Theses and Dissertations
Master Theses
- Sanchez Trinidad, A., “Investigating the Effects of Lateral Loading on the Performance of Railroad Tapered Roller Bearings,” expected date of completion: December 2025.
- Pams, J., “Development of Bearing and Wheel Health Metrics for Onboard Sensor Modules Used in Freight Rail Service,” expected date of completion: May 2025.
- Capitanachi Avila, D., “Optimization of a Thermoelectric Generation Energy Harvesting Device for Implementation with Freight Railcar Health Monitoring Onboard Sensors,” expected date of completion: December 2024.
- Lewandowski, K. M. "UAV-Based Tracking and Following of Railroad Lines," August 2024
- Quaye, K. "Feature Extraction From Vibration Signature Acquired From Railroad Bearing Onboard Condition Monitoring Sensor Modules," August 2024.
- Stinson, B. "Field Implementation of a Stereo Vision System for RNT and Stress Measurements in CWR," August 2024
- Urteaga, A., “Design, Analysis, and Fabrication of a 3-D Printed Quad-Copter with Embedded Sensors for Health Monitoring of Critical Infrastructure,” expected date of completion: May 2024.
- Rahman, M.M., "Machine Learning Predictive Models for Load Identification of Railroad Bridges Subjected to Train-Induced Vibration," May 2024
- Gonzalez, R., “Personalized Driving Using Inverse Reinforcement Learning with Region-Based Approximation,” expected date of completion: December 2023.
- Mensah, P., “Design And Implementation Of A Load Sensor In A Bearing Adapter Assembly For Freight Railcar Applications,” August 2023.
- Martinez, S.M., "Vibration-Based Machine Learning Models For Condition Monitoring Of Railroad Rolling Stock," July 2023.
- Martinez, S., “Railroad Rolling Stock Condition Monitoring Utilizing Machine Learning Models,” August 2023.
- Torres, E., “Using Actor-Critic Reinforcement Learning for Control and Flight Formation of Quadrotors,” May 2023.
- Velazquez-Estrada, A., “Optimal Control and Flight Formation of Quadcopter Drones Using Reinforcement Learning,” May 2023.
- Villafranca, L., “Leveraging Machine Learning and Onboard Sensor Data to Predict the Remaining Service Life of Railroad Bearings,” July 2022.
- Garcia, R., “Evaluation of Accelerated Testing Methods to Predict the Effects of Chemical Exposure on Mechanical Properties of Polyester Composites in Municipal Wastewater Service,” May 2022.
- Arroyo, J., “Transient Thermal Modeling and Analysis of a Railroad Bearing Adapter for Optimal Placement of Onboard Sensors,” May 2022.
- Barrera, M., “Railcar Wheel Impact Detection Utilizing Vibration-Based Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Modules,” May 2022.
- Aguilera, J., “Optimizing Electrical Conductivity Properties of Carbon Nanofiber Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites Through Fiber Alignment for Use in Rail Service,” May 2022.
- Cantu, L., “Assessing the Effectiveness and Efficacy of Wireless Onboard Condition Monitoring Modules in Identifying Defects in Railroad Rolling Stock,” December 2021.
- Amaro, M., “Developing an Efficient Energy Harvesting Device to Power Onboard Condition Monitoring Modules for Use in Railway Service,” December 2021.
- Lopez, C., “Theoretical and Experimental Study on the Energy Consumption of Railroad Bearings in Normal and Abnormal Operation Conditions,” December 2020.
- Hernandez, V., “Assessing the Efficacy of Railroad Bearing Reconditioning through Service Life Performance Testing,” December 2020.
- Cuanang, J., “Optimizing a Railroad Bearing Condition-Monitoring Algorithm for Use with an Onboard Wireless Low-Power Data Acquisition Module,” December 2020.
- Lima, J., “Development of Prognostic Models for the Estimation of Defect Size and Remaining Service Life of Freight Railcar Bearings Using Vibration Signatures,” May 2020.
- Villareal, A., “Microstructural Influences on the Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Carbon Nanofiber Thermoplastic Polyurethane Composites," Master's Thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, August 2019.
- Montalvo, J., "Defect Detection Algorithm Optimization For Use In Freight Railcar Service," Master's Thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, August 2019.
- Bensen, J., “A Feasibility Study on the Use of Energy Harvesting Devices to Operate Low-Power Bearing Condition Monitoring Sensors in Freight Service,” August 2019.
- De Los Santos, N., “Development of Prognostic Techniques for Surface Defect Growth in Railroad Bearing Rolling Elements,” Master’s Thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, July 2019.
- Aranda, J., “Radiative Heat Transfer Analysis of Railroad Bearings for Wayside Thermal Detector Optimization," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, December 2018.
- Lopez, C., “Analysis of Flash in Injection Molding Using Flow Simulation and Design of Experiments,” August 2018.
- Rodriguez, O., "The Effect of Heat Generation in the Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element on the Thermal Behavior of Railroad Bearing Assembly," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, May 2018.
- Khan, W. “Injury Severity of Truck Drivers in Crashes at Highway-Rail Grade Crossings,” Master's Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, December 2017.
- Perales, G., “An Empirical Analysis on Longitudinal and Lateral Tire-Pavement Friction,” Master's Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, August 2017.
- Renteria, D., "Discrete Element Analysis of SCB Variability – Asphalt Mixtures," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, May 2017.
- Brown, C., “Fatigue and Wear of Steel Eye Bars from Historic Railroad Truss Bridges,” Master’s Thesis, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, January 2017.
- Blackwell, D., "Multivariate Calibration of a Load Sensor for Dynamic and Static Freight Railcar Applications," Master's Thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, December 2016.
- Posluszny, R., "Application of AFRP Bars in Concrete Railroad Ties," Master's Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, August 2016.
- Appavuravther, E. T., “Stability of a Four Story Steel Frame Building Under Seismic Loading,” Master’s Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, August 2016.
- Smith, S., “Estimating Load Distributions for Retaining Structures Subjected to Railroad Live Loads,” Master’s Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, August 2016.
- Rachal, L., "Determination of Bent Cap and Stringer Deflections for Timber Railway Brides Under Live Load," Master's Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 2015.
- Martinez, T.,"Modeling the Residual Useful Life of Bearing Grease," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, December 2015.
- Gonzalez, A., "Development, Optimization, and Implementation of a Vibration Based Defect Detection Algorithm for Railroad Bearings," Master's Thesis, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, August 2015.
- Diedrich, T., "Onboard Load Sensor Prototype for Use in Freight Railcar Service," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, August 2015.
- Williams, N. D., “Nondestructive Testing of Rail Tunnel Linings," Master’s Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 2014.]
- Hurley, S. J., “Development of a Longitudinal Rail Stress Measurement Device,” Master’s Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 2014.
- Estrada, R., “Applications of Magnetostrictive Materials in the Real-Time Monitoring of Vehicle Suspension Components," Master's Thesis, Department of Electrical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, December 2014.
- Basaldua, D. T., “Effects of Vapor Grown Carbon Nanofibers on Electrical and Mechanical Properties of a Thermoplastic Elastomer," Master's Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, December 2014.
Doctoral Dissertations
- Ting-Ming, L. "Understanding the Complex Interplay of Factors in Rail Buckling: A Finite Element Approach," Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Ocean Engineering, Texas A&M University, May 2025
- Ozegbe, K. C. "B-Spline Impulse Response Functions for Transient SSI Analysis of Pile Foundations," Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, University of South Carolina, August 2024
- Musu, V., "Development of a Model for the Prediction of the Effects of Multiple Distinct Modes of Nonlinearity on Rail Buckling," Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Ocean Engineering, Texas A&M University, August 2023
- Zhou, J., “Effects of Moving Bottlenecks on Traffic Operations on Four-Lane Level Freeway Segments,” Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, August 2018.
- Zhao, L., “Safety Modeling of Highway-Rail Grade Crossings Using Intelligent Transportation System Data,” Doctoral Dissertation , Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, December 2017.
- Tafti, S. R., “High Speed Train Geotechnics: Numerical and Experimental Simulation of Some Embankment Problems,” Doctoral Dissertation, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 2017.
- Allard, A. J., “Vehicle Bourne Autonomous Railroad Bridge Impairment Detection Systems,” Doctoral Dissertation, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, May 2017.
- Kiani, M., “Multi-Scale Fatigue Damage Life Assessment of a Railway Wheel Using a Critical-Plane Model,” Doctoral Dissertation, Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, December 2016.
- Zhao, S., "An investigation of Motor Vehicle Driver Inattention and its Effect at Highway-Rail Grade Crossing," Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, August 2016.
- Mohammadrajabi, M., “Live Load Effects of Railroads on Retaining Walls and Temporary Shoring,” Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, August 2016.
- Chen, Y., "Network Traffic Optimization in Heavily Utilized Railway Corridors," Doctoral Dissertation, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, May 2015.
