Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Integration Of Physics-Informed Neural Networks And Transfer Learning For Rainfall Induced Landslide Forecasting, Shian Cao, Weibing Gong

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rainfall-induced landslides are a significant geological hazard, causing severe economic losses and casualties. Accurate forecasting of these events is particularly challenging due to the complex interactions of spatial and temporal factors governing slope stability. The Iverson model, which uses the Richards equation to describe water infiltration in unsaturated soils, is a widely adopted framework for analyzing rainfall-induced landslides. However, its reliance on traditional numerical methods limits its scalability and efficiency, particularly for complex boundary conditions and transient behaviors near slope failure. To address these limitations, we propose a physics-informed neural network (PINN) enhanced with transfer learning (TL-PINN) to solve the …

Estimating Unconfined Compressive Strength (Ucs) Of Rocks From Measurement While Drilling (Mwd) Data, Can Erdem

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Measurement-while-drilling (MWD) technology enables the real-time monitoring of drilling parameters during the drilling process. MWD data can provide valuable insight into the mechanical behavior of intact rocks and rock masses, which is essential for geotechnical applications such as foundation design and underground construction. The aim of this study is to correlate real-time drilling parameters, recorded using a laboratory-developed MWD system, with the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of rocks. A custom laboratory MWD system was designed to simultaneously record four key drilling parameters: thrust (axial force, crowd), torque, penetration rate, and rotational speed. The custom-built MWD system was used to continuously …

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 …

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO₃^-), nitrite (NO₂^-), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

Prediction Of Stratified Ground Consolidation Via A Physics-Informed Neural Network Utilizing Short-Term Excess Pore Water Pressure Monitoring Data, Weibing Gong, Linlong Zuo, Lin Li, Hui Wang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Predicting stratified ground consolidation effectively remains a challenge in geotechnical engineering, especially when it comes to quickly and dependably determining the coefficient of consolidation ((Formula presented.)) for each soil layer. This difficulty primarily stems from the time-intensive nature of the consolidation process and the challenges in efficiently simulating this process in laboratory settings and using numerical methods. Nevertheless, the consolidation of stratified ground is crucial because it governs ground settlement, affecting the safety and serviceability of structures situated on or in such ground. In this study, an innovative method utilizing a physics-informed neural network (PINN) is introduced to predict stratified …

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 …

Estimation Of Mechanical Behavior Of Unsaturated Soils From A Soil-Water Characteristic Curve, Lucas Acheampong

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The small-strain shear modulus and shear strength are two crucial mechanical behaviors used in the design of geotechnical structures and in the analyses of earth materials subjected to static and dynamic loadings. Traditional testing methods for these parameters are expensive and time-consuming. This research aimed to address these challenges by developing a model based on the inverse relationship between mechanical behavior of unsaturated soils and the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC). The proposed model integrates a scaling function to align the SWCC with the mechanical property curve. Empirical relationships were established for the scaling function, specifically aligning with the air-entry value …

Reliability Of Low Frequency Mhvsr Ordinates, F. J. Ornelas, C. C. Nweke, C. A. De La Torre, P. Wang, T. D. Mai, B. R. Cox, S. J. Brandenberg, J. P. Stewart

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Microtremor horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (mHVSR) are frequency-dependent ratios of Fourier amplitude spectra of the horizontal to vertical components of a 3-component recording of ambient ground motions from microtremors. Results from mHVSR tests can identify the frequencies associated with site resonances at sites with large impedance contrasts, and hence have potential to provide useful parameters for predicting seismic site response. Site measurements are made by recording ground vibrations either from a temporarily deployed seismometer, typically recording for a relatively short period of time (~1-2 hrs.), or from a permanently-installed broadband seismometer. In this paper, we discuss ongoing work investigating the reliability …

Simulation Of Wave Propagation In Granular Particles Using A Discrete Element Model, Syed Tahmid Hussan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The understanding of Bender Element mechanism and utilization of Particle Flow Code (PFC) to simulate the seismic wave behavior is important to test the dynamic behavior of soil particles. Both discrete and finite element methods can be used to simulate wave behavior. However, Discrete Element Method (DEM) is mostly suitable, as the micro scaled soil particle cannot be fully considered as continuous specimen like a piece of rod or aluminum. Recently DEM has been widely used to study mechanical properties of soils at particle level considering the particles as balls. This study represents a comparative analysis of Voigt and Best …

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 …

Energy Dissipation In A Sand Damper Under Cyclic Loading, Ehab Sabi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Various seismic and wind engineering designs and retrofit strategies have been in development to meet structures' proper and safe operation during earthquake and wind excitation. One such method is the addition of fluid and particle dampers, such as sand dampers, in an effort to reduce excessive and dangerous displacements of structures. The present study implements the discrete element method (DEM) to assess the performance of a pressurized sand damper (PSD) and characterize the dissipated energy under cyclic loading. The idea of a PSD is to exploit the increase in shearing resistance of sand under external pressure and the associated ability …

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. …

Geology-Based Shear-Wave Velocity Model Of Reference Site Conditions In South Carolina For Seismic Site Response Analysis, Camilius Amevorku

All Dissertations

Assessing earthquake hazard in the State of South Carolina is important because it is one of the most seismically active regions of the eastern United States and has experienced earthquakes of damaging levels in the historical past. Examples of these damaging seismic events are the 1886 Charleston earthquake (M 6.7 to 7.5) and the 1913 Union County earthquake (M 4.5 to 5.5).

Small-strain shear-wave velocity (V_S) is an important parameter in performing site response analysis. The deep nature of the top of reference firm rock (i.e., V_S ≥ 760 m/s or B-C boundary) due to …

Correlations Between Dynamic Probe Blow Count And Undrained Shear Strength For Peat At A Well-Characterised Raised Bog In Ireland, David Mchugh, Ciaran Reilly, Juan Pablo Osorio

Articles

Peat deposits are generally heterogeneous, with large variations over small areas. Peat has an extremely high water content, high compressibility and low shear strength. This presents a major issue in studying the geomechanical behavior of peat. For this study, field and laboratory tests were conducted to establish the undrained shear strength (s_u) of peat at a cutover industrial peatland in Ireland which had been extensively characterized in the past. The new field work included TRL-type Dynamic Cone Penetrometer, Mackintosh probe and field vane shear tests. A correlation was developed between the Mackintosh probe “M-value” blow count and the …

A Review Of Current Construction Guidelines To Inform The Design Of Rammed Earth Houses In Seismically Active Zones, David Thompson, Charles Augarde, Juan Pablo Osorio

Articles

Sustainability in the materials we use for construction is a prime concern, focusing on reducing the embodied energy and carbon footprints of the materials used. The cement used in concrete products is responsible for a significant proportion of Man's CO2 emissions and its production requires substantial energy input, as do fired clay products. For this reason, products formed from unfired earthen materials are of increasing interest and the current challenges include devising means of robust design for strength and to address durability concerns. One form of earthen construction that employs an in-situ method is rammed earth, and it is a …

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 …

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 …

Development Of A New Electro-Osmotic Consolidation Apparatus, Yenni Mariana Ramírez-Mazo, Juan Pablo Osorio, Sergio Agudelo

Conference papers

Electro-osmotic consolidation is a ground improvement technique in which a DC voltage is applied to the soil via electrodes, in order to drain the water contained in the pores increasing the effective stress, and thus improving the geotechnical properties of the soil. The technique increases the shear strength, reduces the compressibility, and changes the chemical composition of the saturated soft clayey and silty soils to which it can be applied. Electro-osmotic consolidation has been successfully applied in different projects worldwide. This paper presents the development of a new electro-osmotic consolidation apparatus built at Universidad de Antioquia. Tests were carried on …

Geological Origin As An Input Variable In Reliability-Based Designs: For An Accurate Exploration In Geotechnical Engineering, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

Soil is one of the most difficult materials to characterize realistically, which partly explains the uncertainty between the designs and the geostructures real behavior. Different recommendations have arisen with respect to carrying out field investigations in order to reduce the uncertainties inherent to the soil. However, the field exploration and the implementation of sophisticated geotechnical models have proven to be insufficient to mitigate the geotechnical uncertainty. Therefore, Reliability-Based Designs (RBD) emerge as a decision-making tool through the definition of the probability of failure in conjunction with the typical Factors of Safety. RBD requires a previous understanding of the most appropriate …

Probabilistic Analysis Of The Active Earth Pressure On Earth Retaining Walls For C‑Φ Soils According To The Mazindrani And Ganjali Method, Julian Osorio, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Articles

The determination of the earth pressure coefficients (K) in geotechnical engineering is one of the most critical procedures in designing earth retaining walls. However, most earth pressure theories are made for either clay or sands, where the c-ϕ soils are the least analysed. In this paper, an analysis of the earth pressure for drained mixed soils based in Mazindrani and Ganjali (J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 123:110–112, 1997) theory was carried out. Earth pressure coefficients are generally used in a deterministic way and can represent designs under an inadmissible risk. Therefore, Reliability-based design arises as an essential tool to deal with …

Characterization Of Landslide Processes From Radar Remote Sensing And Hydromechanical Modeling, Yuankun Xu

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Landsides are a natural geomorphic process yet a dangerous hazard which annually causes thousands of casualties and billions of property loss in a global scale. Understanding landslide motion kinematics from early initiation to final deposition is critical for monitoring, assessing, and forecasting landslide movement in order to mitigate their hazards. Landslides occur under diverse environmental settings and appear in variable types; however, all types of landslides can be mechanically attributed to shearing failure at the basal surface due to stress regime shift contributed by internal and/or external forcing. Typical internal factors include soil/rock weathering, whereas typical external triggering forces encompass …

When It Rains, It Pours: A Case Study Of Spatio-Temporal Variations In High-Intensity Precipitation Events In Arkansas, Deanna Mantooth-Hendrix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is having an impact on weather systems and ecosystems worldwide. Glaciers are receding, oceans are acidifying, hurricanes are stronger, and extreme precipitation is increasing in frequency. Even with the wealth of data and knowledge about the threat of climate change, some places are slow to adapt because they think that the impact to their ecosystem will not be severe. The goal of this project was to determine if climate change is having an impact on extreme precipitation in the top urban areas of Arkansas. The major concern with an increase in extreme events in urban areas is flooding. …

Soil Improvement By Electro-Osmotic Consolidation: Laboratory Testing, Yenni Mariana Ramírez-Mazo, Juan Pablo Osorio, Sergio C. Agudelo-Flórez

Conference papers

Electro-osmotic consolidation is a ground improvement technique that has been successfully implemented on the field and at laboratory scale since the 30s. However, its application has been done primarily through empirical procedures and experience. The determinant variables in the effectiveness and efficiency of the improvement are numerous and require further studies. This paper presents the evaluation of the improvement process of an inorganic low plasticity clay subjected to a 150 V/m voltage during 5780 minutes. The special analysis of the strains showed differential settlements, as well as cracking at the surface and with depth. The consolidations curves obtained follow the …

Revised Draft Final Butte Reclaimed Areas Maintenance And Monitoring (M&M) Plan In Accordance With Butte Reclamation Evaluation System (Bres), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Workshop Outcomes Report: 1st International Workshop On Seismic Resilience Of Arctic Infrastructure And Social Systems, Majid Ghayoomi, Katharine Duderstadt, Alexander Kholodov, Alexander Shiklomanov, Matthew Turner, Elham Ajorlou

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Laboratory Testing And Mechanistic Analysis Of Treated Subgrade Soils, Hari Kumar Reddy Yarrapureddi

Civil Engineering Theses

Calcium-based stabilizing agents such as cement and lime have been extensively used to improve the engineering properties of base and subgrade layers of pavement systems. Recently, polymers and chemical stabilizers have become popular due to cost efficiency, ease of application, and fast curing times. In this study, California Bearing Ratio (CBR) values of polymer and chemical treated soils were compared with the CBR values of soils treated with conventional stabilizers. Parametric sensitivity analyses was carried out on key parameters including the type of subgrade soil, stabilizing agent, stabilizing agent treatment levels, and moisture conditioning. Additionally, numerical analyses was performed to …

Hydrogen Wettability Of Sandstone Reservoirs, Stefan Iglauer, Muhammad Ali, Alireza Keshavarz

Research Datasets

Data set include the data for contact angle data as a function of pressure, temperature and stearic acid concentration in H₂. One exemplary figure is also provided for contact angle measurement in H₂ atmosphere.

Green Roof System Integrated Soil Methods, Jude R. Vallon, Ivan L. Guzman

Publications and Research

Large metropolitan areas like NYC are seeking to integrate sustainability into retrofitting buildings for the development of green infrastructure. Among the many environmental issues of urbanization, the UHI (urban heat island) effect and storm water runoff are of particular interest when it comes building structures. Individual buildings can contribute towards mitigating these effects with implementation of vegetative rooftops, i.e. Green Roofs. Commercial buildings are currently receiving government incentives and new constructions are required to include green roof installations. However, if existing buildings are considering the addition of a green roof on an existing roof, they have to factor in the …

Suitability Assessment For Integrated Urban Development In Makkah City Of Saudi Arabia, Mislat Alotaibi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Makkah – the third most populated city in Saudi Arabia with a population of 1,684,408 according to the 2010 demographic survey conducted by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics – is experiencing urban sprawl, which can be defined as an unplanned urban expansion that might degrade the environment and diminish the aesthetic view. This is a persisting problem in Makkah driven by multitude of processes involving the random expansion in its undeveloped land and the removal of its historic mountains surrounding Al-Masjid Al-Haram (the Holy Mosque) in an attempt to push the city limit of urban capacity within its administrative …

Karst Sinkhole Detecting And Mapping Using Airborne Lidar, Su Zhang, Shirley Baros, Susan Bogus

Publications

The focus of this study is to detect sinkhole hazards using airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. The premise is sinkholes, particularly those close to transportation infrastructure assets, could cause substantial damages to infrastructure assets, and therefore, being able to accurately and rapidly detect them is essential. However, it is expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and unsafe to survey sinkholes using conventional ground observation methods. This research project was focused on developing accurate and rapid airborne LiDAR-based sinkhole detection and mapping methods, and transfer the technologies to transportation engineers for implementation and workforce development. The project team also identified best practices …