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Application Of Highway Capacity Manual 2010 Level-Of-Service Methodologies For Planning Deficiency Analysis, James Oliver Ensley

Masters Theses

Influence on investment in the infrastructure is critical for decision-making by State planning departments. Judgments which are made for funding purposes and are based on limited data analysis by states can results in economic disasters for the state and nation. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) uses the Evaluation of Roadway Efficiency (EVE) database to prioritize the importance of roadway projects in the state. In addition, EVE is also used as a method to provide deficiency analysis results for roadways in the state. This study will add support to the methodology of the current decision-making process in regards to Tennessee …

Statistical And Numerical Integrated Approach For Detecting Onset Of Prefabricated Bridge Component Connection Deterioration, Cem Mansiz

Masters Theses

Bridges are the substantial part of the transportation infrastructure. Most recent report shows that of the 605,086 bridges in the United States, 67,526 (11%) are deemed structurally deficient, and 76,363 (13%) are declared functionally obsolete (FHWA, 2011). Deck is the shelter of a bridge that is subjected to severe loads due to exposure and traffic. Importance of detecting deck deterioration is further highlighted with the introduction of accelerated bridge construction (ABC) where prefabricated components are brought to the site, assembled, and connected using field cast joints. However, durability performance of field cast connections is not encouraging. Hence, continuous monitoring of …

Efficacy Of A Ternary Blend In Improving Bridge Deck Concrete Durability In Tennessee, Robert Clark Nidiffer

Masters Theses

A study related to the durability of bridge deck concrete in the state of Tennessee has been ongoing at the University of Tennessee (UT) for the past decade. The most recent phase of this research was begun in the fall of 2009 with a focus on developing assessment criteria and methodology to assess the durability of bridge deck concrete in the state of Tennessee. The methodology that was used to assess the durability of Tennessee bridge deck concrete was to determine the concrete’s resistance to chloride ion penetration by way of two test methods, the Surface Resistivity (SR) test and …

Regression-Based Prioritization And Data Modeling For Customized Civil Engineering Data Collection, Omar Kanaan

Masters Theses

Civil engineers frequently face the challenges of acquiring sufficient data to satisfy the informational needs of various decision making scenarios having time, budget, and resource constraints. This thesis focuses on exploring how statistical analysis of historical data sets can be used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future data collection activities in transportation engineering and construction project control. Pearson's correlation, multiple regression, Akaike information criterion, and Bayesian information criterion are applied to two cases of data collection and analysis to understand the relative importance of various parameters within each case. Case I analyzes National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data to …

A Benefit Cost Model For Traffic Incident Management, Sam Dallas Moss

Masters Theses

Every day, non-recurring incidents cause delay on major roadways and cost the public valuable time and, hence, money. Some public agencies have systems that help them to identify and mitigate the problems associated with incidents such as delay. These systems are referred to as Traffic Incident Management systems. Many different agencies have searched for a way to quantify the benefits that these programs provide. This thesis details how a model was developed to help these agencies easily quantify the benefits that can be derived from saving delay through efficient incident management. This model uses real traffic data collected by roadway …

Effect Of Side Edge Distance And Concrete Materials On Corrosion In Precast Prestressed Concrete Panels, Dayi Zhang

Masters Theses

"This study involved the spalling problem found in some partial-depth precast prestressed bridge decks in the state of Missouri. Recently, panels of several bridges have exhibited corrosion of the prestressing steel tendons causing concrete spalling at the edges of panels. Some of the exposed tendons are corroded to the point of rupture. The effect of factors, namely concrete side edge distance and concrete material type, on steel corrosion in chloride-contaminated reinforced concrete was investigated in this study. Wet-dry cycle tests and accelerated corrosion tests were carried out on sixty-three specimens designed with three different side edge distances and three different …

Hardened Mechanical Properties And Durability Performance Of Specialized Concretes, Kyle Richard Holman

Masters Theses

"Concrete is one of the most produced and utilized materials in the world. Due to the labor intensive and time consuming nature of concrete construction, new and innovative concrete mixes are being explored. Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is one such method of improving the overall cost and time efficiency of concrete production. SCC is a highly flowable form of concrete. This characteristic drastically reduces the amount of labor and time needed to place the concrete. The highly flowable nature also allows for much easier placement in applications of highly congested reinforcement.

Another rising concern in today's construction industry is environmental responsibility. …

Self-Consolidating Concrete For Infrastructure Elements Shear Characteristics, Eric B. Sells

Masters Theses

"Because of its unique ability to maintain high flow-ability and remain homogeneous, self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has the potential to significantly reduce the costs associated with civil infrastructure; however, the use of higher paste and lower coarse aggregate volumes than non-SCC concretes raises concerns about shear strength of SCC mixes. This research focused on the components that contribute to the concrete's ability to provide shear by aggregate interlock. Variables investigated by push-off tests included concrete compressive strength, coarse aggregate type , and volumetric content level of the coarse aggregate portion . Post-failure digital imaging software was used to confirm fresh concrete …

Driver Mandatory Lane Change Behavior: Use Of Governing Gap In Critical Gap Estimation, Srinadh Kandada

Masters Theses

"This study analyzed the driver gap acceptance and rejection behavior during mandatory lane changes on a multilane freeway in congested and uncongested traffic conditions. During a lane change, drivers were more receptive to either the leading or the trailing gaps with vehicles in the target lane which governed the drivers' lane change and is termed as the governing gap. Drivers maneuvered till the governing gap was greater than the critical gap, accepted the gap and made a lane change. In this process, drivers reduced the non-governing gap to increase the length of the governing gap. The drivers as a result …

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 …

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 …

Bond Behavior Of High-Volume Fly Ash And Self-Consolidating Concrete, Trevor Jay Looney

Masters Theses

"The main objective of this study was to determine the effect on bond performance of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete and self-consolidating concrete (SCC). The HVFA concrete test program consisted of comparing the bond performance of two concrete mix designs with 70% cement replacement with Class C fly ash relative to a Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) standard mix design. The SCC test program consisted of comparing the bond performance of normal and high strength SCC with their respective MoDOT standard mix designs.

Two test methods were used for bond strength comparisons. The first was a direct pull-out test based …

Investigation Of The Effects Of Shrinkage, Creep, And Abrasion On Self-Consolidating Concrete And High Volume Fly Ash Concrete For Use In Transportation Related Infrastructure, Brian Timothy Tucker

Masters Theses

"Concrete specimens were fabricated for shrinkage, creep, and abrasion resistance testing. Variations of self-consolidating concrete (SCC), high volume fly ash concrete (HVFA), and conventional concrete were studied. The results were compared to previous similar testing programs and used to determine the adequacy of the materials for use in practice. These two concrete variations offer significant benefits when used as replacements to conventional concrete. Because of the respective properties of both types of concrete, both economic and environmental benefits are achieved with the use of both. The lower labor costs of SCC and the lower material cost of HVFA lead to …

Effects Of High Volume Fly Ash And Powder Activators On Plastic And Hardened Concrete Properties, Drew Alexander Davis

Masters Theses

This study was performed to examine the effects of high volumes of Class C fly ash modified by powder activators upon the plastic and hardened properties of concrete. In a companion study, five Missouri area cements and five Class C fly ashes were examined for incompatibilities, with the most and least reactive combinations being scaled up to full scale concrete testing. Two baseline concrete mixtures were examined, the only difference in mixtures being the sources of portland cement and fly ash. Fly ash replacement was examined at 50% and 70% replacement (by total cementitious mass). Three powder activators were used …

Behavior Of Staged Externally Bonded Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Sheets For Improved Ductility, Laura Marie Rathe

Masters Theses

"Fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) has become increasingly used for the retrofit of aging structures for increased lifespans and for the rapid repair of damaged structures. It has many advantageous such as ease in rapid installation, high strength-to-weight ratio, and corrosion resistance. The main disadvantage of the material is brittle behavior with little warning of impending failures. The main objective of this study is to develop a new system of FRP that exhibits a more ductile behavior. To achieve this objective, separate sheets of FRP were applied at various staged levels and thus engaged at different loads. Ductile behavior was evaluated …

Bond, Transfer Length, And Development Length Of Prestressing Strand In Self-Consolidating Concrete, Krista Beth Porterfield

Masters Theses

"Due to its economic advantages, the use of self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has increased rapidly in recent years. However, because SCC mixes typically have decreased amounts of coarse aggregate and high amounts of admixtures, industry members have expressed concerns that the bond of prestressing strand in SCC may be compromised. While the bond performance of prestressing strand in a new material such as SCC is an important topic requiring investigation, the results are only applicable if the research is completed on strands with similar bond quality as the strands used in the field. Therefore, the objectives of this research program were …

Effects Of High Volumes Of Fly Ash On Cement Paste, Karl Wehking Beckemeier

Masters Theses

"The study of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete mixtures has become popular due to the significant environmental and economic benefits which the material may provide. By including fly ash at 50 percent or greater replacement levels, substantial benefits could be obtained. However, the inclusion of fly ash can have negative effects, including incompatibilities between constituents of a mixture. As the fly ash replacement level increases, the degree and likelihood of these problems increases.

In this study, paste mixtures were made, as part of a larger HVFA concrete study, in order to determine the degree to which varying levels of fly …