This thesis was aimed to study gas hydrates in terms of their equilibrium conditions in bulk and their effects on sedimentary rocks. The hydrate equilibrium measurements for different gas mixtures containing CH4, CO2 and N2 were determined experimentally using the PVT sapphire cell equipment. We imaged CO2 hydrate distribution in sandstone, and investigated the hydrate morphology and cluster characteristics via μCT. Moreover, the effect of hydrate formation on the P-wave velocities of sandstone was investigated experimentally.

Sustainable vegetative management plays a significant role in improving soil quality in degraded agricultural landscapes by enhancing soil microbial biomass. This study investigated the effects of grass buffers (GBs), biomass crops (BCs), grass waterways (GWWs), and agroforestry buffers (ABs) on soil microbial biomass and soil organic C (SOC) compared with continuous corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation (row crop [RC]) on claypan soils. The RC, AB, GB, GWW, and BC treatments were established in 1991, 1997, 1997, 1997, and 2012, respectively, and are located at Greenley Memorial Research Center in Missouri. Soil samples were collected in May 2018 from the 0‐ to

A flexible pavement structure usually comprises more than one asphalt layer, with varying thicknesses and properties, in order to carry the traffic smoothly and safely. It is easy to characterize each asphalt layer with different tests to give a full description of that layer; however, the performance of the whole; asphalt structure needs to be properly understood. Typically, pavement analysis is carried out using multi-layer linear elastic assumptions, via equations and computer programs such as KENPAVE, BISAR, etc. These types of analysis give the response parameters including stress, strain, and deflection at any point under the wheel load. This paper aims to estimate the equivalent Resilient Modulus (MR) of the asphalt concrete

Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a technology characterized mainly by the use of rollers for compaction; this technology achieves significant time and cost savings in the construction of dams and roads. The primary scope of this research is to study the durability and performance of roller compacted concrete that was constructed in the laboratory using roller compactor manufactured in local market. A total of (60) slab specimen of (38×38×10) cm was constructed using the roller device, cured for 28 days, then 180 sawed cubes and 180 beams are obtained from RCC slab. Then, the specimens are subjected to 60 cycles of freezing and thawing, sulfate attack test and wetting and drying. The degree of effect of the type of coarse aggregate (c

A flexible pavement structure usually comprises more than one asphalt layer, with varying thicknesses and properties, in order to carry the traffic smoothly and safely. It is easy to characterize each asphalt layer with different tests to give a full description of that layer; however, the performance of the whole; asphalt structure needs to be properly understood. Typically, pavement analysis is carried out using multi-layer linear elastic assumptions, via equations and computer programs such as KENPAVE, BISAR, etc. These types of analysis give the response parameters including stress, strain, and deflection at any point under the wheel load. This paper aims to estimate the equivalent Resilient Modulus (MR) of the asphalt concrete

The local asphalt concrete fracture properties represented by the fracture energy, J-integral, and stress intensity factor are calculated from the results of the three point bending beam test made for pre notches beams specimens with deformation rate of 1.27 ^mm/min. The results revealed that the stress intensity factor has increased by more than 40% when decreasing the testing temperature 10˚C and increasing the notch depth from 5 to 30^mm. The change of asphalt type and content have a limited effect of less than 6%.