Calibration Of Microsimulation Models For Multimodal Freight Networks, 2012 University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Calibration Of Microsimulation Models For Multimodal Freight Networks, Justice Appiah Ph.D., P.E., Bhaven Naik, Scott Sorensen
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
This research presents a framework for incorporating the unique operating characteristics of multi-modal freight networks into the calibration process for microscopic traffic simulation models. Because of the nature of heavy freight movements in US DOT Region VII (Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas), the focus of the project is on trucks or heavy gross vehicles (HGV). In particular, a genetic algorithm (GA) based optimization technique was developed and used to find optimum parameter values for the vehicle performance model used by “Verkehr In Staedten-SIMulationmodell (VISSIM)”, a widely used microscopic traffic simulation software. At present, the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), which is the …
Development Of A Methodology For Assessment Of Crash Costs At Highway- Rail Grade Crossings In Nebraska, 2012 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Development Of A Methodology For Assessment Of Crash Costs At Highway- Rail Grade Crossings In Nebraska, Aemal Khattak, Eric Thompson
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
An accurate measure of crash costs is required to support effective decision-making about transportation investments. In particular, underinvestment will occur if measurement fails to capture the full cost of crashes. Such mis-measurement and underinvestment may be occurring in the case of crashes at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). HRGC crash costs can be substantial because of the severity of crashes. However, another important potential cost is the disruption to the transportation and logistics system. Existing methodologies capture the first set of costs but often fail to fully capture the second set. This research provides a standardized methodology for assessing the expected …
Implementation Of Warm-Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Nebraska Pavements, 2012 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Implementation Of Warm-Mix Asphalt Mixtures In Nebraska Pavements, Yong-Rak Kim, Jun Zhang, Hoki Ban
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
The primary objective of this research is to evaluate the feasibility of several WMA mixtures as potential asphalt paving mixtures for Nebraska pavements. To that end, three well-known WMA additives (i.e., Sasobit, Evotherm, and Advera synthetic zeolite) were evaluated. For a more realistic evaluation of the WMA approaches, trial pavement sections of the WMA mixtures and their HMA counterparts were implemented in Antelope County, Nebraska. More than one ton of field-mixed loose mixtures was collected at the time of paving and was transported to the NDOR and UNL laboratories to conduct comprehensive laboratory evaluations and pavement performance predictions of the …
Speed Limit Recommendation In Vicinity Of Signalized, High-Speed Intersection, 2012 University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Speed Limit Recommendation In Vicinity Of Signalized, High-Speed Intersection, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Laurence Rilett Ph.D., Zifeng Wu M.S., Shefang Wang
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
This report presents the results of Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) research project SPR-P1 (11) M307, which evaluated the traffic operations and safety effects of 5 mph and 10 mph speed limit reductions in the vicinity of high-speed, signalized intersections with advance warning flashers (AWF). The methodology involved two studies: 1) field study of the impact of speed limit reduction at seven high-speed intersections, 2) crash analysis using the 10-year history from 28 high-speed intersections. In the field study, traffic operational effects of the reduced speed limits were analyzed for seven high-speed, signalized intersections with AWF, using the Quantile regression …
Offset Right-Turn Lanes For Improved Intersection Sight Distance Final Report, 2012 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Offset Right-Turn Lanes For Improved Intersection Sight Distance Final Report, Karen Schurr P.E., Timothy J. Foss Jr.
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
Many transportation agencies have started using offset right-turn lanes (ORTLs) at two-way stop-controlled intersections in the hope of improving driver safety by providing intersection departure sight distance triangles that eliminate through roadway right-turning vehicle obstructions. Currently, there are no specific geometric guidelines for key three-dimensional characteristics to allow drivers the optimal use of laterally-shifted right-turn lanes. Results of driver behavior studies at existing locations of offset right-turns lanes indicate that drivers are not performing as expected at parallel-type ORTLs, rendering its presence useless. Tapered-type ORTLs appear to be much more intuitive to driver expectancy and appropriate for the three-dimensional characteristics …
Effect Of Freeway Level Of Service And Driver Education On Truck Driver Stress - Phase 1, 2012 University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Effect Of Freeway Level Of Service And Driver Education On Truck Driver Stress - Phase 1, Anuj Sharma Ph.D., Senem Velipasalar Ph.D., Sanjay Singh M.D., Dave Engel B.S., Sunil Gyawali Ph.D.
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
This research primarily deals with truck driver stress and its nature, stressors, and their mutual relationship. During the study, the different demands of driving that are related to roads, vehicle, traffic conditions, driver predisposition to stress and the surrounding environmental conditions were explored. The two distinct clusters of ―Low Stress level‖ and ―High Stress level‖ were identified in the stress distribution. The binary logistic regression method was used to relate these two conditions of stress with wide range of stressors. The result found that truck driver training was a statistically significant factor in predicting the low stress level. Other statistically …
Feasibility Of Integrating Natural And Constructed Wetlands In Roadway Drainage System Design, 2012 University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Feasibility Of Integrating Natural And Constructed Wetlands In Roadway Drainage System Design, John S. Stansbury, Massom Moussavi, Tian Zhang
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
Stormwater from roadways could have negative effects on the environment and aquatic ecosystems. Typical highway runoff pollutants include solids; heavy metals, particularly cadmium, copper, and zinc; petroleum hydrocarbons; gasoline constituents; PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons); oxygen demanding compounds measured as COD (chemical oxygen demand) and BOD (biochemical oxygen demand); and road salts. Roadway runoff falls under the legislation of the Clean Water Act (CWA) via the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). CWA regulates discharge of nonpoint source pollutants, such as roadway runoff, by issuing permits to public entities which manage Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s). Part of the Nebraska Department …
Onsite Use Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials And Geocells To Reconstruct Pavements Damaged By Heavy Trucks, 2012 University of Kansas
Onsite Use Of Recycled Asphalt Pavement Materials And Geocells To Reconstruct Pavements Damaged By Heavy Trucks, Jie Han Ph.D., P.E., Bhagaban Acharya, Jitendra K. Thakur, Robert Parsons Ph.D., P.E.
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
Asphalt pavements deteriorate with traffic (especially heavy trucks) and time. Maintenance and overlaying may solve minor to medium pavement distress problems. When the condition of a pavement becomes badly deteriorated, reconstruction of the pavement may become an economic and feasible solution. Reconstruction of a pavement requires removal of pavement surfaces. On-site use of recycled asphalt pavement materials has obvious benefits from economic, to environmental, to sustainability points of view. One attractive option is to use recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) materials as base courses with a thin new overlay. However, RAP has its limitations; for example, it creeps under a sustained …
Use Of Fiber Bragg Grating (Fbg) Sensors For Performing Automated Bridge Pier Structural Damage Detection And Scour Monitoring, 2012 University of Iowa
Use Of Fiber Bragg Grating (Fbg) Sensors For Performing Automated Bridge Pier Structural Damage Detection And Scour Monitoring, A.N. Thanos Papnicolaou Ph.D., Achilleas Tsakiris
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors able to detect impacts with different frequencies on a bridge pier. The FBG technology was evaluated under controlled conditions in a laboratory flume set-up to mimic the flow, sediment, and design characteristics of a pier structure. The system was calibrated using site-specific properties to relate strain to a known magnitude force for different bridge pier designs, different scour depths, and structural impacts. The FBGs proved a reliable measure of strain and displacement for key components of bridge structures, such as piers, during varying flow …
Initial Study And Verification Of A Distributed Fiber Optic Corrosion Monitoring System For Transportation Structures, 2012 Missouri University of Science and Technology
Initial Study And Verification Of A Distributed Fiber Optic Corrosion Monitoring System For Transportation Structures, Hai Xiao Ph.D., Genda Chen, Zhan Gao Ph.D., Ying Huang Ph.D, Fujian Tang Ph.D.
Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs
For this study, a novel optical fiber sensing system was developed and tested for the monitoring of corrosion in transportation systems. The optical fiber sensing system consists of a reference long period fiber gratings (LPFG) sensor for corrosive environmental monitoring and a LPFG sensor coated with a thin film of nano iron and silica particles for steel corrosion monitoring. The environmental effects (such as pH and temperature) are compensated by the use of the reference LPFG sensor. The sensor design, simulation, and experimental validation were performed in this study to investigate the feasibility of the proposed sensing system for corrosion …
Land Use Effects On Energy And Water Balance-Developing A Land Use Adapted Drought Index, 2012 University of Central Florida
Land Use Effects On Energy And Water Balance-Developing A Land Use Adapted Drought Index, Chi Han Cheng
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Climate change is expected to increase the frequency, intensity and duration of droughts in all parts of the United States (US). Snow packs are disappearing earlier in the spring and summer, with reduced stream-flow. Lower reservoir levels, higher temperatures, and greater precipitation variability have been observed. Drought events in the US have threatened drinking water supplies for communities in Maryland and Chesapeake Bay as observed in 2001 through September 2002; Lake Mead in Las Vegas in 2000 through 2004; Peace River and Lake Okeechobee in South Florida in 2006; and Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Georgia in 2007. ENSO influences the …
Risk Management In Reservoir Operations In The Context Of Undefined Competitive Consumption, 2012 University of Central Florida
Risk Management In Reservoir Operations In The Context Of Undefined Competitive Consumption, Yunus Salami
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Dams and reservoirs with multiple purposes require effective management to fully realize their purposes and maximize efficiency. For instance, a reservoir intended mainly for the purposes of flood control and hydropower generation may result in a system with primary objectives that conflict with each other. This is because higher hydraulic heads are required to achieve the hydropower generation objective while relatively lower reservoir levels are required to fulfill flood control objectives. Protracted imbalances between these two could increase the susceptibility of the system to risks of water shortage or flood, depending on inflow volumes and operational policy effectiveness. The magnitudes …
Effluent Water Quality Improvement Using Silt Fences And Stormwater Harvesting, 2012 University of Central Florida
Effluent Water Quality Improvement Using Silt Fences And Stormwater Harvesting, Ikiensinma Gogo-Abite
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Construction sites are among the most common areas to experience soil erosion and sediment transport due to the mandatory foundation tasks such as excavation and land grubbing. Thus, temporary sediment barriers are installed along the perimeter to prevent sediment transport from the site. Erosion and sediment transport control measures may include, but not limited to, physical and chemical processes such as the use of a silt fence and polyacrylamide product. Runoff from construction sites and other impervious surfaces are routinely discharged into ponds for treatment before being released into a receiving water body. Stormwater harvesting from a pond for irrigation …
Biogeochemical Cycling And Nutrient Control Strategies For Groundwater At Stormwater Infiltration Basins, 2012 University of Central Florida
Biogeochemical Cycling And Nutrient Control Strategies For Groundwater At Stormwater Infiltration Basins, Andrew M. O'Reilly
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Elevated concentrations of nutrients, particularly nitrate, in groundwater and springs in Florida are a growing resource management concern. Stormwater infiltration basins, which are a common stormwater management practice in the well-drained karst terrain areas of Florida, are a potentially important source of nutrients to the groundwater system because stormwater exits the basin by only evaporation or infiltration. To better understand the biogeochemical processes integrating stormwater infiltration impacts on groundwater resources in a field-scale setting, a combination of hydrologic, soil chemistry, water chemistry, dissolved and soil gas, isotope, and microbiological data was collected from 2007 through 2010 at two stormwater infiltration …
Space, Place And Infrastructure: Designing An Integrated And Efficient Highway System For Hartford, Ct, 2012 Trinity College
Space, Place And Infrastructure: Designing An Integrated And Efficient Highway System For Hartford, Ct, George Theodore Phillips
The Trinity Papers (2011 - present)
No abstract provided.
Service Life Prediction Of Residential Interior Finishes For Life Cycle Assessment, 2012 University of New Haven
Service Life Prediction Of Residential Interior Finishes For Life Cycle Assessment, Can B. Aktas Ph.D.
Civil Engineering Faculty Publications
Service life of building products has an important influence on life cycle assessment (LCA) results of buildings. The goal of this study was to propose a systematic approach to estimate service life of building products by including both technical and social factors. A hybrid service life prediction method, combining the statistical approach described in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard G166, with the Factor Method adopted by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard 15686 was proposed. In their current forms, the two methods are not suitable to provide accurate lifetime estimates for the wide variety of products that …
Use Of High Volume Fly Ash-Wood Fiber And Polyurea Layers For Blast Mitigation, 2012 Missouri University of Science and Technology
Use Of High Volume Fly Ash-Wood Fiber And Polyurea Layers For Blast Mitigation, Anthony Francis Wulfers
Masters Theses
"This project is a continuation of research done by Natalia Carey and John Myers. The first part of Natalia's research was to develop and characterize an e-glass discrete fiber-reinforced polyurea (DFRP) system for infrastructure applications. She then recommended two polyurea systems (A and B) be further examined. These polyurea systems were then applied to plain reinforced concrete and steel fiber reinforced concrete panels (SFRC). Carey found that the SFRC panels sustained less overall damage. For this project SFRC was used as the base layer in combination with the DFRP systems. In addition to the DFRP and SFRC a high-volume fly …
Characterization Of Expanded Polystyrene (Eps) And Cohesive Soil Mixtures, 2012 Missouri University of Science and Technology
Characterization Of Expanded Polystyrene (Eps) And Cohesive Soil Mixtures, Nicholas Thomas Rocco
Doctoral Dissertations
"Soils modified with expanded polystyrene (EPS) particulates could be used as lightweight fill in a variety of installations including slopes for improved stability, embankments over compressible soils, and to reduce earth pressures next to structures. The addition of low density EPS particulates into soil has a large effect on the mass and volumetric characteristics of these mixtures and their influence on mechanical properties is scarce in the literature. A laboratory characterization program using clay mixed with EPS particulates was conducted for different dosages of EPS. Soils were modified with up to 1.5% EPS by mass, which corresponds to approximately 45% …
Analysis Of Passive Louver Shading Systems And Impact On Interior Environment, 2012 Missouri University of Science and Technology
Analysis Of Passive Louver Shading Systems And Impact On Interior Environment, Cory Joseph Brennan
Masters Theses
An installed passive louver shading systems can affect the heating, cooling, and lighting loads of any building, by altering the amount of solar energy, in the form of light and heat, from entering. The benefits of a louver system are derived from the application of solar geometry incident on the site and the climate within the area. By optimizing a passive louver system's design parameters, a building can reduce the total annual energy consumption due to artificial heating, cooling loads and artificial lighting. This research has implemented simulation modeling software, Energy Plus, to predict the effect of passive louver shades …
Modeling Large-Truck Involved Crashes: An Econometric Modeling Framework, 2012 University of Texas at El Paso
Modeling Large-Truck Involved Crashes: An Econometric Modeling Framework, Mouyid Islam
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
This research aims to analyze large-truck involved crashes (i.e., having a gross vehicle weight rating more than 10,000 pounds) through the application of advanced econometric modeling techniques--namely, random parameter models (i.e., tobit regression, mixed logit). To achieve this, various national and state specific data sets are analyzed with the goal to provide an improved understanding of the complex interactions of contributing factors (e.g., factors related to drivers and occupants, vehicle, and road-environment) influencing large-truck crashes. Additionally, the modeling techniques considered in this research account for possible unobserved effects related to the data. The aforementioned econometric techniques provide an analytical foundation …