3/26, Monday
101 Rekhi Hall
S-STEM 3:
“Bone Char Water treatment & PCMI Assessment”
3/19, Monday; 642 Dow, Michelle Banonis, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (MTU alumna)“San Joaquin River Restoration Program”
Federal Politics of the SJRR
NRDC comments on SJRR
3/12, Monday
642 Dow
Dr. Daya Muralidharan, MTU School of Business
Topic: “Groundwater sustainability issues in California”
Civil Engineering Graduate Seminar:
Time: 4-5pm, Thursday (March. 1st)
location: Dow 642
Public welcome
Topics:
1. Application of Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) as Thin-Bonded Overlay for Concrete Bridge Decks
Presenter: Sarah Shann, MS student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, (Adviser: Dr. Devin Harris)
Abstract: As transportation infrastructure across the globe approaches the end of its service life, new innovative materials and applications are needed to sustainably repair and prevent damage to these structures. The feasibility of using Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) as a thin-bonded overlay on concrete bridge decks is investigated in this study. Design optimization of the bridge deck overlay system was examined to minimize overlay thickness, dead load, and cure time without sacrificing bond integrity or loss of protective capabilities. This was done with a 3-D finite element model of a simply supported bridge under a notional truck, the HL-93 design truck common to the United States, in the worst case loading position.
2. Title: Increasing the Piezoelectric Effect in Cement Paste.
Presenter: Benjamin Roskoskey, MS Student, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, (Adviser: Dr. Andrew Swartz).
Abstract: The object of this study is to attempt to increase the piezoelectric effect (and as a result the reverse piezoelectric effect) in cement paste. Piezoelectric sensors and actuators are frequently used nowadays to monitor the health of structures. However they are expensive and when embedded within concrete, can separate from the concrete and cause degradation due to differences between their Young’s modulus and thermal expansion coefficient and those of the concrete. The expectation is that the concrete itself, by utilizing its piezoelectric effect, can be used as the sole means of structural health monitoring for a structure.
The Center for Technology and Training (CTT), a part of the Michigan Tech Transportation Institute (MTTI), hosted the 46th annual Michigan County Engineer’s Workshop in Mount Pleasant, February 13–16.
More than 130 engineers, managers and engineering technicians from Michigan county road commissions, the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway Administration and municipal road agencies across Michigan attended the conference to learn about new technology and issues impacting the design, construction and maintenance of local agency-owned roads.
John Ryynanen, editor and technical writer for the CTT, and Melanie Kueber, research engineer for CTT, planned the event with a committee of engineers from the County Road Association of Michigan, including event cochair and Michigan Tech alumnus Lance Malburg (CEE ’92) from the Dickenson County Road Commission.
Associate Professor Stan Vitton (CEE) and Director Tim Colling (CTT) made presentations at the event. Also presenting were Michigan Tech alumni: Brenda O’Brien ’84, MDOT; Brian Gutowski ’88, Emmett County Road Commission; Gerald Fulcher ’80, DEQ; Doug Needham ’95, MITA; and Bruce Kadzban ’77, MDOT. Receiving an award for 23 years of service on the steering committee for the Michigan Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) was Ronald Young ’73, Alcona County Road Commission.
Civil Engineering Seminars:
Time: 4-5pm, Thursday (Feb. 23rd)
Location: Dow 642
Public welcome
Title: Increasing the Piezoelectric Effect in Cement Paste.
Presenter: Benjamin Roskoskey, MS Civil Engineering Student Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, (Adviser: Dr. Andrew Swartz).
Abstract: The object of this study is to attempt to increase the piezoelectric effect (and as a result the reverse piezoelectric effect) in cement paste. Piezoelectric sensors and actuators are frequently used nowadays to monitor the health of structures. However they are expensive and when embedded within concrete, can separate from the concrete and cause degradation due to differences between their Young’s modulus and thermal expansion coefficient and those of the concrete. The expectation is that the concrete itself, by utilizing its piezoelectric effect, can be used as the sole means of structural health monitoring for a structure.
Title: Enabling Sustainable and Natural Hazard Resistant Structures
Presenter: Joshua Cardinal , MS Civil Engineering Student Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, (Adviser: Dr. Yue Li)
Abstract: Building construction consumes 40% of the raw stone, gravel, and sand used globally, and 25% of the virgin wood. Current research into sustainable design options for structures has become an increased topic for discussion. Natural hazard resistance is a significant part of the structural design requirements of a building, particularly in geographical locations where seismic hazards are prevalent. Sustainability can be identified in three key areas: economic, social, and environmental impact. The concept of sustainability has started to evolve from focusing on only one of the areas mentioned above to an integrated design method. This presentation will focus on researching the development of a new metric of design that encompasses all three areas to balance the deficiencies of each key area.
Structural design must be understood and approached holistically to generate the most viable option for all three areas of sustainability. This involves the coordination of all disciplines involved in the completion of a structure. By utilizing the metric presented, seismic structural analysis using ANSYS will be used to generate the maximum story drift, which will be used to estimate the damage and repair costs to the structure, as well as estimate a dollar amount associated with casualty losses. Environmental impact analysis will be performed using the program SimaPro through life-cycle analysis. To help validate structural and social losses, the FEMA program HAZUS will provide a comparison and validation for structural and social damage by geographic location.
Michigan Tech celebrates National Engineers Week 2012 February 19-25.
National Engineers Week celebrates the positive contributions engineers make to society and is a catalyst for outreach across the country to kids and adults alike. For the past 60 years, National Engineers Week (E-Week) has been celebrated each February around the time of George Washington’s birthday, February 22, because Washington is considered by many to be the first US engineer. Each year the national celebration grows, and this year Michigan Tech will jump head first into E-Week with 30 different engineering events on campus for all to enjoy.
The Rail Transportation Program (RTP) and the Rail Engineering and Activities Club (REAC) held the 7th Annual Railroad Night, February 21, 2012 at the Shelden Grill in the Magnuson Hotel, Houghton. This year’s keynote speaker was Kevin Kesler, Chief of the Engineer and Operating Practice Division for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This was a great opportunirty to meet rail industry people, see photos at the Rail Transportation Program link: Railroad Night 2012 for more information.
SFHI Transportation presents:
Jeffrey Lidicker
Ph.D. Candidate, University of California, Berkeley
Thursday, February 16
10:00 AM
Rekhi G06
In recent decades pavement management optimization has been designed with the objective of minimizing user and agency costs. However, recent analyses indicate that pavement management decisions also have significant impacts on life-cycle GHG emissions. This study endeavors to expand beyond minimization of life-cycle costs, to also include GHG emissions. We extend previous work on the single-facility, continuous-state, continuous-time optimal pavement resurfacing problem, to solve the multi-criteria optimization problem with the two objectives of minimizing costs and GHG emissions. Results indicate that there is a tradeoff between costs and emissions when developing a pavement resurfacing policy, providing a range of GHG emissions reduction cost-effectiveness options. Case studies for an arterial and a major highway are presented to highlight the contrast between policy decisions for various pavement and vehicle technologies.
SFHI Transportation presents:
Wednesday, February 15
Rekhi G06
Aaron R. Sakulich, Ph.D.
Guest Researcher, Engineering Laboratory,
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD
Reducing Freeze/Thaw Cycling in Bridge Decks by Phase Change Material Incorporation