Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Seismic Resilience Of Timber Homes, Melia R. Costa

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

The vast majority of residential buildings in California are wood-frame structures. A home is typically a very large investment for families, and damage to the home can be detrimental to a family’s economic success. Thus, reducing the economic impacts of an earthquake on residential timber housing is crucial. A full scale, two-story section of a residential timber house is in construction in the Parson’s Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering Laboratory on the Cal Poly campus in San Luis Obispo, California. Once built it will be put through earthquake simulation tests on a shake table with various magnitudes of seismic activity. Next, …

Tsunamigenic Potential Of The Baiyun Slide Complex In The South China Sea, Linlin Li, Fengyan Shi, Gangfeng Ma, Qiang Qiu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The Baiyun slide complex contains geological evidence for some of the largest landslide ever discovered in the continental slopes of the South China Sea. High-resolution seismic data suggest that a variety of landslides with varied scales have occurred repeatedly in this area. The largest landslide reconstructed from bathymetric and seismic data has an estimated spatial coverage of ~5,500 km² and a conservative volume of ~1,035 km³. Here, using geomorphological and geotechnical data, we construct a series of probable landslide scenarios and assess their tsunamigenic capacity. By treating the slides as deformable mudflows, we simulate the dynamics of …

Geophysical Delineation Of Megaporosity And Fluid Migration Pathways For Geohazard Characterization Within The Delaware Basin, Culberson County, Texas, Jonathan David Woodard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Differential dissolution of gypsum karst within the Delaware Basin poses a significant threat to infrastructure that society depends on. The study area is located in Culberson County, Texas and traverses a distance of approximately 54 kilometers along RM 652 within the Gypsum Plain which is situated on the northern margin of the Chihuahua Desert and includes outcrops of Castile and Rustler strata that host karst geohazards. Regions of karst geohazard potential have been physically surveyed proximal to the study area in evaporites throughout the Castile Formation outcrop; minimal hazards, in comparison to the Castile Formation, have been documented in …

Characterization And Delineation Of Karst Geohazards Along Rm652 Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Culberson County, Texas, Adam F. Majzoub

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Delaware Basin of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico is the major western subdivision of the Permian Basin and a northern extension of the Chihuahuan Desert. The major evaporite unit within the Delaware Basin is the Castile Formation, which consists of gypsum/anhydrite and is highly susceptible to dissolution and karsting. Manifestations of karst within the Castile outcrop are abundant and include sinkholes, subsidence features and caves, both epigene and hypogene in origin.

Land reconnaissance surveys conducted during the summer of 2015 documented abundant karst landforms in close proximity to a major thoroughfare, RM 652, in Culberson County, Texas. 2D …

Imaging Reinforced Concrete: A Comparative Study Of Ground Penetration Radar And Rebarscope, Abhishek Kodi

Masters Theses

"Geophysical techniques have been playing a very vital role in subsurface imaging in the recent past. Technology has been making it both reliable and convenient to utilize non-destructive geophysics techniques like Ground Penetration Radar, Induction current based Rebarscope, Seismic methods, ERT, etc. The applications range from shallow subsurface investigation of Bridge decks to old tunnels, mapping of rabars in a pre-existing construction and analyzing the concrete strength.

The thesis constitutes of a comparative study and analysis of a Ground Penetration Radar system and a Rebarscope. Individual parameters obtained directly from the study and obtained indirectly from the study shall be …

The Reduction Of Storm Surge By Vegetation Canopies: Three-Dimensional Simulations, Y. Peter Sheng, Andrew Lapetina, Gangfeng Ma

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Significant buffering of storm surges by vegetation canopies has been suggested by limited observations and simple numerical studies, particularly following recent Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Here we simulate storm surge and inundation over idealized topographies using a three-dimensional vegetation-resolving storm surge model coupled to a shallow water wave model and show that a sufficiently wide and tall vegetation canopy reduces inundation on land by 5 to 40 percent, depending upon various storm and canopy parameters. Effectiveness of the vegetation in dissipating storm surge and inundation depends on the intensity and forward speed of the hurricane, as well as the …

Role Of Forward Model In Surface-Wave Studies To Delineate A Buried High-Velocity Layer, Xiaohui Jin, Barbara Luke, Carlos Calderon-Macias

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Procedures are tested and compared for processing Rayleigh surface wave data to obtain one-dimensional shear wave velocity profiles for a hypothetical site that contains a buried high-velocity layer (HVL). The main purpose of such an investigation would be to discriminate and characterize the HVL. When target dispersion curves are derived from synthetic time histories, for the most part, the HVL is better identified when profiles are inverted using only the fundamental mode of Rayleigh wave propagation, rather than a more compatible but more complex forward model. The outcomes imply that in practice, a simple forward model might be more successful …

Interpreting Surface-Wave Data For A Site With Shallow Bedrock, Daniel W. Casto, Barbara Luke, Carlos Calderon-Macias, Ronald Kaufmann

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The inversion of dispersive Rayleigh-wave data has been shown to be successful in providing reliable estimated shear-wave velocities within unconsolidated materials in the near surface. However, in a case where the multi-channel analysis of surface waves method was applied to a site consisting of clay residuum overlying basalt bedrock, inversion for the fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave resulted in shear-wave velocities within the rock that are less than half of expected values. Forward modeling reveals that the fundamental-mode dispersion curve is hardly sensitive to bedrock velocity perturbations over a practical range of wavelengths, leading to poorly constrained solutions. Standard surface-wave methods can …

Effects Of Oxygen Content Of Admitted Gases In Sulfide Flotation, Brian J. Boyle

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Methods Of Studying The Effects Of Frothers, Frank L. Bazzanella

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Studies In Modulation Of Interfacial Reactions For Certain Sulphide Minerals, Robert Owen Beyaert

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Habit Modification Of Naclo3 With Nai, William A. Coghlan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Production Of Standard-Grade Ferromanganese In An Electric Arc Furnace, Force F. Baney Jr.

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The investigations conducted in this project were essentially concerned with the effects of various compositions of two different slag systems upon the increased recovery of manganese in a standard-grade ferromanganese.

Investigation Of The Ternary System Silver-Aluminum-Indium (Ag-Al-In), Elvin H. Beardslee

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

This thesis paper contains material pertaining to & preliminary investigation of the ternary system Ag-Al-In. Procedures in this preliminary investigation are discussed in detail.

Preliminary Examination Of The Aluminum Corner Of The Ternary System Aluminum-Silver-Indium (A1-Ag-In), Jerome J. Blake

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

In this paper the author attempts to lay the groundwork for future work on the Al-Ag-In system.

Increased Corrosion Of A 304 Stainless Steel Upon Bending, William C. Tiddy

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Nonmetallic Inclusions In Armco Ingot Iron With Polarized Light, Frank E. Panisko

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

The Hydrometallurgy Of Uranium, John E. Cesarani

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

No abstract provided.

Crystal Habit Modification Of Sodium Chlorate, Michael R. Keegan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

All single crystals have a particular habit or morphology. The crystal habit refers to the relative degree of development of crystallographic planes into surfaces which make up the external appearance of the single crystal.

In this paper, NaClO3 is used as a parent crystal. Its simple cubic habit is modified to tetrahedral by the use of impurities of SO4=, S2O3=, Cr2O7=, and NO3-. The degree of habit change is studied as a function of impurity concentration and temperature. The problem and phenomena are explained in terms of surface chemistry and thermodynamics.

Physico-Chemical Principles Of Sixteenth Century Metallurgy, Robert E. Johnson

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Following a review of sixteenth century metallurgical literature and a discussion of Gibbs free energy, this thesis discusses thermodynamic considerations of galena (PbS) reduction by iron from a lead assay of this period. The importance of fluxes in this assay is emphasized. The discussion covers both equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions at 1100 degrees Celsius. Possible substitutes for iron are also covered.

Information from twenty-one small controlled lead assays is correlated with the thermodynamic discussion to determine the purpose of each constituent in the assay.

The Beneficiation Of Titaniferous-Magnetite Sands, Ronald Lloyd Nordwick

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this investigation of beneficiation methods is to develop and study possible economic methods for recovering an iron-titanium concentrate of sufficient purity to meet metallurgical requirements for subsequent direct reduction to pig iron and a high titanium slag.

Stress-Corrosion Cracking Of Brass, Paul A. Fossey

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

the mechanism of stress-corrosion cracking of brass has been sought for many years. Investigators have proposed many mechanisms, but each of these mechanisms has always had several drawbacks. This paper presents an account of experimental work done in the laboratory on this subject and compares it to the work of previous investigations. It evaluates the mechanisms presented by investigators and shows the failures of these mechanisms. A theory of Nitrogen Embrittlement is presented and an evaluation of this theory with experimental work follows.

Experimental Arc Furnace Smelting Of Titaniferous Iron Sands From The Northern Oregon Coast, Allan P. Herring

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

This investigation is an attempt to experimentally smelt titaniferous iron sands from the Northern Oregon Coast in a laboratory arc furnace.

The Effect Of Ph Upon Chelation Reactions In Montmorillonite Clays, Joseph Michael Keane

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate several chelation reactions and determine the effect of variable pH upon these reactions.

An Investigation Of The Sintering Of Iron-Wire Compacts, George L. Vivian

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

A study of the sintering of iron has been made by observing the rate of bonding of iron wires wound on iron spools. The specimens were sintered at a constant temperature of 850c in vacuum furnaces capable of producing pressures of 10-5 to 10-4 mm of mercury, and the growth of the bond between wires was observed as a function of time.

It has been concluded that the volume-diffusion mechanism is strongly operating in the sintering of iron at 850c, but in an evacuated system, the evaporation-condensation mechanism also contributes to the sintering process.

The Identification Of Montana Clays By X-Ray Analysis, David Stephen Malyevac

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this study is to identify the various Montana clay minerals by means of X-ray diffraction. The ultimate aim of this investigation is to identify the different clay mixtures through an analysis of their respective diffraction patterns, and diffraction patterns obtained after various chemical and thermal treatments.

The Design And Construction Of An Electrolytic Cell For Aluminum Reduction, Thomas H. Melrose

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this investigation was to design and construct a laboratory size electrolytic cell in which to reduce alumina, using the same basic materials that are used in a commercial size cell. The cell was designed to have a capacity of approxi­mately 100 grams of metallic aluminum produced every 8 hours. The cell was constructed so it could be operated continuously.

Investigation Of Inclusions In Armco Ingot Iron, Edwin J. Duncan

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

Various chemical and electrolytic separation methods were investigated in an attempt to separate the in­clusions in Armco ingot iron. Residues obtained were X-rayed for identification purposes. The microstruc­tures of this iron were studied with the object of de­termining the relative sizes, locations, and possible compositions of the inclusions.

Effect Of Recovery On The Recrystallized Grain-Size Of High Purity Aluminum, Rodney L. Helterline

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

When a cold-worked metal is annealed, it’s physical properties hange as a result of a new grain structure. The annealing treatment is divided into three stages according to the changes that occur in the distorted metal: (1) recovery, (2) recrystallization, and (3) grain growth.

Polarography Of Indium, John Jackson

Bachelors Theses and Reports, 1928 - 1970

The purpose of this thesis is to study the various aspects of the polarography of indium. The eventual goal would be to develop a method of analyzing indium in unknowns. The investigation is approached by studying the indium ions in various electrolytes and in various concentrations.