Opening the Window of Sustainable Development to Future Civil Engineers

A recent survey by ASCE showed a major need for rebuilding the critical components of the nation’s aging infrastructure, such as roads and water-supply systems. To accomplish this major task, in addition to knowledge of basic civil engineering principles and techniques, future civil engineers need to be aware of the effects of planning, design, and construction on our environment. Specifically, a course needs to be developed for educating future civil engineers on concepts and techniques of protecting our natural resources, and planning for sustainable development and construction in an environmentally friendly manner. Specific topics can include modules on water resources and recycling in construction. The focus should be on teaching applications of new environmentally friendly concepts and techniques through case histories and real-world problems. Continuous evaluation of course content and methods of presentation should be made. The course should instill environmental awareness in the students’ minds such that in the future, the environment is considered as much a part of any decision-making process in the practice of civil engineering, as are mathematics or the physical sciences.     

A Civil Engineer's View from Space

From the perspective of a 250‐nautical‐mile orbit aboard the Space Shuttle, the author has had the opportunity to observe the effects of man on the earth, to reflect on his future in space, and to examine the role civil engineers may have in building our future. In the decades to come, civil engineers will require skills that are not currently provided by universities and which are not adequately represented in professional societies. All disciplines of the civil engineering profession will need to examine their strategies to enable them to establish a significant place on the team. From launch pads to remote sensing satellites, from space stations to lunar bases, civil engineers can and should play a significant role in design requirements, engineering, testing, assembly, and operation. The Aerospace Division of the ASCE should take the lead to insure that civil engineers are prepared to meet the challenge.     

Green Building and Sustainable Infrastructure: Sustainability Education for Civil Engineers

This paper discusses a framework for incorporating sustainable design/thinking as a new civil engineering course and experiences from the pilot offering. Important areas are outlined to aid all engineers in understanding sustainability in context with traditional engineering principles. Green-building rating systems were used to introduce the concepts of sustainability in buildings and infrastructure, highlighted by presentations from green-building professionals. By providing a better understanding of sustainability through education, civil engineers can provide proactive solutions to a growing global infrastructure.     

Demographics and Industry Employment of Civil Engineering Workforce

This paper provides a road map to studies and databases about civil engineering demographics and industry involvement by tracing workforce statistics, engineering degrees, data on industries and government, and economic forecasts. It is aimed at helping civil engineering managers, educators, and policy makers understand how their workforce evolved and what it will face in the future. The engineering workforce comprises about 1.5 million professionals in the United States (second in size only to that of teachers); of this number, civil engineering, at about 200,000 workers, is third behind electrical and mechanical engineering. However, the study shows that aggregation of workforce and economic statistics hides unique characteristics of civil engineering work caused by the concentration on consulting and state and local government. In fact, over 80% of civil engineers work either for consultants or government. This characteristic of civil engineering employment needs more study, particularly to determine how best to educate civil engineers to respond to the public–private arena of infrastructure and environment. During the past century, civil engineering has been a steady field with good opportunities, but civil engineers in the future will face the same career issues and pressures as other professionals. Global production of new engineers has now passed the one million-per-year mark, with U.S. production being about 12% of the total. This large supply of engineers will present intense competition to all engineering disciplines. ASCE faces many challenges to respond to the many changes in the civil engineering profession. The concept of institutes contained in ASCE's strategic plan will address many of the technical issues, but the study indicates that professional and educational issues need more attention.     

Earthbound Civil Engineering Experience for Space Applications

Since the dawn of civilization, the civil engineering profession has served mankind. Civil engineers have provided humanity with safe, reliable, and economical facilities and a livable environment. This paper seeks to outline the potential applications of various Earth‐based civil engineering fields for the engineering, construction, and operation of facilities in space stations in Earth orbit, bases on the Moon and Mars, and the exploration of other extraterrestrial bodies. On Earth, civil engineers have played a key role in design, construction, and operation of ground‐support facilities since the beginning of the space program. The vast and diverse Earth‐based knowledge and experience earned by civil engineers could be applied to create a suitable infrastructure in space to satisfy human needs. Therefore, civil engineers can play a significant role in the future expansion of human endeavors into space. The time has come for civil engineers throughout the world to come together; take the challenge posed by time, human needs, and ambition; and extend their joint expertise toward large‐scale projects in space for the benefit of all.     

Why We Need Renaissance Engineers: Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Phase II Case Study

In today’s world of specialization, civil engineers may benefit from a return to an earlier period when breadth of knowledge, skills, and attitudes were appreciated: the Renaissance era. A broad set of skills is especially important in meeting the challenges of restoring deteriorating infrastructure and working with restricted financing. This paper presents the case of the Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit Phase II Project to illustrate how important it is for civil engineers to possess solid technical expertise coupled with a cross-disciplinary knowledge of design and construction to achieve project success. These qualities allowed the engineers to integrate construction knowledge into the design process and design knowledge into the construction process, in spite of the project’s traditional design-bid-build delivery method. Of equal importance to the success were the engineers’ commitment, integrity, and persistence. The Phase II Project involved modifying the 70-year-old bridge’s five south approach structures. By applying modern earthquake engineering standards, these structures are now capable of withstanding a seismic event comparable to the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. The final outcome was a complex yet cost-efficient seismic upgrade of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, a project that was constructed within budget and without claims. In 2007, the project received the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Outstanding Civil Engineering Award.     

X-ray-induced secondary-electron emission from solid xenon

The time has come for the creative professional structural engineers to prepare themselves for the challenges of designing permanent structures on the moon. This paper briefly discusses creativity in structural engineering, and its applicability on lunar structures. It then describes development of the concept of a lunar structure, that is optimized under the present state of technology to meet every requirement of function, economy and safety. The concept envisions the lunar structure to be constructed of double‐skin composite fabric membrane which is filled with structural foam for pressurized or unpressurized applications. Such a structure will be extremely light and easy to transport, readily deployable, economical, and can be made in almost any size, shape and height to suit the purpose for which it is designed.     

Design and Construction of Shielded Lunar Outpost

The construction of an outpost on the Moon in which humans can live and work for periods exceeding six months will require special countermeasures to adapt to the hostile environment present at the lunar surface. Various inherent dangers such as meteoroids, galactic cosmic radiation, solar proton events, and large thermal extremes will drive the design configuration of the outpost. Other considerations such as lunar soil mechanics, equipment performance, mass delivery, risk, reliability, and tele‐operability act strongly as constraints that shape and control the design alternatives. Analysis of these fundamental relationships have resulted in lunar civil engineering guidelines, which are unique to this domain, and these in turn have pointed to research areas needing further attention. A preliminary design is presented for a lunar outpost shelter. Additionally, the design methodology is explored, and early enabling technologies are identified to facilitate an understanding of lunar shelter designs from an integrated system standpoint.     

Engineering Issues for Early Lunar‐Based Telescopes

A telescope on the Moon is needed for astronomy and can be constructed in this decade or early in the next century. Design for this telescope will be fundamentally different from the design of free‐flying telescopes. Its design will be more like the new Keck telescope being completed on a mountaintop in Hawaii than the Hubble Space Telescope, in low Earth orbit. Success of the lunar‐based telescope will depend on an appropriately engineered structure, a suitable interface (foundation) in the lunar soil, and a carefully thought out construction process. Participation of engineers in identifying and resolving issues for this extraterrestrial engineering and construction project is a natural extension of the traditional engineering role, and will prepare the engineering and construction communities for the subsequent greater challenges associated with basing on the Moon. These communities need to document now the types of data and information that NASA should obtain in the next early lunar missions so that construction on the Moon will be facilitated.     

Engineering a New Education

The narrow focus of civil engineering education and practice needs a new paradigm consistent with the essentiality and complexity of civil works in society. Traditional pride of civil engineers in their work is mixed increasingly with the growing frustration from low-level compensation and lack of appreciation and respect. Image programs are not the answer; adding value is. Education confined to the two-century old, four-year format is a hindrance. The content, expectations, and duration of civil engineering education must be changed to create more value. While continuing the “doer” tradition, the new civil engineer should be groomed to be an effective decider and director. Civil works will always be in demand. However, it is to be decided who will lead the planning, design, construction, and operation of civil works...civil engineers or others? Civil engineers are faced with a leadership and management challenge. They must engineer their future or others will engineer it for them.     

Civil Engineers and Future Environmental Policies

The nation has achieved substantial progress over the past 30 years in improving environmental conditions throughout the United States. Civil engineers have played leadership roles in achieving this progress. Today, there is considerable discussion about the direction and means of achieving further environmental protection. Civil engineers have both an obligation and a right to participate in these discussions. But obligations and rights will not ensure that engineers exert leadership and a positive influence on these key policy discussions. The profession must take a close look at how it can most effectively participate in the policy debates that will shape the future of environmental policy. This paper examines the roles that civil engineers can play in formulation of environmental policy. It suggests that civil engineers build on their strengths of design of the environment grounded in physical science, by analyzing the entire environmental management system, thinking in terms of outcomes, and considering a broad range of alternatives. The paper suggests that civil engineers need to attend more closely to sustainable development and pollution prevention as substantive areas for engagement beyond the traditional design of waste treatment systems.     

Space Structures: Issues in Dynamics and Control

A selective technical overview is presented on the vibration and control of large space structures, the analysis, design, and construction of which will require major technical contributions from the civil∕structural, mechanical, and extended engineering communities. The immediacy of the U.S. space station makes the particular emphasis placed on large space structures and their control appropriate. The space station is but one part of the space program, and includes the lunar base, which the space station is to service. This paper attempts to summarize some of the key technical issues and hence provide a starting point for further involvement. The first half of this paper provides an introduction and overview of large space structures and their dynamics; the latter half discusses structural control, including control‐system design and nonlinearities. A crucial aspect of the large space structures problem is that dynamics and control must be considered simultaneously; the problems cannot be addressed individually and coupled as an afterthought.     

Ultimate Uplift Capacity of Multiplate Helical Type Anchors in Clay

In recent years, the use of helical anchors has expanded beyond their traditional use in the electrical power industry. The advantages of rapid installation and immediate loading capability have resulted in their being used in more traditional civil engineering infrastructure applications. Unfortunately, our current understanding of these anchors is unsatisfactory, and the underlying theoretical framework adopted by engineers has proven to be largely inappropriate and inadequate. A better understanding of helical anchor behavior will lead to increased confidence in design, a wider acceptance as a foundation alternative, and more economic and safer designs. The primary aim of this research is to use numerical modeling techniques to better understand multiplate circular anchor foundation behavior in clay soils. A practical design framework for multiplate anchor foundations will be established to replace existing semiempirical design methods that are inadequate and have been found to be excessively under- or overconservative. This framework can then be used by design engineers to confidently estimate the pullout capacity of multiplate anchors under tension loading.     

Design and Construction Considerations for Lunar Outpost

Engineers utilize various codes in the process of design, whether structural, mechanical, or otherwise. Reliance on a code for design is based on the knowledge that a tremendous amount of time and effort was spent by experienced engineers to codify theories and good practice in a particular design discipline. Good practice in structural design implies cognizance of materials, structural behavior, environmental loadings, assumptions made in analysis and behavior, and the uncertainties inherent in all of these. The American Institute of Steel Construction's (AISC) Manual of Steel Construction is such a codification for the design and construction of steel structures. It includes information, some tabular and the rest in the form of specifications and commentaries, necessary to design and provide for the safe erection of steel‐framed structures. The design equations are generally semiempirical, that is, they are based on a mix of theoretical analysis, experimental data, and factors of safety. Each of these components has associated implicit assumptions. Some of these assumptions were explored to understand how and if the Earth‐based design code could be used for the design of a lunar outpost. Topics discussed come from the AISC Code of Standard Practice and the commentaries, and issues such as scaling of loads and strength in the 1∕6 g lunar environment, thermal cycling effects and fatigue, stiffening and buckling are briefly discussed. Important topics for further detailed study include: (1) The relationships between severe lunar temperature cycles and fatigue; (2) very low temperature effects and the possibility of brittle fractures; (3) outgassing for exposed steels and other effects of high vacuum on steel∕alloys; (4) factors of safety originally developed to account for uncertainties in the Earth design∕construction process undoubtedly need adjustment for the lunar environment; (5) dead loads∕live loads under lunar gravity; (6) buckling∕stiffening and bracing requirements for lunar structures that will be internally pressurized; and (7) consideration of new failure modes such as high‐velocity micrometeorite impacts.     

Considerations for Return to the Moon and Lunar Base Site Selection Workshops

The establishment of a lunar base with a permanent human presence is on the horizon. The scientific importance of the Moon and the potential use of local resources at a lunar base provide valuable concepts to consider. Importantly, there are significant ideas, concepts, and reports from the past, the products of a wealth of “mental calorie” inputs, which should be reconsidered; herein, many of these are placed within an historical perspective, in hopes that we may learn by our past experiences. The 1994 Clementine mission, its instrumentation and returned data, provides the first global coverage of the composition, structure, and topography of the Moon. The planned 1997 Lunar Prospector will add significantly to this database. These new global data are requisite for the selection of a lunar base. It is paramount to consider thoroughly the rationale for site selection, and much of the groundwork for this rationale has already been performed. The selection process should be led by a strategic purpose or vision that considers (1) scientific objectives, both on the Moon, as well as from the Moon (e.g., astronomy); (2) resource utilization; and (3) operational considerations, both orbital and surface. Many of the relationships between these factors were explored during workshops convened at Johnson Space Center by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in April and August 1990. However, these workshops have not resulted in official, catalogued NASA publications. The merits of numerous potential sites were analyzed in terms of lunar geoscience, geophysics, space physics, astronomy, and lunar resources, as well as operational constraints. The considerations and recommendations of the NASA Site Selection Committee should provide the basis for a realistic site selection for a human presence at an outpost on the lunar surface.     

Applications and Issues of GIS as Tool for Civil Engineering Modeling

A tool that has proliferated within civil engineering in recent years is geographic information systems (GIS). The goal of a tool is to supplement ability and knowledge that already exists, not to serve as a replacement for that which is lacking. To secure the benefits and avoid misuse of a burgeoning tool, engineers must understand the limitations, alternatives, and context of the tool. The common benefits of using GIS as a supplement to engineering modeling are summarized. Several brief case studies of GIS modeling applications are taken from popular civil engineering literature to demonstrate the wide use and varied implementation of GIS across the discipline. Drawing from the case studies, limitations regarding traditional GIS data models and the implementation of civil engineering models within current GIS are identified and countered by discussing the direction of the next generation of GIS. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential for the misuse of GIS in the context of engineering modeling and suggests that this potential can be reduced through education and awareness. The goal of this paper is to promote awareness of the issues related to GIS-based modeling and to assist in the formulation of questions regarding the application of current GIS. The technology has experienced much publicity of late, with many engineers being perhaps too excited about the usefulness of current GIS. An undoubtedly beneficial side effect of this, however, is that engineers are becoming more aware of GIS and, hopefully, the associated subtleties. Civil engineers must stay informed of GIS issues and progress, but more importantly, civil engineers must inform the GIS community to direct the technology development optimally.     

Introducing Smart Structures Technology into Civil Engineering Curriculum: Education Development at Lehigh University

Most of today’s civil engineering students are unaware of the potential use of smart structures technology in the design, construction, and maintenance of civil infrastructure systems. This paper presents recent education development in the area of smart structures technology at Lehigh University. The goal of this education development is to prepare the future engineer of society for this cutting-edge technology, for which they may see broad application in their professional practice. An overview of the smart structures technology in civil engineering applications, from a systems perspective, is first given in the paper. Educational activities incorporating smart structures technology into civil engineering curriculum are next presented in this paper.     

Concept of Adaptability in Space Modules

The space program is aiming towards the permanent use of space; to build and establish an orbital space station, a Moon base and depart to Mars and beyond. We must look after the total independency from the Earth's natural resources and work in the design of a modular space base in which each module is capable of duplicating one natural process, and that all these modules in combination take us to conceive a space base capable of sustaining life. Every area of human knowledge must be involved. This modular concept will let us see other space goals as extentions of the primary project. The basic technology has to be defined, then relatively minor adjustments will let us reach new objectives such as a first approach for a lunar base and for a Mars manned mission. This concept aims towards an open technology in which standards and recommendations will be created to assemble huge space bases and spaceships from specific modules that perform certain functions, that in combination will let us reach the status of permanent use and exploration of space.     

Motion Control of Space Structures

A new area of civil engineering is emerging as we begin to establish a permanent presence in space. The new area of civil engineering is the motion control of space structures. This paper describes why the motion control of space structures is fundamentally a civil engineering problem.