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Evaluation Of Performance Graded Asphalt Binder Equipment And Testing Protocol, Michael E. Pumphrey
Evaluation Of Performance Graded Asphalt Binder Equipment And Testing Protocol, Michael E. Pumphrey
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The testing and grading of asphalt cement has progressively changed to meet the demanding needs for quality hot mix asphalt pavements. From October 1987 through March 1993, the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) conducted a {dollar}50 million research effort to improve asphalt pavement technology. The research led to the development of the Superpave(TM) mix design system (Superior Performing Asphalt Pavements) and the Performance Graded (PG) asphalt binder tests and specifications. The Performance Graded asphalt binder specifications were developed to address the shortcomings of the previous asphalt grading systems.;The objective of this research was to critically evaluate the SHRP performance graded …
Simplified Live-Load Moment Distribution Factors For Simple Span Slab On I-Girder Bridges, Wesley D. Hevener
Simplified Live-Load Moment Distribution Factors For Simple Span Slab On I-Girder Bridges, Wesley D. Hevener
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The primary goal of this effort is to identify and assess various methods of computing live load distribution factors and to use the results of laboratory and field tests to compare these methods. It is further a goal of this work to use these methods to perform a parametric study over a wide range of typical slab on steel I-girder bridges to assess the accuracy of both the AASHTO Standard and AASHTO LRFD specifications and to propose an empirical model that correlates better with the analytical results within the range of parameters that are to be studied.;These studies include: (1) …
Standardization Of Test Methods For Property Evaluation Of Frp Bars, Vijay Kumar Tripathi
Standardization Of Test Methods For Property Evaluation Of Frp Bars, Vijay Kumar Tripathi
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The objective of this research is to verify/modify/develop standardized test methods for evaluating mechanical properties of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars by conducting limited complementary tests to determine/verify their mechanical properties. Both short and long-term tests were conducted as a part of this research. Short-term tests included tension, flexure, shear and bond property evaluations. Long-term tests included evaluation of moisture absorption and flexural tests on aged bars. A total of 229 FRP bars with different fibers (carbon, glass and aramid), varying diameters (# 3 to #8) and surface textures (ribbed, sand-coated, and sand-coated with helical wraps) were tested under this …
Crack Detection Technique For Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks, Indumathi Chera
Crack Detection Technique For Reinforced Concrete Bridge Decks, Indumathi Chera
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This study describes the instrumentation and test results of a reinforced concrete bridge deck constructed on 3-span continuous steel girders. The instrumented bridge is located in Evansville, West Virginia at the intersection of US Route 50 East and WV 92 South. An instrumentation system is developed and implemented specifically to measure and monitor the growth of cracks along the wheel path. The system consists of 30 crack-meters embedded in concrete over the bottom layer of the reinforcement. The crack-meter readings are automatically collected every 20 minutes together with the readings from other sensors that were placed in concrete and on …
Dynamic Response Evaluation Of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Bridge Decks And Bridges, Chandra Sekhar Jinka
Dynamic Response Evaluation Of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Bridge Decks And Bridges, Chandra Sekhar Jinka
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composite bridge decks are gaining attention of bridge owners because of their light self weight, corrosion resistance and ease of installation. The lighter weight and lower stiffness of the FRP decks combined with the lower level of damping (than concrete) can lead to excessive deck vibrations and may substantially increase the dynamic amplification of induced stress and deflections. Also, a global NDE technique using dynamic characterization is necessary to ensure the long term performance of FRP bridges. Therefore, an extensive study on FRP decks and FRP bridges is carried out both at laboratory and in the …
Evaluation Of Concrete Median Barrier Delineation Under Poor Visibility Conditions, Kari A. French
Evaluation Of Concrete Median Barrier Delineation Under Poor Visibility Conditions, Kari A. French
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
A nationwide survey, durability test, and visibility test were conducted for concrete median barrier delineation. PENNDOT was encountering with delineators becoming detached due to harsh conditions in the roadside areas, as well as visibility problems in spot locations prone to fog. From the results of the research it was recommended that in areas prone to poor visibility conditions, PENNDOT consider decreasing the longitudinal spacing and providing delineation lower on the barrier than shown in the standards. With respect to the durability, in instances where the "peel-n-stick" delineators are comparable in price to obtaining the delineator and adhesive separately, that special …
Reducing Of Iron Corrosion In Water Pipelines By Hydrogen Addition, Feraih Sh. Alenazey
Reducing Of Iron Corrosion In Water Pipelines By Hydrogen Addition, Feraih Sh. Alenazey
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Water is provided to the citizenry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by the desalination of seawater. The purified water is then transported through extensive pipelines to the cities where it is used. During the process of transport the water becomes polluted with soluble iron.;The corrosion of iron in the pipelines is the result of an oxidation reduction reaction. In that reaction hydrogen ion is reduced and the iron is oxidized. The hypothesis of this thesis is that the electrochemical potential of the hydrogen half-cell reaction can be reduce by dissolution of hydrogen gas in the water. If that value …
Alkaline Durability Tests For E-Glass/Vinyl Ester-Reinforced Polymer With Nanoclay, Shu-Kai Yeh
Alkaline Durability Tests For E-Glass/Vinyl Ester-Reinforced Polymer With Nanoclay, Shu-Kai Yeh
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Two kinds of GFRP (glass fiber reinforced plastics) composite materials were prepared and used in this study. One was E-glass/vinyl ester glass fiber reinforced polymer (plain GFRP) and the other was nano-GFRP prepared with the addition of 1 wt% of CloisiteRTM 10A nanoclay. These samples were aged in an alkaline solution (pH = 13.2) with 3560N (800-lbs), 2225N (500-lbs) and 885N (200-lbs) of sustained load, which were 50%, 31% and 12.5% of the tensile strength, respectively. Time to failure or tensile strength reduction was measured and used to determine durability of the samples in terms of Aging Index, which was …
Evaluation Of 4.75 Mm Superpave Mix Criteria For West Virginia, David Diazgranados Diaz
Evaluation Of 4.75 Mm Superpave Mix Criteria For West Virginia, David Diazgranados Diaz
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The purpose of this research was to evaluate design parameters for 4.75 mm nominal maximum aggregate size mixes, NMAS, in West Virginia. This research was divided in two phases. During Phase I, evaluation of Superpave criteria for 4.75 mm LAMAS mixes, a variety of 4.75 mm NMAS limestone mixes were developed following Superpave methodology for low traffic volume. In Phase II, natural sand evaluation for 4.75 mm mixes; three approved Marshall designs were obtained from the WVDOT. Two of the mixes contained natural sand and the other was a 100 percent limestone mix. The Marshall mix designs were verified and …
Corrosion Of High-Chromium And Conventional Steels Embedded In Concrete, Vijayakumar Nachiappan
Corrosion Of High-Chromium And Conventional Steels Embedded In Concrete, Vijayakumar Nachiappan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Corrosion of steel in concrete structures sometimes led to the unexpected failure of the concrete bridges in United States before their intended service life. High-chromium steel has been developed as a replacement for conventional steel in concrete because it may have a capability to retard the corrosion rate. In the present study, high-chromium and conventional steels were subjected to accelerated corrosion, and compared for their corrosion performance under chloride environment.;Corrosion rates of high-chromium and conventional steel rebars were compared by conducting two studies. One was with concrete blocks and the other was with bare steel rebars. In the former study, …
Flow Characterization Of The Ul Smoke Box And Spot-Type Smoke Detectors, Christopher P. Menchini
Flow Characterization Of The Ul Smoke Box And Spot-Type Smoke Detectors, Christopher P. Menchini
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The scope of this research involves the first known effort at designing a highly detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to characterize the flow fields with the UL Smoke Box and a spot type smoke detector within the test section of the smoke box. The proposed CFD model, designed to reflect the same measured conditions in the UL Smoke Box, was developed and validated through experimental velocity data using laser Doppler and hot-wire anemometry. With excellent qualitative comparisons between experimental and computational results, flow characterization using the laminar flow model available in the commercial software package FluentRTM was sufficiently achieved. …
Influence Of Live -Load Deflections On Superstructure Performance Of Slab On Steel Stringer Bridges, Haiyong Wu
Influence Of Live -Load Deflections On Superstructure Performance Of Slab On Steel Stringer Bridges, Haiyong Wu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
High performance steel (HPS), specifically HPS 70W, was introduced to the bridge market in the United States in the late 1990s. With its added strength, greater durability, and improved weldability, HPS allows engineers to design longer and shallower spans, which may increase the live-load deflections. The AASHTO Standard Specification limits live-load deflections to L/800 for ordinary bridges and L/1000 for bridges in urban areas subjected to pedestrian use. Bridges designed by the AASHTO LRFD Specification have an optional deflection limit. Previous research focused on evaluating AASHTO live-load deflection limits showed that the justification for existing deflection limits was not clearly …
Strengthening Historic Covered Bridges To Carry Modern Traffic, Rex A. Cyphers
Strengthening Historic Covered Bridges To Carry Modern Traffic, Rex A. Cyphers
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The focus of this study was to develop means and methods to strengthen timber superstructural components of historic covered bridges using Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) composite materials. The strengthening methodologies developed during this research project were designed to conform to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. More specifically, tension and bending tests were conducted to establish bond strength of GFRP rebars embedded in wood, and to establish bending strength and stiffness of large-scale beams reinforced with GFRP pultruded plates, and GFRP rebars. The GFRP rebars were developed to be used specifically as reinforcing …
Investigation Of The Applicability Of Neural-Fuzzy Logic Modeling For Culvert Hydrodynamics, Jonathan M. Lester
Investigation Of The Applicability Of Neural-Fuzzy Logic Modeling For Culvert Hydrodynamics, Jonathan M. Lester
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
As a result of an earlier WV DOH study, the idea came to the forefront of using a completely new approach to analyzing the complex subject of culvert hydrodynamics. The literature indicates that there have been no reports of artificial intelligence, to include neural networks, fuzzy logic, or combined neural-fuzzy logic, used to investigate and predict culvert hydrodynamics.;The scope of this dissertation is to investigate the applicability of using neural-fuzzy logic to predict culvert diameters. To analyze these flows, commercial culvert software was employed to account for all types of flow conditions. This included different slopes, lengths, flow-rates, pipe sizes, …
Effect Of Temperature Variations On Premature Cracking Of Dowel Jointed Concrete Pavements, Gergis W. William
Effect Of Temperature Variations On Premature Cracking Of Dowel Jointed Concrete Pavements, Gergis W. William
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Dowel jointed concrete pavements exhibit premature top-down transverse cracking at mid slab leading to a dramatic decrease in pavement service life. In the past, such cracks were attributed to combined stresses caused by the temperature differential through the slab thickness and heavy vehicle joint loading. This reasoning failed to explain transverse cracking of Palmdale, California slabs (developed before opening the pavement to traffic ) as well as the transverse cracks on I-80 in Pennsylvania, USA that appeared after one to two years of construction. In this study nonlinear 3D Finite Element (3DFE) analysis that includes detailed consideration of slab constraints …
Hydrology Of The Beaver Creek Watershed Using The Tr-20 Model And The Hec-Hms Program, Vijayalakshmi Tummala
Hydrology Of The Beaver Creek Watershed Using The Tr-20 Model And The Hec-Hms Program, Vijayalakshmi Tummala
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The proposed alignment of the Appalachian Corridor H section from Davis to Bismarck passes through Beaver Creek watershed, Tucker County, West Virginia, which was heavily affected by the historical mining, deteriorating the water quality conditions of the Beaver Creek. To improve the water quality of Beaver Creek, identification of the sources of impaired waters and the conveyance of these flows into passive treatment facilities for remediation has been proposed. To aid in the design of these treatment facilities, a baseline hydrology description through the hydrologic modeling of the watershed with the aid of rainfall-runoff models was proposed. The watershed modeling …
Acoustic Emission Evaluation Of Frp Composite Specimens In Tension And Bending, Ryan Edward Arnold
Acoustic Emission Evaluation Of Frp Composite Specimens In Tension And Bending, Ryan Edward Arnold
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Fiber Reinforced Polymer composites are relatively new to the bridge construction industry. One of the challenges to greater usage is the lack of a nondestructive method to accurately evaluate them. Nondestructive evaluation of FRP composite structures using Acoustic Emissions was conducted. Seven tension specimens and fifteen bending specimens from three different FRP manufacturers were tested. The hand-laid tension specimens produced at WVU were tested following ASTM D3039. The bending specimens were tested according to ASTM D790.;AE parameters were analyzed, and connections were found between them and the loading quarter of the specimens along with the damage zone of the specimens. …
Evaluation Of Binder Grades On Rutting Performance, Sri Harsha Nallamothu
Evaluation Of Binder Grades On Rutting Performance, Sri Harsha Nallamothu
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Asphalt mixes that have a good history of resisting rutting in posted speed applications may not perform well in intersections, climbing lanes, truck weigh stations, and other slow speed areas. The West Virginia Division of Highways, WVDOH, has implemented the Performance Grade binder specifications for all paving projects and Superpave for high volume road projects. The standard binder specified in the state is a PG 64-22; for high volume roads a PG 70-22 is specified. These binders appear to be working well for most projects in the state. The Superpave guidelines have provision for increasing the binder grade by one …
Performance Of Doweled Concrete Joints Subjected To Fatigue Loading, Appalaraju Vetsa
Performance Of Doweled Concrete Joints Subjected To Fatigue Loading, Appalaraju Vetsa
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Distress in concrete transverse joints is often initiated due to the development of excessive stresses at the dowel/concrete interface. Recent studies indicated the existence of two types of stresses i.e. compressive stresses at the top and bottom of the dowel and tensile stresses at both sides of the dowel bar. These stresses are the primary concern as they are believed to be a major factor for the failure of rigid pavement joints.;Dr. Shoukry invented a new dowel design named shokbar that significantly reduces the magnitude of such contact stresses. The primary objective of this study is to characterize the behavior …
Implementation And Application Of Nde On Ceramic Candle Filters, Alejandro C. Kiriakidis
Implementation And Application Of Nde On Ceramic Candle Filters, Alejandro C. Kiriakidis
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
A nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique has been developed to determine the deterioration and remaining life of full-size ceramic candle filters used at the Power System Development Facility (PSDF) in Alabama. Ceramic candle filters are hollow cylindrical structures made of porous ceramic materials used in advanced coal-fired power generation systems. They protect power plant's gas turbine components from damage due to erosion. In general, advanced coal-fired power systems operational conditions include extreme thermal/pressure environment and vibration-induced stresses over a great period of time. The knowledge of the dynamic behavior of ceramic candle filters is essential and can be used to measure …
Evaluation Of The Effect Of Fines On Asphalt Concrete, Carlos Humberto Reyes
Evaluation Of The Effect Of Fines On Asphalt Concrete, Carlos Humberto Reyes
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Several methods have been developed for determining the quantities of aggregate and asphalt cement used in asphalt concrete. This research consists of the evaluation of the surface area of different aggregates used in the state of West Virginia. This factor is important because the amount of asphalt needed to coat the aggregate depends on the specific surface area of the aggregate blend. The specific surface area of the aggregate blend is usually calculated based on the aggregate gradation and surface area factors.;This research proposes a method to obtain accurate specific surface area factors using the Blaine air permeability apparatus. By …
Durability Of Concrete Beams With Frp Wraps, Woraphot Prachasaree
Durability Of Concrete Beams With Frp Wraps, Woraphot Prachasaree
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This research focuses on the durability of carbon FRP (CFRP) wraps bonded to concrete beams under accelerated and natural aging. Variation in mechanical properties of CFRP wrapped concrete beams due to aging through water immersion, salt and alkaline solution immersion at elevated and freeze-thaw temperature variation are studied. Different parameters evaluated during beam bending tests are: maximum load (moment), deflections, crack width, and deformability factor. Accelerated aging was carried out on 5"x8"x60" wrapped beams under: (1) water immersion at room, 110°F and 140°F temperatures; (2) alkaline and salt solution at room temperature; (3) alkaline and salt solution at freeze-thaw temperature. …
Modular Track Panels For Improved Safety In The Mining Transportation Industry, Donald Sterling Tusing
Modular Track Panels For Improved Safety In The Mining Transportation Industry, Donald Sterling Tusing
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Locomotives and "mine cars" often derail (often two or three times daily) in coalmines causing fatal injuries, fires initiated from sparks during derailment, and costly downtimes. Modular track panels (resembling the ladder track systems used in Japan) were designed and tested for bending behavior and load sharing characteristics, between track modules and also between rails, to improve safety of miners during transportation. Prefabricated track modules made of prestressed concrete and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites were evaluated. Two modular prestressed concrete modules, each 15 ft long, were tested, as well as one set of prestressed concrete half-panels to test the …
Time, Temperature And Frequency Viscoelastic Behavior Of Commercial Polymers, Michael John Julius
Time, Temperature And Frequency Viscoelastic Behavior Of Commercial Polymers, Michael John Julius
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This work involves an experimental investigation of creep behavior of commercial polymers used as encased liners in deteriorated sewer pipelines with emphasis on characterizing the effects of physical aging, temperature, and frequency. The procedure for finding the shift rate, mu, is based on Struik's protocol. Time-temperature superposition (TTSP) of short-term data, at different temperatures, was done. Effective Time Theory (ETT) is used to find the effective time, lambda, as a function of real time, t, from the master curve obtained by TTSP. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) tests were done to get complex relaxation modulus, E*(o), as a function of frequency. …
Trip Generation Characteristics Of Rural Clinics In West Virginia, Andrew Paul Morgan
Trip Generation Characteristics Of Rural Clinics In West Virginia, Andrew Paul Morgan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
With the decreasing number of hospitals in rural areas, more rural clinics are being established to meet the health care needs in rural areas. Rural clinics are small health care facilities that serve the primary care needs of rural areas. There are currently no published trip generation rates available for rural clinics. The only rates available are those presented for "clinics" in ITE's Trip Generation (1997). These rates are based on very small sample sizes and on facilities that do not adequately reflect the traffic characteristics of rural clinics.;Trip generation rates were developed for rural clinics in West Virginia. Traffic …