Civil Engineering (2nd)
These projects are at the endpoint of a two-semester sequence. They are functionally complete.
C2.01 Airport Futurity
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Nigiel Lozano, Matthew Lancon, David Karr, Bianca Desouza
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Feng Hong & Dr. Felipe Gutierrez
Our team was prompted to address airport asset needs, so as a starting point we decided to use the San Marcos Regional Airport (SMRA) as a model for analysis for our project. An asset alternative analysis was performed, to which our group decided that runway pavement condition and performance should be addressed first. Life-cycle costs and sustainability analyses were performed shortly after to support the sustainable design of a runway overlay, with the primary goal of increasing traffic bearing capacity. Hypothetically, this would help the regional airport meet the needs of a feverishly expanding community, and incoming wealth. For Senior Design II, we plan to create a runway pavement system design and an asphalt mix design for SMRA Runway 17/35.
C2.02 San Marcos Affordable Housing Project
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Trevor Meyer, Aaron Gonzalez-Garcia, Carlos Sanchez, Cortland Hughes
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Feng Hong & Dr. Felipe Gutierrez
Following our previous semester's work of developing a sustainable and affordable housing alternative, our team is taking the next step in developing both a system and component design of our housing solution. In our final design, six apartment style buildings each housing 18 families are to be constructed utilizing unique design solutions to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED criteria. We have considered many important factors such as ADA accessibility, communal spaces including grassy areas, retention ponds, and ensured proper land development and drainage. Overall, our final design meets the sustainable and efficiency standards set by both LEED and our team's motivation to provide a great housing solution for central Texas residents.
C2.03 Affordable Housing Alternatives
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Darhen Coryea, Jamie Hand, Rudy Castillo, Mariah Coleman
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Felipe Gutierrez
The goal of our project is to propose and design a solution to the affordable housing crisis here in Central Texas. San Marcos is a quickly growing city due to its proximity to Austin and San Antonio. Our proposed affordable housing alternative is a four-story multifamily complex that will have the ability to house over 100 families of four comfortably. The design of the Affordable Housing Alternative will comply with the designated design codes and regulations for both the City of San Marcos and the State of Texas. Half of our project is to design the system layout of our development. This includes building placement, parking lot layout, and various other developmental aspects. The other half of our project is to address the geotechnical aspect of the development and propose the best options for the building's foundation. Upon completion of these designs that have been proposed for a property in San Marcos, Texas, we hope that it will aid in improving the insufficient affordable housing in the area.
C2.04 Wastewater Management
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Barrett Guinn, Jack Butcher, Caden Pugh, Wade Watson
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Feng Hong
With the rate of population growth in the Texas Triangle, infrastructure facilities must be upgraded. For this project, wastewater facilities were designed for a proposed 2,500 home single family housing development in the San Marcos area. Tasked with finding the solution for the wastewater generated by this housing development, our team has brainstormed multiple options. Based on efficiency, sustainability, and cost, it was determined that constructing a Sequencing Batch Reactor wastewater treatment plant is the best alternative. This semester, the Sequencing Batch Reactor location, components, sizing, and life cycle cost will be determined.
C2.05 Rehabilitation of Lake Dunlap Dam
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Richard Kortz, Sydney McKean, Sarah Brooks, Andrew Price
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Feng Hong
After analysis of three different alternatives, our chosen solution to rehabilitate the Lake Dunlap Dam after its failure in May 2019 was determined to be replacing the Bear Trap style spill gates. Our project will focus on the installation of three new crest Hydraulic Actuated spill gates. This includes a detailed system design of the gates and a related component design. As well as, an evaluation of the sustainability of the chosen solution.
C2.06 Rehabilitation of Aging Dam Structures
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Paola Huynh, Catalina Gonzalez, Lauren Graham, Bill LeFranc
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Felipe Gutierrez
We are researching ways to rehabilitate an aging dam. Our team chose the Canyon Lake Dam because it is near New Braunfels, TX, allowing us to visit on-site. It is an earthen embankment dam that is classified as having high hazard potential. We are studying ways to improve Canyon Lake Dam's flood control system. We are going about our research by investigating the effects of lowering the emergency spillway, adding retention ponds, baffles, and native plants in the downstream path, and placing sensors along the dam for daily inspections. We hope our research is useful data to rehabilitate this time to avoid reconstruction in itself.
C2.07 Expanding Community Wastewater Collection and Treatment Management
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Ramon Ojeda, Tyler Watson, Josh Ruiz, Samuel Gadbury
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Felipe Gutierrez
We are expanding the capacity of the Hays/Comal county region that is served by an older facility. This treatment plant is near capacity. In order to expand the capacity we will replace the existing facility with a brand new state of the art facility. We will design the new facility with specific flow calculations, dimensions, and components to illustrate the processing of the community wastewater.
C2.08 I-35 Commuter Rail
Sponsor: Ingram School of Engineering
Student Team: Bryan Brinkman, Skyler Garrett, Andrew Gombac, Mason Holden
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Feng Hong
This project will design a new commuter rail between San Antonio and Austin, Texas to alleviate traffic along Interstate 35. The design of the rail will focus on the geometric alignment and foundation design while also considering sustainability and cost. The proposed rail shall parallel existing tracks between the two major cities and provide rail service for the smaller cities in-between.