Digital Commons Network^™

Economic Analysis Of Michigan Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Strategies, Randy José Jorge Díaz

Masters Theses

Transportation infrastructure is an essential component of a nation’s success as it allows efficient transportation of goods to all economic markets, providing economic stability and ensuring trade competiveness. Nearly 70 percent of all of Michigan’s freight is shipped by truck and Michigan is ranked eighth in the USA in terms of the value of its exports with $50 billion per year. Unfortunately, commercial vehicles also contribute to the deterioration of pavement, reducing air quality and potentially influencing road safety. To enforce commercial vehicle laws and regulations, most states utilize fixed weigh stations supplemented with other enforcement strategies. Although fixed weigh …

Virtual Analysis And Evaluation Of Roundabout Safety And Operational Features, Elisha Jackson Wankogere

Masters Theses

Roundabouts can be a solution to safety concerns present at other types of intersections. Recently in the United States, there has been an increase in conversion of problematic intersections to roundabouts to improve their safety. However, it is difficult to make these roundabouts, especially multi-lane roundabouts, safe to all ranges of users. Roundabout features such as advance warning and signage play an important role in determining driver performance as they navigate the roundabout.

This research is an effort to evaluate new and existing roundabout safety and operational features such as signs and pavement markings and how they influence performance of …

Laboratory Investigation Of Type I And Type Ii Hardened Cement Emulsified Asphalt Mortar, Tyler E. Rutherford

Masters Theses

The research presented in this thesis investigated the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of a relatively new construction building material that has been given a lot of attention in the past decade. Cement emulsified asphalt mortar (CEAM) has unique properties that differ from concrete and asphalt binder alone as this hybrid material combines the high strength of portland cement composites and the flexibility of asphalt materials. Functioning as a damping material for ballastless high-speed rail track bed, CEAM has the potential to be utilized in other areas of construction.

The work presented in this thesis is broken down into two studies, …

Development Of Safety Performance Functions For Non-Motorized Traffic Safety, Hamidreza Ahady Dolatsara

Masters Theses

This study investigates the factors which affect the safety of non-motorized transportation within the influence area of intersections to enhance development of safety performance functions (SPFs). The scope of this study is limited to the four Michigan cities of Ann Arbor, East Lansing, Flint and Grand Rapids. Due to the current lack of research regarding the appropriate size of the influence area, this study investigates the distance of crashes relative to the center of 148 intersections to identify the most probable area of influence for different crash types. For motorized and non-motorized crashes, 240 ft. and 137 ft. are proposed, …

Real-Time Hybrid Simulation With Online Model Updating, Adam Mueller

Masters Theses

Hybrid simulations have shown great potential for economic and reliable assessment of structural seismic performance through a combination of physically tested components, called the experimental substructure, and numerically simulated components, called the numerical substructure. Current hybrid simulation practices often use a fixed numerical model without considering the possible availability of a more accurate model obtained during hybrid simulation through an online model updating technique. To address this limitation and improve the reliability of numerical models in hybrid simulations, this study describes the implementation of an online model updating method in real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS). The Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF) was …

Overtime Traffic Enforcement Evaluation: A Methodology For Selecting Agencies And Enforcement Periods, Dario Enrique Romero Santana

Masters Theses

Multiple studies have stated the advantages of police traffic enforcement on crash reduction (Zaidel, February 2002). It is very important to identify locations and time periods where police enforcement produces the greatest crash reductions. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the impact of overtime traffic enforcement on crash occurrence; (2) develop procedures to identify police agencies with potential to reduce targeted crashes; and (3) develop procedures to identify additional time periods in which enforcement activities should be conducted. In order to accomplish these objectives, many methodologies were explored. The study used crash and enforcement data collected by …

Long-Term Evaluation Of Norris Reservoir Operation Under Climate Change, Joseph Patton Rungee Ii

Masters Theses

This study aimed to address the potential long-term effects of future climate change on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) operation policy for Norris Reservoir. The Community Earth System Model 1.0 (CESM1.0), a general circulation model (GCM) accessible through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5), with the Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 (RCP4.5) was used to obtain projected precipitation and temperature data for three future climate scenarios, 2030’s, 2050’s, and 2070’s. Three hydrologic models were individually calibrated on 30 years of observed runoff data and combined utilizing linear programming to consider the strengths of …

A Spatial Analysis Of Streambank Heterogeneity And Its Contribution To Bank Stability, Paul Vanterpool Simmons

Masters Theses

Streambank erosion is a function of fluvial detachment and geotechnical failure mechanisms working in combination to cause bank retreat. It is generally agreed that bank stability is dependent on both types of erosion; however, few studies have attempted to correlate the driving and resisting forces between the two. It has been proposed that: (1) streambanks possess a spatial structure and dependence of non-erodible resistant structures such as root masses and rocks; (2) streambanks naturally “armor” themselves from fluvial erosion with a combination of hard points and resistive soil; and (3) the stability of the streambank can be predicted by the …

Bond Performance Of Recycled Aggregate Concrete, Amanda Renee Steele

Masters Theses

"In recent decades, engineers have sought a more sustainable method to dispose of concrete construction and demolition waste. One solution is to crush this waste concrete into a usable gradation for new concrete mixes. This not only reduces the amount of waste entering landfills but also alleviates the burden on existing sources of quality natural concrete aggregates. The objective of this study was to determine to effect of replacing coarse natural aggregates for recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) on the bond strength between deformed mild reinforcing steel and surrounding concrete. Two different RCA replacement levels were considered, 50% and 100%, and …

Measurements And Transient Multistep Outflow Simulation Of Soil-Water Characteristic Curve For Soils Modified With Biopolymers, Xiaoyi Zhao

Masters Theses

"In recent decades, biopolymers have shown promising applications in soil modification due to its environmental friendly nature. Most of the studies, however, focused on mechanical properties at saturated or unsaturated conditions. The study on unsaturated soil behaviors under controlled pore air and pore water pressures were limited. Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC), relating water content with matric suction is a key property to evaluate unsaturated soils. With SWCC, other soil properties, such as hydraulic conductivity and shear strength can be estimated. In this study, SWCC of sands modified with different biopolymers were measured with both Tempe cell and Fredlund SWCC device. …

Comparison Of Costs Of Personal Protective Equipment For All Workers To Avoid Costs Of Fall Accidents, Sultan Noori Al-Karawi

Masters Theses

"The construction industry is one of the most important industries in the United States. It is the biggest contributor in the growth of the U.S. economy. Despite the great achievements and prominent role for this sector in the U.S. economy, the construction industry is suffering from neglect and dereliction by related government institutions and private companies. This neglect led to formation of a negative image about the construction industry that has caused a deep impact in productivity and economic growth. One of the reasons is a high percentage of accidents that occur within the construction industry which leads to injuries …

Two Driven Pile Load Tests For Use In Missouri Lrfd Guidelines, Matthew Garry Stuckmeyer

Masters Theses

"A static pile load test program was initiated by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to evaluate the use of pile load tests in Missouri LRFD guidelines. The program's approach involves two phases to achieve the appropriate levels of reliability for driven piles in the state of Missouri. This thesis focuses on the data collection efforts of Phase 1. Two quick static pile load tests were performed to failure on test piles in the Southeast Lowlands geologic region of Missouri. The piles were dynamically monitored during installation and subsequent restrike tests performed. The results of the static and dynamic pile …

Shear Behavior Of High Strength Self-Consolidating Concrete In Nu Bridge Girders, Alexander Michael Griffin

Masters Theses

"As the nation's infrastructure continues to age, advanced concrete technologies have been developed to both reduce a structure's costs and increase its life expectancy. Since the early 1990's, self-consolidating concrete (SCC) has been one of these technologies. Many, however, have been reluctant to implement SCC in highway girders due to the mixture constituents. One of these concerns is the reduced content and size of the coarse aggregate. These differences in the concrete potentially hinder SCC's mechanical properties and shear resistance. Additionally, for high strength concretes (HSC) with weaker aggregates, shear cracks tend to propagate through the coarse aggregate, reducing the …

Polyurethane Foam Infill For Fiber Reinforced Polymer (Frp) Bridge Deck Panels: An Evaluation Of Core Alternatives Using Small Scale Experimental Testing, Matthew Scott Hopkins

Masters Theses

"Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) decking is a concept that has been explored in recent decades as one solution to the performance issues of conventional concrete bridge decking. Many sandwich panel designs made of glass reinforced polyester or vinyl ester resin have been well developed, and manufactured using filament winding, hand lay-up, and extrusion methods. The major benefits of these panels was their light weight, corrosion resistance, fatigue performance, and potential for rapid field assembly. However, high initial costs coupled with small state budgets have kept them from main stream adoption. A viable alternative, is a foam/reinforced foam core sandwich panel …

Bridge Deck Condition Assessment Using Destructive And Nondestructive Methods, Brandon Tyler Goodwin

Masters Theses

"This study investigates two bridge decks in the state of Missouri using both nondestructive and destructive testing methods. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is responsible for the monitoring and maintenance of over 10,000 bridges. Currently monitoring of these bridges includes a comprehensive visual inspection. In this study, ground-coupled ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used to estimate deterioration, along with other traditional methods, including visual inspection, and core evaluation. Extracted core samples were carefully examined, and the volume of permeable pore space was determined for each core. After the initial investigation, the two bridges underwent rehabilitation using hydrodemolition as a …