Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Permanent URI for this community

https://hdl.handle.net/10919/23747
The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which is ranked in the top 10 accredited civil and environmental engineering departments by the US News and World Report survey, is one of the largest programs in the United States. The Department has 46 full-time faculty, 657 undergraduate, and 400 graduate students. Civil engineers are the principal designers, constructors, operators, and caretakers of many of the constructed facilities and systems that contribute to the high quality of life enjoyed in the United States. The Charles E. Via, Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers educational programs in all areas of civil engineering practice.

Browse

Browsing Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering by Content Type "Report"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 20
  • Thumbnail Image
    2012 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2012)
    This is the 2012 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2013 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2013)
    This is the 2013 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2014 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2014)
    This is the 2014 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2015 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2015)
    Department head’s message: Greetings from Blacksburg! Once again it is our pleasure to present the annual edition of the Via Report. I hope you enjoy the excellent articles on several of the outstanding research efforts that are in progress within the department. The work highlighted in these articles supports students in the department and serves society in general, particularly in the Commonwealth, as many of the issues that our faculty are researching are highly important in Virginia. Rest assured that these are but a few of the many great things in progress!
  • Thumbnail Image
    2016 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2016)
    Department head’s message: Greetings from Blacksburg! Once again it is our pleasure to present the annual edition of the Via Report. This year’s report is especially memorable because it is the 30th edition. We will have the opportunity to recognize the current Via scholars, and alumni of the program at our annual Via Banquet in December. I know that the Via family would be proud of the work these students are doing and their service to society in general. I hope you enjoy the excellent articles on several of the outstanding research efforts that are in progress within the department.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2017 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2017)
    This is the 2017 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2018 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2018)
    This is the 2018 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2020 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2020)
    This is the 2020 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2021 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2021)
    This is the 2021 annual report for the Charles E. Via Jr. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    2022 Via Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2022)
    The 2022 annual report for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Catawba Sustainability Center and Catawba Hospital Renewable Energy Site Planning Process Study
    Meyers, Ron; Carstensen, Laurence W.; Ford, W. Mark; Grant, Elizabeth J.; Klopfer, Scott D.; Schenk, Todd; Taylor, Adam (Virginia Tech, 2020-09-29)
    The transdisciplinary Renewable Energy Facilities Siting Project produced a white paper outlining their proof-of-concept using a case study from the Catawba Valley.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Computational Study of Tension Field Action in Gable Frame Panel Zones
    Wei, Gengrui; Koutromanos, Ioannis; Murray, Thomas M.; Eatherton, Matthew R. (2018-04-01)
    A computational study was conducted to evaluate the extent to which the column panel zone in a gable frame knee joint can develop tension field action when subjected to positive bending (top flange of the rafter is in tension). Past testing was reviewed and used to validate finite element models. The validated finite element modeling approach that utilized shell elements, was then used in a parametric study to evaluate the post-buckling strength of the panel zone beyond the shear buckling strength. In addition, a plastic mechanism model was used to derive an equation for the post-buckling shear strength of the panel zone and the derived equation was validated against the results of the parametric study. The result was a proposed equation for tension field action strength of the panel zone when subjected to positive bending that had an average error of 1% compared to the model results.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Experimental Testing of a Reinforced Concrete Structural Wall Under Cyclic Loads
    This report presents the setup and results of an experimental test focused on the seismic performance of a non-ductile reinforced concrete wall. The specimen was a half-scale representation of the lower stories in an 8-story prototype building, constructed in California between the mid-1950s and early 1960s. The cross-section had a barbell shape, with heavily reinforced end pilasters and very light reinforcement in the web region. The specimen was the first in a series of tests, aimed to investigate the strength and failure modes of existing RC wall construction, and also assess the efficiency of different retrofit techniques (the latter will be considered in subsequent tests). Applying lateral displacement cycles of increasing amplitude led to the gradual accumulation of damage. The specimen failed due to the formation of a localized diagonal crack in the web, followed by rupture of several horizontal bars and, ultimately, a sudden shear-crushing failure at the base of the pilaster. The pilaster region also exhibited buckling of the vertical reinforcing bars and rupture of transverse ties. The failure of the specimen was abrupt, occurring at a drift ratio of 1.31%. Computational simulations conducted for the specimen provided further insights on the damage sequence and failure mechanism.
  • Thumbnail Image
    The Land Development Design Initiative (LDDI) 2021 Annual Report
    (Virginia Tech, 2021)
    This annual report highlights the LDDI program's achievements in 2021.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Roanoke Urban Stormwater Research: Lick Run / Trout Run Phase V Final Report
    Dymond, Randel L.; Brendel, Conrad E.; Woodson, David (2018-12-19)
    Effective management and restoration of urban watersheds requires considerable information describing the watershed’s land surface, drainage system, and receiving streams, in order to understand the important hydrologic and ecologic processes, and to make informed decisions about how to allocate resources for watershed improvements. Previous research has focused on the creation of Watershed Master Plans to provide recommendations for maintaining and improving the function of City of Roanoke watersheds. This year, research has focused on the creation of tools to assist the City in making informed decisions pertaining to land development and stormwater best management practice (BMP) design. This report outlines 1) the development of web apps to assist the City with data synthesis and analysis, 2) the creation of a hydrology and hydraulics model to simulate watershed hydrology under existing conditions and a variety of development and/or stormwater BMP implementation scenarios, and 3) the review of stormwater management design manuals for various states and municipalities. This report is submitted in tandem with a literature review of stormwater management design manuals that is generally organized according to the tasks outlined in the 2018 Phase V Scope of Research. Section 1 is an Introduction that describes the ongoing relationship between the City and the Virginia Tech Via Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering that made this work possible, and also describes the layout of subsequent sections. Section 2 describes the Stream Hydrology and Rainfall Knowledge System (SHARKS) web app that was developed to provide the City with a platform to rapidly synthesize, visualize, and analyze data from various meteorological and hydrologic data sources. Section 3 describes the library of storm event precipitation and runoff data contained in Appendix II. This section also presents the MINNOWS web app that was developed to complement the SHARKS app and to provide an interactive platform to identify spatial and temporal trends in the storm event library. Section 4 describes the development of the hydrologic and hydraulic model for the combined Lick Run/Trout Run watersheds and Section 5 provides an overview of the stormwater management design manual review. Section 6 provides the references used in this report. Finally, Appendix I contains the relative flow/depth rating curves created for the nine Roanoke storm sewer depth sensors and Appendix II contains a library of storm event precipitation and runoff data for each 2018 event. Although the submittal of this report marks the end of the 2018 Scope of Research, the work performed during this period has continued the development of a long-term collaboration between the City and VT for expansion of the science of urban stormwater management, and its application to the City’s watersheds.
  • Thumbnail Image
    State of Internal Design Review Process in Structural Engineering
    Crocker, Kelly A.; Eatherton, Matthew R. (2023-05-16)
    Internal design reviews serve as a major quality control measure in structural engineering firms. The process differs among firms and may be formal (documented) or informal (undocumented). The motivation of this project was to understand the design review process as it typically exists in structural engineering firms. Topics included the review process, time spent on review, common errors caught during reviews, and improvements suggested by study participants. Interviews were performed with 22 individuals from 16 structural engineering firms across the country. The study concluded that approximately 70% of firms have a formal internal design review process. A baseline process was established to occur before each submission to a client while each firm added their own unique practices to the process. Some practices, such as process scalability and the inclusion of design charrettes were mentioned by employees of multiple firms. Firms completing building design typically spent 5% of project hours on design review, however most employee suggestions related to expanding the time allowed for review or using it more efficiently. These factors alone cannot be used to indicate the quality of a design review, but the results of this paper may inform on different design review practices across the industry and aid firms in evaluating and improving their individual processes.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Stresses and Instability in Coastal Systems: Sustaining Prosperity, Increasing Diversity and Achieving Resilience
    Weiss, Robert; Bukvic, Anamaria; Dayer, Ashley A.; Fraser, James D.; Karpanty, Sarah M.; Catlin, Daniel H.; Juran, Luke; Wynne, Randolph H.; Gohlke, Julia M.; Boyle, Kevin J.; Irish, Jennifer L.; Leon, Roberto T.; Zobel, Christopher W.; Rees, Loren P.; Zhang, Yang; Schenk, Todd; Dixit, Priya (Virginia Tech, 2017-05-15)
    More than half of the world’s human population lives within 40 miles of the sea. Coastal cities are the backbone of global finance, trade, manufacturing, and transportation. Millions of people worldwide travel to beaches for recreation. Coastal fisheries and aquaculture are key sources of food, and the chief source of protein in most developing countries. The coast is home to a diverse range of plants and animals, some commercially valuable, some threatened or endangered, and all part of unique ecosystems. Coastal livelihoods, tourism, fish and wildlife species, and ecosystem services are threatened by climate change and its associated impact on coastal hazards. Flooding and coastal disasters from New York to Kolkata have killed thousands of people and cost trillions of dollars. By 2100 more than 100 million people could be displaced by sea-level change, 13 million in the U.S. alone. The stability of the global economy is threatened by sea-level change...
  • Thumbnail Image
    Survey Related to Edge Details in Concrete-Filled Steel Deck Slabs
    Omar Al-Masarani; Kerry Kreitman; Matthew R. Eatherton; W. Samuel Easterling (2024-03-23)
    The aim of this survey is to gain insight into the common practices employed by structural engineers regarding the typical edge detail in concrete-filled steel deck floor systems. The survey content, which included questions and figures, was developed based on feedback from design engineers and the AISC Task Committee 5 on composite structures. The survey was advertised to the structural engineering industry through the AISC weekly bulletin email and was open from May to August 2023. The survey results provided valuable perspectives on different practices and typical edge details of structural engineering design firms across the United States from 34 respondents. It showed large scatter in typical edge details related to minimum slab overhang distance, pour stop type used, steel deck termination, pour stop connection and more.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Workshop Report: Development of FRP Retrofit Guidelines for Deficient Reinforced Concrete Horizontal Lateral Force Resisting Systems
    Dhakal, Pratiksha; Hutton, Hunter; Eatherton, Matthew R.; Jacques, Eric (2022-01-01)
    This report presents a summary of the “Development of FRP Retrofit Guidelines for Deficient Reinforced Concrete Horizontal Lateral Force Resisting Systems” workshop held virtually on 17 August 2021. The meeting was a part of the research initiative led by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University involving the use of externally bonded fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) in strengthening deficient horizontal lateral force resisting systems (hLFRS) in older reinforced concrete buildings. The meeting was attended by the research team from the university and an advisory panel comprising engineers, practitioners, and producers. The meeting included a presentation from the research team and brainstorming sessions in which the advisory panel provided their insights into the issues and gaps put forward. The discussions were centered around the three primary research tasks – development of preliminary design approach, experimental evaluation of hLFRS diaphragm shear strengthening, and preparation of design recommendations. The majority of discussions were directly related to the first task. The discussion sessions addressed gaps in areas such as current design procedure, inadequate diaphragm shear capacity, axial tension strengthening, axial compression strengthening, joint strengthening, anchorages, and detailing issues based on the experience of using FRP for diaphragm strengthening. The panel shared consensus that there is a lack of adequate guidelines for the design and detailing of FRP strengthening of deficient hLFRS. Despite the lack of provisions, there exist the widespread application of the FRP for strengthening. In the present scenario, several designs and analysis approaches have been followed by engineers for the retrofit design, force-controlled and displacement-controlled, beam analogy, strut and tie methods, finite element analysis. Further, in the design process, the FRP fibers are treated as reinforcing steel and are mainly unidirectional except at locations of high shear transfer; Carbon FRP fibers are preferred over other types. The limit of 0.0015 on the FRP design strain would be reasonable. Owing to the lack of design expressions for flexural or shear strengthening concrete diaphragms developed for beams, slabs, and walls are adopted even though they do not accurately represent the behavior of diaphragms. The FRP can be laid orthogonally or diagonally depending on the contribution of existing steel. FRP anchors and embedded steel anchors bolted to steel plates are used for anchorage purposes which should be provided at areas of high stress concentration and termination points. For anchorage design, it was recommended to compare anchors between different manufacturers however, as a result of lack of test data at a scale that remotely simulates the size and magnitude of forces being developed, there still exist inconsistencies in the detailing of anchors. The meeting successfully provided recommendations and expert opinions on the diaphragm strengthening using FRP. The issues discussed and the expertise provided by the panel shall be incorporated into the research process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Yield Line Patterns for End-Plate Moment Connections
    Eatherton, Matthew R.; Nguyen, Trai N.; Murray, Thomas M. (2021-12-31)
    The purpose of this report is to summarize the yield line patterns and associated yield line parameters for end-plate moment connections. Both the end-plate yield line patterns and the column side yield line patterns are provided. For each yield line parameter, either the derivation is given or details about how the yield line parameter was obtained from one of the other derived yield line parameters is described.