Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Events for March
-
The FHWA Long- Term Bridge Performance Program
Thu, Mar 02, 2006 @ 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:Dr. Hamid Ghasemi
Program Manager
Turner- Fairbank Highway Research Center
Federal Highway Administration
6300 Georgetown pike
McLean, VA 22101
202-493-3042
hamid.Ghasemi@fhwa.dot.govABSTRACTWith the passage of SAFETEA-LU, the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D (HRDI) is initiating the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, an ambitious multi-year research program which is modeled somewhat after the Long-Term Pavement Performance program. The LTBP Program has been designed as a 20-year effort that will include detailed inspections and periodic evaluations and testing on a representative sample of bridges throughout the United States in order to monitor and document their performance over an extended period of time. The LTBP Program will also include a set of instrumented bridges that can provide continuous, long-term, structural performance data, and may include detailed forensic autopsies on structures that are decommissioned by State transportation agencies. The intent is to collect performance data on deterioration, corrosion, or other types of degradation; structural impacts from overloads; and the effectiveness of various maintenance and improvement strategies typically used throughout the United States. It is anticipated that the resulting LTBP database will provide high quality, quantitative performance data for highway bridges that will support improved designs, improved predictive models, and better bridge management systems in the future. HRDI will be conducting several workshops during 2006 to acquaint FHWA, DOT staff, and researchers on the elements of the program.The Scientific Community is Cordially Invited.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
Effective Remediation Methods for clean up of MGP Sites
Fri, Mar 03, 2006 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:
Dr. Shala Craig, PEParsons
Pasadena, CAAbstract:Manufactured Gas Plants (MGP) were an important fuel source for most domestic and light industrial applications in 19th Century. These plants extracted the lighter components of coal/heavy oil, and after removal of impurities from the fluidized stream, transported the manufactured gas to households and the industry vial local pipe lines. Wastes generated as a result of operating these sites were usually retained on-site, buried, or applied to the land due to lack of regulatory barriers. Major residual contamination form these operations include arsenic, cyanide, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many components of the PAHs are known carcinogens, for which the State of California (as well as FED EPA) have strict limits. Operation of MGP plants, which continued through out the 1800s, was stopped in the beginning of 20th Century, after discovery and the commercial use of natural gas. However, due to the persistent nature of the residual contaminants from the MGP sites, almost all contamination buried within these sites are still remaining and in need of remedial work. Utilities in Southern California are currently in the process of remedial work at these sites. The presentation will discuss technical and regulatory challenges in the process of identifying the contaminants extent and remedial work within these sites. Special technology and tools used for investigation and remediation of the sites will be presented.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 156
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
Probabilistic Risk Assessment in Return-to-Flight Efforts
Mon, Mar 06, 2006 @ 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:
Luc Huyse
Southwest Research InstituteAbstract:Since the loss of the Columbia in February 2003 and the conclusion of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, Southwest Research Institute has been involved in several return to flight efforts. This presentation summarizes some of the findings of two probabilistic risk assessments. The first risk assessment is related to fatigue cracking of the feedline flowiners that supply liquid hydrogen to the main engines of the Space Shuttle. The second risk analysis is related to the damage to the leading edge RCC panels and the Thermal Protection Shield due to foam debris impact. The first assessment was performed as part of an Independent Technical Assessment (ITA) for the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC). The overall goal was to establish a flight rationale in light of a history of fatigue cracking due to flow induced vibrations in the feedline flowliners that supply liquid hydrogen to the space shuttle main engines. Prior deterministic analyses using worst-case assumptions predicted failure in a single flight. The current work formulated statistical models for dynamic loading and cryogenic fatigue crack growth properties, instead of using worst-case assumptions. New weight function solutions were developed to describe the crack "driving-force". Monte Carlo simulations showed that low flowliner probabilities of failure (POF = 0.001 to 0.0001) are achievable, provided pre-flight inspections for cracks are performed with adequate probability of detection (POD) -- specifically, 20/75 mils with 50%/99% POD. The second assessment was performed for NASA Johnson. NASA and SwRI engineers are developing and refining methodology to quantify the probability of damage to the thermal protection system. The primary debris sources during ascent are the insulating foam covering the external tank (ET), and the ice that can form on the ET before and during launch. Upon detachment, aerodynamic drag forces act to slow the speed of the debris, thereby increasing the relative velocity between the debris and the orbiter. Also during transport, lift forces act to disperse the debris about their idealized trajectories. Therefore, the farther downstream the debris travels before impact, the greater the potential impact kinetic energy and crossrange (dispersion). Damage depends on the concurrence of three events: debris release, debris impact, and impact kinetic energy exceeding panel capacity. The total probability of damage is obtained as the product of these three event probabilities summed over all release and impact locations. Current work with NASA Johnson focuses on removing some of the conservatism of the analysis and transforming the semi-probabilistic analysis into a full probabilistic analysis.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
A Review of Maximum Entropy Principles and Applications to Stochastic Estimation
Tue, Mar 07, 2006 @ 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:
Sonjoy Das
USC - CE Graduate StudentLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
ENERGY USAGE
Fri, Mar 10, 2006 @ 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:Dr. Paul Liu
Former Lecturer of Environmental Engineering at USCAbstract:
Topics to be discussed include renewable energy, and fossil fuels, both in its natural and converted forms with an emphasis on bio-environmental impact.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - RIELIAN HALL, ROOM 156
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
Overview of Innovative Remedial Technologies used in Groundwater Cleanup
Mon, Mar 20, 2006 @ 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:Paris Hajali, Vice President
Blasland, Bouck & Lee Inc.Abstract:
The lecture will provide an overview of groundwater remediation and a brief description on the evolution of technologies utilized in the remediation of impacted groundwater for the last two decades. In addition, selected innovative technologies will be presented along with their applications, advantages, and limitations. The presentation will also include a summary of the technology evaluation and selection processLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
A Review of Markov Chain Monte Carlo
Tue, Mar 21, 2006 @ 12:00 PM - 12:50 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:Alireza Doostan
CE Graduate StudentLocation: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
Transfer from Practice into Research: Performative Infrastructure and Architecture
Mon, Mar 27, 2006 @ 11:00 AM - 11:50 AM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
Speaker:Dr. Thomas Spielgelhalter
School of Architecture
University of Southern California
Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes
-
TRANSFER FROM PRACTICE INTO RESEARCH: PERFORMATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
Tue, Mar 28, 2006 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars
SPEAKER:Thomas Spiegelhalter. R.A. EU, ISES, LEED AP
Architect, Engineer, Industrial Designer, Town Planner
University of Southern California, School of ArchitectureAbstract:From the controversy discussion of climate change, to power deregulation, to suburban sprawl to the rapid proliferation of information technology, change is ocurring at a more rapid pace than at any other time in our history.The 21st century is marked by a necessary reengagement of Architecture, Engineering, Building Science, Urban Design and Landscape Architechture with the environment.Building infrastructure, and the landscape are inextricably linked. Energy, materials, water and land are all consumed in the development and operation of cities and infrastructure, while the urban environment itself affects our living conditions, social well being and health.Japan and the European Union, faced with higher energy costs and high density building conditions, have been leading the way globally with innovative ideas and financial incentives to produce better performing infrastructures, operative landscapes and buildings. For example, thes o called European "low", "zero" and "plus" energy buildings and city districts state-of-the-art codes are well known, anchored in nationwide energy-saving policies and performative post occupancy monitoring, guidelines and certifications, to approve the annual energy balance of states, neighborhoods and buildings wih respect to resources, the public grid operation, and to stabilize CO2 emission according to the Kyoto Protocol of the UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE.Designing sustainable and performative measurerable projects in Europe-and particularly in Germany, where sustainability is imbued in the natinal culture, provides architects,engineers and researchers with valuable experiences into the broad spectrum of public policy, energy security, financing , utility infrastructure, and building codes that cumulatively support sustainability and resource efficient building systems and infrastructures.Location: Kaprielian Hall (KAP) - rielian Hall, Room 203
Audiences: Everyone Is Invited
Contact: Evangeline Reyes