Remediation of contaminated groundwater remains a high-priority national goal in the United States. Water is essential to life, and new sources of water are needed for an expanding population. Groundwater remediation remains a significant technical challenge despite decades of research into this field. New approaches are needed to address the most severely-polluted aquifers, and cost-effective solutions are required to meet remediation objectives that protect human health and the environment. Source reduction combined with Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) is a remediation strategy whereby the source of contamination is aggressively treated or removed and the residual groundwater plume depletes due to natural processes in the subsurface. The USEPA requires long-term performance monitoring of groundwater at MNA sites over the remediation timeframe, which often takes decades to complete. Presently, computational tools are lacking to adequately integrate source remediation with economic models. Furthermore, no framework has been developed to highlight the tradeoff between the degree of remediation versus the level of benefit within a cost structure. Using the Natural Attenuation Software (NAS) package developed at Virginia Tech, a set of formulae have been developed for calculating the TOR for petroleum-contaminated aquifers (specifically tracking benzene and MTBE) through statistical techniques. With the knowledge of source area residual saturation, groundwater velocity, and contaminant plume source length, the time to remediate a site contaminated with either benzene or MTBE can be determined across a range of regulatory maximum contaminant levels. After developing formulae for TOR, an integrated and interactive decision tool for framing the decision analysis component of the remediation problem was developed. While MNA can be a stand-alone groundwater remediation technology, significant benefits may be realized by layering a more traditional source zone remedial technique with MNA. Excavation and soil vapor extraction when applied to the front end of a remedial action plan can decrease the amount of time to remediation and while generally more expensive than an MNA-only approach, may accrue long-term economic advantages that would otherwise be foregone. The value of these research components can be realized within the engineering and science communities, as well as through government, business and industry, and communities where groundwater contamination and remediation are of issue. Together, these tools constitute the Sâ ªEâ ªEâ ªPâ ªAGE paradigm, founded upon the concept of sound science for an environmental engineering, effectual economics, and public policy agenda. The TOR formulation simplifies the inputs necessary to determine the number of years that an MNA strategy will require before project closure and thus reduces the specialized skills and training required to perform a numerical analysis that for one set of conditions could require many hours of simulation time. The economic decision tool, that utilizes a life cycle model to evaluate a set of feasible alternatives, highlights the tradeoffs between time and economics can be realized over the lifetime of the remedial project. / Ph. D.

This project is a story of findings. The main intention is to design a workstation for nautical archeologists who are excavating and researching the ruins of the oldest known shipwreck of the world. The use of the building is projected to change over time to house the findings of the research and exhibit this world heritage and the process that brought it into light. Permanence as a concept is the subject of the major inquiry of the architectural investigation through the project. The means to achieve longevity in architecture are explored. Self-sustainability, interrelation of structure and space, lightness, and locality are the issues that are studied pertaining to the question of "temporariness" and "permanence" in architecture. / Master of Architecture

Les actionneurs électromécaniques supplantent les solutions d’actionnement hydrauliques concurrentes dans un nombre croissant d’applications industrielles, particulièrement en aéronautique. Ils le doivent à leurs rendements élevés et à une relative simplicité de commande. Fort de ces avantages, cette technologie a été mise en place dans le cadre du projet ELEXC, en vue de remplacer les vérins hydrauliques sur une mini-excavatrice tout-électrique et s’attaquant pour la première fois au secteur du bâtiment et des travaux publics. Cependant, cette intégration s’accompagne de doutes sur la performance et la durabilité de ces actionneurs dans ce cas précis d’utilisation. Pour répondre à ces interrogations, ce manuscrit se focalisera dans un premier volet sur la caractérisation des performances d’une structure spécifique, permise par la mise en place d’un banc de test multi-énergies instrumenté. Cette étude aboutira à la mise en place d’un modèle par lois physiques dont les paramètres auront été identifiés expérimentalement.Deux solutions innovantes vont ensuite être proposées, visant respectivement à réduire les répercussions, notamment énergétiques, de la caractéristique discrète du convertisseur à découpage, et à parer au manque de compliance de l’actionneur tout en conservant ses capacités de creusage. Elles seront toutes deux associées au concept de commande prédictive, mais offriront chacune une spécificité par rapport à l’implémentation standard de ce type de commande tout en conservant ses avantages. La première prendra la forme d’un modulateur fondé sur le principe d’une modulation de largeur d’impulsion vectorielle, dont la séquence sera sélectionnée par un contrôleur prédictif en rapport avec une fonction de coût alliant les ondulations de courant, les pertes par commutation et la tension de mode commun spécifiques aux séquences. La seconde consistera en un contrôleur d’impédance à boucle de position interne, dont les paramètres d’impédance seront variables et définis par un contrôleur prédictif afin de permettre une bonne pénétration dans l’environnement tout en limitant la dynamique et la valeur maximale de l’effort de compression sur la transmission. / Nowadays, the electro-mechanical actuators (EMA) are seen as an alternative to the conventional hydraulic cylinders in a growing number of industrial applications, including the aeronautic sector, thanks to their high efficiency and relatively simple commandability. According to this features, this actuator technology was selected to replace the hydraulic cylinders of the actuation system of a full-electric compact excavator in the ELEXC project. However, some concerns arose from the lack of existing examples with EMA functioning in relatively severe working conditions implying collisions of the actuators with stiff environments. Therefore, this manuscript will first focus on the characterization of the electro-mechanical actuator and of its performances in this specific case of application, enabled by the development of a multi-energy test-rig. Beside the validation of the EMA capacities, a physic law model will be developed, and its parameters tuned according to the experimental results. In a second part of this manuscript, two novel control laws will be proposed, aiming respectively to reduce the negative repercussions of the discrete characteristic of the electrical converter, and to counterpart the lack of natural compliance of the mechanical actuator. They will be both based on the concept of predictive control, but will differ from the conventional implementation of this type of controller. The first proposed topology is a modulator based on a vector Pulse Width Modulation, in which the PWM sequence to be used is defined online by a predictive controller according to a cost function that takes into account the current ripples, the switching losses and the common mode voltages specific to the sequences. Next, a position-based impedance controller, whose impedance parameters are defined online by a predictive controller, is introduced, in order to enable the EMA to penetrate a stiff environment with a relatively low dynamic increase of compression force on the mechanical transmission.

The area which today covers the Doric House, the Roman East Bath and the Byzantine East Church at the Karian sanctuary of Zeus at Labraunda in south-western Turkey, was by Swedish archaeologists called the P-building and the R-bath during the early 1950s. The excavations of this area in 1951 and 1953 were documented in three excavation diaries by archaeologist Inge Dahlén, written in Swedish. These diaries have, however, never been published. This thesis therefore focused to analyse Dahlén’s three excavation diaries in terms of three aspects. The first aspect was to understand the archaeological work and documentation methods at Labraunda during the 1951 and 1953 excavations and consequently, determine how the archaeology functioned in practice at the site in the early 1950s. The second aspect was to present in what ways Dahlén’s diaries could contribute to the current and future excavations at the East Bath at Labraunda. The last aspect was to study Dahlén’s own archaeological interpretations which occured in the diaries. In order to present all the three aspects, the analysis and discussion on the diaries were organised into four headings: archaeological work, archaeological finds, stratigraphy and documentation methods. Studying the diaries based on these headings showed that certain improvements occurred in the diaries from 1951 to 1953. Dahlén’s excavation diaries reveal a large amount of archaeological data regarding the progress of the excavations and the numerous discoveries from the excavated areas. They need, therefore, to be taken into consideration for a better understanding of both the early and the new excavations that are being conducted at the same area.

New data on human skeletal remains from Site 35 in Salango, Ecuador is combined with existing data presented by Jastremski (2006) to compile a more comprehensive report about the health conditions of the people. Site 35, which is associated with the Manteño culture that flourished in the Integration period from A.D. 500 – 1532, has been determined to comprise a singular population that is represented by a minimum of 27 individuals. In addition to more comprehensive conclusions about Site 35, this thesis uses the data from Site 35 in an extended comparison of health among prehistoric sites from six additional sites to observe general trends over time and across geography. Through an indepth analysis of distinct health traits, the general conclusion matches previous reports that the overall quality of health in Ecuador declined over time. However, the present analysis shows a less dramatic decline for coastal sites than for inland sites. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

L'objectif technique principal auquel répond cette thèse est la mise au point d'une méthode de régularisation, donnant des résultats objectifs par rapport au maillage, pour traiter les problèmes couplés hydromécaniques dans le cas des géomatériaux. La modélisation proposée s'inscrit dans le cadre des milieux à microstructure dilatants et s'inspire, du point de vue numérique, des formulations second gradient. Elle permet de prédire de façon robuste les comportements hydrauliques et mécaniques produits par la dégradation d'un milieu naturel. Le modèle ainsi obtenu, dit second gradient de dilatation, se distingue par le faible nombre de degrés de liberté ajouté dans la discrétisation éléments finis par rapport à celui des milieux continus. L'objectif numérique est de réduire les temps de calcul pour rendre les études à portée industrielle acceptables. On montre son efficacité en réalisant des simulations couplées hydromécaniques d'excavations souterraines. Enfin, on présente un algorithme de recherche de solutions multiples dans la direction des modes singuliers basé sur les principes de la théorie de la bifurcation pour traiter des non-linéarités dues à des comportements irréversibles de matériaux adoucissants. Le cadre de l'analyse de bifurcation proposée se limite au cas des opérateurs symétriques. On montre ainsi, sur des simulations d'essais biaxiaux homogènes et d'excavations souterraines en conditions drainées, que cet algorithme est un outil de calcul efficace et robuste pour détecter plusieurs solutions mais également pour franchir des instabilités numériques liées au mauvais conditionnement des matrices tangentes au voisinage des points singuliers ou à la présence de snap-back.

<p>This thesis rewievs present day research on the settlement of Östra Aros in central Sweden. The thesis deals with the period from late Iron age to about 1270 AD, when the Swedish archdiocese moved to the already existing early-medieval settlement of Östra Aros, thus becoming the medieval town of Uppsala. The basis of the thesis is the study of a variety of source materials, such as artefact studies, runestones, topography and the prehistoric and early medieval hinterland. The thesis centers on archaeological excavation data and dating of settlement structures, particularly focusing on the settlements establishment. Through a critical review of primarily the written record and the archaeological data, the settlements characteristics and functions are discussed, emphasising when and if the settlement could be described as a town, central- or trading place.</p>

A method to estimate blast-induced damage in rock considering both stress waves and gas expansion phases is presented. The method was developed by assuming a strong correlation between blast-induced damage and stress wave amplitudes, and also by adapting a 2D numerical method to estimate damage in a 3D real case. The numerical method is used to determine stress wave damage and provides an indication of zones prone to suffer greater damage by gas expansion. The specific steps carried out in this study are: i) extensive blast monitoring in hard rock at surface and underground test sites; ii) analysis of seismic waveforms in terms of amplitude and frequency and their azimuthal distribution with respect to borehole axis, iii) measurement of blast-induced damage from single-hole blasts; iv) assessment and implementation of method to utilize 2D numerical model to predict blast damage in 3D situation; v) use of experimental and numerical results to estimate relative contribution of stress waves and gas penetration to damage, and vi) monitoring and modeling of full-scale production blasts to apply developed method to estimate blast-induced damage from stress waves. The main findings in this study are: i) both P and S-waves are generated and show comparable amplitudes by blasting in boreholes; ii) amplitude and frequency of seismic waves are strongly dependent on initiation mode and direction of propagation of explosive reaction in borehole; iii) in-situ measurements indicate strongly non-symmetrical damage dependent on confinement conditions and initiation mode, and existing rock structure, and iv) gas penetration seems to be mainly responsible for damage (significant damage extension 2-4 borehole diameters from stress waves; > 22 from gas expansion). The method has the potential for application in regular production blasts for control of over-breaks and dilution in operating mines. The main areas proposed for future work are: i) verification of seismic velocity changes in rock by blast-induced damage from controlled experiments; ii) incorporation of gas expansion phase into numerical models; iii) use of 3D numerical model and verification of crack distribution prediction; iv) further studies on strain rate dependency of material strength parameters, and v) accurate measurements of in-hole pressure function considering various confinement conditions.

A method to estimate blast-induced damage in rock considering both stress waves and gas expansion phases is presented. The method was developed by assuming a strong correlation between blast-induced damage and stress wave amplitudes, and also by adapting a 2D numerical method to estimate damage in a 3D real case. The numerical method is used to determine stress wave damage and provides an indication of zones prone to suffer greater damage by gas expansion. The specific steps carried out in this study are: i) extensive blast monitoring in hard rock at surface and underground test sites; ii) analysis of seismic waveforms in terms of amplitude and frequency and their azimuthal distribution with respect to borehole axis, iii) measurement of blast-induced damage from single-hole blasts; iv) assessment and implementation of method to utilize 2D numerical model to predict blast damage in 3D situation; v) use of experimental and numerical results to estimate relative contribution of stress waves and gas penetration to damage, and vi) monitoring and modeling of full-scale production blasts to apply developed method to estimate blast-induced damage from stress waves. The main findings in this study are: i) both P and S-waves are generated and show comparable amplitudes by blasting in boreholes; ii) amplitude and frequency of seismic waves are strongly dependent on initiation mode and direction of propagation of explosive reaction in borehole; iii) in-situ measurements indicate strongly non-symmetrical damage dependent on confinement conditions and initiation mode, and existing rock structure, and iv) gas penetration seems to be mainly responsible for damage (significant damage extension 2-4 borehole diameters from stress waves; > 22 from gas expansion). The method has the potential for application in regular production blasts for control of over-breaks and dilution in operating mines. The main areas proposed for future work are: i) verification of seismic velocity changes in rock by blast-induced damage from controlled experiments; ii) incorporation of gas expansion phase into numerical models; iii) use of 3D numerical model and verification of crack distribution prediction; iv) further studies on strain rate dependency of material strength parameters, and v) accurate measurements of in-hole pressure function considering various confinement conditions.

ABSTRACT EFFECT OF INITIAL SUPPORT OF EXCAVATION ON SEISMIC PERFORMANCE OF CUT AND COVER STRUCTURES Rezaei, Hamidreza M.Sc., Department of Civil Engineering Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. Alp Caner MAY 2011, 66 pages The effect of the initial support and its embedment depth, on the seismic performance of cut and cover tunnels is investigated. Cut and cover construction is one of the fastest and cheapest methods for constructing rectangular shallow tunnels. Construction of cut and cover structure in soil usually starts with installation of the initial support of excavation system, which may consists of rigid type of initial supports such as tangent piles or secant piles. These systems usually remain in place after completion of the final structure. However, to simplify the design, it is a common practice to ignore the contribution of initial support. In this study the effect of initial support of excavation on the seismic performance of cut and cover tunnels is investigated by means of a detailed dynamic finite element analysis. Three different tunnel geometries, three soil types and three acceleration histories were considered Results of the study show that depending on the soil stiffness (soft, medium, or stiff soil), the dynamic response of the tunnel deformations are affected significantly by the initial support of excavation. The effect of the initial support diminishes as the quality of the soil improves. Therefore, dynamic analyses are recommended for the final design of this type of structures especially in soft soils.