Brief Description of Civil Eng. Ph.D. Courses

 

• Common Courses
• Courses in Structural Engineering
• Courses in Water Resources and Hydraulics
• Courses in Transportation Engineering
• Courses in Environmental Engineering
• Courses in Construction Engineering and Management
• Courses in Geotechnical Engineering

• CE 601 ( PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS )

Application of probability and statistical analysis to Civil Engineering; model construction from probability theory; descriptive statistics; estimation with small samples; recognition of variation; analysis of statistical variability, decision making under incomplete information.

 

• CE 602 ( MODELING OF ENGINERING PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS )

Engineering processes; process modeling concepts; line of balance models ; linear programming; integer programming; goal programming; transportation models; queuing models; dynamic programming; simulation models; reliability analysis; fuzzy sets models.

 

• CE 603 ( ADVANCED MATHEMATICS FOR CIVIL ENGINEERS )

Linear second order partial differential equations. The one-dimensional wave equation, Laplace’s and Poisson’s equation, Wave and heat equations in two and three dimensions, Analytic function of a complex variable.

 

 

• CE 660 ( ADVANCED FINITE ELEMENT METHODS )

Theoretical basis of the finite element method. Elements for use in the solution of two-and three-dimensional stress problems. Methods for treating geometrical and material non-linearities. Convergence, efficiency and computer implementation.

 

• CE 661 ( ADVANCED STRUCTURAL RELIABILITY )

Review of probability theory and structural reliability studies, elements and application of random processes, random vibration of linear and non-linear structures, structural failures and first passage probabilities, fatigue reliability, wind and earthquake engineering applications and other current topics in structural reliability.

 

• CE 662 ( ADVANCED STABILITY OF STRUCTURES )

Buckling of columns, beams, frames, plates and shells in the elastic and plastic range. Postbuckling strength of plates. Beam-columns. Analysis by exact and approximate methods with emphasis on practical implications and application of solutions.

 

• CE 663 ( ELASTICITY METHODS IN STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS )

Notions of stress and strain constitutive models. Basic equations of the linear theory of elastic media. Stress function and displacement potentials. Applications to specific classes of problems.

 

• CE 664 ( NUMERICAL METHODS IN STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS )

Mathematical modeling of structural problems. Weighted residuals, finite differences, finite elements and boundary element methods. Application to solution of equilibrium, eigenvalue and propagation problems.

 

• CE 665 ( ADVANCED PLASTICITY IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING )

Fundamentals of the theory of plasticity. Constitutive models. Inelastic behavior of sections, members, and structures. Limit analysis and applications to structures and two- and three-dimensional problems in soil, concrete, and metals.

 

• CE 667 ( FRACTURE MECHANICS )

Methods of stress analysis in elastic media containing holes and cracks, fracture modes, crack propagation; brittle and ductile fracture, fracture criteria, fracture-mechanics design.

 

• CE 667 ( OPTIMIZATION OF STRUCTURES )

Structural design processes; formulation of problems in the optimization of structures, optimization of structural elements and member-sections, Mathematical programming in optimization of structural systems.

 

• CE 668 ( APPLIED STRUCTURAL MECHANICS )

Theoretical study of beams under lateral loads, combined lateral load and thrust and beams on elastic foundation. Application of Fourier series and virtual work principles to beam-type structures. Stress and strain in three dimensions; application to beams and plates.

 

• CE 671 ( EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING )

Characteristics of earthquakes. Response spectra. Effect of soil conditions and soil-structure interaction. Design of structures against earthquake. Building codes. Current research in earthquake engineering.

 

• CE 672 ( EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING )

Theory, methods, and techniques for experimental studies of structural members and systems. Measurement fundamentals; transducers for measuring strain, displacements, force and pressure. Non-destructive testing techniques; two- and three-dimensional photoelastic techniques.

 

• CE 673 ( HIGH PERFORMANCE CONCRETE )

Basic concepts. The structure of concrete. Strength, dimensional stability and the other factors affecting quality of concrete. Effects of chemical and mineral admixtures. Durability of concrete: permeability, chemical attacks and corrosion of steel in concrete. High-strength concrete. Introduction to structural light weight and fiber reinforced concretes. New developments in concrete technology.

 

• CE 674 ( COMPOSITE AND FIBER REINFORCED CONCRETE )

Principles of composite and fiber reinforced systems. Fiber types. Mix proportioning. Test procedures for fresh and hardened fiber reinforced concrete. Characteristics of fresh mixtures. Mechanical, physical and durability properties. Influence of additives. Theoretical concepts and design procedures. Applications.

 

• CE 675 ( REPAIR AND REHABILITATION OF CONCRETE STRUCTURES )

Forensic investigation and retrofitting of reinforced concrete structures. Concrete cracking; causes and repairs; repair material. Case Studies.

 

• CE 679 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING )

Investigation in special topics which fall outside the scope of the regular structural courses.

 

 

• CE 620 ( THEORETICAL PHYSICAL HYDROLOGY )

Properties of water; hydrologic relevance; thermodynamic, mass and heat transport; physical analysis and applications of mathematical models in surface and subsurface flow. Interaction between surface and groundwater.

 

• CE 621 ( SOLUTIONS TO GROUND WATER PROBLEMS )

Steady and transient saturated flow; well hydraulics; groundwater drainage; recharge estimation; ground water models.

 

• CE 622 ( FLOW THRKOUGH POROUS MEDIA )

Properties of porous media and fluid mixtures; Equations of fluid flux in porous media; steady and unsteady flow in heterogeneous fluid systems; similitude for flow of two fluids.

 

• CE 623 ( COMPUTER-AIDED WATER MANAGEMENT )

Introduction to computerized decision support systems in water resources: models, database and dialogue; simulation and optimization of large-scale systems: application of network flow algorithms, and dynamic optimization. Application of knowledge-based and expert systems, geographic information system in water resources.

 

• CE 624 ( ADVANCED WATER MANAGEMENT )

Stochastic optimization of water resources systems: risk analysis, Markov decision processes and certainty equivalence; concepts of optimal control theory; nonlinear optimization. Management of complex, multipurpose, multiobjective water systems.

 

• CE 625 ( CONTROL OF FLOODS AND DROUGHTS )

Flood and drought characteristics; methods of flood mitigation; drought prediction; drought control; drought response.

 

• CE 626 ( STOCHASTIC PROCESSES IN HYDROLOGY )

Stochastic processes applied to hydrology and water resources; characteristic, analysis and modeling.

 

• CE 627 ( ADVANCED FLUID MECHANICS AND HYDRAULICS )

Navier-Stokes equations and continuity equation; Exact and approximate solution of N-S equations and their applications; Turbulence, including physical characteristics, Reynolds stresses and phenomenological models; Momentum integral equation and displacement thickness; Turbulent boundary layer; Universal velocity and resistance laws.

 

• CE 628 ( PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS )

Dimensional analysis; physical models; river and open channel models; Hydraulic structure models; weir, gates, dams, spillways, culverts,…etc; Mathematical models; model development, selection of solution procedure; flood routing models; sediment transport models; unsteady flow models.

 

• CE 629 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN WATER RESOURCES AND HYDRAULICS )

Current innovative tools; recent research interests and results in water resources and hydraulics.

 

 

• CE 640 ( ADVANCED WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND REUSE )

Advanced wastewater treatment processes; Nitrogen and phosphorus removal, filtration, activated carbon adsorption, membrane processes and solids handling. Significance of wastewater reuse. Water quality criteria for industrial, agricultural, recreational and domestic reuse. Combination of unit processes for specific reuse.

 

• CE 641 ( TREATMENT PROCESSES LABORATORY )

Laboratory and pilot plant studies on selected physical, chemical, and biological processes for the treatment of water and wastewater. Typically, the experiments may include studies such as reactor dynamics, chemical precipitation, gas transfer, sedimentation, filtration, ion exchange, adsorption, reverse osmosis, activated sludge, and anaerobic filtration.

 

• CE 645 ( AIR POLLUTION CONTROL )

Specific design methods for the control of emissions from mobile and stationary sources. Mechanisms responsible for the effectiveness of specific control devices. Current trends and approaches to air pollution problems in Saudi Arabia. Air pollution instrumentation and monitoring.

 

• CE 646 ( INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT )

Quality and quantity of wastes from industries. Treatment and disposal of industrial wastes with emphasis on wastes most common in the Gulf Area. Industrial effluent guidelines for wastes discharged to municipal wastewater networks.

 

• CE 647 ( HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT )

Study of generation, volume & composition of hazardous industrial and municipal wastes. Methods of collection, transport, processing, resource recovery and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes.

 

• CE 648 ( SIMULATION OF TREATMENT PROCESSES )

Computer simulation of chemical, physical and biological water and wastewater treatment processes. Available computer software will be tested and calibrated for different treatment processes. Applications of simulation programs in design and operation of different treatment processes taking into consideration the environmental conditions of Saudi Arabia.

 

• CE 649 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING )

Lectures and seminar discussions by faculty and environmental experts on recent environmental topics. Students are expected to actively participate in discussions and submit short reports on selected topics which may cover pollution assessment, pollution control strategies and systems, planning and design of pollution control systems.

 

 

• CE 681 ( SOIL BEHAVIOR )

Soil mineralogy. Determination of soil composition. Soil-water system. Soil fabric and structure. Conduction phenomena. Volume change and strength behavior.

 

• CE 682 ( ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF DEEP FOUNDATIONS )

Types of deep foundations. Analysis and design of deep foundations. Ultimate load capacity of single piles and pile groups. Load capacity by dynamic methods. Analysis of load transfer. Lateral load capacity. Settlement analysis of single pile and pile group. Pile load tests.

 

• CE 683 ( SOIL DYNAMICS )

Theory of vibrations, wave propagation in soils, dynamic soil properties. Seismic analysis and design of foundations, retaining walls, dams, and embankments. Liquefaction phenomenon.

 

• CE 684 ( GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING IN ARID REGIONS )

Geology of the arid regions. Environmental effects on soils of the arid regions. Moisture regions. Expansive and shrinkage soils, collapsing soils, sabkha formations, and sand dunes. Laboratory testing techniques.

 

• CE 685 ( CONSTITUTIVE LAWS FOR GEOTECHNICAL MATERIALS )

Introduction to continuum mechanics. Linear and nonlinear elastic stress- strain laws. Drained and undrained incremental behavior of soils. Yield criteria, flow rules, and hardening rules. Plastic and viscoplastic models. Implementation and calibration of constitutive models.

 

• CE 686 ( SEEPAGE AND CONSOLIDATION )

Principles of steady and transient flow in geotechnical materials. Analytical and numerical analysis of consolidation theories ( conventional, one-dimensional non-linear finite strain, multi-dimensional ) . Consolidation of partially saturated soils utilization of consolidation theory in the analysis and interpretation of laboratory and field tests.

 

• CE 687 ( SOIL RHEOLOGY )

Basic concept of soil rheology. Creep, stress relaxation, strain rate effects, and long-term strength of cohesive soils. Consolidation of non-linear viscous soils. Approaches of modeling time-dependent behavior of cohesive soils including rheological models, rate process theory, and theory of viscoplasticity.

 

• CE 689 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING )

This course will cover a wide range of topics of current interest in geotechnical engineering . Coverage depends on student interest and faculty expertise.

 

 

• CE 630 ( TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS ANALYSIS )

Basic framework of transportation systems analysis. Theories and models of travel demand. Prediction of equilibrium on transportation networks. Method of evaluating transport systems. Examples of intercity and intercity freight and passenger movements.

 

• CE 631 ( URBAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION )

Urban passenger transport modes: Rail, Bus, Paratransit and Pedestrian systems. Transit evolution and urban development. Physical components of transit system: Travelway, Vehicle, Stations and Terminals. Transit system performance: Capacity, Productivity, and Efficiency. Demand, Cost, and Operation. New concepts.

 

• CE 632 ( AIR TRANSPORTATION )

Importance of air transportation. Aviation system. Airport master plan. Air travel demand forecasting models. Airport capacity and configuration. Pavement design. Airport drainage, Lighting, marking and signing. Environmental impact.

 

• CE 633 ( ADVANCED TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND CONTROL )

Modeling of traffic flow operations and control using mathematical programming. Applications using simulation techniques, optimization methods, and expert systems. Emerging technologies such as ATMS, ATIS, AVCS, etc.

 

• CE 634 ( RAIL TRANSPORTATION )

Overview of railway system. Principles of geometric location and design. Vehicle motion: Resistance, Tractive effort, and Energy consumption. Capacity determination and economic feasibilities. Principles of construction and maintenance. Subgrade, Ballast, Tie and Rail drainage.

 

• CE 635 ( PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS )

Pavement and maintenance management systems: basic definitions and components, their importance and how to be implemented. Pavement distresses: types and assessment. pavement condition index. Pavement roughness. Pavement skid resistance. Pavement structural capacity ( deflection ). Assessment of pavement maintenance needs. Techniques for pavement maintenance priority setting. Economic analysis of pavement design and maintenance strategies. Advanced topics in pavement management: Artificial Intelligence and Geographical Information Systems ( GIS ).

 

• CE 636 ( ANALYSIS OF PAVEMENT SYSTEMS )

Components of a pavement system. The pavement design process. Pavement design within the framework of a Pavement Management System. Materials, traffic and environmental factors characterization. Theories of stresses and strains in flexible and rigid pavements. Structural design of flexible and rigid pavements. Overlay design. Development of pavement design and maintenance alternatives. Pavement selection criteria.

 

• CE 638 ( PAVEMENT MATERIALS AND MIX DESIGN )

Material characterization and testing: Elastic, viscoelastic and plastic behavior. Other pavement materials and additives. Design for special pavement mixes.

 

• CE 639 ( TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS AND EVALUATION )

Transport system costs and benefits. Engineering economic feasibility and evaluation methods. Evaluation of congestion in transport facilities. Economic regulations in public and private transport sectors. Shadow pricing. Multi-objective evaluation.

 

• CE 699 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING )

This course may cover a wide range of topics of current interest in planning, design, operation, maintenance, and/or management of transportation systems. The specific subjects will be selected based on the need, student interest and faculty expertise.

 

 

• CE 610 ( ADVANCED TOPICS IN VALUE ENGINEERING )

Advanced issues and comprehensive computer applications in the concept of value. Project selection. Selection of VE team. The Job Plan. Creativity. FAST Diagramming. Cost models. Alternative evaluation. Life cycle cost analysis.

 

• CE 611 ( MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT )

This course aims at defining the fundamentals of maintenance engineering and management. It offers a comprehensive look at maintenance cost. Models of maintenance management structure. Maintenance planning, organizing and control. Documentation systems. Use of failure statistics. Case studies from the local market.

 

• CE 612 ( ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATIONS IN CIVIL ENGINEERING )

The focus of the course will be on Expert Systems themes and applications especially in civil engineering. The former focuses on broad range notions of knowledge engineering. The latter exposes the various applications of AI in civil engineering domains of structure, construction, transportation, geotechnical and others.

 

• CE 613 ( PLANNING AND MODELLING CONSTRUCTION PROCESSES )

Exposition to the concepts of construction processes, modeling of construction operations, the use of queuing, line of balance, simulation of construction processes.

 

• CE 614 ( SELECTED TOPICS IN CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING & MANAGEMENT )

Seminar discussions and lectures by industry and government professionals providing insights into effective project management and construction engineering.