Digital Commons Network^™

Computer Model To Select Leed Certification For Building Projects, Ruba Mirghani Mohammed

Masters Theses

According to the US Green Building Council (USGBC) residential and commercial buildings in the United State consume huge amounts of natural resources; pollute the environment, and generate large amounts of waste, all of which affect the environment, economy, public health, and productivity. As a result, USGBC committees developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system to help professionals improve the quality of buildings and lessen their impact on the environment.

The (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a point-based system for certifying the level of a building's sustainability. There are four LEED certification categories: (1) Certified, (2) …

Simulation Based Evaluation Of Parking Facilities, Niru Tiwari

Masters Theses

Transportation facility has emerged as one of the main indicators of a national's prosperity at the advent of 21^st century and is the backbone of American commerce and industry. There are over 600 million motor vehicles that are driven in the world today and the number of cars in use is expected to be doubled in next 30 years. As the number increases, more parking spaces should also be provided; however, it is difficult to supply sufficient parking space due to space limitations. To meet the need, new types of parking and new parking technologies have been introduced. However, …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Unbound Rap As A Pavement Base Material, Wenbin He

Masters Theses

More than 50 million tons of asphalt pavements are milled every year in the United States (Taha 1999). The economical benefit attracts the recycling practice of utilizing RAP as paving materials.

In unbound RAP material, aged asphalt wraps aggregates. It is believed that unbound RAP performs differently from usual unbound material due to the existence of asphalt wrap. In the present study, triaxial tests were conducted for the unbound RAP under different temperatures. In addition, limestone and gravel were tested in order to compare with RAP. The resilient modulus, triaxial static creep behavior and hysteresis loops were obtained to compare …

Integrated Corridor Management: Operational Strategies Under Interstate Diversion Scenarios, Shaun Michael Quayle

Masters Theses

This thesis looks at operational strategies to increase capacity within the context of Integrated Corridor Management (ICM) under a non-recurring Interstate incident scenario. This incident scenario creates lengthy queues and increased delay and travel times on the Interstate, forcing a portion of Interstate traffic to utilize alternate routes throughout the corridor, changing the network traffic patterns. Particular operational strategies are tested under this premise to qualify and mildly quantify the benefits of relaying incident and diversion routing information to corridor drivers, mimicking ITS information dissemination elements such as changeable message signs, highway advisory radio, in vehicle navigation systems and etc. …

Effectiveness Of Alternative Detector Configurations For Option Zone Protection On High-Speed Approaches To Traffic Signals, Jianwen Si

Masters Theses

Safety and efficiency are both prime issues of concern at high-speed signalized intersections. However, although safety problems at high-speed signalized intersections can be mitigated by the application of detector configurations with option zone protection, such configurations can themselves create problems. For example extending the green indication to the maximum time can create max-out situations which terminates the phase without regard for vehicle location. The detector configurations with option zone protection may also produce higher delay times for vehicles on other approaches at the intersection.

In this study, four detector configurations with option zone protection features-- the Single Detector configuration, the …

Use Of A Dynamic Sediment Delivery Model For Watershed Planning In Beaver Creek, Knox County, Tennessee, Shannon Elizabeth Bennett

Masters Theses

Beaver Creek is located in Knox County, Tennessee and is on the 303d list for impairment due to phosphorus, nitrate, Escherichia coli, loss of biological integrity due to siltation, and habitat loss due to impacts from urbanization. The Beaver Creek watershed is rapidly urbanizing, but is still composed primarily of agricultural and forested lands. The watershed also has a large residential area. The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding to the following questions:

• How does sediment yield change in watersheds as a function of urbanization?

• How do sediment yields change in watersheds as a …

Fatigue Characteristics Of Field Hma Surface Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Pavement (Rap), Dragon Vukosavljevic

Masters Theses

The use of the Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixes has existed for sometime. Experience has shown that recycling of asphalt pavements is highly beneficial from a technical, economical, and environmental perspective. Some of the main advantages of utilizing the RAP include conservation of asphalt and aggregate resources, conservation of energy, and reduction of construction costs. This report is mainly focused on field study of fatigue and rheological properties of asphalt mixtures with inclusion of different (0,10,20,30) percent of RAP. The objective of this study is to determine what maximum percent of RAP can be introduced into the Tennessee …

Use Of Busways In Urban Areas, Michael Harris Gallant

Masters Theses

This study reviews Busway technology, the highest form of Bus Rapid Transit, and itsapplications to improve mobility within urban areas. The purpose of this study is to identify the potential benefits of busways as an alternative to costly rail transit. Two case studies were performed for busways in current operation in Miami, FL and Pittsburgh, PA. This study will offer a comprehensive analysis of both busway systems and how they have positively affected important transit corridors in the aforementioned metropolitan areas. This study will also discuss the planning process, guidelines, and design criteria for busway development.

Repair, Inspection And Maintenance Methods Of Steel Bridges, Deepak Koirala

Masters Theses

Transportation infrastructure is the backbone of American commerce & industry at the advent of the 21^st century. Bridges are the key elements of the transportation system of a country. According to National Bridge Inventory 2005, there are approximately six hundred thousand bridges in United States, among them nearly one third of bridges are functionally obsolete. A lack in performance of such structures, with respect to minimum acceptable standards, has direct impact not only on the highway system but also on public safety as well as economic growth. Systematic and well-designed research will provide the most effective approach to the …