The Head Research Group member, KJ Olsen and Dr. Here, were recently featured on #Giving Tuesday as the 2022 Green Grant recipient for our work with including recycled plastic waste in concrete. We have been assessing the mechanical properties of fresh and hardened concrete when ABS plastics are added. Note the featured article here. This has been fun and impactful work, and we are working on a publication with co-investigator, Dr. Suresh Advani, Department of Mechanical Engineering.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering continues to address critical challenges within the built and natural environment, and how they affect society. Check us out here:
I am honored to be elevated to being a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The Head Research Group is working on this multi-disciplinary project funded by the Army Corps of Engineers (DEEDS) to better understand the effects of flooding due to storm surge and sea-level rise on roadways and bridges within evacuation routes, and to what extent does increased salinity degrade structural materials to inform maintenance predictions. We have installed sensor arrays in the field to monitor relative water depths and salinity levels to collect preliminary data and formulate baseline measurements before a nature-based installation occurs in Delaware.
This summer, we had the pleasure of working with Adriana M. Mercado Cruz (pictured left in photo), a civil engineering student from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. She presented a poster of her work titled, “Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal Bridges.” She was able to examines the differences in distinctive design approaches using real-time field data compared to current and projected sea level conditions for year 2072 using “intermediate high” scenario as established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The research consisted of modeling a single span multi-stringer prestressed box beam bridge with two lanes, located in Slaughter Beach, Delaware. The bridge model was subjected to the different hydrodynamic loads under the different design approaches considering current conditions and future projections for sea level rise. This allowed for a vulnerability assessment of the bridge piles by comparing the shear and moment values for each pile evaluated for various hydrodynamic loading scenarios. Future research could consist of conducting different analytical and experimental analyses using different design approaches on various bridge and foundation types. Congratulations, Adriana, and we look forward to hearing all of the wonderful things you’ll continue to do! Thank you, @Waqas Iqbal, for being an excellent graduate student mentor to Adriana!
