Structural Engineering Commons^™

Mat-744: Assessment Of Performance Of Bio Self-Healing Mortar Using Diatomaceous Earth And Silica Fume, Ahmed J. Al Bughdadi, Mohamed N. Abou-Zeid

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Cracking represents a major threat for the integrity and performance of structures. Self-healing concept was introduced to construction materials in order to enhance their performance and extend their service life with less repair. This study aims at assessing the performance of Portland cement mortar incorporating self-healing Bacillus Pseudofirmus bacteria using Diatomaceous earth (DE) to immobilize precursor and bacteria in mortar and lowering the pH level of mortar by using silica fume to provide a suitable growth environment for bacteria to generate limestone. The specimens were prepared at three different bacteria dosages and three DE dosages. Cracking of specimens was induced …

Mat-745: The Effect Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag And Silica Fume On The Durability Of High Performance Concrete In Bridge Decks, Abdulaziz Alaskar, R. Douglas Hooton

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

High-performance concrete typically has a low water to cementing materials ratio (w/cm), high binder content and may contain high levels of supplementary cementitious materials. The effects of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and silica fume (SF) on the durability of HPC were investigated. In this study, HPC mixtures at 0.33 w/cm were made with two sources of blended cements containing 8% SF mixed with 25 and 50% GGBFS replacements by mass of cement. The compressive strength, drying shrinkage, thermal deformation and transport properties were tested. The preliminary test results have shown that increased fineness of the blended cement enhances …

Mat-755: Sustainable Road Construction For Heavy Traffic Using High Strength Polymeric Geocells, Sanat K. Pokharel, Meisam Norouzi, Ian Martin, Marc Breault

Canadian Society for Civil Engineering

Construction Sustainability has been the focus of debate ever since the Brundtland commission report ‘Our Common Future’ defined Sustainable Development. Kyoto Protocol and subsequent climate change conferences leading up to the Paris submit this year has put still more emphasis on this agenda. Construction of heavy traffic unpaved access roads require huge amount of aggregate mining and long haulage in the areas of scarce virgin aggregate. Conventional practices in these road constructions seek structural adequacy but never specifically address the sustainability issue. Innovative technology that can reduce the volume of aggregate material while maintaining the structural integrity is required to …

Verifying Automated Prestressed Concrete Design Software For Mdot Bridge Design Standards, Hussein Kadhim Abood Khalaf

Masters Theses

The design and analysis of bridges is a very critical and time consuming process. The automation of bridges design can save us time and effort, but the designer must have enough background with structural design of bridges in order to be able to analyze and understand the output of the automated design. This research shows the design and analysis of the superstructure of the US-27 Interchange Bridge at M-57 in Gratiot County of Washington Township, Michigan. The main purpose of this research is to establish a comprehensive design example following AAHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and Michigan Bridge Design Manual. …

Developing Standard Procedures For Structural Aspects Of Slide-In Bridges In Accelerated Bridge Construction (Abc), Ozan Utku Ridvanoglu

Masters Theses

Slide-in bridge construction (SIBC) is a special method especially used to replace an existing bridge with the minimum duration road closure. In this method, new bridge superstructure is built next to the existing one and it is slid to its final position after demolishing the existing one. Applied implementations of SIBC show that several complications are experienced during bridge slide related with surface interaction. There is a need to evaluate the structural components of SIBC to develop suggestions. In this research, structural components of SIBC were investigated. The research dealt with completed SIBC implementations and numerical modelling of the slide …

Cyclic Behavior Of A Hybrid Light Gauge And Hss Mezzanine Structural System, Michael John Kren

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cold-formed steel is emerging as an alternative material in the building industry to hot-rolled steel for smaller buildings and indoor structures also called mezzanines. Cyclic testing of a full-scale mezzanine structures composed of cold-formed structural channel beams connected to hollow structural steel (HSS) columns cap plates using wedge expansion anchors at the base plate to generate rotation restraint, is performed in this research. The characteristics of the structure will be explained by displaying full experimental results of structural testing. Unfortunately, limited experimental data outlining the behavior of these structures is available and design criteria is very limited. Thus, there is …

Storm Damage - Floating Culverts, Dale Sedler, Mark Bailey

Purdue Road School

A review of buoyancy issues culverts experience due to blockage. Includes discussion of blockage due to floating debris and issues with multiple culverts. Provides information on characteristics that help to determine if a culvert has "floated."

Daylighting And Thermo-Electrical Performance Of An Autonomous Suspended Particle Device Evacuated Glazing, Aritra Ghosh

Doctoral

Suspended particle device (SPD) glazing is an AC powered switchable glazing. PV powered SPD evacuated (vacuum) glazing was proposed with the potential of reducing the heating demand, cooling demand and artificial lighting demand of a building. To achieve an autonomous SPD vacuum glazing, semi empirical simulation and outdoor characterisation was explored in this thesis. Transmission of SPD glazing (area 0.058 m2) varied from 5% when opaque to 55% when transparent in the presence of 110 V, 0.07 W AC supply was characterised in outdoor test cell in Dublin. The SPD glazing has variable spectral transmission in the presence of variable …

State-Of-The-Art Review Of Cathodic Protection For Reinforced Concrete Structures, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Articles

Cathodic protection (CP) limits the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. This can be achieved either by using a more active sacrificial anode to create a driving current, or by using inert anodes and impressing a current onto the cathode surface using an external direct current (DC) source. Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is preferred where widespread protection is required, particularly in reinforced concrete structures. ICCP needs a constant DC power supply that is usually provided through a grid connection or independent generators. This paper presents the currently available CP systems for …

Case Studies Of Cavity And External Wall Insulation Retrofitted Under The Irish Home Energy Saving Scheme: Technical Analysis And Occupant Perspectives, Aimee Byrne, Gerard Byrne, Garrett O'Donnell, Anthony Robinson

Articles

The residential sector represents 27% of primary energy consumption in Ireland. This paper examines the case study of the Irish government’s national grant scheme to encourage energy efficiency retrofit in private housing. That is the Home Energy Saving (HES) Scheme, later rebranded the Better Energy: Homes (BEH) Scheme. The methodology involved monitoring several homes immediately before and after retrofit alongside discussions with occupants. The examination focused on specific measures commonly introduced through the HES/BEH programme − cavity and external wall insulation. It has been found that a significant decrease in heat loss through the walls was measured in all cases. …

Preliminary Investigation Into The Rate Of Carbonation Of Concrete Blocks Under Normal Production Yard Conditions, Aimee Byrne, Eanna Nolan

Conference papers

The release of CO2 from calcination during the manufacture of cement can be partially or fully offset by the CO2 it naturally absorbs during its lifetime. This paper reports results from a preliminary investigation into the rate of carbonation in concrete blocks stacked in a production yard over a period of 6 months. The blocks were stacked in a normal manner under natural exposure conditions. Carbonation progress was determined by splitting the blocks and spraying the freshly exposed surface with a phenolphthalein solution at intervals over the test period. It was found that the rate of the carbonation front progression …

Thermal Envelope Analysis Of Local Authority Low Rise Housing Based On Stock Aggregation Theory Using A Remote Feature Extraction Technique., James Pittam

Theses

Understanding the buildings thermal envelope is paramount to analysing existing problems which facilitate cold bridging and low surface temperatures. As no detailed housing stock database is in existence in Ireland which describes the geometrical configuration of the existing housing stock, and to create one would be a major challenge, this research set out to develop a high speed remote cataloguing and geometrical data extraction methodology to build such a database. Replacing traditional measurement methods with a remote method allows for the rapid extraction of fagade information. A remote surveying process is proposed named, the Virtual Survey Method, for the classification …

Comparative Analysis Of Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames In Eccentric Configuration (Brbf-Es) And Eccentrically Braced Frames (Ebfs), Peter T. Vayda

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Continuing on the findings of “Using Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames in Eccentric Configuration,” by Dr. Gary S. Prinz, P.E., which determined that, from a performance standpoint, BRBF-Es could be a viable alternative for EBFs. A comparative analysis was conducted on the design procedures and initial cost estimates of BRBF-Es and EBFs. Upon designing four 12-Story buildings (two BRBF-Es and two EBFs), it was determined that BRBF-Es were easier to design due to the statically determinant system. The initial costs estimates of BRBF-Es; however, ranged upwards of 30% more cost than EBFs. Therefore, the initial investment of more intensive structural engineering design …

State Of Accelerated Bridge Construction (Abc) In The United States, Mike Ofili

Honors College Theses

The purpose of this project is to develop a toolkit for the design and construction of bridges using prefabricated materials primarily to reduce the closure time and on-site construction time of newly constructed bridges or bridges undergoing renovation. The research focuses specifically on short span bridges in Georgia (40,60,80, and 120ft spans).

Areas of primary concern for this project were design, constructability, structural analysis, the use of concrete and steel girders, cost efficiency, and industry surveys. In this particular portion of the study, the surveys proved to be most effective when combined with information obtained existing research as well as …

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 …

Evaluating The Impact Of Bridge Deck Removal Method On The Performance Of Precast/Prestressed Concrete I-Girders, Shaddi Assad

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Wide flange precast/prestressed concrete I-girders have been widely used by several State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the last two decades. These girders have many advantages over standard AASHTO I-girders. Their wide and thick bottom flange accommodates a large number of prestressing strands and their wide and thin top flange provides a shorter deck span, reduced girder weight, greater stability in construction, and adequate platform for workers. Despite these advantages, the wide and thin top flange might be disadvantageous when it comes to deck removal, as it is more susceptible to damage. Therefore there is a need to investigate the …

Effects Of Stirrups On Bond Behavior Between Concrete And Corroded Steel Bars, Hongwei Lin, Yuxi Zhao, Ming Sun

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

Steel corrosion leads to the deterioration of bond between concrete and steel bars. The serviceability and ultimate strength of concrete elements within RC structures are hence affected. Many researchers have studied the bond behavior of corroded steel bars. However, very few studies have investigated the effects of confinements on the degradation of bond strength. The present paper proposed a new kind of beam specimen based on which the effects of stirrups on degradation of bond were investigated. The test results proved that stirrups can effectively increase the bond strength between concrete and corroded steel bars.

Seismic Response Of A Tall Building To Recorded And Simulated Ground Motions, Nenad Bijelic, Ting Lin, Gregory Deierlein

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Seismological modeling technologies are advancing to the stage of enabling fundamental simulation of earthquake fault ruptures, which offer new opportunities to simulate extreme ground motions for collapse safety assessment and earthquake scenarios for community resilience studies. With the goal toward establishing the reliability of simulated ground motions for performance-based engineering, this paper examines the response of a 20-story concrete moment frame building analyzed by nonlinear dynamic analysis under corresponding sets of recorded and simulated ground motions. The simulated ground motions were obtained through a larger validation study via the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP) that simulates magnitude …

Mechanical And Transport Properties Of Alkali-Activated Natural Pozzolans As Sustainable Binders, Brittany Radke

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

OPC production accounts for 5 to 7% of the global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, contributing to global warming. The desire to reduce CO₂ emissions and produce more durable concrete has given impetus to search for new binders. It is suggested that alkali-activated natural pozzolans have the potential for use as a sustainable replacement for OPC in concrete.

The current study presented herein evaluated fresh, mechanical, and transport properties of alkali-activated natural pozzolan mortars containing various concentrations of sodium hydroxide solutions as an alkaline activator. To this aim, alkali-activated natural pozzolan mortars were made with concentrations of sodium …

Making Bridges Outlast Rising Waters, Daniel Cox

TREC Project Briefs

During Hurricanes Ivan in 2004 and Katrina in 2005, at least 11 highway and railroad bridges along the U.S. Gulf Coast were damaged by wave forces. The spans of these bridges typically rested on bent column supports, and were attached to the supports by a variety of connection methods. Failure of these connections caused bridge spans to be washed away when the water rose high enough to lift them off. To build bridges that can withstand such forces, engineers must be able to estimate the effects the forces will have.

Investigator Daniel Cox of Oregon State University has conducted wave …

Implementing Green Roofs On Movie Theaters And Shopping Centers: Business Cases In Profitable Sustainability, Ryan J. Miller

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis presents the business case for installing green roofs on movie theaters and shopping centers. These businesses can then derive increased profits from the environmental benefits of reduced energy use and increased stormwater retention. After presenting the basic design and benefits of a green roof, the thesis develops stand-alone business plans for a movie theater and shopping center. The author finds that green roofs are a profitable sustainability solution for the commercial enterprise.

Testing And Analysis Of An Alternative Connection Method In Closed Panel Timber Frame Domestic Construction, Brendan Towey

Masters

Construction practices continue to evolve in tandem with the requirements for more energy efficient buildings, materials and construction methods. This steady and progressive move towards the development of the industry and its products comes, not in leaps and bounds, but in incremental advances across all areas of construction. The research detailed in this project is one such advancement. Timber frame construction has been in existence for centuries and its tried and tested methods have been utilised worldwide in both domestic and industrial building. In recent times, standard open panel timber frame construction has been enhanced by the development of closed …

In-Plane Loading Of Brick Veneer Over Wood Shear Walls, Elias Anis Toubia, James M. Lintz

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

In the design of wood stud walls with brick veneer, current design building codes specify that the wood stud wall should resist all in-plane and out-of-plane loads (IBC 2009). For out-of-plane loads, this assumption is entirely justified as the brittle brick veneer will crack and lose its capacity to resist bending. For in-plane loads, the brick veneer is significantly stiffer than the wood shear wall, and the veneer is unlikely to crack before the wood shear wall reaches its allowable capacity. The assumption that the wood shear wall resists the entire load is based on the further assumption that the …

Compression Testing And Failure Modes Of Steel-Concrete Composite (Sc) Structures For Nuclear Containment, Patrick Michael Wanamaker, Amit H. Varma

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Although being able to provide much cleaner power than burning coal and other fossil fuels, nuclear power plants are still a tough sell to the general public due to their history of being spontaneously dangerous. The containment structures surrounding these nuclear plants, however, can play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with them. Relatively new designs for these containment assemblies, known as SC (steel-concrete composite) structures, aim to increase the strength and durability of the containment facilities while keeping costs down. By varying the spacing between shear studs, the ratio of concrete to steel, and the ratio of …

Precast Concrete Insulated Wall Panel Corbels Without Thermal Bridging, Mohamed Elkady

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The common practice in corbel design is to block out the insulation in order to provide a solid concrete area at the corbel location. This connection practice results in thermal bridging, which significantly reduces the energy performance of the panel. For example, the PCI Design Handbook indicates that the reduction in thermal resistance caused by a solid part with an area equal to 9% of the total panel surface area is as high as 42%. This paper presents a discussion of a new concept for corbel design of insulated wall panels with the thermal break totally preserved. Two different designs …

Bringing To Life The World’S Tallest Structure, Jonathan Weigand

Pursuit - The Journal of Undergraduate Research at The University of Tennessee

Intended as the centerpiece of constructional developments in Dubai, the Burj Khalifa now stands as the tallest building ever constructed. The uniquely designed foundation consists of a concrete raft supported by a cast-in-place pile system protected by waterproofing membrane to inhibit corrosion. The structural design integrates high-performance reinforced concrete and steel and incorporates an engineered “Y” shape that limits the lateral wind pressure on the building. Engineers applied the latest advancements in high-rise technology to develop an optimized construction plan that consisted of segmented tasks that promoted the staff to work at a quick yet manageable pace. This article details …

Multi Geophysical Parameters For Earthquake Forecasting, Ramesh P. Singh

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

This article focuses on the importance of keeping the public aware of earthquake forecasting. This article also encourages proper seismic codes to design buildings in the seismic-prone regions because such practice can save lives and property associated with an earthquake.

Dynamic Vulnerability Assessment Of Highway And Railway Bridges, Mehdi Mohseni

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

Dynamic loads can cause severe damage to bridges, and lead to malfunction of transportation networks. A comprehensive understanding of the nature of the dynamic loads and the structural response of bridges can prevent undesired failures while keeping the cost-safety balance. Dissimilar to the static behavior, the dynamic response of bridges depends on several structural parameters such as material properties, damping and mode shapes. Furthermore, dynamic load characteristics can significantly change the structural response. In most cases, complexity and involvement of numerous parameters require the designer to investigate the bridge response via a massive numerical study.

This dissertation targets three main …

Laboratory Performance Of Highway Bridge Girder Anchorages Under Simulated Hurricane-Induced Wave Loading, Jora Lehrman, Christopher Higgins, Daniel Cox

TREC Final Reports

Many bridges along the Gulf Coast of the United States were damaged by recent hurricanes, and many more are susceptible to similar damage. This research examines the structural performance of common connection details used to anchor prestressed concrete girders to the substructure. Full-scale specimens were fabricated and tested under static and dynamic cyclic load histories. Dynamic load histories were developed from previously conducted hydraulic tests of a 1/5 scale model of a highway bridge under hurricane wave loads. The load effects considered included the pseudo-statically applied vertical uplift force, horizontal force, combined horizontal and vertical forces, and dynamically applied combined …

Slope Stability Monitoring Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Omar Alberto Conte Robles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During the past six years the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department (AHTD) has spent over nine million dollars repairing slope failures that have occurred in the state of Arkansas. Specifically, higher than average precipitation in 2004 and 2008 led to large quantities of slides, all of which were repaired. Two highways, within the state of Arkansas, with known historical movements along or across the highways are being monitored using traditional surveying techniques and advanced remote sensing techniques. These slides, both of which are located in fill slopes. One a 500-foot long slide located north of Chester, Arkansas, within the …