Geotechnical Engineering Commons^™

Karst Spring Cutoffs, Cave Tiers, And Sinking Stream Basins Correlated To Fluvial Base Level Decline In South-Central Indiana, Garre A. Conner

Sinkhole Conference 2015

The Mitchell Aquifer averages 80m in thickness and underdrains a karst region in the Crawford Upland and Mitchell Plateau region in south-central Indiana (110,000 km2). The Springville Escarpment is a transitional boundary between the upland and plateau. Cave stream linking between cave tiers in the aquifer and correlation of cave tier inception horizons to a base level decline surface is interpreted for the Kirby Watershed, encompassing the prekarst headland of Indian Creek (42km2). The watershed was severed from lower Indian Creek at Eller Col by limestone cavern drainage on the ridge between White River and East Fork. Correlation of recharge …

Spatial Variability Of Subsurface Soil Conditions Causing Roadway Settlements, Ömer Bilgin, Kevin Arens, Mark Salveter, Alexander Dettloff

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Settlement of problematic soils constituting the roadway subgrade may result in pavement distress and structural failure, requiring periodic pavement patching and resurfacing. Many of these problems occur as a result of the settlement of soft cohesive and organic soils. Due to the extent of roadway projects and the limited frequency of boring locations, spatial variability of subsurface soil conditions, and sometimes due to an inadequate extent of exploration, these problematic soils may not be identified suitably during subsurface explorations. An extensive subsurface exploration program was implemented for detailed characterization of subsurface conditions for a relatively short section of an existing …

Caracterización De Las Propiedades Indices De Los Flujos De Lodos En 3 Km2 De La Ladera Oriental De La Ciudad De Medellín, Juan Camilo Viviescas, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

La caracterización de las propiedades índices de los geomateriales es una de las labores más importantes en la ingeniería geotécnica, al ser estos un insumo fundamental para la identificación y determinación de propiedades geomecánicas de los suelos. Las principales propiedades índices estudiadas en la geotecnia son el contenido de agua, los límites de Atterberg, la granulometría, el peso unitario y la gravedad específica, las cuales son la base para clasificación de suelos. En este artículo se presenta el análisis estadístico de las propiedades índices de suelos tipo flujo de lodos de la ladera oriental de Medellín, a partir del análisis …

Propiedades Geotécnicas De La Turba Intervenida Antrópicamente, Juan Pablo Osorio

Conference papers

La intervención antrópica en turberas genera cambios significativos en las propiedades geotécnicas de un material orgánico, altamente compresible y con baja resistencia al esfuerzo cortante. Existen diferentes formas de intervención, dependiendo de las tradiciones de cada lugar. Sin embargo, los procesos de intervención más comunes son la precarga por medio de terraplenes y el drenaje, las cuales generan una reducción en el contenido de humedad, la compresibilidad y la permeabilidad, así como un incremento en la resistencia al esfuerzo cortante. En el presente artículo, se discute el efecto de la intervención antrópica en las propiedades geotécnicas de las turbas, a …

Unraveling The Formation Of Continental Crust : A Review And Outlook, Eason Hong, Wei-Ting Kao

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The early Earth is generally believed to be a hot planet with a primitive basaltic oceanic crust. However, the question of how a batholiths-bearing continent was formed is still unresolved. Although many hypothetical interpretations seem appealing, the origin and volume dilemma of the batholiths is still under debate. According to recent literature, the Hadean Ocean is characterized by heat, acidity and reduction, significantly unlike its counterparts in Earth's history. We have found that this crucial marine setting, favoring the chemical weathering of basaltic rocks, is the key element for forming and stabilizing the primitive continents through convergent tectonics and the …

Role Of Soil Parameters On Loading Of Buried Structures, Xiao Zhang, Mark D. Bowman, Rafael R. Armendariz Briones

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Load rating is the process to evaluate and explore the structural capacity of bridges as much as possible within safety range. As a balance between economy and safety, proper load ratings save money and keep public safe. Knowing the contribution and interaction of each different soil parameter on the loading can significantly reduce the amount of work when load rating those structures. However, for buried structures without plans, such contribution or interaction is never known. This parametric study explores how much each soil parameter of three types of soils can affect the loading of buried structures without plans. An existing …

Chemical Modification Of Uniform Soils And Soils With High/Low Plasticity Index, Xuanchi Li, Fei Tao, Antonio Bobet

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lime and/or cement are used to treat weak subgrade soils during construction of highways. These chemicals are mixed with the soil to improve its workability, compactability and engineering properties. INDOT (Indiana Department of Transportation) has been using chemical modification of native soils for the past 20 years. In fact, 90% of current subgrade is treated, typically with quick lime, lime byproducts or cement. For pavement design, it is customary to not include any improvement of the subgrade for the design of the pavement layers. Recent research completed through JTRP (Joint Transportation Research Program) recommends a higher stiffness modulus for chemically …

Multi-Component Active Source Rayleigh Wave Analysis, Gabriel Gribler

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Determining how a building site will respond to earthquake ground shaking plays a critical role in proper construction practices. One critical constraint on how a site responds is the near surface shear wave seismic velocity distribution. One commonly used method for indirectly estimating shear wave velocities is Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), which utilizes a spread of vertical geophones to measure Rayleigh wave dispersion. With this approach, phase velocity vs. frequency dispersion curve picks can be used to estimate shear wave velocities with depth. I investigate the use of two (vertical and horizontal inline) component seismic signals to record …

Interface Friction Parameters For The Mathematical Modeling Of Shell Structures With Infill, Alexander T. Bekker, Nikita Ya. Tsimbelman, Tatiana I. Chernova, Vadim D. Bruss, Ömer Bilgin

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Thin metal or reinforced concrete shells with granular infill structures are considered in this article. These structures are massive and they are used as support for the construction of berthing quays, piers, artificial islands, shore protection, and other structures of coastal infrastructure. It is more convenient to use the thin shell structures during the development of the Arctic shelf, because it is possible to install them from the ice side. In addition, it is possible to enhance the technology and install thin shells with infill on deeper solid foundation layers. A mathematical model for the stresses on a compressible foundation …

Analysis Of Sedimentation Characteristics Of Dredge Sediment Used In Coastal Restoration And Marsh Creation Projects, Christine M. Mebust

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

There is a demand to reestablish a healthy coastal ecosystem by rebuilding wetlands with river diversion or dredged sediments in coastal Louisiana. Land building projects using dredged sediments from adjacent canals and river beds, can be used to protect the coastal properties and infrastructure systems from flood and storm surges. To predict the sediment’s long term behavior, math models require input parameters based on sediment engineering properties and material characteristics. Proper characterization is critical for accurate design of coastal restoration projects. The dredge material sedimentation characteristics and their effects on the settlement rate of suspended solid particles and underlying foundation …

Feasibility Study: The Evaluation Of Polymer Coatings To Prevent Weathering Of Weak Rocks, Lauren Distler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The weathering and erosion of weak rocks along roadways can cause dangerous and potentially fatal rockfalls.   Various slope stabilization methods exist, but each presents a set of challenges and trade-offs.   The focus of the project is to understand the feasibility of utilizing of a polymerbased slope stabilization technique. Rock samples were collected along US Route 33 in Virginia and West Virginia, and preliminary tests were conducted to evaluate the absorption of water (% mass) and durability. The study evaluates three polymer options in regard to the following criteria: adhesion to rock, layer thickness, semi-permeability, insolubility, and non-toxicity. The polymer selection …

Amount Of Uncertainty In The Methods Utilized To Design Drilled Shaft Foundations, Morgan Race

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In 2001, load and resistance factor design (LRFD) for deep foundations was required by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Following implementation of LRFD, localized calibration of resistance factors using data from the states of Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana/Mississippi, Missouri allowed these states to utilize higher resistance factors during design. However, characterizing the uncertainty in the design of DSF, regarding the geotechnical investigation methods and the utilized software programs, higher values of resistance factors may be calibrated to more efficiently design DSF with the same level of reliability.

Three test sites within the state of Arkansas, …

A Study Of The Influence Of Particle Gradation In Bonded Assemblies, Matthew P. Watters

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The discrete element method (DEM) has been used extensively to study soil, rock, and masonry behavior because of its ability to model the materials as individual particles or bonded clumps of particles. DEM allows for examination of the macro- and micro-scale response and provides a means to study the fundamental material behavior, but it is still considered computationally expensive in relation to other methods. To lower computational costs, the smallest particle sizes are often considered negligible and are left out of the model. Additionally, rock or intact materials are often modeled as a bonded assembly of uniform spheres. To date, …

Alkali-Silica Reaction Mitigation Using High Volume Class C Fly Ash, Sydney Marie Dickson

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fly ash is the residue produced from coal combustion in electric generating plants. There are two types of fly ash, Class C and Class F. Approximately 40 percent of fly ash generated from coal combustion can be used as a partial replacement of cement in concrete. Incorporating fly ash improves concrete properties and extends its service life. Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) is an expansive reaction between reactive silica typically found in aggregates (rock and sand) and alkalis in cement. This reaction results in the formation of a gel that absorbs water and swells, which exerts an internal pressure in concrete. This …

Prediction Of Shear Strength And Ductility Of Cyclically Loaded Reinforced Concrete Columns Using Artificial Intelligence, Nicholas Gordon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The shear strength and deformation capacities of reinforced concrete (RC) columns are governed by a multitude of variables related to material properties of the steel and concrete used in the design and construction of the columns. Predicting performance of RC columns using design variables is a complex, non-linear problem. The prediction of shear strength and ductility for these types of structural members has historically been performed using empirically or semi-empirically derived formulae based on experimental results. The introduction of cyclical lateral loading, such as the forces imposed on a structure during an earthquake, can result in severe degradation of shear …

Senior Design: Proposed Stem Academic Building, Middlesex Community College, Senior Design Class

Civil Engineering Student Work

2015 Civil Engineering Senior Design Project.

A proposal for a new STEM building to be constructed on the Middlesex Community College.

Completed by:

• Abdullah Al Bakri
• Ryan Benoit
• Brittany Brown
• Michael Buraczynski
• Samuel Colangelo
• Joseph Connolly
• Kyle Elmy
• Michael Fischer
• Victor Goitia Jurado
• Michael Hanley
• Andrew Malian
• Michael Mathews
• Dionys Quezada
• Katie Rougeot
• Jacob Santos
• Isadora Sartor
• Vega Yerko

Network Inventory Map Book 8: Breede-Gouritz, South Africa

Policy

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) is the custodian of ten national monitoring programs. The overall aim of this project is to undertake an evaluation of each monitoring network, in its present condition, and to redesign and realign the network based on scientific analysis and the strategic and management objectives of DWS and of the country as a whole. The water resources monitoring network will be optimised to ensure sustainable, relevant and up-to-date data of an acceptable quality. This Network Inventory Task focused on the production of maps to illustrate the spatial distribution of the existing monitoring stations for …

Development And Lab Calibration Of The Pnuematic In-Situ Soil Caving Index Sampler (Piscis), Michael A. Grolle

Master's Theses

The caving/sloughing of sandy layers into drilled shafts is a common and costly phenomenon in the drilling industry. A prototype soil-testing device known as the Pneumatic In-situ Soil Caving Index Sampler (PISCIS) has been developed to test sandy layers above the water table for their propensity to cave/slough into a drilled shaft during the drilling process. The PISCIS fits down a Cone Penetration Test (CPT) hole and uses air pressure to agitate a sample off of the hole wall that is then collected and weighed. Large-scale lab testing was conducted using sand under a variety of simulated overburden pressures and …

Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Final Design Report, Ushma Manandhar, Brian Ward, Tyler Zbytek

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents

Technical report includes background information on the project, site borings, several laboratory tests that were performed, and designs for the cutoff wall.

National Science Foundation Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall Award Abstract, Jeffrey C. Evans, Michael A. Malusis, Robert W. Jacob

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Documents

This award abstract describes the purpose of constructing a soil-bentonite cutoff wall as well as the tests that were performed to analyze the performance of the wall.

Commercialization Of A Small, Lightweight, Low-Cost Seismic Borehole Receiver, Rachel Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Herein, conceptualization of a recently patented seismic borehole receiver and its components is developed for commercialization. The device is significantly cheaper, lighter, and smaller than existing technologies on the market. Additionally, it has the potential to achieve better seismic readings than its competitors via patented sensor-to-borehole coupling mechanism. It is the hope that the commercialization of this device will not only provide a more affordable alternative to engineers and geophysicists in the existing market, but the significant cost difference may open new seismic measurement opportunities in the developing world. Its compact size and light weight will increase mobility, allowing investigators …

Evaluation Of Strength And Hydraulic Properties Of Buried Pipe Systems Used For Stormwater Harvesting, Mario Samson Mena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity has been identified as a global issue. Both water harvesting and an efficient water piping system are some of the important factors to meet the water demand. In this study, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes used as an underground storage was evaluated and a Microsoft EXCEL based model was developed, called PIPE-R Model. To study the structural integrity of the pipes, laboratory and field testing were conducted. For the water harvesting, UCF Stormwater Management Academy designed an EXCEL based model to simulate the system's performance to store and redistribute water for an average year. The purpose of PIPE-R Model …

Performance Life Of Various Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Texas, Danniel David Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Typically, pavement engineers in subjectively estimate the service lives of various hot-mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures as part of the life-cycle cost analysis considering the staged design and rehabilitation of flexible pavements. This study proposes the performance lives for the various dense-graded (conventional) mixtures, stone-matrix asphalts (SMA), permeable friction courses (PFC), performance design mixtures and other mixtures placed in Texas. A necessary and significant aspect of the approach involved data mining and merging several pavement management databases (Letting Database, DCIS and PMIS) to obtain mixture longevity data along with historical PMIS information. The product of the linking process resulted in the …

Mechanical Behavior Of Grouted Sands, Ryan C. Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Grouting techniques have been in used for many years, but several new grout materials have surfaced in recent decades that have re-defined the boundaries of the limitations of grouting programs. Typically these applications are used for seepage control in earthen impoundments, but strength of these earthen impoundments should be considered where there is potential for movement in the grouted soil mass. This study investigated initial conditions that could affect grout application effectiveness. The initial conditions in question were soil grain size and in situ moisture content. Two grouts were used, ultrafine and acrylate, and variations in pure grout properties were …

Deformation-Based Excavation Support System Design Method, Sekyi K. Intsiful

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Development in urban areas around the world has steadily increased in recent years. This rapid development has not been matched by the ever decreasing open space commonly associated with urban centers. Vertical construction, thus, lends itself a very useful solution to this problem. Deep excavation is often required for urban construction. Unfortunately, the ground movements associated with deep excavation can result in damage to adjacent buildings. Thus, it is critically important to accurately predict the damage potential of nearby deep excavations and designing adequate support systems.

A new design method is proposed, as an attempt, to address the problem. The …

Prediction Of Strength And Shear Modulus Of Compacted Clays Within An Unsaturated Critical State Framework, Corrie Walton-Macaulay

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research study is to determine whether the soil stiffness, from which the small-strain shear modulus is determined, can be used to predict the shearing resistance of compacted clay soil, which are invariably under conditions of partial saturation. The research program developed for this objective included three major soil testing programs of matric suction, shear modulus, and strength.

A method to estimate matric suction of field compacted clay soil was presented and it is based on the quantified effect of change in initial void ratio on the soil water characteristic behaviors. With the use of a non-nuclear …

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 …

Determining Rockfall Volumes In Three Sites Along Habs Mountain Road In Southwestern Saudi Arabia, Using Lidar Technology, Abdullah Ayed Al-Otaibi

Masters Theses

"The rugged elevated topography is a characteristic feature of the western and southwestern regions of Saudi Arabia. Few arterial roads connect the scattered villages of these regions to major cities, such as Habs Road in Jazan region. Rock fall poses a serious hazard to people, property and animals along the rock cuts of this road. Although no traditional Rockfall studies have previously been applied to this road, accessibility and rock formation shape and structure variability influenced the choice of using Terrestrial Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology to calculate the volume of rockfall at selected sites along this road.

Software …

Damage Detection Methodologies For Structural Health Monitoring Of Thin-Walled Pressure Vessels, Arturo Modesto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a need in exploring structural health monitoring technologies for the composite structures particularly aged Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs) for the current and future implementation of COPVs for space missions. In this study, the research was conducted in collaboration with NASA Kennedy Space Center and also NASA Marshall Space and Flight Center engineers. COPVs have been used to store inert gases like helium (for propulsion) and nitrogen (for life support) under varying degrees of pressure onboard the orbiter since the beginning of the Space Shuttle Program. After the Columbia accident, the COPVs were re-examined and different studies (e.g. …

Evaluating Methods Of Field-Based 3d Visualization And Their Application To Mapping Metamorphic Terranes: An Example From The Panamint Mountains, California, Jade Ashley Brush

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Field geology has traditionally relied on 2D, paper-based workflows, but digital mapping techniques are rapidly replacing these outdated methods because they allow for more efficient and accurate mapping. This research applies digital mapping techniques and two terrestrially-based 3D visualization technologies, photogrammetry and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), to the study of metamorphic terranes in the Panamint Mountains, California. This study reports on the spatial accuracy of TINs (triangulated irregular networks) generated from both photogrammetry and ground-based LiDAR using a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and discusses how spatial accuracy can be increased. Two levels of comparison were used to test spatial …