Capstone Design Fall 2021

Project Partners: Chelaque Homeowners Association and Marina, Haines Structural Group
Team Members: Kevin Stegner, Caleb Rose, Morgan Harris, Shayan Seyfi, Matt Replogle

In response to the dock integrity study, engineering services for Chelaque’s marina are requested to provide a new northern dock with a more durable anchoring and tethering system. Structural analysis and design work will be performed to provide a new structure comprised of a canopy, mooring fingers, and walkway. Anchoring for the new structure will be designed to accommodate applicable loads due to wind and water conditions, while also intending to reduce maintenance for the tethering components. Construction management services will be performed to create an estimate of probable cost and construction schedule. The proposed design will be generated within the accompanying set of construction-ready engineering drawings.

Project Partners: CEE, CEC Engineering
Team Members: Zaina Abou Janb, Matthew Galvin, Vincent Ha, Hudson White, and Daniel Zou

The project team was contacted by UTK faculty to design an indoor testbed facility through site civil, geotechnical, structural, and construction services. A drainage system, erosion control measures, and utility tie-ins were designed to develop an adequate building site. Structural services included performing analysis based on loading conditions, designing a steel frame, and designing an interchangeable modular wall system. Geotechnical engineering services for the project included a soil analysis, slab on grade design, grade beams design, and micropile design. Construction engineering services were performed to determine material quantities, construction material selection, project schedule, and cost estimation of the project.

Project Partners: City of Alcoa, Gresham Smith
Team Members: Jimmy Albert, Nick Cheney, Josue Garduno, Will Huettner

Civil engineering design services are required on this project to improve safety and accessibility for all modes of transportation within the selected corridor. Stormwater infrastructure designs and recommendations will be performed, informed by existing drainage infrastructure and geologic site conditions and satisfying new roadway drainage needs. A design of three conceptual layouts will be generated to perform comparative analysis to select the preferred option based on cost, safety, and feasibility. Transportation engineering services will be performed to design traffic control devices and develop appropriate geometric layouts to establish a TDOT-compliant roadway with reduced congestion. An estimate of probable cost and construction schedule will be generated based on construction management standards of practice.

Project Partners: City of Sevierville, National Park Service
Team Members:: Charles Blalock, Blayr Corazzini, Jackson Salyer, Emily Stanton, and Will Ring

This team was formed in partnership with the City of Sevierville to assist in the design and implementation of the city’s upcoming Blueway system. The students were tasked with the design of a single access point to the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the Sevierville City Park. The city park entrance will serve as the inaugural access point to the Blueway system, and its design will serve as a template for future access points along the West and Middle Prongs of the Little Pigeon River.

Project Partners: Faith N Friends Horse Rescue, Southern Instruments & Software
Team Members: Benjamin Carpenter, Megan Hobbs, Brock Jancek, Avinash Palaparthy, Kami Reid, J.T. Scott

The Faith N Friends Horse Rescue and Sanctuary leases their property in Corryton, Tennessee, and the estate is prone to annual flooding. Within the past two years, storms have caused floodwaters to significantly impact the pasture, restricting access for several days until waters recede. The loss of access to the eastern pasture leaves the horses stranded without food and clean water. Volunteers express concern about the health and safety of horses isolated during these times.

Additionally, no vehicles or tractors can cross the creek, disabling all work in the eastern pasture until the creek returns to manageable levels. There is no alternative crossing available to Faith N Friends as the adjacent parcel of land is privately owned and residents will not permit the organization to use their bridge. While there have been no injuries, the conditions are considered unsafe and stormwater management improvements are needed for complete access of all parts of the parcel.

Project Partners: MBI Companies Inc., Private Site Developers
Team Members: Joe Bayless, Chadd Blackburn, Vince Dick, Sam Flatt, Alexandria Montgomery, Haley Pelham, Graison Sweeney

This team was commissioned to design a townhome complex in the West Knoxville area. The two-parcel site is to be combined, and townhome units will be built. Major design considerations for this project are zoning and boundaries, geotechnical conditions, grading and drainage, utilities, and structural requirements.

Project Partners: City of Oak Ridge Parks & Recreation Department, S&ME, Inc.
Team Members: Blade Jackson, Miller Lowe, Colebi Valentine, Jeremy Sands, Heather Scott, Kate Begley

This team has been selected to design a recreational infrastructure improvement project for Alvin K. Bissell Park in the city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The park requires more accessible and efficient infrastructure for its public users. There exists an opportunity to provide all ADA compliant infrastructure for park users since the park is adjacent to a public senior center.

Project Partners: Solea Water, First Utility District, DLZ
Team Members: Claudia Bible, AJ Condra, Drew Houser, Nathan Smith, Matthew Tolson

The community of Nazarét, Panama, needs a reliable source of power that can operate without existing standard power production and distribution infrastructure. Nazarét is located near the southern border of Panama in a relatively rural area of the country along the Rio Chico. The people in the community live a traditional lifestyle, using the river for bathing, recreation, and travel. The river reliably flows year-round and has been identified as a potential source of power for Nazarét.

This senior design team has been tasked with the design of an in-river turbine system to provide a minimum of 10 kilowatts of electricity for Nazarét.

Project Partners: Solea Water, First Utilities District, University of Nebraska
Team Members: McKenna Hoag, Sophie Moore, Gabby Plagge, Erin Van Hoozier

Nazarét is an indigenous village located in the Embera-Wounaan Region of Panama. This is the final community on the Rio Chico river system, making it the hardest to reach. It is primarily self-sustaining, but increased dependency on technology for education and personal devices has developed a need for increased power generation. Nazarét’s water distribution system was created in the summer of 2021 with the help of a water non-profit, Solea Water. This access to clean water has tremendously improved their quality of life and given back the time spent gathering water as well as washing by the river. With this free time, the community has placed more of an importance on education, using remote access through electronics. This team seeks to provide the community with a reliable and efficient power system that will sustain the community and allow Nazarét to be a self-sufficient source for daily needs. Furthermore, Nazarét will become independent from Yaviza in terms of gasoline, used mainly to generate power, saving even more time and economic resources.

The team has been contracted to develop a 10-kilowatt, penstock hydroelectric system, which is comprised of a diversion system, a forebay, a penstock, a turbine, and a tail race, in Nazarét.

Project Partners: TDOT
Team Members: Alex Burns, Tommy Geiser, Jarrett Grant, Darcie Halliburton, Lily Parker, Alex Smith, Seth Ward

Engineering services are required for the redesign of the bridge over Sweetwater Creek on State Route 2 (US-11). The current bridge structure has a failing sufficiency rating and only accommodates two lanes of traffic. Due to safety concerns for pedestrian and motorist traffic, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has decided the structure needs to be upgraded and replaced. The bridge upgrades include widening the bridge deck to add a two-way-left-turn-lane and multi-use shoulder path for a future greenway. Because the bridge deck is being widened and brought to code, the project also requires a horizontal and vertical roadway realignment, along with the accompanying curb and gutter and drainage system design for the new edge of pavement. The project site is located on an official I-75 emergency detour route (US-11), so the design team developed a construction plan to keep two travel lanes open throughout the duration of the project. The student design team worked in cooperation with TDOT Region 1 to develop a design solution for expected future traffic volumes and with added accommodations for non-motorists.

Project Partners: TDOT
Team Members: Natalie Kernisant, William Bragg, Samuel Garrett, Paxton Lifsey, Ashkan Neshagaran, Jackson Twaddle

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has solicited engineering design services to be performed for a replacement option for an aged concrete bridge in Johnson City, Tennessee. The engineering work needed to design a replacement bridge has been accepted by a team of undergraduate civil engineering students. The current bridge, spanning an existing single-rail CSX line, received a poor structural sufficiency ranking and is not satisfying current safety standards. As such, the design and analysis of a new bridge has been requested by TDOT to resolve the safety concerns, upgrade traffic flow conditions within the bridge vicinity, and accommodate a future railroad track expansion. Design work shall include elements of structural, hydrological, transportation, and construction engineering analyses and a set of construction-ready drawings has been produced to support a final solution.

Project Partners: UT Research Park, UT Department of Architecture, UT Department of Archaeology
Team Members: Sunny DeFOE, Macayla Dwyer, Brian Engel, Marshal Evins, Chase Kerr, Meredith King

The UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm has an expanding site with room for innovation and a broad range of capabilities. The park has experienced economic growth and development and is looking to improve recreational amenities to be accessible for park tenants and the public. UT Research Park’s access to the Tennessee River shoreline allows for the possibility of recreational water use. This team’s project was to use innovative engineering techniques to create a boathouse and dock with parking that allows water access. The UT Research Park property resides in Cherokee Landing, which contains archeological artifacts that require special consideration to ensure preservation. Portions of the project were developed in conjunction with a UT architectural design-build studio. The team was responsible for complete site development and structural design.