of sanitary quality and are present in human and …

Multifunctional Behaviors Of Two-Dimensional Materials And Their Composites, Yanxiao Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Two-dimensional (2D) materials, including graphene, transition metal carbides or nitrides (TMC/Ns), have rich surface chemistry, superb electrical and mechanical properties. These unique properties make them ideal for multifunctional devices. Among them, we focused on graphene and TMC/Ns (i.e., MXenes), as well as their composites. Unlike the well-known graphene, MXenes, are relatively new and typically synthesized by the selective etching of the “A” layers from the layered carbides and /or nitrides known as MAX phases, which introduce MXenes with rich terminal groups (e.g. -O-, -OH, -F).

During my Ph.D. study, firstly, the adhesive and frictional behaviors, which are related to successful …

Modeling, Reconstruction, And Trend Analysis Of Global Storm Surges Using A Data-Driven Approach, Michael Getachew Tadesse

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Storm surge is the deadliest component of extreme sea levels with one of the highest global death tolls per event. Tide gauges are the primary sources for historical sea-level measurements from which storm surge data is extracted. However, tide gauges are unevenly distributed across the globe, and most records are short in length and have gaps; this creates a challenge to assess long-term trends and perform robust extreme value analysis. This dissertation introduces a data-driven storm surge modeling framework that trains statistical and machine learning models with atmospheric and oceanographic variables. Data-driven models (DDMs) are trained and validated for more …

Enhancing The Decision-Making Process For Public-Private Partnerships' Concession Agreements: Socio-Economic Sustainability Approaches, Faisal Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Designing a concession for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) agreements is a complicated process due to the number of variables that need to be considered. The PPP concession has many parameters and components, and a change in one component will considerably impact other components. Hence, the determination of the fair values of the concession components needs to be based on mutual benefits between the concession participants. The concession participants have different parts in the development of the concession; hence, they have different perspectives and goals. Therefore, the concession design needs to be constructed to balance the interests of the involved parties to …

Sustainability And Environmentally Friendly Methods To Travel Over Waterways, Kendall Kubus

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Throughout daily traveling, the main structures used are bridges and tunnels. Bridges are used as overpasses over valleys, canyons, and areas that require a large amount of dirt fill to bring the roadway up to the proper grade. Tunnels are underpasses through mountains, under city limits and waterways. The benefits of building a bridge structure is little preparation goes into earth-work and the transportation of aggregate materials. There is some time spent testing surrounding soil to determine the process that will need to occur for foundation preparations in bridge columns. Options for foundation include different types of drilled shafts, caissons, …

Analysis Of Road Use Maintenance Agreements (Rumas), Anna Cermak

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A Road Use Maintenance Agreement, also known as a RUMA, is an agreement made between a government entity and a business to put in place the set of rules that will guide the responsibilities of the business regarding the use of the entity's roads (Road use maintenance agreements RUMA, 2020). This specific type of road maintenance agreement is popularly used in the state of Ohio a the time. Most other states still operate on older ways of thinking, not capitalizing on the industry that in their area, therefore causing their road infrastructure and economies to suffer. A template agreement was …

Biodegradation Of Rubber Particles In Soil: Using Acclimated Bacteria Isolated From Kansas Soil To Degrade Cryogrinds In Slurry, Shane Graham

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This study investigated the viability of bioremediating rubber cryogrind using enriched indigenous bacteria. To begin the experiment, soils from three highway roadside locations in Kansas, KS 96 and West, KS 400 and 143^rd, and 199^th, were collected and transported to the lab to be studied. An initial soil characterization was run on the soil samples using distilled (DI) water mixture and 0.01 M CaCl₂ to assess conductivity. The soils were tested to gather a baseline of the relationship between pH and conductivity and the impact of its distance from the roadside. Bacteria were isolated from …

Investigating The Mechanical Properties Of Frozen Soil Using Non-Destructive Seismic Wave Measurements, Sean Mach

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This proposed project will be dealing with investigating the mechanical properties of soil under frozen conditions. This will be done by an innovative non-destructive technology measuring the propagation of seismic waves through the frozen soils from multiple piezoelectric sensors. For the duration of this research, a freezing cell must be constructed to carry out the experimental testing. Multiple levels of saturation will be tested under the given freezing conditions. This should highlight the effect that the level of saturation will have on the propagation of seismic waves throughout the soil. Piezo-electric sensors will be placed in each layer of soil …

Building Services Engineering January/February 2022

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Maximum Profit Facility Location And Dynamic Resource Allocation For Instant Delivery Logistics, Darshan Chauhan, Avinash Unnikrishnan, Stephen D. Boyles

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Increasing e-commerce activity, competition for shorter delivery times, and innovations in transportation technologies have pushed the industry toward instant delivery logistics. This paper studies a facility location and online demand allocation problem applicable to a logistics company expanding to offer instant delivery service using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones. The problem is decomposed into two stages. During the planning stage, the facilities are located, and product and battery capacity are allocated. During the operational stage, customers place orders dynamically and real-time demand allocation decisions are made. The paper explores a multi-armed bandit framework for maximizing the cumulative reward realized by …

Analysis Of Spatial Discrepancies Between 76-Foot Close Range Photogrammetric And Terrestrial-Lidar Models, Abdoul K. Ouangre

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study presents an analysis of the accuracy of a 3D model generated by two different methods. In the first method, the 3D model is generated via Laser Scanning. In the second method, the 3D model is generated via Close-range Photogrammetry from a drone flying at 76 feet above the ground. Photogrammetry is a photo-based technique that uses images to generate 3D models of objects where distances could be extracted from. Close-range photogrammetry is the approach of generating a 3D model from a camera placed anywhere between 1 foot and 1000 feet relative to the object. Terrestrial LiDAR is the …

Strategies To Improve Shrinkage Resistance Of Cement-Based Materials For Extrusion-Based 3d Printing, Kavya Vallurupalli

Doctoral Dissertations

"The main objective of this study is to develop new generation of shrinkage-resistant 3D printable mortar mixtures. To this end, the research work was carried out to: i) identify key material and processing parameters that affect printability; ii) investigate the influence of water-to-cement ratio, superplasticizer dosage, and welan gum content on mortar printability; iii) propose a “printability window” where rheological properties and desorptivity can secure successful printing; iv) investigate effect of shrinkage mitigation materials (expansive agent (EA), pre-saturated lightweight sand (LWS), superabsorbent polymers (SAP), and shrinkage reducing admixture) on printability and shrinkage performance of mortar; and v) evaluate the effect …

Synergistic Effect Of Shrinkage Mitigating Strategies On Performance Of Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composites, Kamran Aghaee

Doctoral Dissertations

"The advantages of using shrinkage mitigating strategies to reduce shrinkage and mitigate cracking of concrete is well documented. However, the benefits and drawbacks of employing multiple strategies have not been explored. The main objective of this study is to provide insights into the mechanisms of using multiple strategies to enhance shrinkage and cracking resistance to promote the properties of high-performance cementitious composites (HPC) designated for infrastructural construction, repair, and 3D printing applications. HPC mixtures were prepared with steel and synthetic macro and microfibers, expansive agent (EA), and shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) coupled with various curing methods e.g., internal curing using …

Promoting Distributed Energy Deployment And Diffusion For Sustainable Civil Infrastructure Using Multi-Agent Based Modeling And Quantitative Analytics, Gasser Ali

Doctoral Dissertations

"Distributed Solar Generation (DSG) using small-scale Photo-Voltaic (PV) is an evolving technology with increasingly growing market penetration due to its significant benefits to consumers and broader power systems. DSG is sustainable, provides reliability, and is cost-effective where solar energy is abundant. However, the increasingly growing adoption of DSG creates uncertainties in forecasting electric power demand and market behavior. It also causes concerns of a “utility death spiral”. To this end, the goal of this research is to critically analyze the diffusion and benefits of DSG in the electric power infrastructure as a complex System-of-Systems (SoS). Specifically, this dissertation addresses the …

การพัฒนาระบบการวางแผนและติดตามผนังคอนกรีตมวลเบาด้วยแนวคิดโมเดลข้อมูลสารสนเทศอาคาร, กมลทิพย์ พรชัยธเนศกุล

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

แผ่นผนังคอนกรีตมวลเบาถูกนำมาสร้างเพื่อใช้สำหรับการแบ่งพื้นที่ภายในอาคาร ซึ่งมีความรวดเร็วกว่าการก่อฉาบผนังอิฐแบบทั่วไป การวางแผนแผ่นผนังมักจะใช้การถอดปริมาณจากพื้นที่ผนังอาคารที่ต้องการติดตั้งเทียบกับพื้นที่ของแผ่นผนัง โดยความแม่นยำของการคำนวณจำนวนแผ่นผนังขึ้นอยู่กับความชำนาญของผู้วางแผนที่ส่งผลให้ปริมาณแผ่นผนังแตกต่างจากการใช้งานจริง และการติดตามสถานะแผ่นผนังในปัจจุบันเป็นเพียงการติดตามโดยประมาณเฉพาะพื้นที่ที่ดำเนินการแล้วเสร็จเทียบกับพื้นที่ทั้งหมดซึ่งระบุเป็นร้อยละ ดังนั้นการระบุสถานะและรายละเอียดแผ่นผนังในตำแหน่งต่างๆ ไม่สามารถทำได้อย่างตรงจุด บทความวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อนำเสนอระบบการวางแผนติดตั้งแผ่นผนังคอนกรีตมวลเบา เพื่อลดระยะเวลาในการวางแผนและเพิ่มความแม่นยำในการคำนวณจำนวนแผ่นผนัง รวมถึงพัฒนาเครื่องมือในการติดตามสถานะ เพื่อระบุตำแหน่งที่ติดตั้งและแก้ไขที่ชัดเจนของแผ่นผนัง โดยระบบที่พัฒนาประยุกต์ใช้แนวคิดโมเดลข้อมูลอาคารสารสนเทศสำหรับการเตรียมการติดตั้งแผ่นผนัง ซึ่งการพัฒนาระบบประกอบด้วยการกรองค่าโมเดลแผ่นผนังผ่าน Dynamo Code การวางแผ่นผนังในโมเดลอาคาร การแสดงผลข้อมูลผ่านโมเดลสามมิติ การเตรียมข้อมูลเพื่อสร้าง Tag ของแผ่นผนัง การกำหนดแผนระยะเวลาของการติดตั้งผ่าน Dynamo Player ซึ่งเป็นเครื่องมือสำหรับกรอกข้อมูล การติดตามสถานะผ่าน Google Form การสรุปข้อมูลติดตามผ่านโมเดลสามมิติและสเปรดชีต ผลการวิจัยจากกรณีศึกษาพบว่าระบบการวางแผนและติดตามแผ่นผนังสามารถวางแผนผนังตามช่วงผนังอาคารได้อย่างถูกต้องทั้งในกรณีของการวางแผ่นผนังขนาดเดียวกันและกรณีของการวางผสมผสานของแผ่นผนังที่มีขนาดแตกต่างกัน โดยการติดตามแผ่นผนังสามารถแสดงภาพให้เห็นได้ชัดเจนและรวดเร็วกว่าการวางแผนในรูปแบบเดิม รวมถึงสามารถระบุตำแหน่งและสถานะแผ่นผนังได้อย่างชัดเจนและถูกต้องตามตำแหน่งที่วางแผ่นผนัง