RESEARCH PROJECTS
Investigation of the efficiency of new solar reactors for drinking water disinfection under relevant solar irradiation conditions The development, production, and assessment of a variety of
improved solar reactors (glass containers) for household or individual
application (batch system), with the glass used having maximum UV-B radiation
transmission. Production and assessment of a variety of improved solar
reactors (glass tubes) for community application (continuous-flow system),
with the glass tubes having maximum UV-B radiation transmission. Selection,
by computer modeling and/or experimentation, of the most appropriate, efficient,
and structurally rigid shape of the solar reactor for the continuous-flow
system. Development of suitable overall design features for the continuous-flow
disinfection units, taking into consideration such important aspects as
control of the water flow in proportion to the prevailing solar intensity
by synchronization of the UV radiation sensor and the flow regulator. G.
A. Ayoub and A. Acra. (Supported by Hans-Knoll-Institut fü
r Naturstoff-Forschung e.V. Germany.)
Fundamental aspects of municipal refuse generated in Beirut and Tripoli The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase included
field surveys, data collection and analysis on the municipal refuse generated
in Beirut and Tripoli in order to determine the quantities, generation
rates, and composition of the refuse pertaining to each of the two communities
under consideration; investigation and maping of the current refuse collection
and disposal services; identification, at the national level, of the potential
users of reclaimed plastics, market demands, prices, and estimates of volume
of annual sales of the materials to be reclaimed, as well as development
of strategies for recycling and re-use. It was also deemed necessary to
conduct a field survey designed to incorporate the relevant socio-economic
issues. The second phase carried out field surveys etc. as the first phase,
for municipal refuse in Beirut in the wet season, and the identification
of users of other types of reclaimed materials. This phase also included
combining the results, findings, and conclusions derived from the two studies
in a single report. G. A. Ayoub, A. Acra, R. Abdallah, and F.
Merhebi. (Supported by the Lebanese Country Panel, UNDP; UNCHS (Habitat);
World Bank.)
The use of municipal solid waste incinerator ash in Portland cement concrete One of the problems associated with municipal solid waste
incineration is the amount of ash that is produced and its subsequent disposal.
A shortage of landfill space and the high cost of treatment of ash prompted
the proposal of a research into alternative uses of ash. The objective
of the on-going research is to investigate the use of the solid waste incinerator
fly ash in Portland cement concrete mixtures. Samples of fly ash were collected
from the incineration plant. Grinding of the ash was performed. Chemical
oxide analysis, thermogravimetry analysis, and x-ray diffraction are being
currently conducted. The effect of different percentage replacement of
Portland cement by ash, will be evaluated with reference to concrete compressive
strength, flexural strength, air content, slump, and durability characteristics.
G. Ayoub, B. Hamad and H. Khatib. (Supported by LNSCR.)
The submarine springs in Chekka Bay, Lebanon: delineation of salient features The extreme shortage of public water supplies in most of the
countries in the Middle East commands great political importance. Many
Lebanese experts have shared the view that Lebanon might encounter a water
shortage problem by the beginning of the new millennium, and that it has
become imminent to search for alternative supplies of water. Besides recycling,
conservation and utilizing deep ground waters, submarine springs are one
possible contributor to the solution. The current research aims to investigate
a series of submarine springs, long known to exist in the Chekka bay, and
study the feasibility of harvesting the fresh water emanating from a vast
catchment area in the mountainous regions adjacent to the bay. G. Ayoub,
M. Piasecki, J. Ghannam, B. Hamdar and A. Acra. (Supported by
International Development Research Center, Canada.)
Self-organization and traffic network performance under extreme uncontrolled conditions: post-war Beirut The conditions under which inadequate road infrastructure
systems and facilities have to operate in post-war Beirut to meet the tremendous
demands placed by a recovering activity/economic pattern are nothing short
of extreme. Moreover, there is minimal traffic control, thereby presenting
an extreme situation for a city of the size of Beirut. In this project,
traffic phenomena related to the ability of traffic networks to “self-organize”
and adapt routinely and repetitively under extreme, yet otherwise uncontrolled,
conditions is being observed and documented, both at the microscopic and
macroscopic levels. The following activities have been completed: describing
traffic-related components of sub-networks in the Beirut area; calibrating
macroscopic network-level models for characterizing urban networks with
minimal control; evaluating traffic operations at uncontrolled intersections.
The project is also investigating the relative impacts that various roadway
network development actions (capacity enhancements, intersection improvements)
may have on the quality of traffic operations. I. Kaysi. (Supported
by URB.)
Analysis of travelers’ preferences for routing The overall project involved a sequence of analytic, laboratory, and field efforts in order to develop a human factors guidelines handbook for designers of Advanced Traveler Information Systems (ATIS). Work completed by Prof. I. Kaysi on this project entailed designing the data collection effort related to interviews with user agencies and other groups, to collect information regarding their stated information needs and preferences. Based on the responses, traveler information needs and constraints were identified in each of the following areas: information delivery, information customization, workload considerations, and repeated use considerations. The study enabled identification of the important factors affecting trip planning processes and contributed to the identification of research issues and information requirements for ATIS. H. Mahmassani* and I. Kaysi. (Supported by Federal Highway and Works Administration, USA.) Numerical approach for identifying and backtracking contaminant plumes in subsurface environments Successful remediation of a contaminated subsurface area depends
on a variety of factors. Most important is the accurate location of the
contaminant source and the plume emanating from it. Unfortunately, it is
not easy to determine the exact location of contaminated subsurface media
unless the exact history of the disposal is known. Due to the generally
unknown, non-homogeneous and non-isotropic properties of the porous media,
the fate and transport of contaminants is almost impossible to predict
by elementary means. Presently, the only viable alternative is random penetration
and sampling of suspected areas. The associated cost of such a search immediately
becomes an issue, especially for soils and contaminants with very low dispersivities.
The present proposal outlines a computational technique which can identify
a source in a vertical two-dimensional field based on a limited number
of soil penetrations. The approach is implemented in a single computational
run and could be executed oa laptop computer in real time. M. Piasecki.
(Supported by
URB.)
Environmental impact of waste disposal in rivers and estuaries along the coast of Lebanon The growth rate of industrialization and urbanization over the past decades has lead to an increased demand for means of waste disposal. Despite the usage of landfills and the development of new technologies for waste treatment, communities, particularly in developing countries, still dispose of their waste in rivers and estuaries. The environmental impact associated with the disposal of waste in natural streams has raised considerable public concern in recent years, over the amount of waste, its toxicity levels, and the complexity of numerous waste constituents. The objective of the proposal is to investigate the fate and transport of contaminants along the coastal waters of Lebanon. It is intended to yield a management tool which will allow for current assessment and future predictions of the environmental status of the coastal water bodies. The management tool will include a macroscopic scale approach which includes the fate and transport of sediments and a microscopic scale approach which is concerned with the chemical and physical properties of both contaminants and sediments. M. Piasecki and M. El-Fadel. (Supported by LNSCR.) Effect of different contaminants on the shear strength of soils The primary concern when dealing with hazardous waste disposal
or accidental spills has been to protect groundwater resources. Changes
in the engineering behavior of soils as they are permeated with different
chemicals are only beginning to be appreciated and seriously investigated,
particularly the effect of different fluids on the permeability of soils.
Results suggest that as the chemistry of the pore fluids in soils (particularly
clays) changes, their internal structure could be altered. An area that
has not yet been investigated is the effect of chemical contamination on
the shear strength of soils. This question is important one as it can have
major consequences for the stability of the structures built on or with
that soil. The shear strength of soils is in part dependent on the internal
structure, but also on the particle surface characteristics among other
parameters, which will be affected by changes in the pore water chemistry.
The extent of that effect and its nature, depending on the contaminants
have not yet been explored. S. Sadek. (Supported by URB.)
Experimental evaluation of settlement and biodegradation processes in municipal solid waste landfills Landfills remain in the vast majority of cases the most economic
form of municipal solid waste disposal and have been constructed on large
areas of land adjacent to urban communities. The continuous growth of these
communities pushes urban boundaries towards landfilled areas, whose development
becomes a necessity, particularly in land-limited locations as the city
of Beirut. The development of completed landfill sites is invariably hindered
by settlement, due primarily to biodegradation of organic materials within
the landfill. The rate and magnitude of landfill settlement are often non-uniform,
resulting in differential settlement which can have a devastating effect
on the integrity of any structure erected on the landfill. The biodegradation-settlement
process is relatively slow and can continue in excess of several decades
after landfill closure unless appropriate management practices are implemented
in order to enhance biodegradation processes and achieve rapid waste stabilization.
Laboratory studies are proposed as a means to correlate settlement rates
with stabilization processes. Small cells will be used to evaluate selected
management practices that may enhance biodegradation of typical municipal
solid wastes from the Beirut area. S. Sadek and M. El Fadel.
(Supported by URB.)
Baaj, M. H., Ashur, S.* and Anwar, A.*, Transportation analysis for sludge landfill site selection: a case study demonstration. Transportation, 23 (2), 191-209, 1996. ———, Multiple-objective decision making for sludge landfill site selection and transport routing design. Alications of Management Science: Engineering, 9, 193-211, 1996. Baaj, M. H., Ashur, S.*, Chaparrofarina, M. A.* and Pijawka, K. D.*, Design of routing networks using GIS: Alications to solid and hazardous waste transportation planning. Transportation Research Record, 1497, 140-144, 1995. Baaj, M. H. and Mneimneh, F., The role of information technologies in promoting effective planning and management of the transportation system in the Beirut metropolitan region. Journal of Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research, 1997. Basha, H. A., Routing equations for detention reservoirs. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, 121 (12), 885-888, 1995. Basha, H. A. and Kassab, B. G., Analysis of water distribution systems using a perturbation method. Allied Mathematical Modeling, 20, 290-297, 1996. ———, A perturbation solution to the transient pipe flow problem. Journal of Hydraulic Research, 34, 633-649, 1996. Ben-Akiva, M.*, de Palma, A.* and Kaysi, I., The impact of predictive information on guidance efficiency: an analytical aroach. In Advanced Methods in Transportation Analysis, L. Bianco and P. Toth (eds.), 413-432. Springer-Verlag, 1996. George M. A., A model for flocculation in a gravel reactor: development and assessment. Water Suly Research and Technology, AQUA, 45 (2), 76-83, 1996. George, M. A., Shahalam, A.B.*, El-Samra, R.S.* and Acra. A., Parametric sensitivity of a comprehensive model of aerobic fluidized-bed biofilm process. Journal of Environmental Engineering, American Society of Civil Engineers, 122 (12), 1085-1093, 1996. Hamad, B. S., Comparative bond strength of coated and uncoated bars with different rib geometries. American Concrete Institute, ACI Materials Journal, 92 (6), 579-590, 1995. ———, Investigations of chemical and physical properties of white cement concrete. Advanced Cement Based Materials Journal, 2 (4), 161-167, 1995. Hamad, B.S. and Mansour, M. Y., Bond strength of non-contact tension lap splices. American Concrete Institute, ACI Structural Journal, 93 (3), 316-326, 1996. Hamad, B.S., Yassine, M. Y. and Khatib, H., Petrographic, chemical, and physical properties of major sand resources in Lebanon, Eastern Mediterranean. Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology, 54, 97-109, 1996. Hamad, B.S., Yassine, M. Y. and Khawlie, M. R., A survey study on geology and location of major sand resources in Lebanon, Eastern Mediterranean. Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology, 53, 39-48, 1996. Harajli, M., Hout, M. and Jalkh, W., Local bond strength stress-slip relationship of reinforcing bars embedded in plain and fiber concrete. ACI Materials Journal, 92 (4), 343-354, 1995. Harajli, M., Maalouf, D. and Khatib, H., Effect of fibers on the punching shear strength of slab-column connections. Cement and Concrete Composites, 17 (2), 161-170, 1995. Kaysi, I., Book Review of Urban Travel Demand Modeling: From Individual Choices to General Equilibrium by Norbert Oenheim, Transportation Science, May 1996. Kaysi, I. and Bassil, G., Incremental bus allocation with competing mass transit services. Transportation Research Record, 1496, 68-74, 1995. Kaysi, I., Mahmassani, H.*, Moore, R.* and Srinivasan, K.*, Information needs of ATIS system developers and operating agencies regarding traveler responses to information. Report for Center for Transportation Research, University of Texas at Austin, March 1996. Mabsout, M., Tassoulas, J.* and Reese, L.*, A study of pile driving by the finite-element method. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 121 (7), 535-543, 1995. ABSTRACTS, CONFERENCES AND PROCEEDINGS Ayoub, G. M., Natural resources and the environment: challenges for the next decade. First AUB Engineering Conference in Jordan, Amman, Jordan, 1996. ———, Environmentally sound management of solid wastes: the Lebanon case. Environmental Management in the Development and the Reconstruction of Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Baaj, M. H., Applications of Geographic Information Systems in TransportatiPlanning. Second Annual Conference on Remote Sensing Technologies and their Applications, National Council for Scientific Research, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. Baaj, M. H. and Ashur, S.*, Use of geographic information systems technology in U.S. Transportation Agencies: the state of Arizona State case study. ASCE-SAS Second Regional Conference and Exhibition, 577-588, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. ———, Using the hazardous materials tracking system to estimate the potential environmental impact of maquiladora industry in the U.S.. Seventy-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 1996. Baaj, M. H., Ashur, S.* and Crockett, B.*, GIS as a support tool for effective decision-making in engineering management: two case studies from the State of Arizona. International Conference on the Rehabilitation and Development of Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems, 911-924, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Baaj, M. H., Ashur, S.*, Pijawka, K.D.* and Serhan, D.*, Environmental impacts assessment of transporting hazardous waste generated by the maquiladora industry across the U.S.-Mexico Border Region. Seventy-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 1997. Baaj, M. H., Shih, M.C.* and Mahmassani, H.S.*, A trip assignment model for timed-transfer transit systems. Seventy-Sixth Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 1997. Biouss, A.*, Ayoub, G.M. and Acra, A., Adsorption of petrochemicals onto natural soils, Fourth International Civil Engineering Conference, Technical University of Sherif, Teheran, Iran, 1997. Hamad, B. S., Learning from earthquakes. Earthquakes and Seismic Activities in Lebanon and the Region, Tripoli, Lebanon, 1997. Hamad, B. S. and Mansour, M.Y., Effect of transverse spacing of reinforcing bars in a tension lap splice on the splice bond strength. ASCE-SAS Second Regional Conference and Exhibition: Save the Environment, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. Harajli, M. and Abdo, M., Comparison of international codes of practice for seismic design: application to Lebanon. ASCE-SAS Second Regional Conference and Exhibition: Save the Environment, 1, 245-258, 1996. Harajli, M. and Khairallah, N., Experimental evaluation of the behavior of reinforced concrete T beams strengthened using external prestressing. International Conference on Rehabilitation and Development of Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems, II, 1282-1293, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Harajli, M. and Sadek, S., Seismic hazard assessment of Lebanon: zoning maps and structural design regulations. International Conference on Earthquake Engineering, I, Amman, Jordan, 1995. Harajli, M., Tabet, C. and Moukaddam, S., Seismic hazard analysis of Lebanon. Fifth International Conference on Seismic Zonation, 358-365, Nice, France, 1995. Kaysi, I., The role of advanced technologies in transportation in the Arab World. First AUB Engineering Alumni Conference, Amman, Jordan, May 1996. Kaysi, I., Diab, H. and Mrad, F., Introducing computer-based traffic control systems in Beirut. ASCE-SAS Second Regional Conference, Beirut, Lebanon, November 1995. Kaysi, I. and Kanaan, A.*, National and regional challenges in the development of the transport sector in Lebanon. Rehabilitation and Development of Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems Conference, Beirut, Lebanon, June 1997. Kaysi, I. and Kattan, L.*, Investigating the travel impacts of potential landuse and transportation system changes in Beirut using computer simulation. First Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Science International Conference on Computer Simulation, Beirut, Lebanon, September 1995. Mabsout, M. and Sadek, S., Bounding-surface plasticity for clays: Application to foundation problems. First Lebanese Association for the Advancement of Science (LAAS) International Conference on Computer Simulation, 431-438, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. Mabsout, M., Kobrosly, M. and Tarhini, K.*, Strengthening of steel girder bridges with integral sidewalks and railings. International Conference on Rehabilitation and Development of Civil Engineering Infrastructure Systems, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Mabsout, M., Tarhini, K.* and Frederick, G.*, Finite-element analysis of precast concrete box culverts. Third Congress on Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 677-681, Anaheim, CA, USA, 1996. Mabsout, M., Tarhini, K.* and Kobrosly, M., Effect of sidewalks and railings on wheel load distribution in steel girder bridges. Third Congress on Computing in Civil Engineering, ASCE, 881-886, Anaheim, California, USA, 1996. Mabsout, M., Tarhini, K.* and Tayar, C., Load distribution on steel girder bridges: Effect of girder spacing and span length. ASCE-SAS Second Regional Conference, 95-107, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. Mabsout, M. and Tassoulas, J.*, A contact-friction slideline application in the analysis of piles. Second International Conference on Contact Mechanics 95, 477-485, Ferrara, Italy, 1995. Sadek, S., Site contamination: containment and remediation of non-aqueous phase liquids (Marls) spills. Second Regional Conference ASCE-SAS, Beirut, Lebanon, 1995. ———, Influence of local soil conditions on the seismic response of structures. Conference on Earthquakes and Seismic Activities in Lebanon and the Region, Tripoli, Lebanon, 1997. Sadek, S. and Bedran, M., Geotechnical modeling of the Beirut Metropolitan Region (BMR) using GIS. Proceedings of the International Conference on Rehabilitation and Development of CE Infrastructure Systems, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Sadek, S. and El Fadel, M., Development of closed landfill sites in urban areas. Infrastructure Conference, Beirut, Lebanon, 1997. Sadek, S., Nakagawa, K.*, Soga, K.* and Mitchell, J.*, Soil
structure changes during and after consolidation and indicated by shear
wave velocity and electrical conductivity measurements. International
Symposium on Compression and Consolidation of Clayey soils Conference,
Hiroshima, Japan, 1995.
Abdallah, R., Seawater as a source of magnesium salts for the chemical treatment of wastewater (1996). Advisor: G. Ayoub. Abdo, M., Comparison of international seismic code provisions for structural design-application to Lebanon (1995). Advisor: M. Harajli. Al-Rashed, H., Adsorption isotherms of a variety of chars prepared from dried pine needles: a comparative study (1996). Advisor: G. Ayoub. Anouti, A., Tactical planning for bus networks (1995). Advisor: I. Kaysi. Bassil, J., Evaluation of geotechnical properties of Lebanese marls (1997). Advisor: S. Sadek. Bedran, M., A geographically referenced model of the Beirut Metropolitan Region (BMR) incorporating pertinent geotechnical parameters (1997). Advisor: S. Sadek. Chahine, M., A computer-aided application for the design and drafting of one-way ribbed floor systems (1995). Advisor: M. Mabsout. El Khoury, N., Seismic risk assessment of existing building structures in Lebanon (1997). Advisor: M. Harajli. Faraj, C., Finite-element analysis of precast concrete culverts (1996). Advisor: M. Mabsout. Hage Ali, N., Analytical approaches for evaluating advanced traveler information systems (1996). Advisor: I. Kaysi. Itani, M., Effect of silica fume on bond strength of reinforcing bars in tension (1996). Advisor: B. Hamad. Kesserwan, A., Finite-element analysis of simple and continuous multi-lane bridges (1996). Advisor: M. Mabsout. Khairallah, N., Experimental and analytical evaluation of the behavior of concrete T beams with external prestressing (1997). Advisor: M. Harajli. Kobrosly, M., Effect of sidewalks and railings on wheel load distribution in steel-girder highway bridges (1995). Advisor: M. Mabsout. Machaka, M., Effect of transverse reinforcement on bond strength of reinforcement in silica fume concrete (1997). Advisor: B. Hamad. Merhebi, F., Chemical clarification of municipal and industrial wastewaters with seawater bitterns (1996). Advisor: G. Ayoub. Sabbah, S., Bond of reinforcement in eccentric pullout silica fume concrete specimens (1997). Advisor: B. Hamad. Salloukh, K., Effect of fibers on development/splice strength of reinforcing bars tension (1995). Advisor: M. Harajli.
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