Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Impact Of Natural Disasters On Construction And Engineering Solutions, Karima Ao Damson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Research Project seeks to research and explain the impact of natural disasters on the construction and reconstruction of infrastructure in countries with the highest risk of natural disasters and compare them to the requirements in the United States in the states most prone to natural disasters. The objectives are to identify the countries most prone to natural disasters, describe the environmental impacts of the natural disasters, describe the impacts on construction and reconstruction requirements, and research whether construction and civil engineering solutions currently applied to the individual countries could be improved or reproduced in other countries exposed to …

Engineering Risk And Indigenous Resilience Toward Intelligent Decision Support For Mining In Ancestral Lands, Izech Brian O. Edwin, King Harold A. Recto

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

Mining within ancestral territories reveals an ongoing conflict between technical viability and Indigenous consent. This collaborative study, conducted by an engineering scholar and a policy researcher of Indigenous heritage in Benguet among the Ibaloi and Kankanaey peoples, investigates how risk transparency and policy alignment can bridge existing divides, while formulating principles applicable to other Indigenous mining contexts. The study provides an initial evaluation of the feasibility of a proposed large-scale mining operation within a risk-informed, data-driven governance framework. Three elements of engineering risk were assessed utilizing literature-derived and proxy parameters: (1) Land degradation is indicated by a Soil Productivity Index …

Biochar-Based Filtration And Barrier Systems For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Krishna R. Reddy

Stormwater Drainage Conference

Conference that deals a wide range of issues dealing with stormwater drainage. Professor Krishna Reddy of University of Illinois Chicago presented an invited talk titled "Biochar-Based Filtration and Barrier Systems for Urban Stormwater Treatment"

Calculating The Radius Of The Earth Using Sunset Method: Comparison With Al-BīRūNi Method, Jana Kamal, Tayeb Brahimi

Effat Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper attempts to compare the earth's radius calculation based on the sunset or sunrise (moonset or moonrise) with the Method developed by the scientist Al-Bīrūni. The sunset sunrise method is used to calculate the earth radius by standing in front of a flat horizontal plane. In addition, the authors have use Al-Bīrūni's rule to calculate the radius. Furthermore, the error percent of both Al-Bīrūni and the sunset sunrise method were calculated as well. The results showed that the earth actual radius is 6371 km. Eratosthenes radius which is 6366 km is the closest to the actual earth radius, then …

Hickory Street Square Revitalization, Spencer Knight, Grace Dungan, Tim Kula, Evan Lauritsen, Lindsey Mennenga

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The Hickory Street Square Revitalization Project seeks to transform a central public space in Sidney, Nebraska into a dynamic, community-oriented area that supports local events, economic activity, and cultural heritage. The project addresses six core objectives: 1) convertible street design, 2) parking lot reconfiguration, 3) public amenities, 4) event flexibility, 5) lighting and signage, and 6) old electric plant renovation. A conceptual design was developed by the design team (S.T.E.E.L. Sentinel Solutions) by synthesizing the most effective features of three preliminary alternatives, shaped further through community feedback and evolving project constraints. The final project design minimizes disruption to existing activity …

Evaluation Of Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate Material Strength Characteristics And Operation Manual Development For Triaxial Machine Testing, Nicholas C. Stalnaker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As part of ongoing efforts to establish a domestic Rare Earth Elements (REE) supply chain, Hydraulic Preconcentrate (HPC) generated at the Horseshoe Bend (HsB) treatment plant was produced and evaluated as a potential feedstock source. Following adjustment of the site’s clarifiers to the required pH set points, HPC was collected and pumped into 24 geobags. These geobags were passively dewatered to raise the total solids content. The evaluation included three geobag types: woven geotextile, composite (woven and non-woven), and geobags enhanced with Capillary Channel Fiber (CCF) (Bird, 2024). Hydraulic Preconcentrate (HPC) material is collected through efforts to contain and properly …

A Global Application Programming Interface-Enabled Earthquake Ground Motion Relational Database For Engineering Applications, Tristan E. Buckreis, Chukwuebuka C. Nweke, Pengfei Wang, Scott J. Brandenberg, Maria E. Ramos-Sepúlveda, Rashid Shams, Shako Mohammed, Renmin Pretell, Silvia Mazzoni, Paolo Zimmaro, Jonathan P. Steward

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a application programming interface (API)-enabled relational database of global earthquake ground motion intensity measures, associated metadata, and processed time-series data. Raw ground motion records were processed by the authors using either manual or semi-automated processing procedures, and every processed record has passed a quality review by a trained analyst. Computed intensity measures include peak acceleration and velocity, pseudo-spectral acceleration response spectra, cumulative absolute velocity, Arias Intensity, and Fourier amplitude spectra. The processed time-series data, associated metadata, and ground motion intensity measures were organized into a web-served relational database consisting of 32 tables connected by primary/foreign key pairs. Ground …

Assessment Of Wave Climate Conditions At An Important Historical And Ecological Site Along The Fort George River In Northeast Florida, Ally O. Kasuwi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated wave climate conditions at the Timucuan Preserve in northeast Florida, addressing gaps in previous shoreline erosion research that largely attributed erosion to boat wakes without detailed wave data. Field data were collected using several do-it-yourself water wave gauges. Each data collection event was for approximately one week, with an emphasis on collecting data before, during, and after periods of expected peak wave activity (i.e., holiday weekends and large-scale storms). Data were analyzed in the frequency domain to establish the likely cause of waves. Results suggested that, counterintuitively, watercraft traffic may have produced higher dominant wave periods than …

Assessing The Environmental Impact Of Municipal Solid Waste, Ojo Oluwayinka Florence, Olaniyan Olatunji Sunday, Akolade Adebola Saheed, Alabi Oluwaseyi Omotayo, Olaomotito Precious Adesope, Adebayo Kehinde John

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management presents significant environmental challenges, especially with increasing urbanization and population growth. This study assesses the environmental impacts of MSW, focusing on waste composition, management practices, and their effects on air, water, and soil quality. The primary objective is to evaluate how MSW contributes to environmental degradation and to explore strategies for mitigating these impacts. A hypothesis was developed that optimizing waste composition through proper sorting and treatment can reduce the environmental footprint of MSW management by at least 10% in terms of leachate production and greenhouse gas emissions. Samples were collected using a randomized sampling …

Interpreting Strain Caused By Transient Well Testing, Soheil Roudini

All Dissertations

Understanding reservoir properties and structure is essential to managing subsurface operations, such as geologic storage of CO₂ or production of water, hydrocarbons or heat. Previous work demonstrated the potential of analyzing strain data during transient well tests by estimating hydraulic diffusivity using a type-curve-like approach. The following dissertation aims to pursue this potential by developing and evaluating methods for interpreting strain tensor data to improve subsurface characterization. The research advances the classic, intuitive method of using type-curves to interpret well tests, but it also brings together modern computational methods from machine learning, proxy modeling and Bayesian inversion, and it …

Incorporation Of Gnss Technology For Water-Level Instruments, Armaan S. Oberai, Toma Grundler, Serena B. Lee, Stefan A. Talke

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Our goal was to take an existing water-level measuring embedded system and upgrade the GNSS module for the purpose of getting the elevation of the device within an error of 1 cm. Main milestones for the project included deploying a successful field test at a known survey point, using software-based post processing to improve the GNSS solution point, and implementing robust hardware and software for the water-level embedded system such that it was easily scalable.

Investigation Of Temperature, Solution Strength, And Applied Stress Effects On Cation Exchange Processes In Different Geosynthetic Clay Liner Products, Kendra Fuller

Master's Theses

An extensive laboratory test program was conducted to analyze and compare the cation exchange processes in three different varieties of sodium bentonite (Na-B) geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) over increased conditioning durations up to 32 days and investigate the effects of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress. The goal of this test program was to establish whether the variables of temperature, solution strength, and applied stress improved or degraded the engineering properties of GCLs in laboratory testing and municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill applications. The GCLs were conditioned in liquids of increasing ionic strength, using deionized water and 2, 50, and …

Effect Of Waste Covid-19 Masks On Compaction Characteristics Of Silty-Clay Soil, Sydney K. Lawson

Honors College Theses

The present study aims to explore the effect of adding shredded waste Covid-19 masks to silty-clay soil on the soil’s compaction characteristics for beneficial use in embankment, the subgrade of roadways, or backfill. This was accomplished by using two different types of masks: blue surgical masks and KN95 masks. Both mask types were hand shredded into half-inch sections using safety-scissors. The maximum dry density (MDD) and optimum moisture content (OMC) are the two most important compaction characteristics, and they were determined by the Standard Proctor Compaction Test (ASTM D698 / AASHTO T99). The change of both the MDD and OMC …

The Use Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Properties Of Green Roof Media And Granular Soils, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

This study investigates using repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological properties of lightweight Green Roof media and granular pavement soils.

Green Roof Media Green roofs aim to bring the advantages of suburban agriculture to urban environments while improving energy efficiency and enhancing stormwater management in public, commercial, and residential buildings. Previous studies by City Tech undergraduate research assistants demonstrated significant modification in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric up to 3% textile by weight (%Tex) at an aspect ratio of 1:1. The effects of mixing repurposed whole textile fiber with Green Roof media is evaluated with regards …

Demystifying Utility Coordination: Understanding The Basics, Josshe I. Palm

Purdue Road School

This session will explain utility coordination to non-utility coordinators. It will help educate others about the role and responsibilities of a utility coordinator, an OSA, easy UC and design mistakes to avoid, scope and design considerations, items commonly overlooked, when to coordinate SUE, and how to work with your UC to request a letting adjustment. We will also highlight UC submittals and allow time for questions about the UC’s role in a project’s success.

Evaluation Of Hydrophobic Materials For Stabilizing Expansive Soils, Suman Shrestha

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The swelling and shrinkage of the expansive soil as a response to moisture change is one of the significant challenges posed to infrastructure projects. The significant economic damage that is caused by the expansive soil, as well as its abundance in nature, has prompted various scientists and engineers all around the world to actively search for new and improved methods for stabilizing it. Various traditional methods, such as lime and cement treatment, have been used extensively to stabilize expansive soils and mitigate their harmful effects on the infrastructure. Although these methods are quite often effective and various studies have been …

Performance And Field Testing Of Geotextiles For Dewatering Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate From Hardrock Amd, Ian R. Bird

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As part of ongoing efforts to develop a domestic Rare Earth Elements (REE) supply chain the Hydraulic Preconcentrate (HPC) produced at the Horseshoe bend treatment plant (HsB) was manufactured and evaluated as a potential source for feedstock. After the existing clarifiers on the site were flipped to the desired pH set points, HPC was manufactured and pumped to 24 geobags. The geobags were then passively dewatered to increase the total solids percentage. The geobags evaluated were comprised of: Woven geotextiles, composite (woven and non- woven), and geobags augmented with Capillary Channel Fiber (CCF). Column Filtration Tests (CFTs) were performed onsite …

Development Of Erosion Functions For Micp-Treated Beach Sand, Saeed Booshi

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of microbially-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) using the recently introduced bioslurry treatment method via surface percolation. To simulate realistic water forcing conditions, a piston-style erosion rate testing apparatus, specifically the Florida Department of Transportation Sediment Erosion Rate Flume, was used. Initial tests conducted at a high shear stress of 42 Pa revealed that a combination of 15% bioslurry and 85% cementation solution exhibited the strongest erosion resistance when compared to other ratios between bioslurry and cementation solution. Subsequent experiments focused on separating the specimen into a "loose" part and a “surface crust,” with shear stresses …

Service-Learning In Action: Lafayette, Indiana, Rain Garden Installation, Elizabeth Mccleery

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Indiana’s Wabash River is being polluted with contaminated water runoff from precipitation events. A lack of pervious land cover has led to an accumulation of fertilizer, sediment, and waste in the river. Green infrastructure, a stormwater management practice that mimics the natural ecosystem, is one of the most effective ways to prevent pollution from stormwater runoff and benefit the community. This project consisted of a rain garden installation at the Lafayette Fueling Station, a site where frequent water drainage and water runoff into the Wabash occurs. The rain garden will allow on-site water infiltration during rain events and promote natural …

The Utilization Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Soil Properties: Green Media, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

The utilization of repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological soil properties investigates the impact of adding repurposed textiles to lightweight engineered soil, documenting changes in unit weight, water content, and hydraulic conductivity. This study builds upon prior findings, which demonstrated significant alterations in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric (3% by weight at an aspect ratio of 1:1). Functioning as reinforcement, these fibers enhance the soil's strength, stability, and structural integrity—especially advantageous in erosion-prone areas, regions susceptible to landslides, or locations requiring heightened load-bearing capacity. The outcomes of this parametric study lead to green roof farms playing …

Co2 Storage Capacity And Injectivity Of Stacked Carbonates Of The Pennsylvanian And Permian In Western Nebraska, Lateef Lawal

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

Geological carbon storage (GCS) is a critical aspect of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in which captured CO₂ from power plants and industrial processes is injected and stored securely underground. Potential subsurface rock formations include saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, unmineable coal seams and volcanic rocks. GCS technology has been proven in the United States and many other parts of the world as a net-zero carbon emission strategy to mitigate the current climate crisis of our planet. Unlike other states such as Wyoming, GCS projects are still in the early phases in Nebraska. The goal of this …

Gravel Conveyance System: An Evaluation On E. Coli Removal Capabilities, Madison Grace

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

In many rural, low-income communities such as the Black Belt of Alabama, there is a lack of wastewater infrastructure and solutions leaving homeowners non-compliant to state and federal law and with potential health risks on their property. New regulations have allowed for onsite, surface discharge for single family homes that are not connected to a centralized sewer or large flow development. These new regulations also contain strict disinfection criteria for the treated wastewater that will be discharged. A low-cost and low-maintenance treatment system that provides adequate disinfection is necessary to allow homeowners to take advantage of the new opportunity for …

Investigation Into The Load Transfer Mechanism Of Trees To Develop An Innovative Foundation Configuration Using 3d Finite Element Modeling, Kaleb Boland

All Theses

This study was inspired by a tree’s reliance on its root system that enables it to withstand a natural disaster, such as an extreme hydroclimatic event or hurricane. This curiosity has led to an investigation into what makes this possible, developing a new and innovative foundation configuration for infrastructure systems, and a new possible construction material and method. This study provides results on a material that does not have conventional testing procedures or standards: a tree root. The trees studied are common to the upstate of South Carolina, which are Pine, Sweetgum, and White Oak. According to the results, on …

Towards Sustainable Water Management: Soil Analysis, Modeling, And Sensor Implementation On A Micro-Basin Chile's Los Lagos Region, Tammy N. Huynh

Civil Engineering ETDs

The Los Lagos region of Chile is experiencing ecological and socioeconomic challenges because of climate change. Despite efforts by the agricultural sector to understand and manage water resources, the lack of basic water quantification data affects their ability to effectively plan and implement water management strategies. This research aims to address this critical issue through three key objectives. First, characterize soil properties related to texture and structure in a micro-basin of the Los Lagos region. Secondly, it aims to investigate the hydrologic budget of the micro-basin with an emphasis on soil moisture using the Soil Moisture Routing model (SMR). Lastly, …

Columbus, Nebraska: Southern Housing Development Design Proposal, Ryan Weyers, Caiden Dynek, Alex Papa, Brexton Robertson, Kaden Perala

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following paper proposes the design and creation of a new housing development in the city of Columbus, Nebraska in a lot to the south of the city and directly north of the Columbus wastewater treatment plant. The goal of this proposal is to provide readers with confidence that our company is the most qualified to complete the project and will create the safest, most comfortable, most efficient, and most cost-effective final design. This proposal seeks to offer a solution to the lack of affordable housing for the growing workforce in Columbus. In order to arrive at this solution, each …

Behavior Analysis Of Cement Concrete With Combination Of Waste Rubber And Glass, Abdulaziz Alebra

Symposium of Student Scholars

Glass and Rubber waste materials are valuable materials to use rather than throw which we have more than enough to use and recycle. Recycled glass and rubber materials can reduce and help major climate issues in our times based on the statistics reducing glass can bring down air pollution by 20% and also reduce water pollution by 50% as well as can reduce the use of landfill space. A laboratory study will be launched, and tests will be conducted following the ASTM standards, ASTM C143 for a concrete slump, and ASTM C31 for making and curing concrete specimens. Samples of …

Unleash The Heat: Exploring Geothermal Energy Perspectives And Energy Literacy In São Miguel, Azores, Lena Mcdonough

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The green energy transition is moving ahead in EU countries at very different paces, and there are some key challenges that all regions currently face in trying to phase fossil fuels out of their energy mixes. One of these challenges is that most regions simply cannot harness enough renewable energy sources and simultaneously have the storage technology for creating a baseload power source as reliable as oil, coal and natural gas. That is, unless you sit in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on the boundary of three tectonic plates, with a continuous and reliable renewable energy source beneath your …

Numerical Study Of Sediment Suspension Affected By Rigid Cylinders Under Unidirectional And Combined Wave-Current Flows, Sha Lou, Xiaolan Chen, Shengyu Zhou, Gangfeng Ma, Shuguang Liu, Larisa Dorzhievna Radnaeva, Elena Nikitina, Irina Viktorovna Fedorova

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Sediment transport modeling for flows with cylinders is very challenging owing to the complicated flow–cylinder–sediment interactions, especially under the combined wave-current flows. In this paper, an improved formulation for incipient sediment suspension considering the effect of cylinder density (i.e., solid volume fraction) is employed to simulate the bottom sediment flux in the flow with cylinders. The proposed model is calibrated and validated using laboratory measurements under unidirectional and combined wave-current flows in previous studies. It is proved that the effects of cylinders on sediment suspension can be accounted for through a modified critical Shields number, and the proposed model is …

Study Of Capillary Channel Fiber Augmented Geobags For Accelerated Dewatering Of High Moisture Content Fine-Grained Acid Mine Drainage Precipitate, Luke William Daugherty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to investigate techniques to accelerate filtration and dewatering of Acid Mine Drainage precipitate using geobags augmented with Capillary Chanel Fibers and internal lateral drainage structures. Laboratory and field research investigated increasing the total solids retention of Acid Mine Drainage precipitate in geobag storage systems. Current geobag design and field application of treated AMD precipitate exhibits limited filtration and drainage efficiency due to the high moisture content (2500%) polymer amended AMD flocculated solids. Capillary channel fibers (CCFs) are geosynthetic yarns formed with microgrooves and set into bundled arrangements capable of wicking water, via capillary action, …

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. …