Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Terramechanics-Based Comparison Of Dem And Crm For Lunar Surface Applications, Nicolas Bonasoro

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Understanding how lunar regolith interacts with robotic systems is important for safe surface operations because uncertain terrain conditions can affect rover traversability and lunar lander stability. This work applies terramechanics to two space robotics applications: in-situ cone penetration testing (CPT) for terrain assessment and lunar lander touchdown analysis for evaluating sinkage, force response, and stability. The study compares the Discrete Element Method (DEM), which resolves particle-scale interactions and captures detailed regolith behavior, with the Continuum Representation Method (CRM), which models soil response more efficiently and supports rigid CAD components such as lander footpads, legs, and body geometries. Current CPT results …

Performance Comparison Of A Low Mass Vibratory Lunar Surface Compactor In Vacuum Versus Atmosphere, Robin D. Austerberry

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

As space agencies prepare to return to the moon, an emphasis is being placed on establishing a sustained human presence that requires permanent structures and supporting infrastructure, making site preparation a critical factor. Michigan Technological University’s Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab has developed a novel low-mass surface compaction tool for use on a site preparation vehicle in collaboration with Colorado School of Mines. Testing in vacuum is necessary to simulate a relevant environment, which is required to increase the technology readiness level of this tool to TRL 5. Testing concluded significant interactions between the presence of atmosphere and other factors. …

Modeling And Testing Chain Trencher Excavator And Cone Penetrometer Robotic Prospecting Systems For Lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization, Marcello C. Guadagno

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Artemis Missions aim to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, requiring In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) of water-ice deposits in permanently shadowed regions. Two critical capabilities must be developed to enable ISRU at scale: prospecting instruments that can characterize the spatial distribution and geotechnical properties of icy regolith in situ, and excavation systems that can extract hardened icy regolith efficiently. This dissertation addresses both needs through the development and testing of a Percussive Heated Cone Penetrometer (PHCP) for geotechnical prospecting and a chain trencher excavator for icy regolith mining.

The PHCP was developed across eight design iterations and …

Development Of New Design Criteria For Coastal Highway Embankment Under Wave-Induced Loading, Udaya Bilas Panta

Master's Theses

In the face of intensifying hurricanes and rising sea levels, Louisiana’s coastal highways, lifelines for communities and commerce, stand increasingly vulnerable. This thesis introduces a pioneering methodology for designing geosynthetic-reinforced highway embankments capable of withstanding wave-induced loading and rapid drawdown scenarios, the most critical failure condition identified in coastal environments. By integrating statistical wave modeling, advanced numerical simulations using SEEP/W and SLOPE/W, and a comprehensive parametric analysis, the study develops a novel hybrid regression formula that accurately predicts optimal reinforcement lengths based on site-specific geotechnical and hydraulic parameters. Validated against Hurricane Katrina data and real-world soil profiles from Cameron Parish, …

Finding Groundwater With Electricity: Research And Testing Of An Electro-Resistive Ground-Surveying Device For Use In Well-Drilling Applications, Samuel L. Heath

Senior Honors Theses

A custom-built electro-resistive water detection device is tested under various conditions to evaluate its overall performance and sensitivity to changing variables. The tests, designed to assess accuracy and precision, revealed that the prototype exhibits high reliability (~ 99%) for both Schlumberger and Wenner arrays across different electrode spacings and soil conditions. Moreover, the measured resistivity values from the soil tests aligned with established literature ranges for each soil type. The device also showed the ability to consistently detect changes in soil water content by producing measurable variations in resistivity. At a total cost of $181, this prototype can serve as …

The Prototype Of A Fully Automated Pressuremeter For Various Geotechnical Applications, Anuar Akchurin

Theses and Dissertations

The geotechnical engineering field requires high-quality in-situ testing equipment that ensures consistency in the test execution. This research focuses on developing and testing a prototype of a fully automated pressuremeter control unit to allow the industry to obtain reliable and controlled stress-strain data, thereby improving efficiency and reducing testing time.

The objectives of this work are to design and develop a system with the necessary components to perform the pressuremeter test, integrate the testing procedure into the state machine design, enable automated testing, and validate the results by comparing the stress-strain data with that obtained from the existing hand-operated pressuremeter …

Modeling The Influence Of Internal Factors On Vehicular Mobility Performance, Aziz Mdimi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Traffic mobility is significantly influenced by road conditions and the internal factors governing vehicular performance. Internal factors play a crucial role in vehicular mobility, influencing vehicles operate and performance. While existing vehicular mobility models primarily address external factors, external factors such as governor, engine, gear train and differential unit remain underexplored. This study formulates a comprehensive model to address this gap, focusing on the internal components that affect vehicular mobility. The proposed model employs both analytical and numerical methods to derive transfer functions for these subsystems using Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB), aiming to capture the dynamic behavior of vehicles under various …

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 …

Modeling Of Asphalt Concrete For Cross-Anisotropic Visco-Elasticity And Heterogeneity, Zafrul Hakim Khan

Civil Engineering ETDs

Asphalt Concrete (AC) is a cross-anisotropic viscoelastic material. This study has developed a methodology to backcalculate the cross-anisotropic properties of the AC layer from the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) sensor and pavement response data from embedded sensors inside a pavement section. This study has also developed a two-way coupled Multiscale Finite Element Model (MsFEM) with Phase Field Fracture (PFF) to study the microstructural heterogeneity and damage of the AC layer based on the actual field loadings. A Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) and Machine learning-based backcalculation algorithm were developed to determine the layer thickness and dielectric constant from air-coupled Ground …

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Fluid Flow Behavior Through Fractured Wellbore Cement, Mahya Hatambeigi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Leakage from wellbores has been a major challenge in the energy industry, leading to groundwater contamination, reduced productivity, safety hazards, and increased operating costs. Cemented annulus fractures are a common type of leakage pathway in wellbores that can form due to various physical and chemical conditions. The number of wellbore leaks continues to increase globally, making it imperative to develop a better understanding of the complex mechanisms governing fluid flow through fractured wellbore cement. Understanding the behavior of fluid flow through a leaky cemented annulus is crucial for evaluating the leakage potential and risk assessments in wellbore systems, as well …

A High-Speed Portable Ground Heat Exchanger Model For Use In Various Energy Simulation Software, Ryan Davies, Matt Mitchell, Edwin Lee

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

A portable component model (PCM) of a ground source heat pump system was developed and used as a test case in the creating of a PCM development framework. By developing this framework, new building energy simulation models will be able to be easily integrated into existing simulation software such as EnergyPlus and the Modelica Buildings Library. Our model uses a time responsive g-function and numerical methods to simulate ground source heat pumps for single time steps as well as long time scales. We validated our model against GHESim and GLHEPro and found that our model agrees with these two standards …

Development And Testing Of A Low Mass Vibratory Lunar Compactor, Charles Carey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

NASA and other agencies are working to return to the moon, with the Artemis Program [1]. As a part of this new effort, an emphasis is being placed on having a sustained presence, building lunar bases and other permanent structures. The development of such infrastructure will require the development of civil engineering structures, and site preparation becomes a necessity. The Planetary Surface Technology Development Laboratory is developing a low mass lunar compactor as part of an autonomous site preparation vehicle in partnership with Colorado School of Mines, funded by NASA’s 2021 Lunar Surface Technology Research grant. The low mass lunar …

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 …

Shallow-Water Wind Turbine Foundation, Andrew Walker, Nico Nani, James Cusanelli, Zachary Dunkelberger

Mechanical Engineering

Over the 2021-2022 academic year, we, the Shallow Water Wind Turbine Foundation senior project team, designed, manufactured, and tested a fixed bottom, sand mounted turbine foundation for the Cal Poly Wind Power Club’s Collegiate Wind Competition turbine. The foundation was restricted to certain material, installation, and geometric constraints outlined in this report, and needed to support the turbine under operating conditions including 22 m/s wind speeds. The design was analyzed using primarily a bearing capacity geotechnical analysis to determine final geometry and weight. The foundation was then manufactured using welded, custom carbon steel parts.

The foundation was inspected for geometric …

Identification Of Phosphorous Loading Point Source Facilities To 303(D) Listed Nutrient Impaired Waters Through Watershed Delineation Using Arcgis For Life Cycle Assessment Applications, John Zimmerman

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The work done for this project is part of a larger “life cycle assessment (LCA) of novel electrochemical phosphorus recovery technology at the wastewater treatment plant and U.S. watershed scales” (Morrissey 2019). The goal of that LCA is to determine “environmental impacts of implementing electrochemical struvite recovery at the wastewater treatment plant, U.S watershed, and global scales” (Morrissey 2019). This project’s goal is to identify locations deemed more sensitive to eutrophication impacts. The results will be used as part of the life cycle inventory (LCI) accounting for geographically explicit phosphorus flows. The waters identified as impaired were sourced from the …

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 …

The Potentials Of Faecal Sludge Treatment Using Local Conditioners In Tanzania: A Review, Doglas Benjamin1

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Worldwide, every day human beings generate millions of tons of Faecal Sludge (FS), which is rich in water, nutrients, energy, and organic compounds. Yet FS is not being managed in a way that permits us to derive value from its reuse, while at the same time, millions of farmers struggle with depleted soils and lack of water. In most of the developing countries, energy for cooking is mainly derived from cutting of trees, either as wood or charcoal. Resource recovery and reuse from FS can create livelihoods, enhance food security, support green economies, reduce waste and contribute to cost recovery …

My Catalyst, Gabrielle Gambino Lyon

Celebration of Learning

Over the course of my internship and shadow program with Pepper Lawson Construction and Ziegler Cooper Architects, I was able to explore the various career paths involved in the design, construction, and civil engineering fields. My work on the construction site of a high-rise apartment building located in the heart of Houston, TX allowed me first-hand experience working and learning alongside project engineers, contractors, building developers, and the construction team.

This project was the perfect confluence of my main areas of interest: structural, mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering, as well as architecture. My daily work consisted of on-site walk throughs, …

Hawai'i Wildlife Fund V. County Of Maui, Lowell J. Chandler

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Hawai’i Wildlife Fund v. County of Maui, the Ninth Circuit held that the plain language of the Clean Water Act provides jurisdiction over indirect discharges of pollutants from a point source into groundwater that is shown to be connected to navigable waters. The court found that studies confirmed pollutants entering the Pacific Ocean were fairly traceable to the County of Maui’s sewage disposal wells. In affirming the district court’s ruling, the Ninth Circuit held that Maui County violated the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into a navigable water without the required permit. The court also concluded the …

Potential Replacement Of The Us Navy's Rapid Penetration Test With The Method Of Multichannel Analysis Of Surface Waves, William Fletcher

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States Navy (USN) currently utilizes a Rapid Penetration Test (RPT) on both land and in water as the means to determine whether sufficient soil bearing capacity exists for piles in axial compression, prior to construction of the Elevated Causeway System (Modular) [ELCAS(M)] pile-supported pier system. The USN desires a replacement for the RPT because of issues with the method incorrectly classifying soils as well as the need to have a less labor-and-equipment-intensive method for geotechnical investigation.

The Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW) method is selected herein as the potential replacement for the RPT. The MASW method is …

Simulating Energy Efficient Control Of Multiple-Compressor Compressed Air Systems, Sean Murphy, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In many industrial facilities it is common for more than one air compressor to be operating simultaneously to meet the compressed air demand. The individual compressor set-points and how these compressors interact and respond to the facility demand have a significant impact on the compressed air system total power consumption and efficiency. In the past, compressors were staged by cascading the pressure band of each compressor in the system. Modern automatic sequencers now allow more intelligent and efficient staging of air compressors.

AirSim, a compressed air simulation tool, is now able to simulate multiple-compressor systems with pressure band and automatic …

Sodhana Environmental - Final Design Report, Eric Taylor, Corissa Bellis, Cody Perez, Cameron Zeller

Mechanical Engineering

A fully designed cost-effective, sustainable, toilet for the developing world.

Seamless Bridge And Roadway System For The U.S. Practice, Nima Ala

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

Expansion joints are one of the main causes for high maintenance costs in bridges. The search for ideal expansion joints has proven fruitless. That is why it has been said that “the best joint is no joint”. A seamless bridge system is envisioned that results in bridges with long service lives by eliminating the joints over the entire length of the bridge, approach slab and a segment of the roadway called transition. All bridge thermal movements are dissipated to zero in the transition. The system is similar to a system developed in Australia but modifications had to be made to …

Socio-Economic Impacts Of Computer Viruses In Tanzania, M Victor

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper reports on a research project conducted with an objective of identifying and assessing various approaches used by different computer users (Management, System Administrators and end users) in Tanzania to combat computer viruses (CVs), and to assess users' awareness level on CVs. Specifically, the study aimed at assessing the awareness level on CVs to the Tanzanian business community; analyze the socio -economic impact caused by CVs in Tanzania and; assess existing methods, capacity and limitations on controlling CVs in Tanzania. Data was collected using both questionnaires and interview from financial institutions such as NBC and BOT, and telecommunications sector …

Quantifying Savings From Improved Boiler Operation, Kevin Carpenter, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

On/off operation and excess combustion air reduce boiler energy efficiency. This paper presents methods to quantify energy savings from switching to modulation control mode and reducing excess air in natural gas fired boilers.

The methods include calculation of combustion temperature, calculation of the relationship between internal convection coefficient and gas flow rate, and calculation of overall heat transfer assuming a parallel-flow heat exchanger model. The method for estimating savings from changing from on/off to modulation control accounts for purge and drift losses through the boiler and the improved heat transfer within the boiler due to the reduced combustion gas flow …

Review Of The Product Development Process And Information Flow In The Manufacturing Industry: Problems And A Possible Wav Forward, E Opiyo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

No abstract provided.

Understanding Manufacturing Energy Use Through Statistical Analysis, J. Kelly Kissock, John Seryak

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Energy in manufacturing facilities is used for direct production of goods, space conditioning, and general facility support such as lighting. This paper presents a methodology for statistically analyzing plant energy use in terms of these major end uses. The methodology uses as few as 60 data points that are relatively easy for most plants to obtain. Multivariable change-point models of electricity and natural gas use as functions of outdoor air temperature and production data are then developed. The statistical models can be used to predict energy use for energy budgeting, measure savings, determine cost structures, and diagnostic purposes. Moreover, in …

Estimating Energy Savings In Compressed Air Systems, Chris Schmidt, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Compressed air is typically one of the most expensive utilities in an industrial facility. As a result, potential savings opportunities are aggressively sought out and identified. Once identified, projected energy savings must be calculated in order to justify the cost of implementing the savings opportunity. It is important to calculate projected energy and cost savings as accurately as possible. Unfortunately, savings are frequently overestimated because the methods used to estimate savings neglect to consider important factors such as compressor control and type, storage, and multiple compressor operation.

In this paper, a methodology is presented for modeling air compressor performance and …

Power Characteristics Of Industrial Air Compressors, Chris Schmidt, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The power draw characteristics of air compressors are primarily determined by the type of compressor control and the relationship between the compressor’s output capacity and the compressed air demand in the plant. In this paper, we review the most common types of compressor control for small reciprocating and rotary air compressors, and derive relations for estimating compressed air output as a function of the type of control and motor loading. Using these relations, we develop a method to estimate the ratio of compressed air output to energy input, which we call the average operating efficiency, based on input power to …

Ascent And Decompression Of Viscous Vesicular Magma In A Volcanic Conduit, Helene Massol, Claude Jaupart, Darrell Pepper

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

During eruption, lava domes and flows may become unstable and generate dangerous explosions. Fossil lava-filled eruption conduits and ancient lava flows are often characterized by complex internal variations of gas content. These observations indicate a need for accurate predictions of the distribution of gas content and bubble pressure in an eruption conduit. Bubbly magma behaves as a compressible viscous liquid involving three different pressures: those of the gas and magma phases, and that of the exterior. To solve for these three different pressures, one must account for expansion in all directions and hence for both horizontal and vertical velocity components. …