Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2014, Civil Engineering

This paper presents an in-depth theoretical review of thermal piling technology and the advantages offered if used in the state of Ohio and viably other states in the U.S. Midwest. Thermal piling systems not only operate as a structural foundation system, but they also serve as heating and cooling mechanisms by tapping into ground source energy when used in conjunction with ground source heat pumps. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase due to increasing heating and cooling demands. The state of Ohio emits large numbers of CO2 due to heating and cooling of businesses and residential areas. There are vast concerns that if the state of Ohio does not take initiative in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the consequences will be detrimental to the health and safety of the public along with the economy. This paper discusses the environmental and financial benefits of thermal piling and opens up dialogue for the possibility of full-scale testing and research of energy piles in Ohio.

Committee: Robert Liang Dr. (Advisor); Junliang Tao Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2019, Civil Engineering

After installation, many driven piles experience time-dependent increases in total capacity, known as pile setup. The gained capacity is due mainly to the dissipation of excess pore water pressure, which causes increased frictional resistance along the pile length. The rate of pile setup is variable and depends on the soil conditions. There have been limited studies of pile setup conducted on Ohio soils. For this thesis, a series of analytical approaches were conducted on statewide driven pile data in order to determine predictive correlations for pile setup on Ohio soils. The approaches included analyzing the geographical distribution of pile setup, the existing pile setup models, and the correlations between soil properties and pile setup factors. Approximately 90% of the piles that were analyzed gained capacity over the time interval from the initial driving to the pile restrike. The geographic analysis did not find strong correlations between the pile setup factors and the statewide geography. Meanwhile, the Skov-Denver (1988) existing pile setup model worked well in predicting the restrike pile capacity. The pile setup factors found strong correlations with the moisture content and the standard penetration test results, while the pile setup factors were unable to find strong trends with the plasticity index and soil composition based off the given boring logs.

Committee: Bilgin Ömer Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Chair); Robert Liang Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member); Jamal Nusairat Ph.D., P.E. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Arts and Sciences: Anthropology

Often overlooked in archaeological research, surficial lithic scatters have traditionally been viewed as homogeneous, ambiguous, and lacking in research value despite their reputation as the most ubiquitous assemblage type in the archaeological record. Previous models frequently apply inappropriate units of analysis in assessments of the inherent variability of lithic scatters and their correlation with prehistoric mobility strategies. To illustrate the advantages of an alternative approach that does not rely on normative analytical units, three different assemblage types from the Upper Basin region of northern Arizona are analyzed in this study: masonry structures, lithic scatters, and fire-cracked-rock piles, using measures such as artifact density, debitage-to-non-debitage ratios, biface-to-core ratios, percentages, and Maximum Flake Area. The results of this research do not confirm those models that associate changes in lithic technology with shifts in prehistoric mobility patterns but show instead unanticipated patterns of lithic technology that were obscured by previous studies.

Committee: Alan Sullivan Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Susan Allen Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Archaeology

Master of Science, University of Toledo, 2017, Civil Engineering

Heat exchanger piles are the thermo-active foundation system that can be used to extract geothermal energy for heating and cooling in the supported upper structures. Geothermal energy is a renewable, clean, efficient and cost-effective source of energy. The temperature below the Earth's surface remains relatively constant throughout the year but varies spatially with the earth depth. Piles are typically used as a main component of engineering structures, transferring the load from an upper structure to the supporting geological formation when necessary. The temperature gradient can be utilized by facilitating a circulating fluid inside the pile which can extract heat from the ground as well as release the heat to the ground during winter and summer seasons, respectively. As such these so-called heat exchange piles serve as both a structural component as well as a heat exchanging component. The main objective of this thesis is to numerically study the behavior of heat exchanger piles and surrounding soils under different scenarios. Different combinations of thermal, mechanical and hydraulic loadings were applied during the simulation of the heat exchanger pile using a finite element program, Code_Bright. Mechanical responses of the heat exchange pile were examined, along with the thermal and mechanical responses of soils. Some hydraulic scenarios were also explored. First, numerical simulations were carried out under the mechanical loading only, focusing on the thermo-mechanical behavior of heat exchanger pile. The mechanical properties of the pile were examined and the compressive stress was found to be maximum at the pile head and decrease along the pile depth during the application of the pure mechanical loading; whereas during the application of thermal loading with the mechanical loading, the compressive stress was found to be maximum around the mid-depth of the pile with minimum values at the ends. The point of maximum stress, referred as the point of inve (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Liangbo Hu (Committee Chair); Brian W. Randolph (Committee Member); Eddie Y. Chou (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering; Energy; Engineering; Geotechnology

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2004, Engineering : Environmental Engineering

Granular filters incorporated in stormwater conveyance systems can mitigate the impacts of non-point source stormwater by removing waterborne contaminants. Granular materials with a variety of grain shapes are commercially available for these filters. The shape of the media grains affects the filtration performance. Two mechanisms were investigated and demonstrate that using media grains that are less spherical improves filtration performance. One-contact removal represents storage of particles on a single isolated media grain. A scalable “Small Pile Model” uses hyperbolic curves for the shape of the toe of slope and peak. The curves can be added by recognizing that the peak hyperbola requires a displacement correction at the toe of slope. The maximum size of the pile increases when the toe of slope is stable. This provides greater one-contact storage for non-spherical media grains as observed in filtration columns. This model is applicable to all granular piles, not just particle piles on filter bed media. Three-contact removal occurs at the narrow openings (pore throats) along the pore tracks through the granular media. Three-dimensional measurements made from sectioned columns of granular media provide data to test a Stepwise Particle Movement Model. The model is conceptually similar to that of Silveira (1965) but modified to predict maximum particle storage in a filter bed. From this model, the minimum pore throat size of spherical grains was shown to adversely affect filter performance. Both mechanisms show theoretically that angular grains store more particles than spherical. The theoretical predictions are consistent with results measured from filtration columns of various crushed and rounded granular media.

Committee: Dr. Steven Buchberger (Advisor) Subjects: Engineering, Environmental

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2006, Civil Engineering

Driven piles are widely used as foundations for buildings, bridges, and other structures. Since 1994, AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) has been in process to change from ASD (Allowable Stress Design) method to LRFD (Load and Resistance Factor Design) method for foundation design. The adoption of LRFD approach makes possible the application of reliability analysis to quantify uncertainties associated with various load and resistance components, respectively. Although there exist some recommendations for incorporation of set-up into ASD and quality control methods for driven piles, most of these recommendations were developed purely based on the engineering experience with no attendant database and reliability analysis. A successful application of probability approach will definitely result in significant improvements on the design and quality control of driven piles. Therefore, there is a need to develop the quality control criterion and to improve the LRFD of driven piles in the framework of reliability-based analysis. In this study, the new reliability-based quality control criteria on driven piles are developed based on acceptance-sampling analysis for various pile test methods with lognormal statistical characteristics. An optimum approach is recommended for the selection of the number of load tests and the required measured capacities for quality control of various load test methods of driven piles. The databases containing a large number of pile testing data are compiled for piles driven into clay and into sand, respectively. Based on the compiled databases, a new methodology is developed to incorporate set-up into the LRFD of drive piles using FORM (First Order Reliability Method) where the separate resistance factors for measured reference capacity and predicted set-up capacity are derived to account for different degrees of uncertainties associated with these two capacity components. Based on Bayesian theory, a new (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Liang (Advisor) Subjects: