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Master of Science in Civil Engineering Plan B Project Papers

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/227753

This collection contains some of the final works (Plan B project papers) produced by master's degree students in the Master of Science in Civil Engineering graduate program. Please note that students in this program complete either a Plan A (thesis-based) program or a Plan B (project-based) program. Only Plan B project papers are included here; Plan As (theses) can be found in the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Dissertations and Theses collection.

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Browsing Master of Science in Civil Engineering Plan B Project Papers by Issue Date

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    Engineering Geopolymer Soil Material Using Fine Dredged Material (FDM) and Alkali-Activated Fly Ash Cement (AAFA)
    (2020-12) Ndayambaje, Regis
    Hydraulic conductivity is a vital input parameter when designing foundations, embankments, retaining walls, or roadways. Much research has been done on methods of improving hydraulic conductivity through soil improvement techniques available today. This work investigates an engineered solution to the waste materials piling up in a disposal facility in northern Minnesota. A sample of fine dredged material (FDM) from the Erie Pier facility in Duluth, MN, was classified as sand lean clay (CL) with a hydraulic conductivity of 6.06 x 10-6 cm/s. To increase the hydraulic conductivity, Class C fly ash, an industrial by-product from the local power plant in Duluth, MN, was activated with a combination of alkaline activator solutions, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), to generate alkali-activated fly ash cement (AAFA). The AAFA cement caused FDM soil particles to flocculate, which led to an increase in particle diameters. This new product, engineered geopolymer soil (EGS), was classified as poorly graded sand (SP) with a hydraulic conductivity at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of the original FDM. This technique improved the hydraulic conductivity of fine-dredged material and could contribute to the efforts of increasing reuse of waste by-products for engineered fill applications.
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    Watershed Scale Riparian Flood Inundation Frequency Analysis
    (2020-12) Engstrom, Jackson J
    Minnesota is home to an abundance of water resources and consequent risk of frequent flooding, high water levels, and saturation of surface soils. While widely known for its lakes, it also has thousands of miles of rivers and streams containing diverse geomorphic characteristics throughout watersheds with varying land use. This study analyzes flood inundation frequency (FIF) to help determine the context for contaminant transport from riverine riparian areas. Riparian flooding is a likely candidate for contaminant transport, however, our current understanding of the relationship is limited. FIF is defined as a quantity encompassing both the time and area over which a river’s surrounding riparian zone is inundated. Incorporating both duration and inundated area into this analysis gives weight to events that occur more frequently but inundate smaller areas in comparison to the infrequent, high flow events. FIF was analyzed in five watersheds throughout Minnesota, primarily comparing agricultural vs. forested land use, with some consideration of wetland presence. Sites within a watershed were selected to characterize a lower flow, upstream area, typically near the headwaters, and a higher flow, downstream area. Watersheds are modeled in HEC-RAS, using flow data obtained from continuous hydrologic simulations or regionally-calibrated regression equations. Results indicate that the predictability of flood inundation frequency increases with drainage area, particularly in agriculturally dominated areas. Downstream areas in the forested watersheds also exhibited a predictable flood inundation frequency, but were slightly more variable than the downstream areas in the agricultural watersheds. The flood inundation parameters for upstream sites were relatively indiscernible from one another due to the small drainage area.