Structural Engineering Commons^™

Kinematics And Preliminary Fema P-695 Evaluation Of The Newz-Breakss Steel Boundary Frame With Buckling Restrained Brace Structural Fuses, Alexander M. Baker

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBFs) have become a popular seismic force resisting system (SFRS) due to their high ductility and energy dissipation. However, BRBFs are also susceptible to large residual drifts, which can make repair difficult. Efforts to reduce the residual drift of BRBFs typically involve special self-centering braces, or by using a dual system in tandem with the BRBF. This study proposes an alternative approach, in which a self-centering steel rocking frame is used as the boundary frame for the BRBF. The proposed system, called the NewZ-BREAKSS Buckling Restrained Braced Frame (NZ-BRBF) utilizes the recently proposed NewZ-BREAKSS (NZ) boundary …

Investigation Of The Experimental And Numerical Flexural Behavior Of Innovative Totally Encased Composite Beams, Nour Wehbi, Adnan Masri, Oussama Baalbaki

BAU Journal - Science and Technology

Composite steel-concrete beams have been widely used in long span construction and high rise buildings due to their favorable behavior in terms of high strength, stiffness, and ductility. In this research, the flexural behavior of an innovative steel-concrete composite section is investigated experimentally and verified numerically using ABAQUS software. The studied section is composed of steel tubular specimen or steel hollow pipe totally encased in concrete in the absence of any flexural or shear reinforcement. Instead, steel mesh wraps are used around the tubular steel specimen to provide sufficient steel-concrete bond. All of the studied beams have the same 3m …

Truss Bridge Damage Localization And Severity Estimation Using Influence Lines, Hamoud Alshallaqi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The safety of bridges is one of the primary concerns of researchers, engineers, and bridge owners and managers, especially when bridges are approaching the end of their intended service lives. The estimation of bridge condition and remaining service life is critical to prioritize the allocation of available funding for repairs and rehabilitation. Various methods, including both dynamic and static approaches, have been developed to detect and localize bridge damage and estimate its severity. This research presents a methodology for detecting a single damaged member in a truss bridge and estimating the severity of the damage using static vertical deflection influence …

Field Durability Test Of Clt Wall Envelope Using Physical Barriers Against Termites And Structural Performance Of Nailed Hold-Down Brackets Connected To Fungus-Exposed Clt Walls, Kamal Neupane

Theses and Dissertations

The effectiveness of using commercial polyethylene flashing and stainless-steel mesh in CLT wall systems as the termite barriers were evaluated in a short-term field test. American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) E21's visual ratings ranged from 10 to 9 in the specimens showing little damage when no physical barriers were used. Termites were able to crawl beyond the physical barriers in few specimens showing the necessity of further research on height and installation method of physical barriers. On the second part, the effect of decay caused due to Postia placenta, a brown-rot fungus, on the structural performance of hold-down brackets connected …

Additive Manufacturing Of Soil Using Bio-Cementation, Christina Childress

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is an emerging soil treatment technique that is proven to increase strength, decrease erosion, reduce liquefaction risk, enhance slope stability, decrease compressibility, decrease swelling potential, and overall create a more competent soil. The benefits and applications of MICP are broad, and this research seeks to broaden them further by developing a single-phase additive manufacturing application with no treatment time delay. This is done by analyzing layering behaviors of five USCS soil classifications (100 % Ottawa sand, sand clay mixtures, and 100% lean clay) which provides insight into process variables such as the solution volume and …

Shear Strength Of Concrete Beams Made With Belitic Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cement, Caleb W. Chesnut

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The need for a cleaner alternative to portland cement (PC) concrete has led to increasing interest in alternatives to PC. Structural properties of most of these alternative cements are still an open research topic. One promising alternative cement is belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement. The study presented in this paper investigated the shear strength, long term compressive strength, and carbonation in BCSA cement and PC concrete beams. A total of twelve eight-foot long beams were made; eight BCSA cement concrete beams and four PC concrete beams to be tested at various ages depending on cement type. Two beams of each …

Improve The Prediction Of Camber, Deflection, And Prestress Losses In Precast, Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders, Ahmed Ali Hussein Al Mohammedi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many precast, prestressed concrete girders have camber less or higher than the design values. This discrepancy between the design and the actual camber creates construction problems when installing the cast-in-place concrete deck. The objective of this research was to improve the accuracy of estimating long-term camber, deflection, and prestress losses of precast, prestressed concrete girders.

The experimental program consisted of measuring concrete properties and performing field measurements of camber, deflection, and prestress losses for girders in Arkansas. The investigation involved testing nine full-scale girders from two prestressed concrete plants that regularly supply concrete girders to bridge projects in Arkansas. The …

Connected And Automated Vehicles: Their Implication On Capacity Of A Basic Freeway Section And Impacts On Walkway Safety, Sia Macmillan Lyimo

Dissertations

Autonomous vehicles have recently gained the attention of researchers due to their expected potential benefits on highway traffic streams, such as improving roadway capacity, among others. It is imperative to investigate how these expected benefits can be leveraged in the transportation sector. Understanding the safety and operational benefits helps the concerned transportation agencies and other key stakeholders to make necessary infrastructural and policy adjustments to accommodate such future traffic operation changes. The main goal of this dissertation is to study the impact of connected and automated vehicles on freeway capacity. The simulated environment was created to emulate autonomous vehicle behaviors, …

Relating The Dongre Workability Test To Cold In-Place Recycled Asphalt Pavements, Gus Williams

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The Dongre Workability Test (DWT) is a test for determining an asphalt pavement’s relative workability from the stress-strain curve of a sample. While the DWT has seen favorable results with warm mix and hot mix asphalt, Casillas and Braham (2020) attempted to apply this test to cold in-place recycled (CIR) asphalt pavements with limited results. This paper looked at the process of reexamining the DWT method to more favorable results with CIR samples. Phase 1 consisted of defining ten possible metrics from the stress-strain curve and applying them to samples with three different curing conditions. From these preliminary results, the …

Development Of Lambda Factors For Masonry Design With Lightweight Grout, Rumi Shrestha

All Theses

Reduction in structural mass, improvement in thermal performance, and reduction in shrinkage cracking through internal curing are some of the reasons that lightweight (LW) aggregates have been used in structures and pavements for decades. However, lightweight grout is still not permitted for use in reinforced masonry construction by the TMS 402/602-16 code. In order to realize the benefits of lightweight grout in U.S. reinforced masonry construction, a codified procedure for its use is required which must be informed by experimental testing.

This research is a pilot project directed to characterize the performance of LW grout in comparison to normal weight …

Hybrid Structural Health Monitoring Using Data-Driven Modal Analysis And Model-Based Bayesian Inference., Jice Zeng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Civil infrastructures that are valuable assets for the public and owners must be adequately and periodically maintained to guarantee safety, continuous service, and avoid economic losses. Vibration-based structural health monitoring (VBSHM) has been a significant tool to assess the structural performance of civil infrastructures over the last decades. Challenges in VBSHM exist in two aspects: operational modal analysis (OMA) and Finite element model updating (FEMU). The former aims to extract natural frequency, damping ratio, and mode shapes using vibrational data under normal operation; the latter focuses on minimizing the discrepancies between measurements and model prediction. The main impediments to real-world …

Seismic Performance Assessment Of Building Contents: Monetary Losses And Injuries, Sereen Majdalaweyh

All Dissertations

Building contents include all the components that are not attached to the building which the owners place after the construction phase, such as furniture, electrical equipment, glassware, and other personal items. Loss and damage assessment of building contents proved to be challenging in performance-based earthquake engineering frameworks because of the data sparsity. Damages to building contents during an earthquake not only cause monetary losses; tumbling and over-toppling of heavy building contents could result in injuries and even deaths of occupants. While major advancements have been made in performance-based earthquake engineering; however, the focus is mainly on damages and collapse risk …

Development And Promotion Of Mass Timber Noise Barrier For Highways, Harsh Bothra

All Theses

Highways are some of the biggest causes of noise pollution in the United States of America. To deal with the traffic noise coming from these highways, noise barriers have been erected across major highways. The goal is to reduce as much noise as possible through a sustainable solution. Unfortunately, the use of steel and concrete, commonly used materials, have undesired environmental impacts. A suggested sustainable alternative material would be mass timber. Mass timber products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and mass plywood panels (MPP) has attracted the attention of the construction industry in the U.S, as they are sustainable, light, …

Cyber Physical Systems For Non-Contact Infrastructure Monitoring, Roya Nasimi

Civil Engineering ETDs

In recent decades, the decay of infrastructure has become a relevant challenge of both developed and under developing countries. Prioritization of maintenance and repairs of transportation infrastructure is a new worldwide priority since it is important to quantify the rate of decay of assets to increase both safety and cost-efficient operations. Infrastructure owners need frequent inspections on their assets to predict and to avoid unsafe conditions prone to cause disasters. Frequent infrastructure inspections call for cost-effective methods. Traditional measurement methods require human access to the infrastructure, are subjective, expensive, and unsafe. Therefore, infrastructure managers are interested in exploring new non-contact …

3d Printed Concrete & Polymer Concrete For Infrastructure Applications, Daniel Heras Murcia

Civil Engineering ETDs

Additive manufacturing technology has been established as one of the fastest-growing building technologies worldwide. Three-dimensional concrete printing (3DCP) has developed an increasing interest in the last decade due to its prospects as a transformative technology for industries such as the concrete precast. Besides the improvements in automation technologies in construction, traditional construction has faced considerable challenges: high accident rates, labor dependency, significant potential for automation, and high costs associated with the use of traditional formwork. In this context, three-dimensional concrete, also referred to as physical prototyping, is a novel construction technique in which the concrete is extruded layer-to-layer. 3DCP is …

Using Comprehensive Finite Element Analysis To Simulate A Special Connection In Post-Tensioned Concrete, Joshuah Leljedal

Symposium of Student Scholars

Finite element analysis (FEA) uses differential equations to determine a computer-based solution that explains interactive behaviors within models of complex structural and mechanical systems, subjected to various loading and environmental conditions. Those systems are partitioned into finite elements consisting of a linear mesh with nodes at each end point, and FEA determines relationships, such as force-displacement, between each of the finite elements. This apportioned model allows systems to be evaluated under multiple loading scenarios. Computer-based FEA offers significant benefits that reduce cost and the time required to perform alternative analysis for complex structural systems. In this research project, a comprehensive …

Assessment Of Key Imperatives For Enhancing Precast Adoptability In Egypt, Mostafa Sameh

Theses and Dissertations

Precast Concrete’s modular application concept is a major construction method that has been used historically seen in various shapes, forms, and with a wide range of constituents. Examples include Ancient Egypt and China among several impressive structures in old civilizations. The major advantages of precast concrete lie in its adaptability, resilience, and versatility which makes precast concrete one of the most agile building materials. Precast concrete as we know it today has been introduced to our markets over the past several decades. Having similar advantages to that of old precast building methods, the road has been paved for wider use …

Kinetic Modeling Study Of Laminar Burning Velocity Of Gasoline–Ethanol–Methanol Blends At Elevated Temperature And Pressure, Ahmad Syihan Auzani, Cahyo Setyo Wibowo, Riesta Anggarani, Yulianto Sulistyo Nugroho, Bambang Sugiarto

Makara Journal of Technology

Gasoline–ethanol–methanol (GEM) blends have been considered to replace pure gasoline as spark ignition engine fuel. Their physical and chemical properties and performance and emission measurements from real engines have been reported previously. However, a fundamental study that can explain the unique results of GEM compared with those of pure gasoline is lacking. This study aims to compare the laminar burning velocity of GEM blends at different mixtures, equivalence ratios, temperatures, and pressures with that of pure gasoline. A laminar flame propagation model and reaction mechanisms from the literature were were for a numerical simulation. In this study, the chemical components …

Music Information Retrieval Based On Active Frequency, Hardianto Wibowo, Wildan Suharso, Yufis Azhar, Galih Wasis Wicaksono, Agus Eko Minarno, Dani Harmanto

Makara Journal of Technology

Music is the art of combining frequencies. A balance of frequencies gives rise to a harmonious tone. Several features of music can be analyzed, and they include sociocultural background, lyrics, mood, tempo, rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre, and instrumentation. In this study, we use the frequency of instrumentation as a feature for classification because each instrument has a frequency range. To test this frequency range, we use five music genres and one music playing skill. The five genres are dangdut, electronic dance music (EDM), metal, pop/rock, and reggae. The music playing skill is acoustic. Active frequencies are tested using the k-nearest …

Predictive Delivery Man Assignment Problem Using Deep Learning, Rahmadini Payla Juarsa, Taufik Djatna

Makara Journal of Technology

Dispatching is a critical part in current online shopping. It relates to how the delivery man assignment should minimize cost along with the service from a source to an end customer with an appropriate scheduled time. The problem arises as neither enough products to deliver nor delivery men are available for dispatch, resulting in suboptimal service and a waste of money. The study aimed to formulate the cost of restaurant dispatching for inducing a deep learning-based solution with the gated recurrent unit recurrent neural network to receive hourly order data and to engage the result for near feature delivery man …

Effect Of Arc Plasma Sintering On The Structural And Microstructural Properties Of Fe-Cr-Ni Austenitic Stainless Steels, Parikin Parikin, M. Dani, A. Dimyati, N. D. Purnamasari, B. Sugeng, M. Panitra, A. Insani, T. H. Priyanto, S. Mustofa, Syahbuddin Syahbuddin, A. Huang

Makara Journal of Technology

X-ray diffraction techniques were performed to determine the actual crystal structure of A2 austenitic stainless steel (ASS) as-cast and A2 ASS after arc plasma sintering (APS) for 2 s. Computations were conducted on the basis of the Bragg arithmetic formula by comparing the S2 arithmetic with the interplanar spacing. The Bragg arithmetic formula is a simple series for the determination of the crystalline phase of materials based on the Miller indices of cubic shapes or other shapes. A2 ASS as-cast was identified to have a crystal structure of face-centered cubic with lattice parameter a = 3.58 Å. A similar crystal …

Comparison Of Concrete And Steel Jacket Methods For Reinforcing A Concrete Bridge Pier By Numerical And Experimental Studies, Hadi Faghihmaleki

Makara Journal of Technology

Various rehabilitation and strengthening procedures have been developed in recent decades. A study to determine which methods can be implemented to increase the useful life of the bridge before strengthening must be performed. In this study, the seismic behavior of a reinforced concrete bridge pier with dimension 3.5 × 3.5 m, which was reinforced by two steel and a concrete jacket, was investigated. Nonlinear geometric models and materials were analyzed to estimate the seismic parameters of the pier. Results show an increase in energy absorption, ultimate strength, and ductility for the steel jacket, as well as a greater increase in …

Trend Significance Levels Of Rain Onset And Cessation And Lengths Of The Wet And Dry Seasons In Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, Adekunle Adedeji Alli, Olorunwa Eric Omofunmi

Makara Journal of Technology

This study aims to reduce crop failure resulting from a dry spell, which is the first occurrence of unsustainable rainfall that deceives farmers into planting. Thus, trends need to be tested using hypothesis, kurtosis, and other statistics to analyze the risks associated with unstable planting calendars and their possible mitigation strategies. The daily rainfall data from 1982 to 2018 were obtained from the archive of NASA/POWER SRB/FLASH, and the research location is Epe, Lagos State, Nigeria, which lies at latitude 6.585° N and longitude 3.962° E. Microsoft Excel was used to perform the tests. Results show that the null hypothesis …

Improvement Of Electrical Properties Of Cmc-Pva Doped With Various Contents Of Lino3 As An Application For Hybrid Polymer Electrolytes, Amalia Zulkifli, Norfatihah Mazuki, Ahmad Salihin Samsudin

Makara Journal of Technology

The present work was carried out with the development of hybrid polymer electrolytes (HPEs) by using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) doped with different contents of lithium nitrate (LiNO3) for the determination of their structural and conduction properties. The structural analysis was conducted by using Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy and showed the interaction between the blend host polymer and ionic dopant, which formed via the coordinating site of CMC-PVA and Li+-NO3−. The complexes of CMC-PVA doped LiNO3 led to an increment in ionic conductivity, as observed by electrical impedance spectroscopy, and the sample containing 20 wt% LiNO3 obtained the highest …

Probabilistic Seismic Vulnerability Assessment Of Freestanding Historic Monuments, Marie E. Wagner

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

Seismic events can cause significant damage to structures, especially to freestanding structures which are not fixed to the ground and are free to rock independently. This thesis will study the response of freestanding statues and monuments to ground motions and develop probabilistic models for overturning, in order to assist in retrofitting and repair efforts. To do this, single and dual block system models were created with a variety of sizes, aspect ratios, and asymmetries, then subjected to several historic ground motions to determine whether they overturn using three-dimensional distinct element analysis as a result of rocking, sliding or twisting in …

Prediction Of Four-Days Soaked California Bearing Ratio (Cbr) Values From Soil Index Properties, Pascal Ambrose, Siya P. Rimoy Dr

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

California Bearing Ratio (CBR) laboratory testing is the conventional method for determining soaked strengths of pavement subgrades. The test requires careful preparation of soil samples followed by four days of water soaking before penetrating the samples using a standard plunger at prescribed rates to set depths. When the number of samples becomes large the determination of soaked CBR values becomes cumbersome as the test is laborious and time consuming. This study aimed at establishing an alternative way of determining soaked CBR by developing a model that would be used for estimating soaked CBR of fine- and coarse- grained soils without …

Prioritization Of Research On Bridge Railings For Use On Timber Deck Bridges And Development Of Two Glulam Bridge Railing Systems, Jared Duren

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

In the past, many timber bridge railings, bridge railings for use on timber deck bridges, and approach guardrail transition systems to accompany these railings, have been developed to meet different impact safety criteria. Through an extensive literature review, the design details of these systems were identified and organized. A survey was then developed and distributed to multiple government agencies and timber industry members to identify their desire for these bridge railing and approach guardrail transition systems to be developed to meet current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) impact safety criteria. …

An Improved Earned Value Management Method Integrating Quality And Safety, Brian Briggs

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The construction industry invests significant time and money to improve quality and safety while reducing cost and schedule impacts. The industry has a sincere desire to improve construction project management methods to improve efficiency. Historically, quality and safety underperformances result from undermanaged quality control and safety activities. The cost and schedule impacts associated with poor quality work have always had an impact on construction operations. The unprecedented challenges and uncertainties of COVID-19 highlighted the need to improve the Earned Value Management (EVM) method within construction to reflect these quality and safety activities. The central goal of this dissertation is to …

Frequency Effect On Peak Pressure Coefficients Using The Narrowband Synthesis Random Flow Generator (Nsrfg) Method, Zayuris Del Carmen Atencio Mojica

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state in 1940 due to high wind forces gave structural engineers notice of the importance of understanding the behavior of wind forces on infrastructure. Wind forces play an important role in the design of buildings and other structures. ASCE 7-16 is the manual used for the design of these buildings and other structures throughout the country. These design criteria have been approved based on research projects involving experimental procedures. For the design of wind loads, ASCE 7-16 uses criteria based on wind tunnel (WT) tests. However, since the development of computing …

Applications Of Masw And Mhvsr Techniques For Infrastructure Evaluation With A Focus On The Effects Of Different Transformation Techniques And Near-Field Effects On Derived Dispersion Data, Salman Rahimi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is aimed at understanding two aspects of active surface wave methods to improve the accuracy and reliability of this method. These include (1) the performance of four common wavefield transformation methods for the multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) data processing and (2) near-field effects. Toward this end, extensive field measurements were conducted considering different factors affecting these two topics. The MASW and microtremor horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (MHVSR) were then employed to examine their efficiency for infrastructure health monitoring.

Regarding the performance of the four common transformation techniques, it was observed that for sites with a …