Other Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Experimental And Numerical Analysis Of Soil-Geosynthetic Composite For A Geosynthetic-Reinforced Roadway System, Daniel Robertson

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

The present research conducted tests to evaluate the reinforcing performance of geosynthetics including three geogrids (GG1, GG2, and GG3) and one geotextile (GT) for three different soil types – sand, clay, and red shale. All geosynthetics showed great improvement under the lowest confining pressure. The report concluded that between the Large-Scale Direct Shear test, the Large-Scale Pullout Box, and the FLAC simulation, the three geogrids showed the greatest improvement when conducted with sand. The sand could withstand a much greater normal pressure than either clay or red shale. The biaxial geogrids, GG1 and GG3, had ideal results for lower stress …

Performance Of Concrete With Different Cement Finenesses And Nano-Activators, Brandon Faltin

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

The excessive shrinkage in modern concrete is the result of the construction industry in its quest to complete the job as soon as possible. In order to accomplish this, the fineness of cement was increased significantly in recent decades for a faster rate of strength gain. To combat the cement fineness and reverse the trend of shrinkage, the usage of coarse cements and nanoparticles should be strongly considered. The coarse cement is used to reduce the shrinkage of concrete, while the nanoparticle increases the early strength, alleviating the original concerns of reduced early strength when using coarse cement.

Work in …

Estimation Of Methane Emissions From Beef Cattle Manure In Nebraska, Noe Hernandez

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

The emission of methane from livestock production contributes to climate change. Cattle manure accounts for one-third of the total methane emission over the lifecycle of beef and dairy production and represents an opportunity to lower the environmental footprint of the beef industry. While models have been developed to estimate methane emissions from manure under certain types of manure storage methods, there is a lack of a user-friendly interface that agricultural or environmental engineers can use to estimate the methane emission from manure for specific regions. Therefore, the goal of this study was to build an interface to estimate methane emissions …

Surface Urban Energy And Water Balance Scheme (V2020a) In Vegetated Areas: Parameter Derivation And Performance Evaluation Using Fluxnet2015 Dataset, Hamidreza Omidvar, Ting Sun, Sue Grimmond, Dave Bilesbach, Andrew Black, Jiquan Chen, Zexia Duan, Zhiqiu Gao, Hiroki Iwata, Joseph P. Mcfadden

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To compare the impact of surface–atmosphere exchanges from rural and urban areas, fully vegetated areas (e.g. deciduous trees, evergreen trees and grass) commonly found adjacent to cities need to be modelled. Here we provide a general workflow to derive parameters for SUEWS (Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme), including those associated with vegetation phenology (via leaf area index, LAI), heat storage and surface conductance. As expected, attribution analysis of bias in SUEWS-modelled QE finds that surface conductance (g_s) plays the dominant role; hence there is a need for more estimates of surface conductance parameters. The workflow …

Reflection Types And Students’ Viewing Of Feedback In A First-Year Engineering Course Using Standards-Based Grading, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux, Laura M. Cruz Castro

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Feedback is one of the most powerful and essential tools for learning and assessment, particularly when it provides the information necessary to close an existing gap between actual and reference levels of performance. The literature on feedback has primarily focused on addressing strategies for providing effective feedback rather than aspects of students’ readiness to engage with feedback. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study investigated whether reflection, as a routine pedagogical intervention grounded in self-regulated learning theory, promotes the frequency with which students view feedback. Design/Method: A quasi-experimental design was employed to examine the relationship between the use of four different reflection types, …

Biogeosciences Perspectives On Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (Icon) Science, D. Dwivedi, A. L.D. Santos, M. A. Barnard, T. M. Crimmins, A. Malhotra, K. A. Rod, K. S. Aho, S. M. Bell, B. Bomfim, F. Q. Brearley, H. Cadillo-Quiroz, J. Chen, C. M. Gough, E. B. Graham, C. R. Hakkenberg, L. Haygood, G. Koren, E. A. Lilleskov, L. K. Meredith, S. Naeher, Z. L. Nickerson, O. Pourret, H. S. Song, M. Stahl, N. Taş, R. Vargas, S. Weintraub-Leff

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) principles in the American Geophysical Union Biogeosciences section, and discussion on the opportunities and challenges of adopting them. Each commentary focuses on a different topic: (a) Global collaboration, technology transfer, and application (Section 2), (b) Community engagement, community science, education, and stakeholder involvement (Section 3), and (c) Field, experimental, remote sensing, and real-time data research and application (Section 4). We discuss needs and strategies for implementing ICON and outline short- and long-term goals. The inclusion of global data and international community engagement are …

Land Use Influences The Composition And Antimicrobial Effects Of Propolis, Amara J. Orth, Emma H. Curran, Eric J. Haas, Andrew C. Kraemer, Audrey M. Anderson, Nicholas J. Mason, Carol A. Fassbinder-Orth

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Honey bee propolis is a complex, resinous mixture created by bees using plant sources such as leaves, flowers, and bud exudates. This study characterized how cropland surrounding apiaries affects the chemical composition and antimicrobial effects of propolis. The chemical composition and compound abundance of the propolis samples were analyzed using Gas Chromatography- Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and the antimicrobial effects were analyzed using the 50% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC₅₀) assay against four relevant bee pathogens, Serratia marcescens, Paenibacillus larvae, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Propolis composition varied significantly with apiary, and cropland coverage predicted mean sum abundance of …

Precipitation And Temperature Extremes And Association With Large-Scale Climate Indices: An Observational Evidence Over India, S Rehana, Pranathi Yeleswarapu, Ghouse Basha, Francisco Munoz-Arriola

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Climate change exposes more frequent natural hazards and physical vulnerabilities to the built and natural environments. Extreme precipitation and temperature events will have a significant impact on both the natural environment and human society. However, it is unclear whether precipitation and temperature extremes increase physical vulnerabilities across scales and their links with large-scale climate indices. This study investigates the relationship between precipitation and temperature extremes, as recommended by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices (ETCCDI), and large scale climatological phenomenon indices (Indian Summer Monsoon Index (ISMI), Arctic Oscillation (AO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)), using India as …

Conceptual Framework To Integrate Economic Drivers Of Decision Making For Technology Adoption In Agriculture, Thiago L. Romanelli, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, Andre F. Colaço

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study evaluates how much technology adoption could cost in a variety of crop-production scenarios. Cost-reduction simulations consider scenarios of higher input use efficiency such as reducing the usage of diesel, labor, irrigation, fertilizer, herbicide, and seed, among others. The scenarios aim to increase yields by integrating the effect of each input-reduction on the total operating costs. Agricultural production estimates for Nebraska in the US indicates that a technology that saves 1% of diesel is cost-effective, costing between USD 0.15/ha and USD 0.32/ha (for corn). Improvements on input use efficiency should be prioritized to incentivize technology development and adoption. This …

Maize Response To Coupled Irrigation And Nitrogen Fertilization Under Center Pivot, Subsurface Drip And Surface (Furrow) Irrigation: Growth, Development And Productivity, Suat Irmak, Ali T. Mohammed, Meetpal S. Kukal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Water availability and water quality problems negatively impact agricultural productivity due to improper nitrogen (N) and irrigation management, which can also negatively affect environmental services. Coupled irrigation and N management practices must be developed and practiced for alleviating these challenges. Investigating crop growth and development and yield response to coupled irrigation and N management under different irrigation methods can aid in developing optimum agronomic management practices to enhance crop production efficiency. Field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 growing seasons to measure and compare maize (Zea mays L.) grain yield, leaf area index (LAI), plant height (and their …

A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory For Nebraska: Livestock And Coal Loom Large, Eric R. Holley, Adam Liska

Adam Liska Papers

Mitigation of climate change requires the systematic identification and cataloging of emissions sources at city, state, and national levels. In this study, an inventory of annual greenhouse gas emissions from the state of Nebraska was created based on industry data, and emissions inventories were completed each year from 1990 to 2016. Nebraska’s net emissions were found to increase from 56.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MMtCO₂e) in 1990 to 87.4 MMtCO₂e in 2016. Agriculture was found to be the sector with the most emissions (36 MMtCO₂e) followed by electricity generation (21 MMtCO …

Geospatial Synthesis Of Biogeochemical Attributions Of Porphyrins To Oil Pollution In Marine Sediments Of The Gulf Of México, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, José Vinicio Macías-Zamora

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Porphyrins are highly persistent in the environment and represent a helpful biogeochemical attribute to assess the spatial distribution of the effects of oil spills on ecosystems and their resilience. In areas prone to natural and human-originated oil spills, the measurement of VO– and nickel– porphyrins in marine–sediment samples can identify the effects of oil pollution across spatiotemporal scales. The goal is to explore whether or not these compounds can be useful indicators of the geospatial attributions of oil contamination in the surficial sediments. We hypothesize that the geospatial gradients of porphyrins in marine sediments from petroleum spills and seepage activities—related …

The Brazilian Soil Spectral Service (Braspecs): A User-Friendly System For Global Soil Spectra Communication, José A. M. Demattê, Ariane Francine Da Silveira Paiva, Raul Roberto Poppiel, Nícolas Augusto Rosin, Luis Fernando Chimelo Ruiz, Fellipe Alcantara De Oliveira Mello, Budiman Minasny, Sabine Grunwald, Yufeng Ge, Eyal Ben Dor, Asa Gholizadeh, Cecile Gomez, Sabine Chabrillat, Nicolas Francos, Shamsollah Ayoubi, Dian Fiantis, James Kobina Mensah Biney, Changkun Wang, Abdelaziz Belal, Salman Naimi, Najmeh Asgari Hafshejani, Henrique Bellinaso, Jean Michel Moura-Bueno, Nélida E. Q. Silvero

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Although many Soil Spectral Libraries (SSLs) have been created globally, these libraries still have not been operationalized for end-users. To address this limitation, this study created an online Brazilian Soil Spectral Service (BraSpecS). The system was based on the Brazilian Soil Spectral Library (BSSL) with samples collected in the Visible–Near–Short-wave infrared (vis–NIR–SWIR) and Midinfrared (MIR) ranges. The interactive platform allows users to find spectra, act as custodians of the data, and estimate several soil properties and classification. The system was tested by 500 Brazilian and 65 international users. Users accessed the platform (besbbr.com.br), uploaded their spectra, and received soil organic …

Maize Response To Irrigation And Nitrogen Under Center Pivot, Subsurface Drip And Furrow Irrigation: Water Productivity, Basal Evapotranspiration And Yield Response Factors, Ali T. Mohammed, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Information and data about quantification and comparison of crop water productivity indices for various irrigation levels and methods and nitrogen (N) application timings “simultaneously” under the same conditions do not exist. Unprecedented and extensive field experiments were conducted for maize (Zea mays L.) in 2016 and 2017 under center pivot (CP), subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FI) methods with full irrigation treatment (FIT), 80% FIT, 60% FIT and rainfed treatment (RFT) with three N application timings. N treatments were: (i) traditional (TN), (ii) non-traditional-1 (NT-1) and (iii) non-traditional-2 (NT-2). Irrigation yield production functions (IYPF); evapotranspiration-yield production functions …

High Throughput Analysis Of Leaf Chlorophyll Content In Sorghum Using Rgb, Hyperspectral, And Fluorescence Imaging And Sensor Fusion, Huichun Zhang, Yufeng Ge, Xinyan Xie, Abbas Atefi, Nuwan Wijewardane,, Suresh Thapa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Leaf chlorophyll content plays an important role in indicating plant stresses and nutrient status. Traditional approaches for the quantification of chlorophyll content mainly include acetone ethanol extraction, spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. Such destructive methods based on laboratory procedures are time consuming, expensive, and not suitable for high-throughput analysis. High throughput imaging techniques are now widely used for non-destructive analysis of plant phenotypic traits. In this study three imaging modules (RGB, hyperspectral, and fluorescence imaging) were, separately and in combination, used to estimate chlorophyll content of sorghum plants in a greenhouse environment. Color features, spectral indices, and chlorophyll fluorescence …

Maize Response To Coupled Irrigation And Nitrogen Fertilization Under Center Pivot, Subsurface Drip And Surface (Furrow) Irrigation: Soil-Water Dynamics And Crop Evapotranspiration, Ali T. Mohammed, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Determination of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) and root zone soil-water dynamics/distribution coupled with nitrogen (N) management strategies is important for effective management of agricultural fields for enhancing production efficiency. However, limited data and knowledge exist that sufficiently inform how soil-water dynamics and ETc response may vary with coupled irrigation levels and different N application timings under different irrigation methods. Extensive field experiments were conducted in 2016 and 2017 under center pivot (CP), subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), and furrow irrigation (FI) at full irrigation treatment (FIT), 80% FIT, 60% FIT, and rainfed treatment (RFT) with N application timing treatments of traditional N …

Inspiring Young Students To Pursue Engineering, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Brian Steward

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Imagine elementary school students understanding inputs and outputs, choosing appropriate sensors, and programming an autonomous robot. Imagine middle school students learning about PID control and creating advanced programs for sensor-based decision making. Imagine high school students using CAD to design drive trains, manufacturing parts with CNC machine tools, using finite element analysis to adjust the design, ordering custom components from a machine shop, using image processing for target recognition, and applying path planning and motion control. We have witnessed all of these skills. They happened outside of traditional classrooms, and they were all student-driven.

Yes, it’s true, and it’s amazing. …

Resistome And Mobilome In Surface Runoff From Manured Soil As Affected By Setback Distance, Noelle Mware, Maria C. Hall, Selvakumar Rajendran, John E. Gilley, Amy Schmidt, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Yifan Zhang, Xu Li

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land application of livestock manure introduces antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) into the soil environment. The objectives of this study were to examine the changes of resistome and mobilome in runoff and soil as a function of setback distance, i.e., the distance between manured soil and surface water, and to quantify the contributions of manure and background soil to the ARGs and MGEs in surface runoff. The resistome and mobilome in runoff and soil from a field-scale plot study were characterized using a high throughput quantitative polymerase chain reaction (HT-qPCR) array. It was estimated that a …

Emission Of Volatile Organic Compounds From Land-Applied Beef Cattle Manure As Affected By Application Method, Diet, And Soil Water Condition, Bryan L. Woodbury, John E. Gilley, David B. Parker, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land application of beef cattle manure may result in the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of diet, land application method, soil water condition, and time since manure application on VOC emissions. Manure was collected from feedlot pens where cattle were fed diets containing 0%, 10%, or 30% wet distillers grains with solubles (WDGS). The effects of manure application method (surface-applied or incorporated) and soil water condition (saturated or wet) on VOC emissions were measured over a 48 h period. Heptanoic, hexanoic, isobutyric, and isovaleric acids contributed 23.5%, 17.6%, 9.26%, and 3.39% …

Unmanned Aerial System-Based Data Ferrying Over A Sensor Node Station Network In Maize, Jasreman Singh, Yufeng Ge, Derek M. Heeren, Elizabeth Walter-Shea, Christopher M. U. Neale, Suat Irmak, Mitchell S. Maguire

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

Sources Of Variability And Uncertainty In Food-Energy-Water Nexus Systems, Heydi Calderon-Ambelis, Deepak R. Keshwani

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

A nexus approach contributes to the strategic allocation of resources to secure food, energy, and water for the world population. Integrated models considering the complex interactions across food, energy, and water (FEW) enhance decision-making and strategic planning towards resilience. However, a significant number of the existing integrated models leave unaddressed the inherent variability and uncertainty present in the FEW sectors. Here, we review the importance of characterizing variability over spatial and temporal scales and the importance of decreasing the uncertainty present within a FEW nexus systems. The review also discusses existing modeling tools that address variability and uncertainty on single …

Modeling Water Quantity And Quality Nonlinearities For Watershed Adaptability To Hydroclimate Extremes In Agricultural Landscapes, Juan Carlos Jaimes-Correa, Francisco Muñoz-Arriola, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Changing water supplies and demands, inherent to climate fluctuations and human activities, are pushing for a paradigm shift in water management worldwide. The occurrence of extreme hydrometeorological and climate events such as extended wet periods and droughts, compounded with contaminants, impair the access to water resources, demanding novel designs, construction, and management across multiple hydrologic scales and biogeochemical processes. A constraint to studying hydrologic and biogeochemical disturbances and improving best management practices for water quantity and quality at the watershed scale resides in the suitable monitoring, data availability, and the creation of frameworks. We hypothesize that streamflow and contaminants, simulated …

Comparison Effect On Biogas Production From Vegetable And Fruit Waste With Rumen Digesta Through Co-Digestion Process, Anika Tasnim, Muhammad Rashed Al Mamun, Md Anwar Hossen, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Md Janibul Alam Soeb

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Biogas is the best renewable energy as it can be produced from any biomass for example any plant or living organism. The purpose of this research was to produce biomethane from co-digestion of vegetable and fruit waste with rumen digesta through anaerobic digestion process. In this research, two trials of experiment were conducted. Each trial has three different sample with different mixing ratios. Raw materials used in the experiment was rumen digesta of goat and cow, potato, capsicum, cucumbers, onions, radish, cauliflower, carrot, leafy vegetables, apple, banana, and papaya. In each sample, 1200 gram of raw materials were used. Hydraulic …

Influences Of Artificial Light On Mating Of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens): A Review, Md Rabiul Awal, Md Masudur Rahman, Md Abdur Razzak Choudhury, Md Mehedi Hasan, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Md Fuad Mondal

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is a potential insect species which can convert biodegradable materials and some indigestible organic waste into valuable biomass. Because of having good quality of fat and protein, its production and use in animal feed are being extended day by day. To fulfill the future demand re-searchers are trying to find out the successful mass rearing techniques of H. illucens in laboratory or indoor condition. However, the most critical part of H. illucens mass production is obtaining successful mating. This insect is very sensitive to light. It prefers direct sunlight for its …

Low-Level Groundwater Atrazine In High Atrazine Usage Nebraska Counties: Likely Effects Of Excessive Groundwater Abstraction, Moses New-Aaron, Olufemi P. Abimbola, Raheleh Mohammadi, Oluwaseun Famojuro, Zaeema Naveed, Azar M Abadi, Jesse E. Bell, Shannon Bartelt-Hunt, Eleanor G. Rogan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recent studies observed a correlation between estrogen-related cancers and groundwater atrazine in eastern Nebraska counties. However, the mechanisms of human exposure to atrazine are unclear because low groundwater atrazine concentration was observed in counties with high cancer incidence despite having the highest atrazine usage. We studied groundwater atrazine fate in high atrazine usage Nebraska counties. Data were collected from Quality Assessed Agrichemical Contaminant Nebraska Groundwater, Parameter–Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM), and water use databases. Descriptive statistics and cluster analysis were performed. Domestic wells (59%) were the predominant well type. Groundwater atrazine was affected by well depth. Clusters consisting …

Gis-Based Volunteer Cotton Habitat Prediction And Plant-Level Detection With Uav Remote Sensing, Tianyi Wang, Xiaohan Mei, J. Alex Thomasson, Chenghai Yang, Xiongzhe Han, Pappu Kumar Yadav, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Volunteer cotton plants germinate and grow at unwanted locations like transport routes and can serve as hosts for a harmful cotton pests called cotton boll weevils. The main objective of this study was to develop a geographic information system (GIS) framework to efficiently locate volunteer cotton plants in the cotton production regions in southern Texas, thus reducing time and economic cost for their removal. A GIS network analysis tool was applied to estimate the most likely routes for cotton transportation, and a GIS model was created to identify and visualize potential areas of volunteer cotton growth. The GIS model indicated …

Injectable Decellularized Nucleus Pulposus Tissue Exhibits Neuroinhibitory Properties, Logan M. Piening, David J. Lillyman, Fei San Lee, Alvaro Moreno Lozano, Jeremy R. Miles, Rebecca A. Wachs

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability, but treatments for LBP are limited. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc due to loss of neuroinhibitory sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) allows nerves from dorsal root ganglia to grow into the core of the disc. Treatment with a decellularized tissue hydrogel that contains sGAGs may inhibit nerve growth and prevent discassociated LBP.

Methods: A protocol to decellularize porcine nucleus pulposus (NP) was adapted from previous methods. DNA, sGAG, α-gal antigen, and collagen content were analyzed before and after decellularization. The decellularized tissue was then enzymatically modified to be …

Global Analysis Of Differential Gene Expression Within The Porcine Conceptus Transcriptome As It Transitions Through Spherical, Ovoid, And Tubular Morphologies During The Initiation Of Elongation, Sophie C. Walsh, Jeremy R. Miles, Brittney N. Keel, Lea A. Rempel, Elane C. Wright‐Johnson, Amanda K. Lindholm‐Perry, William T. Oliver, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study aimed to identify transcriptome differences between distinct or transitional stage spherical, ovoid, and tubular porcine blastocysts throughout the initiation of elongation. We performed a global transcriptome analysis of differential gene expression using RNA‐Seq with high temporal resolution between spherical, ovoid, and tubular stage blastocysts at specific sequential stages of development from litters containing conceptus populations of distinct or transitional blastocysts. After RNA‐Seq analysis, significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and pathways were identified between distinct morphologies or sequential development stages. Overall, 1898 significant DEGs were identified between distinct spherical and ovoid morphologies, with 311 total DEGs between developmental stages …

Application Of Biochar As Beneficial Additive In Concrete, Temirlan Barissov

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

Biochar is a high-carbon solid material produced via thermal decomposition of organic biomass in a low-oxygen environment. Characterized with high water retention properties and high alkalinity, biochar is generally used for soil amendment and fertilization purposes. This study is intended to explore the feasibility of using biochar as a beneficial additive of the most used manmade material, concrete. Literature review revealed several studies where biochar was successfully implemented as an additive in concrete. The beneficial influence of biochar on the mechanical characteristics of concrete is based on nucleation and densification effects. However, the internal microstructure, porosity and chemical composition of …

Detecting And Evaluating Cracks On Aging Concrete Members With Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Brendan Barnes

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

Cracks in concrete structures are evaluated through a timely and subjective manual inspection. The location of cracks is often recorded in an inspection report where some cracks are measured. Although measurements or locations may not be necessary for all cracks observed in concrete members, if quantitative data can be gathered in an autonomous way, allowing measurement data to be used in tracking changes in spatial and temporal scales, this quantitative data can provide useful information not yet captured in the manual inspection process. This thesis aims to construct an image-based crack detection and evaluation pipeline that can assist health monitoring …