Underground Infrastructure - August 2023 - 28

CURRENTLY @ CUIRE
CUIRE Graduate
Students Receive
Scholarships
Ehsan Rajaie is a Ph.D. student
in Civil Engineering with a
research area in developing
structural design methodology
for spray-applied pipe linings
(SAPLs).
* NASSCO's Jeffrey D.
Ralston Memorial 2023 Scholarship
* ASCE/UESI Student 2023 Scholarship
* Construction Management Association of
America (CMAA)
* North Texas Chapter 2022 and 2023
Scholarships
* SME 2022 and 2023 Scholarships
* NASTT South Central Chapter 2022 Scholarship
* APWA - Texas Chapter 2022 Scholarship
* Outstanding Civil Engineering Ph.D.
Student Award
Kawalpreet Kaur is a Ph.D.
candidate in civil engineering
with a research focus on
designing, testing, and evaluating
spray-applied pipe lining (SAPL)
for gravity and pressure pipe
applications. She is also serving as
vice-president of the NASTT-UTA student chapter.
* WTS Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter 2023
Scholarship
* NASTT South Central Chapter 2021 and 2022
Scholarships
* ASCE's UESI Student 2022 Scholarship
* Construction Management Association of
America (CMAA)
* North Texas Chapter 2022 and 2023
Scholarships
* Outstanding Civil Engineering Ph.D.
Student Award
Madhuri Arjun is a Ph.D.
candidate in civil engineering
with a research area in the
condition assessment of sewer
pipelines using machine learning.
* NASTT South Central
Chapter 2022 Scholarship
* NASTT South Central Chapter 2022
* ASCE's UESI Student 2023 Scholarship
* Civil Engineering Ph.D. Student Scholarship
2022
28 AUGUST 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
Industry Partnership to Test
Underground Stormwater
Storage, Infiltration Infrastructure
A University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) faculty member and Xerxes
Corp., a leading innovator in composite chamber and tank engineering,
will collaborate to create test procedures and product evaluations for
stormwater storage, infiltration chambers and modules.
UTA Civil Engineering Associate Professor Mohammad Najafi is working
with Xerxes on material and full-scale in-ground product evaluations
as part of a $207,495 project to determine how well the equipment can
withstand vehicle and soil loads under various real-life design scenarios.
" We're testing these products, which are designed for use under trafficked
areas, with both shallow-cover, short-term, high-load applications,
as well as deep-cover, long-term earth loads, " Najafi said. " We'll take advantage
of a lab-like controlled environment to apply different load scenarios
on a number of chamber and module tank designs with and without
features, like inspection and connection pipes. "
Long-term loading tests will also be performed to assess small responses
to earth loads typical of deep installations.
" We'll check durability by loading the equivalent of highway traffic on
them and up to 26 feet of cover. We need to determine how best to design
for many different and complicated load scenarios, " Najafi said. " This
project aims to do just that by leveraging existing test standards and our
experience from other underground research projects. "
Najafi said the chambers will be tested following all applicable American
Society for Testing and Materials and American Association of Highway
and Transportation Officials standards.
" What makes this testing so distinctive is the ability to simulate real-world
loads on full-scale, commercially available products in actual
field-installed conditions, " he stressed. " It will be like lab-testing the effects
of heavy truck loads on the chambers and modules with full control
of the test environment, but in the field. Our soil box laboratory and hydraulic
actuator by MTS Systems can do that. "
The entire project will be conducted in the Center for Underground
Infrastructure Research & Education (CUIRE) lab, which is managed by
Najafi. CUIRE is a research, education and outreach organization and part
of UT Arlington's Department of Civil Engineering.
Since its inception, CUIRE has focused on assembling exceptional
and broad-reaching engineering and technical talent to address the needs
of underground infrastructure on regional, state, national and international
scales.
Najafi is well-known internationally for his research and publications
in underground infrastructure. Melanie Sattler, interim chair of the UTA
Department of Civil Engineering, said Najafi's work is integral to the functionality
of the country's infrastructure system.
" It's always important for our department, our college and our university
to partner with the private sector like Xerxes whenever we can, " she
said. " We believe these collaborations are essential to a thriving industry
and, more importantly, the country's infrastructure. " UI
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Underground Infrastructure - August 2023

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