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Full-Text Articles in Geotechnical Engineering

Terramechanics-Based Comparison Of Dem And Crm For Lunar Surface Applications, Nicolas Bonasoro Aug 2026

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 …


Robotic Arm Development For Cone Penetration Testing On The Lunar Surface, Jonah Graff, Derek Zhang Aug 2026

Robotic Arm Development For Cone Penetration Testing On The Lunar Surface, Jonah Graff, Derek Zhang

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Just as on Earth, future lunar operations will require accurate characterization of surface conditions. On Earth, a proven method for this is Cone Penetration Testing (CPT), which evaluates soil bearing capacity and stratification. This information is vital for lunar operations, including habitat construction, resource extraction, and safe pathfinding. However, traditional CPT systems are designed for human operation and lack autonomy. This project addresses that limitation by developing an autonomous, in-situ terrain characterization system for lunar surfaces. The device is driven by ball-screw actuators powered by stepper motors and controlled through an Arduino Mega, using a combination of metal and 3D-printed …


Se(3) Touchdown Dynamics With Multi-Joint Landing Legs And Regolith-Dependent Contact For Autonomous Tip-Over Risk Prediction, Rithika Nagarajan Aug 2026

Se(3) Touchdown Dynamics With Multi-Joint Landing Legs And Regolith-Dependent Contact For Autonomous Tip-Over Risk Prediction, Rithika Nagarajan

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project develops an SE(3)-based touchdown dynamics framework to study how lunar landers can remain stable during landing on sloped and uncertain terrain. Safe lunar landing is challenging because uneven load redistribution, slip, and asymmetric sinkage can push the vehicle’s center of mass outside its support polygon, increasing tip-over risk. The purpose of this work is to extend a fixed-leg touchdown model to a multi-joint landing leg system while also examining how varying regolith properties affect landing stability. The method combines coupled rigid-body translation and rotation with per-foot unilateral contact, compliant normal force response, and Coulomb-limited friction to simulate touchdown …


Downdrag Defeated – The Neutral Plane Method, Kyle L. Zak, Min Sang Lee Nov 2025

Downdrag Defeated – The Neutral Plane Method, Kyle L. Zak, Min Sang Lee

Civil Engineering Professional Development Seminar

The neutral plane method for evaluating downdrag on deep foundations has been gaining popularity over the past few years. It is a powerful tool that, in many situations, can all but eliminate downdrag concerns on deep foundations. INDOT has allowed its use recently and adapted its forms to accommodate this method. The presentation will cover the theory behind the method and how it can be applied in bridge design. We will then demonstrate how to incorporate the method into the INDOT workflow, and we’ll show a couple real-life examples where the neutral plane method saved the day.


Biochar-Based Filtration And Barrier Systems For Urban Stormwater Treatment, Krishna R. Reddy Jul 2025

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"


Performance Assessment Of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials With Low To High Thermoregulation Range In Asphalt Binder, Anil Kumar Baditha, Ayyaz Fareed Mar 2024

Performance Assessment Of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials With Low To High Thermoregulation Range In Asphalt Binder, Anil Kumar Baditha, Ayyaz Fareed

Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Fellow Symposium

Asphalt pavements face significant challenges due to low temperature cracking and rutting caused by extreme temperature fluctuations and traffic loading. These issues result in higher maintenance costs and reduced service life of the pavements. To address this, researchers explored the use of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCMs) to induce thermoregulation in asphalt pavements. However, the existing research focused on high-temperature performance of binders, highlighting the need of research on evaluating the low-temperature performance. Therefore, the study aims to evaluate the impact of incorporating MPCMs on low to high temperature performance of binders. Three types of MPCMs were incorporated into asphalt …


Demystifying Utility Coordination: Understanding The Basics, Josshe I. Palm Mar 2024

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.


Behavior Analysis Of Cement Concrete With Combination Of Waste Rubber And Glass, Abdulaziz Alebra Apr 2023

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 …


St. Mary And St. Anne Cathedral, Cork: An Optimum Heating Solution For Heritage Buildings?, Christopher Shiell, Roger P. West Aug 2020

St. Mary And St. Anne Cathedral, Cork: An Optimum Heating Solution For Heritage Buildings?, Christopher Shiell, Roger P. West

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Cathedrals and most churches are characterised by having large internal, undivided spaces and permeable building envelopes. They are often used little, intermittently, but predictably and, in spite of the fact that they are unique in still being largely used for the purpose for which they were built many centuries ago, they are now often used for additional purposes, for which they were never designed. These uses include concerts, graduation ceremonies, filming and a host of other uses all of which require a level of thermal comfort not envisaged by the original builders. Research was undertaken by the authors into the …


Challenges And Opportunities To Deep Retrofitting Of Traditional Fabric Buildings To Achieve Nearly Zero Energy Building (Nzeb), Maria Lopez Zambrano, Paul Kenny, Jamie Goggins Aug 2020

Challenges And Opportunities To Deep Retrofitting Of Traditional Fabric Buildings To Achieve Nearly Zero Energy Building (Nzeb), Maria Lopez Zambrano, Paul Kenny, Jamie Goggins

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Many of our traditional buildings are disappearing or in danger of being under utilised because they are not comfortable for modern day living and do not meet our present day needs. If a building does not have a use, inevitably it deteriorates and eventually becomes a ruin or gets demolished. It is important to retrofit these buildings, which are part of our identity and can be powerful tourist attractions even though most of them are not listed. Some owners want to apply for retrofitting schemes and grants, but they are rejected because there are no standard solutions to achieve low …


Can Deap Help Us To Predict The Energy Demand And Indoor Temperature Of Homes Before And After Renovation? A Case Study From Dublin, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins Aug 2020

Can Deap Help Us To Predict The Energy Demand And Indoor Temperature Of Homes Before And After Renovation? A Case Study From Dublin, Paul Moran, Jamie Goggins

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings via retrofitting is seen as one of the key mitigation measures to reducing the energy demand and carbon emissions of the built environment in Ireland. However, while energy efficiency retrofits for buildings are effective in theory, the energy savings estimated by statistical or engineering models can often be inaccurate. The Domestic Energy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) is the standard assessment procedure used for assessing the energy performance standard of residential buildings in Ireland. This paper examines the gas energy demand for space and water heating and the internal temperature profiles in contrast to DEAP estimates …


Operational And Embodied Energy Analysis Of 8 Single-Occupant Dwellings Retrofit To Nzeb Standard, Richard O'Hegarty, Shane Colclough, Oliver Kinnane, Donal Lennon, Etienne Rieux Aug 2020

Operational And Embodied Energy Analysis Of 8 Single-Occupant Dwellings Retrofit To Nzeb Standard, Richard O'Hegarty, Shane Colclough, Oliver Kinnane, Donal Lennon, Etienne Rieux

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

In line with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, Irish dwellings are being retrofit to near Zero Energy Building (nZEB) standards - with a number of the deep energy retrofits classified as A-rated. As a result of the low operational energy, the embodied energy share of an nZEB's life cycle energy is significantly increased. Therefore, to obtain a holistic picture of the change in energy profile of buildings, the embodied energy of the material added to achieve that low performance should also be taken into account. This paper presents results from a case study of 8 single-occupant terrace bungalows retrofit …


The Broader Development Of The Student Engineer Through Industry Based Experiential Learning, Donogh Coleman, Ted Mckenna, Mary Moloney Aug 2020

The Broader Development Of The Student Engineer Through Industry Based Experiential Learning, Donogh Coleman, Ted Mckenna, Mary Moloney

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The global drive for industry-aware and industry-ready engineering graduates, has led to the development and integration of experiential learning through work placements. Industry is looking to recruit graduates with not just the requisite technical engineering skills, but also graduates with inter alia high levels of teamwork and communications skills. This has been recognised by CIT with the integration of work placement in most of its undergraduate programmes. This paper provides an overview of the student placement process in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at CIT, includes the work placement alternative which was implemented due to the COVID-19 …


Art In Engineering: Evoking A Creative Response From Engineering Students And More, Jamie Goggins, Marta Fuente, Eamonn Madden Aug 2020

Art In Engineering: Evoking A Creative Response From Engineering Students And More, Jamie Goggins, Marta Fuente, Eamonn Madden

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The concept of creativity being only associated with writers, painters, and artistic professions is outdated. The future engineer must embrace maths, art and creativity to unlock innovative solutions. Traditional engineering courses with an emphasis predominately on maths and science can produce graduates who are constrained in developing design solutions without creativity to unlock innovative solutions. This paper describes a short course introduced in the School of Engineering at NUIGalway in 2018 to expose students to creative thinking research and principles and engage in various forms of creative expression (photography, painting and essay writing) to articulate their response to a set …


Teaching Of Structural Analysis Into The Future, Dermot O'Dwyer Aug 2020

Teaching Of Structural Analysis Into The Future, Dermot O'Dwyer

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The engineering curriculum has always been full. In the past civil and structural engineers studied a wide variety of technical subjects within the broad field of engineering science and spent many hours working on design projects. Modern engineering curricula try to cover these areas while also dedicating more time to structured group-work, report writing and communication skills. Although students spend longer in college the number and range of technical fields that students must master is considerably larger than in the past. As a result the time available to any one topic area has reduced. At the same time the work …


Loading On Long Span Bridges In Heavily Trafficked Areas, Michael Quilligan, Eugene O'Brien Aug 2020

Loading On Long Span Bridges In Heavily Trafficked Areas, Michael Quilligan, Eugene O'Brien

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The critical traffic loading condition for long-span bridges is congestion when vehicles may be closely spaced together. Data on very high traffic flows is limited however, as induction loops which are typically used to collect traffic data, are ineffective when traffic flow breaks down. A number of long span bridges are located in areas of high traffic with periods of recurring congestion occurring daily. While the inter-vehicle gap distances are greater than those occurring during non-recurring full stop accident type events, the high frequency of the recurring congestion events can increase the probability of a critical load case occurring.


A Numerical Study Of The Effect Of Wind Barriers On Traffic And The Bridge Deck, Yuxiang Zhang, Philip Cardiff, Jennifer Keenahan Aug 2020

A Numerical Study Of The Effect Of Wind Barriers On Traffic And The Bridge Deck, Yuxiang Zhang, Philip Cardiff, Jennifer Keenahan

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Wind actions can have a great impact on both bridges and traffic on bridges. However, structures designed to shelter the traffic from wind can influence the aerodynamic performance of the bridge deck, especially for long-span bridges. This study compares the effect of non-perforated walls and perforated walls used as wind barriers for traffic by conducting Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations on three-dimensional geometries of a four-lane bridge deck. Steady-state simulations employ the Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) method with the k-epsilon turbulence model and all simulations use parallel computing. An open-sourced software OpenFOAM is used.


Long-Run Traffic Simulations For Multi-Lane Road Bridges, Róisín Donnelly, Lorcan Connolly, Ilaria Bernardini Aug 2020

Long-Run Traffic Simulations For Multi-Lane Road Bridges, Róisín Donnelly, Lorcan Connolly, Ilaria Bernardini

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The maintenance and repair of ageing bridges is a concern for road infrastructure managers. This issue is amplified by the increasing weights and frequency of travel of freight vehicles in recent times. In order to accurately assess the risk of damage for road bridges, it is essential to have knowledge of both historical and current bridge loading. When available, site-specific Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) data can be effective in creating representative load models for a structure. However, for cases where WIM data is not available and in cases where future damage must be predicted, it is necessary to simulate appropriate data using …


Simulation Of Traffic Loading On Long Span Bridges, Hang Zhang, Michael Quilligan Aug 2020

Simulation Of Traffic Loading On Long Span Bridges, Hang Zhang, Michael Quilligan

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Existing long span load models have typically been developed using a number of conservative assumptions, and as such are more applicable to the design of new bridges rather than the assessment of existing structures. Excessive conservatism in such assumptions can lead to expensive and unnecessary interventions in existing bridges. Furthermore, existing load models do not always allow for correlations in traffic weights and vehicle positions on the bridge.


Repair & Rehabilitation Of Daly's (Shakey) Bridge, Cork City, Michael Minehane, John Gamble Aug 2020

Repair & Rehabilitation Of Daly's (Shakey) Bridge, Cork City, Michael Minehane, John Gamble

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

This paper describes the rehabilitation of (Shakey) Bridge, an existing single-span suspension bridge crossing the northern channel of the River Lee in Cork City. The bridge was opened in 1927 to replace an earlier ferry crossing at the same location. Daly’s bridge is included on the Record of Protected Structures and the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. It remains the only suspension bridge in Cork City and is the only surviving bridge of its kind in Ireland. It is considered to be a significant contributor to the architectural heritage of the city. This case study describes the project development including …


Development And Testing Of A Deployable Double Layer Tensegrity Grid, Michael Quilligan, Valentin Gomez-Jauregui, Cristina Manchado, Cesar Otero Aug 2020

Development And Testing Of A Deployable Double Layer Tensegrity Grid, Michael Quilligan, Valentin Gomez-Jauregui, Cristina Manchado, Cesar Otero

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Tensegrity is a structural principle based on the use of isolated or contiguous pin jointed components in compression inside a net of continuous tension. Although the concept has been studied for many decades, relatively few examples of tensegrity structures have been used for civil engineering purposes.


Reinforcement Of Timber Elements In Compression Perpendicular To The Grain Using Compressed Wood Dowels, Michael Conway, Conan O'Ceallaigh, Sameer Mehra, Annette M. Harte Aug 2020

Reinforcement Of Timber Elements In Compression Perpendicular To The Grain Using Compressed Wood Dowels, Michael Conway, Conan O'Ceallaigh, Sameer Mehra, Annette M. Harte

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

In the past decade, there has been an increased focus on the environmental impacts of construction and a movement towards more sustainable construction products. Timber is one such sustainable product that can achieve these environmental targets but, while timber has a high strength-to-weight ratio parallel to the grain, it demonstrates poor strength perpendicular to the grain. As a result, stress perpendicular to the grain is an important factor in the design of timber structures, especially in areas of concentrated loading, such as supports. This paper describes a study, which examines the use of compressed wood dowels as a sustainable alternative …


An Evaluation Of Design Issues Identified During Reviews Of Structural Designs Of Buildings From 2015 To 2020, Patrick Crean, Richard Osborne Aug 2020

An Evaluation Of Design Issues Identified During Reviews Of Structural Designs Of Buildings From 2015 To 2020, Patrick Crean, Richard Osborne

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

A recent study on failures of structures in Ireland indicated that approximately 40% could be apportioned to designer error. A 2019 report into recent structural cracking of a high-rise building in Sydney Australia recommended that Independent third party checking by a Chartered Engineer should be a requirement on all major projects prior to construction. The report also stated that the critical elements of the design on these projects should be identified. It is obvious that a certain percentage of buildings constructed each year contain design flaws and only a small proportion of these ever result in a failure. However there …


A Review Of The Engineering Constraints And Project Management Challenges Involved In Utilising Scot’S Church As A Heritage Asset Through Responsible Adaptive Reuse And Conservation Strategies, Óisín Smith Aug 2020

A Review Of The Engineering Constraints And Project Management Challenges Involved In Utilising Scot’S Church As A Heritage Asset Through Responsible Adaptive Reuse And Conservation Strategies, Óisín Smith

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

In the field of structural building, there has been a rising popularity in adaptive reuse of older structures, which stems from a variety of stimuli. Apart from preserving built heritage, providing old buildings with new functions promotes sustainability while preventing and containing urban sprawl. Target 11.4 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals Agenda 2030 explicitly outlines that “more efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage” are required. In order to valorise and regenerate obsolescent structures, intervention is often required. The dissertation provides a comprehensive overview of conservation engineering and demonstrates the importance of an engineer’s …


Potential Of A Low-Calcium Fly Ash (Fa) For The Production Of Alkali-Activated Materials., Omar Alelweet, Sara Pavia Aug 2020

Potential Of A Low-Calcium Fly Ash (Fa) For The Production Of Alkali-Activated Materials., Omar Alelweet, Sara Pavia

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Coal-FA from power stations is an industrial waste abundantly produced in the world. FA can be used as a silicate precursor, and activated with an alkali-metal source to produce alkali-activated materials (AAMs). AAMs are more sustainable than other traditional products, as the use of waste for their production, reduces carbon emissions, and raw materials and energy consumption. This paper studies the properties, composition and reactivity of an Irish FA to establish its potential for the production of AAMs. The results clearly evidenced that the FA is reactive. It is ultrafine, it has a high specific surface area and is partially …


Maximising The Potential Use Of Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (Ggbs) In Cement: An Irish Investigation, Brendan Higgins, Michael Curran, John P. Spillane Aug 2020

Maximising The Potential Use Of Ground Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag (Ggbs) In Cement: An Irish Investigation, Brendan Higgins, Michael Curran, John P. Spillane

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The production of cement is estimated to account for around 8% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide, and the Irish construction industry yields fifteen million tonnes of CO2 annually. Measures must be employed to reduce these emissions by incorporating less CO2 intensive admixtures such as blast-furnace slag, however, the Irish construction industry can often be resistant to change. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the potential implementation of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) into the use of cement in Ireland, on the basis of maximisation over optimisation. This research is based on the hypothesis that if GGBS produces drastically less …


Durability And Sustainability Of Pavement Quality Concrete In Airfields, Aidan Fogarty, Mark Richardson Aug 2020

Durability And Sustainability Of Pavement Quality Concrete In Airfields, Aidan Fogarty, Mark Richardson

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Direct emissions from the aviation industry accounts for 2% of global emissions. If global aviation was a country it would be in the top 10 emitters. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) forecasts that emissions could grow by a further 300-700% by 2050. In 2010 global cement manufacture released 3270 million metric tonnes of CO2 into our atmosphere. In 2020 that amount is estimated to be 4370 million metric tonnes of CO2. This will account for around 8% of global CO2. Replacing Portland cement with 70% GGBS in concrete reduces the carbon footprint associated with the cement content in concrete. …


Preliminary Investigation On The Use Of Dolomitic Quarry By-Product Powders In Grout For Self-Compacting Concrete Applications, Ahmed Abdalqader, Katrina Wilson, Neil Thornton, Kieran Mchugh, Mohammed Sonebi, Su Taylor Aug 2020

Preliminary Investigation On The Use Of Dolomitic Quarry By-Product Powders In Grout For Self-Compacting Concrete Applications, Ahmed Abdalqader, Katrina Wilson, Neil Thornton, Kieran Mchugh, Mohammed Sonebi, Su Taylor

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) flows under its own weight without requiring external vibration for compaction. This is very useful in applications where normal vibrated concrete cannot be used such as narrow forms and reinforcement congested members. To attain the self-compacting property, it is required that the concrete have adequate viscosity, high deformability and high resistance to segregation. This is can be achieved by adding mineral admixtures (fillers) and/or viscosity modifying agents (VMAs). The former is the main practice in Europe and processed limestone powder is the most commonly used filler in the production of SCC. However, the quarrying process of the …


Thermodynamic Cement Hydration Modelling Using Hydcem, Niall Holmes, Denis Kelliher, Mark Tyrer Aug 2020

Thermodynamic Cement Hydration Modelling Using Hydcem, Niall Holmes, Denis Kelliher, Mark Tyrer

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

Thermodynamics have been successfully applied to the field of cement hydration science to predict the formation of phase assemblages and pore solution chemistry. For any cement hydration model to be accepted, it must provide accurate forecasts of which solids may form and how the cement will dissolve over time. This is particularly important for the ongoing development of new sustainable cements and understanding their hydration behaviour in service.


Predicting Mortar Compressive Strength Using Hydcem, Ewoma Ogoro, Niall Holmes, Denis Kelliher, Mark Tyrer Aug 2020

Predicting Mortar Compressive Strength Using Hydcem, Ewoma Ogoro, Niall Holmes, Denis Kelliher, Mark Tyrer

Civil Engineering Research in Ireland 2020

The compressive strength of mortar is a significant property that will influence its performance in concrete or masonry. Being able to accurately model and predict the mortar compressive strength would be of great benefit to suppliers and end users alike that could possibly reduce the need for multiple physical testing.