Department of Civil Engineering Graduate Theses

Development and Influence of Erosion Voids at Rigid Pipe Joints

Monteith, Tyler

An experiment was designed and conducted to study the effect that erosion voids forming at leaky reinforced concrete pipe joints have on the pipe response to surface loading. The experiment consisted of a jointed system ...

Distributed Sensing for Monitoring Cast Iron Pipe Behaviour

Simmons, Josh

The objectives of this thesis were to investigate the material performance and field behaviour of small diameter cast iron water pipes. Exhumed pipes were provided by the Cities of Kingston, Hamilton, and Toronto in Canada. ...

The Effect of Soil Gradation and Addition of Natural Fibres on the Mechanical Properties and Freeze-Thaw Durability of On-Site Manufactured Compressed Earth Blocks

Keeler, Emma

Implementation of sustainable materials is becoming an imperative consideration in modern building because of the impact of the construction industry on climate change patterns. Building with earth is an ancient technique ...

Assessment of Local Strains in Geomembranes at Gravel Indentations

Bennett, Samantha

Tensile strains that occur in geomembrane liners that are induced by local gravel indentations are investigated, with an emphasis on how the strains are calculated and what testing methods are used to obtain the deformed ...

The Performance of Reinforced Concrete Pipe Joints under Differential Ground Settlement

Fromberger, Tommy

Leakage from reinforced concrete pipe joints has negative environmental impacts and can compromise the sewer or culvert’s service life. Pipes can fracture, corrode, rotate, experience joint pullout, and potentially undergo ...

Fire Performance of FRP: Bond of GFRP Bars to Concrete and FRP Strengthened Columns

Mousavi, Arshia

Standard pullout tests (e.g. 200 mm cubes) with a short embedment length have shown a significant reduction (80% loss at 200 °C) in the bond strength of GFRP bars at high temperatures. More detailed bond behaviour of glass ...

A Phenomenological Model for the Planimetric Evolution of Meandering Rivers and Related Database

Bascom, Kerri

This work concerns the planimetric evolution of free meandering rivers, whose associated riverbank erosion and channel changes notoriously pose a hazard to infrastructure within their vicinity as well as affect the health ...

Development Length and Bond Strength of FRP Bars Embedded in Normal, High Strength, and Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

Michaud, Decebal

This thesis examines experimentally the development lengths (Ld) of small diameter (db) (4 mm, 6 mm, and 8 mm) basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) deformed bars embedded in concrete with compressive strength ranging ...

Safety Through Uncertainty in Wastewater Treatment: Monte Carlo Simulation-Based First Order Kinetic Design of Waste Stabilization Ponds

Daudelin, Francois

Waste stabilization pond (WSP) systems are a simple and low-cost form of wastewater treatment. Forecasting the treatment efficiency of these systems can be challenging given the complexity of their treatment processes and ...

Analysis and Management of Stormwater Quality: A Case Study of the Town of Jasper in Alberta, Canada

Sofijanic, Ana

Stormwater pollutants can have deleterious impacts on the aquatic life of receiving waterbodies. The aim of this thesis is to present the findings from stormwater quality monitoring and modelling performed for the Town of ...

Cyclic Testing of Pre-engineered Beam-Hanger Connections & Reinforcement of Holes in Glulam Beams Using Self-tapping Screws

Vojtila, Gabriella

This thesis is split into two sections: the first evaluates the performance of pre-engineered beam-hanger connections under cyclic loading, and the second evaluates the reinforcement of holes in glulam beams using self-tapping ...

Parameter Estimation and Well Installation Optimization for Contaminant Plume Delineation

Kalia, Sumit

Groundwater contamination by dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) continues to be a significant environmental problem. DNAPL site characterization forms the basis of DNAPL site remediation success and requires attention. ...

Evaluation of Polygonal Hollow Structural Steel Sections via Experimental and Finite Element Analyses

Kabanda, John

Thin-walled hollow sections such as rectangular hollow sections (RHS) have very high torsional rigidity, and thus make a very economic choice for applications which are susceptible to lateral torsional buckling. However, ...

Effect of Coating Defect, Desiccation, and Freeze-Thaw Cycles on Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCLS) – Geomembrane Interface Transmissivity

Jabin, Farhana

A series of laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the effect of prehydration fluid, a 4-mm diameter central coating defect, coating defect position and nature, and the effect of coating orientation of a multi-component ...

Biomass production and nutrient removal by Chlorella vulgaris as monoculture and in a consortium from centrate wastewater: optimization through acclimation

Pazmino, Gisell

Microalgae-based wastewater treatment has shown promise in the removal of contaminants such as nutrients and heavy metals. Municipal wastewaters could be used as low-cost cultivation media as they provide the necessary ...

The novel application of sensor technologies to monitor long-term vertical track displacement pre and post rehabilitation

Yan, Ruobing

Track geometry irregularities may induce travelling discomfort for passengers, vibration and noise, and critically redistribution of wheel loads causing derailments. To better understand the track deterioration mechanisms ...

Testing A Full-Scale Reinforced Concrete Bridge Deck with GFRP and Steel Reinforcement Using Cyclic Pulsating and Rolling Loads

Tauskela, Laura

The repair and replacement of bridge decks represents a large portion of infrastructure spending. Gaining a better understanding of bridge deck behaviour through more representative vehicular loading can lead to a reduction ...