Engineering Commons^™

Construction And Materials Best Practices For Concrete Sidewalks: Phase Ii - Long-Term Performance And Hot Weather Placement Effects, Kara Peterman, Sergio Brena, Likhitha Rudraraju, Brian Shea

Structural Engineering and Mechanics Research Reports

This report summarizes the investigation of construction practices and materials to develop durable concrete sidewalks which can resist scaling damage caused by exposure to freezing environment and deicer application. Over 16 months, a field study accompanied by laboratory testing was conducted to identify factors that affect the performance and durability of sidewalks. The variables considered for the study are concrete mix design, placement and finishing practices, curing methods, and deicer application. The placement of the sidewalks took place in late July 2021, to investigate the impact of hot weather concreting practices on the performance of sidewalks. Forty-eight sidewalk panels were …

Revised Load Rating Procedures For Deteriorated Prestressed Concrete Beams, Alex Stripsky, Sergio F. Brena, Jessica Boakye, Scott A. Civjan, Simos Gerasimidis

Structural Engineering and Mechanics Research Reports

The first prestressed concrete bridge in the United States was built in the early 1950s. Since then, several typical sections have been developed for use in bridge construction including I-beams, deck slabs, box beams, double tees, etc. In bridges under aggressive environments, corrosion deterioration of prestressing strands and stirrups has occurred creating challenges associated with determining the strength of deteriorated existing bridge sections. The MassDOT LRFD Bridge Manual includes provisions to estimate strength of corrosion deteriorated prestressed concrete box beams allowing engineers to calculate the load rating of these types of bridges. The provisions are based on the observed condition …

Ultra-High-Performance Concrete Reinforced With Multi-Scale Hybrid Fibers And Its Durability-Related Properties, Jianqiang Wei, Sergio Brena, Cameron Ritchie, Hitesh Bhaskar More

Structural Engineering and Mechanics Research Reports

Due to its excellent mechanical properties, dense microstructure, low permeability, ease of placement and volume stability, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is considered the next-generation structural concrete and is increasingly used in transportation infrastructure. While previous research efforts generated valuable results, to achieve the desired performance, UHPC needs to be well formulated with precise and optimized quantities of cementitious materials, fillers, fine aggregate, water, chemical admixtures, and fibers. In addition, the mixture design of UHPC and its correlation with the performance evolution under different curing conditions remain unclear, and there exist critical significant gaps in understanding the efficiency of fibers and …

Influence Of Foundation Damping On Offshore Wind Turbine Monopile Design Loads, Wystan Carswell, Sanjay R. Arwade, Jörgen Johansson, Don J. Degroot

Publications

The dynamic behavior of offshore wind turbines (OWTs) must be designed considering stochastic load amplitudes and frequencies from waves and mechanical loads associated with the spinning rotor during power production. The proximity of the OWT natural frequency to excitation frequencies combined with low damping necessitates a thorough analysis of sources of damping; of these sources of damping, least is known about the contributions of damping from soil-structure interaction (foundation damping). This paper studies the influence of foundation damping on cyclic load demand for monopile-supported OWTs considering the design situations of power production, emergency shutdown, and parked conditions. The NREL 5 …

Breaking Wave Hazard Estimation Model For The U.S. Atlantic Coast, Spencer T. Hallowell

Publications

As offshore wind development is in its infancy along the U.S. Atlantic Coast challenges arise due to the effects of strong storms such as hurricanes. Breaking waves on offshore structures induced by hurricanes are of particular concern to offshore structures due to high magnitude impulse loads caused by wave slamming. Prediction of breaking wave hazards is important in offshore design for load cases using long mean return periods of environmental conditions. A breaking wave hazard estimation model (BWHEM) is introduced that provides a means for assessing breaking hazard at long mean return periods over a large domain along the U.S. …

Construction And Materials Best Practice For Concrete Sidewalks, Sergio F. Brena, Kara Peterman, Rhyan Sullivan

Structural Engineering and Mechanics Research Reports

This report summarizes an 18-month effort to investigate best practices to incorporate into the materials and construction of concrete sidewalks to mitigate surface scaling damage induced by freeze-thaw cycles in the presence of deicing chemicals. The study involved an in-situ experimental study accompanied by laboratory testing and quantitative analyses to determine key factors that impact sidewalk performance and durability. The primary variables considered in the study were concrete mixture design (aggregate/paste optimization, air content, and cementitious material replacements), workmanship (delivery, placement, finishing, curing), and deicing treatment. The collective effort involved participants from construction companies, a concrete producer, academia, testing laboratories, …

Estimation Of Suspended Sediment Concentration From Remote Sensing And In Situ Measurement Over Lake Tana, Ethiopia, Zelalem R. Womber, Fasikaw A. Zimale, Mebrahtom G. Kebedew, Bekalu W. Asers, Nikole M. Deluca, Christian D. Guzman, Seifu A. Tilahun, Benjamin F. Zaitchik

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publication Series

Discharge from basins joining a lake is the main factor determining the lake volume and sediment inflow to the lake. Suspended sediment is an important parameter for describing the water quality of aquatic ecosystems. Lake Tana is an important and the largest lake in Ethiopia for the local ecological system. However, environmental change and anthropogenic activities in the area threaten its water quality. The conventional methods of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) observation are unable to determine and compare spatial and temporal SSC patterns for the lake over a period of years. Remote sensing methods have made it possible to map …

River And Stream Power Assessment Report Including Culvert And Bridge Vulnerability Analysis: Deerfield River Basin, Massachusetts And Vermont, James G. Macbroom, Roy Schiff, Jessica Louisos

Water Reports

This geomorphic assessment of Deerfield River in western Massachusetts and southern Vermont has been prepared by Milone & MacBroom, Inc. (MMI) on behalf of the University of Massachusetts as part of its "Farms, Floods, and FGM" project, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture National Integrated Water Quality Program(USDA – NIFA NIWQP) program. This project is a broad-based geomorphic assessment of the Deerfield River and its adjacent riparian corridor to define its characteristics, processes, and management issues. The river channel is used extensively for hydroelectric power generation and recreation, with agricultural …

Socioeconomic Assessment Of The Epic Sustainable Road Infrastructure Program In Nepal, Maria Fernandez, Trista Ristvedt

School of Public Policy Capstones

Roads are being constructed in rural Nepal at a rapid pace. Due to a number of factors many of these roads are poorly built, often without any oversight or planning provided by an engineer; this causes a multitude of problems including roads that are not safe to travel in the rainy season, and damages to property and agricultural lands due to risk of landslide and increased erosion. IUCN's EPIC project in Nepal is intended to showcase an attainable option for local communities to construct and repair roads in such a way to improve their reliability and safety, while also decreasing …

The Effect Of Immediate Saline Water Curing On The Strength, Composition, And Microstructure Of Geopolymer Cement, Lindsay Duran

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

The low durability and low resistance of ordinary Portland cement led to an investigation into the viability of geopolymer cement as an alternative to well cement for soil improvement in saline environments and well cement in offshore drilling and carbon sequestration projects. This thesis presents the results of a laboratory investigation into the effect of immediate saline water curing on the strength, composition, and microstructure of geopolymer cement. The experimental program began with preliminary work in designing adequate geopolymer cement and developing a curing environment that simulates offshore or underground conditions and facilitates immediate curing of cement specimens. Pure geopolymer …

Investigation Of Installation Torque And Torque-To-Capacity Relationship Of Screw-Piles And Helical Anchors, Mark Ruberti

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

Installation torque has been used in the design of helical anchors (Screw-Piles) since the late 1960s. KT factors released by the manufacturer relating ultimate capacity of Screw-Piles to installation torque allow engineers to calculate a design installation torque which is necessary to achieve the design capacity in the field. These KT factors have been based on shaft geometry alone (Hoyt and Clemence 1989). Recent full-scale uplift tests in both clay and sand have shown that the traditional methods of analysis for estimating uplift capacity based on microscale tests are not representative of macroscale behavior. A soil wedge does not fully …

Older Driver Simulator Based Intersection Training: The Evaluation Of Training Effectiveness And Simulator Sickness, Craig Schneider

Transportation Engineering Masters Projects

Older drivers are over involved in intersection crashes. The evidence to date suggests that this is primarily because they fail to look for potential threat vehicles after they enter a stop-controlled intersection. These secondary glances are absolutely critical when the built or natural environment obscures such vehicles while the driver is stopped before entering the intersection. Simulator-based older driver training programs exist which double the frequency of secondary glances that older drivers take up to two years after training. However, almost 40% of those who participate in such training never finish because of Simulator Adaptation Syndrome (SAS, or “simulator sickness”). …

Umass Amherst Campus-Wide Hardscape Condition Assessment 2014, Joseph Wanat

Campus Planning Master Plans

The UMass Amherst Campus-Wide Hardscape Condition Assessment conducted by VHB / Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. assessed the condition of all UMass hardscapes - roads, parking lots and sidewalks – and developed a pavement management database that integrates with GIS and other work management technologies to collect information that can be leveraged for future campus project selection, development, and decision making.

Hydrogeologic Characterization Of A Till Mantled Leaky Fractured Bedrock Aquifer, William Lukas

Geotechnical Engineering Masters Projects

In glaciated areas till can serve as a leaky aquitard for fractured bedrock aquifers. The characterization of a leaky till mantled fractured bedrock aquifer is presented. Multiple high resolution data sets were collected in response to unprecedented changes in the hydraulic head at a research site in eastern Massachusetts. Local scale aquifer and aquitard hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity and storativity values are determined through the analysis of purge recovery tests using Ostendorf and DeGroot (2010) and Cooper et al (1967) theories. The local scale parameters are in turn used to determine large scale aquifer transmissivity and storativity through an analysis of …

Operational And Safety-Based Analyses Of Varied Toll Lane Configurations, Ian A. Mckinnon

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Toll plaza operation is a critical component of roadway operations throughout the United States, as tolls provide both revenue for expansion and opportunity for demand management. Originally cash or physical currency based, tolling has morphed to meet the twentieth century demand in terms of throughput and efficiency in the form of electronic toll collection. Electronic tolling has introduced a new form of driver decision making at toll plazas due to the additional payment choice. Despite the user convenience these facilities provide to consumers, this form of collection has not come without safety and operational concerns. Confusion at the toll plaza, …

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning Studio and Student Research and Creative Activity

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly.

Based on review of climate projections for the …

Vehicle Miles Traveled (Vmt) Fee Financing Alternatives: Lessons Learned And Future Opportunities, Ashley L. Costa

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) today are seeking financing alternatives so that transportation infrastructure investments can become less dependent on the amount of fuel U.S. drivers consume. Because the fuel tax is no longer viewed as a sustainable and stable option, other financing alternatives are being considered. One such alternative includes the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fee. Examples of such VMT fee alternatives include: 1) collection using an onboard diagnostic system (OBD), 2) collection at the fuel pump using an OBD in conjunction with GPS technology, and 3) collection at a vehicle inspection station using the OBD.

This proposed research …

Interfacial Strength Between Prestressed Hollow Core Slabs And Cast-In-Place Concrete Toppings, Ryan M. Mones

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The horizontal shear strength of the interface between prestressed concrete hollow core slabs and cast-in-place concrete topping slabs was evaluated through a set of 24 push-off experiments. The push-off test specimens featured segments of dry-mix and wet-mix hollow core slabs with a variety of surface treatments including machine finished, sandblasted, broom roughened, rake roughened and grouted. A cast-in-place slab was poured on top of the hollow core specimens to form a 15 inch by 15 inch interface between the two materials. Results indicate the average horizontal shear strength of the push-off specimens was 227 psi. Higher shear strength and slip …

New Technologies In Short Span Bridges: A Study Of Three Innovative Systems, Andrew Lahovich

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Short span bridges are commonly used throughout the United States to span small waterways and highway overpasses. New technologies in the civil engineering industry have aided in the creation of many unique designs of these short span highway bridges in efforts to decrease construction cost, decrease maintenance costs, increase efficiency, increase constructability, and increase safety. Three innovative systems, the Integral Abutment Bridge, “Bridge-in-a-Backpack”, and the Folded Plate Girder bridge will be analyzed to study how the bridges behave under various types of loading.

Detailed finite element models were created for integral abutment bridges of varying geometry. These models are used …

Evaluation Of Live-Load Distribution Factors (Lldfs) Of Next Beam Bridges, Abhijeet Kumar Singh

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

A new precast-prestressed cross section was recently developed by a consortium of engineers from the six New England states, New York and members of the northeast region of PCI. The northeast extreme Tee (NEXT) beam is efficient for medium Bridge spans (50 to 80 ft long). Field formwork savings are introduced by having a flange cast integrally during fabrication of the beams at the precasting plant. Job safety is increased because a working platform is created. The flange width of the NEXT Beams can be adjusted during fabrication to accommodate roadways of different widths and skew angles. Because the section …

User Equilibrium In A Disrupted Network With Real-Time Information And Heterogeneous Risk Attitude, Ryan J. Pothering

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The traffic network is subject to random disruptions, such as incidents, bad weather, or other drivers’ random behavior. A traveler’s route choice behavior in such a network is thus affected by the probabilities of such disruptions, his/her attitude towards risk, and real-time information on revealed traffic conditions that could potentially reduce the level of uncertainty due to the disruptions. As the road network’s performance is de-termined collectively by all travelers’ choices, it is also affected by these factors. This thesis features the development of a multi-class user equilibrium model based on hetero-geneous risk attitude distributions and a user equilibrium model …

Evaluating And Modeling Traveler Response To Real-Time Information In The Pioneer Valley, Tyler De Ruiter

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This study used focus groups and surveys to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the Regional Traveler Information Center (RTIC) at UMass Amherst. The evaluation was completed by obtaining the awareness, usage, and perceived effectiveness of RTIC’s information by residents in the Pioneer Valley. It was found that awareness of RTIC is limited due to its lack of advertisement. Usage is focused primarily on its webcams and advisory information. Surveys showed that participants perceive RTIC to be useful, even though they may never have seen the information before (the survey provided a chance for them to become familiar with the service). …

Vibration Reduction Of Offshore Wind Turbines Using Tuned Liquid Column Dampers, Colin Roderick

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are becoming an accepted method for generating electricity. The environmental conditions of offshore locations often impose high wind and wave forces on OWTs making them susceptible to intense loading and undesirable vibrations. One method to reduce system vibrations is through the use of structural control devices typically utilized in civil structures. Tuned liquid column dampers (TLCDs) show great promise in the application to OWTs due to their high performance and low cost. This thesis examines the use of TLCDs in OWTs.

Equations of motion for limited degree-of-freedom TLCD-turbine models are presented. A baseline analysis of each …

Spatial And Temporal Correlations Of Freeway Link Speeds: An Empirical Study, Piotr J. Rachtan

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Congestion on roadways and high level of uncertainty of traffic conditions are major considerations for trip planning. The purpose of this research is to investigate the characteristics and patterns of spatial and temporal correlations and also to detect other variables that affect correlation in a freeway setting. 5-minute speed aggregates from the Performance Measurement System (PeMS) database are obtained for two directions of an urban freeway – I-10 between Santa Monica and Los Angeles, California. Observations are for all non-holiday weekdays between January 1st and June 30th, 2010. Other variables include traffic flow, ramp locations, number of lanes and the …

A Numerical Study On Hydraulic Characteristics In The Ice Harbor-Type Fishway, Seojun Kim, Kwonkyu Yu, Byungman Yoon, Yoonsung Lim

Journal Articles

Recently various types of fishways have been developed and constructed in order to preserve diversity of fish species and restore the riverine ecological system. Some of the fishways in Korea, however, seem to be designed and installed without careful study on their functions and swimming characteristics of target fishes. The present study aims to elucidate proper hydraulic characteristics of the Ice Harbor-type fishway. In the present study, we analyzed the hydraulic characteristics depending on changes in the spans of walls in the Ice Harbor-type fishways, by using Flow-3D, a three dimensional numerical simulation program. Two physical experiments were performed to …

An Application Of Spatially Based Crash Analyses And Road Safety Investigations To Increase Older Driver Safety, Deanna A. Peabody

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Arguably the greatest issue facing the transportation profession is the ability to provide social equity with regards to both safety and mobility given the aging population. Given the overall dominance of the automobile within the transportation system, the ability to provide feasible alternatives is daunting. This fact, when coupled with the well-documented challenges of older drivers, underscores the need for improved safety features and system-wide safety approaches with a focus on the older driver. This paper describes an application of spatial crash analysis and road safety investigations that were employed in Massachusetts with a direct focus on the older driver. …

Evaluating Alternative Toll-Based Financing Approaches: A Case Study Of The Boston Metropolitan Area, Rosaria M. Berliner

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The current condition of the nation’s transportation system is of great concern to State Departments of Transportation. Currently, funds in many state transportation budgets are depleting. Nowadays, State DOT officials together with researchers are exploring various transportation financing approaches and they are considering the utility, merits, challenges, and impacts of these approaches.

A major financing approach being considered relies on the collection of tolls on existing toll roads and on roads on which tolls are not presently collected. Recent technology advancements in Open Road Tolling and All-Electronic Tolling have provided State DOTs with the opportunity to consider expanding the use …

Safety And Operational Assessment Of Gap Acceptance Through Large-Scale Field Evaluation, Steven Maxwell Tupper

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

Given that “driver error” is cited as a contributing factor in 93 percent of all crashes, understanding driver behavior is an essential element in mitigating the crash problem. Among the more dangerous roadway elements are unsignalized intersections where drivers’ gap acceptance behavior is strongly correlated to the operational and safety performance of the intersection. While a basic understanding of drivers’ gap acceptance behavior exists, several unanswered questions remain.

Previous work has attempted to address some of these questions, however to date the research has been somewhat limited in scope and scale due to the challenges of collecting high fidelity gap …

Historic Bridge Evaluation Using Finite Element Techniques, Helena M. Charron

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

The present study examined the application of modern, computer-based analysis methods to two existing historic bridges in Massachusetts. The first bridge featured in this study is the Woronoco Bridge, a reinforced concrete open spandrel arch bridge that was constructed in 1923. It was hoped that a computer-based, parametric study of this bridge would prove it to be deck-stiffened, similar to select bridges of Swiss engineer Robert Maillart. However, the results do not support that there was any intent to reduce bending in the arch as a result of increasing the stiffness of the bridge deck. Instead, the Woronoco Bridge appears …

Route Choice Behavior In A Driving Simulator With Real-Time Information, Hengliang Tian

Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014

This research studies travelers' route choice behavior in a driving simulator with real-time information en-route. We investigate whether travelers plan strategically for real-time information en-route or simply select a fixed path from origin to destination at the beginning of a trip, and whether network complexity and a parallel driving task affect subjects' strategic thinking ability. In this study, strategic thinking refers to a traveler's route choice decision taking into account future diversion possibilities downstream enabled by information at the diversion node. All of the subjects in this study participated in driving-simulator-based tests while half of the subjects participated in additional …