Large-scale civil infrastructure systems are critical for the functioning and development of any society. However, these systems are often vulnerable to degradation and the effects of aging, necessitating consistent monitoring and maintenance. Current methods for infrastructure maintenance primarily rely on human intervention and need the implementation of advanced sensing and computing technologies in field operations and maintenance (O&M) tasks. This research aimed to address these gaps and provide novel contributions. Specifically, the objectives of this study were to leverage artificial intelligence models to enhance point cloud noise processing, to automate tree species detection using Mask R-CNN, and to integrate imagery data and LiDAR datasets for real-time terrain analysis. First, the study proposed leverages neural networks to eliminate unwanted noise from point cloud datasets, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of infrastructure data. Secondly, the research integrated Mask R-CNN into automated tree species detection. This component offers an efficient solution to identify and classify vegetation surrounding infrastructure, enabling infrastructure managers to devise proactive vegetation management strategies, thereby reducing risks associated with tree-related incidents. Lastly, the study fused image and LiDAR datasets to support real-time terrain analysis. This integrated approach provides a comprehensive understanding of terrain characteristics, allowing infrastructure managers to assess slope, elevation, and other relevant factors, facilitating proactive maintenance interventions and mitigating risks associated with erosion. These contributions collectively underscore the potential of artificial intelligence models in advancing the operations and maintenance practices of large civil infrastructure systems. By leveraging these models, infrastructure managers can optimize decision-making processes, streamline maintenance efforts, and enhance critical infrastructure networks' overall resilience and sustainability.

Deformation during hydration of concrete includes curling at joints and terminations. Previous research has explored mix designs, chemical additives, and other material factors to minimize slab distortion due to curling. This research study explores the development and use of externally applied silicone-based compounds after both the placing and cutting of joints. This exploratory study presents the results of controlled testing and a field study results that include distortion of contraction joints as measured with a Spectra LL300N under existing environmental conditions. Specifically, the study presents the results of a side-by-side test of two slabs, a base case, and a silicone-altered case, as well as field measures of two large commercial buildings using the developed methods. The results of the study show reduced distortion due to curling as compared to standard comparative slabs and warrant the continued exploration and testing of the concept.

Using the Arizona State University chapter of American Concrete Institute (ACI) as my platform, I recently teamed up with several generous companies to donate a new picnic slab and sidewalks to St. Vincent de Paul Elementary School's playground. Material/labor donations from Suntec Concrete, Arizona Materials, Salt River Materials Group, and Dickens Quality Demolition made it possible to complete this project over the course of two Saturdays and at no cost for the school. In addition to the children of St. Vincent de Paul's benefit, this project also gave ASU and MCC students the opportunity to work in the field with industry professionals and gain hands-on experience. Over 20 students were able to witness and participate in demolition, formwork, concrete placement (including a laser screed appearance provided by Suntec), finishing, sawcutting, and more. As for specifics, the project featured a 19' x 40' picnic slab, as well as two 6' wide sidewalks connecting the slab to the playground and the playground to the adjacent access road. Once the second sidewalk reached the access road, it continued to the classrooms with 6' wide ramps on each side for truck accessibility. My role in this project was essentially a superintendent. I served as the primary point of contact for all parties involved, organized the material and labor donations, coordinated the project schedule, and kept all companies informed of the schedule to ensure proper execution and avoid delays. Due to various unavoidable conditions (cold weather, shade on the slab, etc.), I was also forced to make a few critical decisions as the project progressed.

The solar energy sector has been growing rapidly over the past decade. Growth in renewable electricity generation using photovoltaic (PV) systems is accompanied by an increased awareness of the fault conditions developing during the operational lifetime of these systems. While the annual energy losses caused by faults in PV systems could reach up to 18.9% of their total capacity, emerging technologies and models are driving for greater efficiency to assure the reliability of a product under its actual application. The objectives of this dissertation consist of (1) reviewing the state of the art and practice of prognostics and health management for the Direct Current (DC) side of photovoltaic systems; (2) assessing the corrosion of the driven posts supporting PV structures in utility scale plants; and (3) assessing the probabilistic risk associated with the failure of polymeric materials that are used in tracker and fixed tilt systems.

As photovoltaic systems age under relatively harsh and changing environmental conditions, several potential fault conditions can develop during the operational lifetime including corrosion of supporting structures and failures of polymeric materials. The ability to accurately predict the remaining useful life of photovoltaic systems is critical for plants ‘continuous operation. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of PV systems reliability by: (1) developing a meta-model of the expected service life of mounting structures; (2) creating decision frameworks and tools to support practitioners in mitigating risks; (3) and supporting material selection for fielded and future photovoltaic systems. The newly developed frameworks were validated by a global solar company.

In today's era a lot of the construction projects suffer from time delay, cost overrun and quality defect. Incentive provisions are found to be a contracting strategy to address this potential problem. During last decade incentive mechanisms have gained importance, and they are starting to become adopted in the construction projects. Most of the previous research done in this area was purely qualitative, with a few quantitative studies. This study aims to quantify the performance of incentives in construction by collecting the data from more than 30 projects in United States through a questionnaire survey. First, literature review addresses the previous research work related to incentive types, incentives in construction industry, incentives in other industry and benefits of incentives. Second, the collected data is analyzed with statistical methods to test the significance of observed changes between two data sets i.e. incentive projects and non-incentive projects. Finally, the analysis results provide evidence for the significant impact of having incentives; reduced the cost and schedule growth in construction projects in United States.

Over the last two decades, Alternative Project Delivery Methods (APDM), such as Design-Build (DB), have become more popular in the construction industry, specifically in the U.S., and the competition for APDM projects has risen among construction companies. The Engineering News Record (ENR) magazine analyzes DB firms and publishes the list of the top 100 every year. According to ENR articles and many scientific papers, the implementation of DB method has grown drastically over the last decade, however, information about growth trends depending on firm size and segment is lacking. Also missing is knowledge the future market trends over the next five years. Furthermore, public agencies and DB firms may be worried that DB projects do not distribute wealth equally among DB firms. Using the top 100 firms deemed representative of the DB market, the author has divided the market into volumes based on rankings to analyze the total DB market revenue growth. A comparison between international and domestic revenues indicated that the top five DB firms have 64% more involvement in the international market compared to the domestic market. Furthermore, while the research shows increasing market share only for the top five firms, the author has found that (1) a large portion of their market share is due to a large growth in their international market, and (2) revenues for all volumes of the DB market have increased. Moreover, regression and time series analyses allow for the forecasting of the DB market growth, which the author anticipate to move from about $100B to about $150B in 2020.

Front end planning (FEP) is an essential and valuable process that helps identify risks early in the capital project planning phases. With effective FEP, risks can potentially be mitigated through development of detailed scope definition and subsequent efficient project resource use. The thesis describes the FEP process that has been developed over the past twenty years by the Construction Industry Institute (CII). Specifically, it details the FEP tools developed for early project planning and the data gathered to analyze the tools used within the CII community. Data from a March 2011 survey are given showing the tools commonly used, how those tools are used and the common barriers faced that prohibit successful FEP implementation. The findings from in-depth interviews are also shared in the thesis. The interviews were used to gather detail responses from organizations on the implementation of their FEP processes. In total, out of the 116 CII organizations, 59 completed the survey and over 75 percent of the respondents used at least one CII tool in their front end planning processes. Of the 59 survey respondents, 12 organizations participated in the in-depth interviews. The thesis concludes that CII organizations continue to find value in CII FEP tools due to the increase tool usage. Also the thesis concludes that organizations must have strong management commitment, smart succession planning and a standardized planning process to increase the likelihood of successful FEP strategies.

The construction industry is becoming more aware of its impact on the environment. It has become more sensitive to how it operates and how it can reduce the carbon footprint of the construction process. This research identifies the source of and quantities of the carbon emissions created by an operating modular home fabrication plant in producing, transporting and installing modular structures. This study demonstrates how to measure the carbon footprint created in the production of a modular home. It quantifies and reports the results on a home, on a single module and on a per square foot basis. The primary conclusions of this study are: a) electricity was found to be the largest energy source used in this fabrication process; b) the modular fabrication process consumes a significant amount of electrical energy per month; c) production volume has a bearing on the carbon footprint of each home since the carbon footprint for each period is allocated to every home produced in that period; and d) transportation of fabricated modules and set-up add to the carbon footprint. Further, a carbon calculator was produced and is included with the study. The tool calculates the impact of energy consumption on the carbon footprint of a modular factory or a modular home. It may be expanded to other process driven fabrication entities. This research is valuable to developers and builders who wish to measure the carbon impact of a modular new home delivery system. The study also provides a methodology for modular home fabricators to measure the carbon footprint of their factories and factory production.