Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of Varying Amounts Of Sandstone On The Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures In Arkansas, David Murphy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There are many different species and subspecies of aggregate used across the state of Arkansas, and the rest the country. However, it cannot be presumed that the amount and type of these aggregates will be compatible with the commonly used asphalt binder of an area; this can lead to performance issues and premature pavement damage. It has been suspected in Arkansas that an excessive amount of sandstone in asphalt mixtures may be a culprit of some of these premature pavement damage issues, especially regarding the moisture susceptibility of a pavement. This study aimed to analyze the performance effects of using …

Impact Of New Generation Wide-Base Tires On Fuel Consumption, Izak M. Said, Egemen Okte, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study combined multiple approaches to evaluate the structural and economic impact of using new-generation wide-base tires (NG-WBT) in New Brunswick, Canada. A three-dimensional finite-element model of a typical pavement structure used in New Brunswick was used to predict critical pavement responses. The model includes measured tire-pavement contact forces among other variables overlooked in conventional flexible pavement analysis approaches. Using the model output, regression analysis was performed to predict the responses under various loadings to avoid performing the time-consuming finite-element analysis. Eight-year weight-in-motion data and critical pavement responses were used in transfer functions to predict pavement damage and the corresponding …

Effect Of Modified Moisture Barrier In Mitigating Pavement Distresses Due To Expansive Subgrade, Pratibha Pandey

Civil Engineering Dissertations

Surficial distresses in roadways of Texas are very common due to presence of high plastic clayey soil in the subgrade. Increased sensitivity of high plastic clay towards seasonal moisture change results in repeated swelling and shrinkage, and ultimately the development of pavement cracks. Annual expenses of such distresses impose huge financial liability to maintenance authorities. Studies have indicated rainwater intrusion into underlying expansive subgrade soil coupled with inadequate drainage as the main cause of pavement damage in semi-arid regions. The inability of drainage layer to laterally drain the excess moisture may lead to moisture accumulation within the base layer which …

Green Up Pavement Rehabilitation Design Tool, Dragos Andrei, Robert E. Kochan, Jose H. Perez

Mineta Transportation Institute

While designers produce pavement rehabilitation recommendations every day, for projects of all sizes, most designers have little information on the environmental impact of their recommendations. This research developed a new decision tool, called the “Green Up Pavement Rehabilitation Design Tool,” to allow the comparison of different rehabilitation solutions in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and to encourage sustainable practices such as materials recycling and the use of permeable, cool, and quiet pavement surfaces. The project aligns with the major goal of California Senate Bill 1, which is “to address deferred maintenance on the state highway system and the local street …

Development Of Geopolymer-Based Cement And Soil Stabilizers For Transportation Infrastructure, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 18CTAM03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geopolymer Cement (GPC) has drawn much attention in the recent years as an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for soil stabilization, pavements, bridges and other transportation structures due to their good mechanical properties in comparison to OPC. In addition, GPC can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions of waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay), thereby significantly reducing CO2 production associated with processing of OPC. As such, GPC proves to be a more sustainable and …

Development Of Geopolymer-Based Cement And Soil Stabilizers For Transportation Infrastructure, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Publications

Geopolymer Cement (GPC) has drawn much attention in the recent years as an alternative to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for soil stabilization, pavements, bridges and other transportation structures due to their good mechanical properties in comparison to OPC. In addition, GPC can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions of waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay), thereby significantly reducing CO2 production associated with processing of OPC. As such, GPC proves to be a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative than OPC. This research explores methods to develop GPC with desired properties and evaluate their …

Effect Of Modified Moisture Barriers On Slopes Stabilized With Recycled Plastic Pins, Anuja Sapkota

Civil Engineering Dissertations

High plasticity expansive clayey soils are prone to repeated swelling and shrinkage due to cyclic climatic variations. These variations lead to desiccation cracks that act as pathways for rainfall intrusion into the slope, and lead to increased moisture content. The increase in the moisture content of the soil generates considerable hydrostatic pressure, which can cause pavement distress and shallow slope failure. Previously, failed slopes in North Texas were repaired by the UTA research team using only recycled plastic pins, which increase the stability of the slope but do not improve the performance of the pavement shoulder or limit the intrusion …

Impacts Of Moisture On Asphalt Properties, Zahid Hossain

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BASU03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Stripping related moisture damage has been recognized as one of the major pavement distresses since the early 1990s. The main objective of this study is to establish an effective test protocol to quantify moisture susceptibility of asphalt pavements. To this end, selective test methods (Texas Boiling test, Tensile Strength Ratio, Retained Stability, and Hamburg Wheel Test), and procedures based on surface chemistries and molecular-level mechanistic properties have been investigated in this study. Firstly, a comprehensive list of literature related to moisture damage …

Novel Infrastructure Monitoring Using Multifaceted Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems - Close Range Photogrammetry (Uav - Crp) Data Analysis, Surya Sarat Chandra Congress

Civil Engineering Dissertations

Remote sensing is a method of collecting data without making any physical contact with the object under inspection. Modern day remote sensing kicked off with the invention of the camera and continued on to the invention of advanced satellite mounted sensors. Photogrammetry is defined as a science that measures distances using one or more images captured remotely. Remote collection of images within a range of 1000 ft is termed close-range photogrammetry (CRP). Unmanned aerial vehicle systems (UAV or UAS) have become a popular means of remotely gathering information and assessing infrastructure conditions due to their versatile nature. Multirotor and fixed-wing …

A Novel Concrete-Based Sensor For Detection Of Ice And Water On Roads And Bridges, Habib Tabatabai, Mohammed Aljuboori

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Articles

Hundreds of people are killed or injured annually in the United States in accidents related to ice formation on roadways and bridge decks. In this paper, a novel embedded sensor system is proposed for the detection of black ice as well as wet, dry and frozen pavement conditions on roads, runways, and bridges. The proposed sensor works by detecting changes in electrical resistance between two sets of stainless steel poles embedded in the concrete sensor to assess surface and near-surface conditions. A preliminary decision algorithm is developed that utilizes sensor outputs indicating resistance changes and surface temperature. The sensor consists …

Development Of Adjustment Factors For Mepdg Pavement Responses Utilizing Finite-Element Analysis, Osman Erman Gungor, Imad L. Al-Qadi, Angeli Gamez, Jaime Hernandez

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) provides theoretically superior methodology, as compared with its predecessor, for the design and analysis of pavement structures. The mechanistic part refers to simulating pavement–tire interaction to calculate critical responses within pavement. The empirical part means prediction of pavement distress propagation over time using transfer functions that link a critical pavement response to a particular pavement distress. The mechanistic part of MEPDG simulates tire–pavement interaction in three steps: subdivision of pavement layers; complex modulus calculation at the middepth of each sublayer, considering velocity and temperature; and running the multilayered elastic theory (MLET) software, …

Development Of A Wireless Mems Multifunction Sensor System And Field Demonstration Of Embedded Sensors For Monitoring Concrete Pavements, Halil Ceylan, Liang Dong, Shuo Yang, Yueyi Jiao, Sunghwan Kim, Kasthurirangan Gopalakrishnan, Peter Taylor, Seval Yavas

Liang Dong

Pavements tend to deteriorate with time under repeated traffic and/or environmental loading. By detecting pavement distresses and damage early enough, it is possible for transportation agencies to develop more effective pavement maintenance and rehabilitation programs and thereby achieve significant cost and time savings. The structural health monitoring (SHM) concept can be considered as a systematic method for assessing the structural state of pavement infrastructure systems and documenting their condition. Over the past several years, this process has traditionally been accomplished through the use of wired sensors embedded in bridge and highway pavement. However, the use of wired sensors has limitations …

Performance Of Cement Treated Recycled Aggregates Under Wetting-Drying Cycles In Pavement Base, Saif Bin Salah

Civil Engineering Theses

Resilient Modulus (MR) is one of the most important stiffness parameter to determine the thickness of a pavement layer (AASHTO 2003 pavement design guideline). Recent studies conducted by researchers on the variability of MR with wetting-drying (WD) and freeze-thaw (FT) cycles show that long-term durability is an important criterion to be considered in designing pavement base with recycled materials. At present, the design procedure does not consider the effect of deterioration of pavement layers due to seasonal variations and limited studies have been conducted to evaluate the effect of environmental deterioration on the reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and recycled crushed …

Innovating Two-Stage Concrete With Improved Rheological, Mechanical And Durability Properties, Manal F. Najjar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Two-stage concrete (TSC), also known as preplaced aggregate concrete, is a special type of concrete that is produced using a unique procedure which differs from that of conventional concrete. TSC is distinguished by its high coarse aggregate content and exceptional placement technique, whereby aggregates are first pre-placed in the mold then injected with a special grout. The preplacement of aggregates saves substantial energy since only the grout needs mechanical mixing; the grout is self-leveling and needs no vibration and no mechanical compaction. However, TSC applications are still limited despite substantial advancement of modern concrete technology. Therefore, there is a need …

Approximation Assessment Of Photocatalytic Air Cleaning Pavements, James E. Alleman, Joel K. Sikkema, Peter C. Taylor

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

This paper examines an approximation method to qualitatively assess the air-cleaning performance (i.e., specifically the elimination of aerial nitrogen oxide, NO, released within vehicular exhaust) by full-scale pavements which contain photo-catalytically reactive titanium dioxide under optimal conditions. Two hypothetical road configurations were considered using this method, including both a two-lane, low traffic density (i.e., 4,000 full-day AADT) and a four-lane, moderate traffic density (i.e., 10,000 full-day AADT) design. These options were then comparatively examined on the basis of expected European Union or United States vehicular emission levels. In each case, this method’s day-time-only percentile elimination approximation results were derived using …

The Effective Use Of Coal Combustion Products (Ccps) In Ashphalt Pavements, Clayton J. Cloutier

Theses and Dissertations

Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) is one of the most widely used construction materials. The National Asphalt Paving Association (NAPA) estimated that there are over 2.6 million miles of roadway surfaces paved in the United States and 94% of these roads are paved with asphalt. NAPA also estimates that approximately 550 million tons of asphalt worth over $30 billion a year is produced in the United States. At such a huge production rate, innovative solutions need to be developed so that asphalt pavements last longer and can also reduce the production and maintenance costs. Producing sustainable asphalt materials can provide for improved …

Case Studies In Implementing Intelligent Compaction In Construction Of Earthwork, Jorge Alberto Beltran

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The nuclear density gauge (NDG) is the current tool for field compaction quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) for soil and base layers in the state of Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) uses this nondestructive testing (NDT) device to determine the compacted density and moisture content of earthwork and unbound aggregates. However, to provide the missing link between design and quality management parameters, an alternative stiffness-based approach would be more desirable. Intelligent Compaction (IC) is defined as continuous assessment of mechanistic soil properties (stiffness, modulus) through roller parameters (frequency, amplitude and speed) integrated with global positioning system …

A Decision Making Approach For Selection Of Sustainable Pavements In Texas By Integrating Life Cycle Cost Analysis (Lcca), Life Cycle Assessment (Lca) Of Environmental And Social Impacts, Sundeep Inti

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A sustainable pavement can be defined as the one that minimally impacts future economic opportunities, social conditions, human health, and the environment and still fulfills the engineering objectives. Although a pavement as outlined above is not yet entirely feasible, continual effort from every stakeholder with a vision of achieving sustainable development is essential for the future of society. In this study, one such effort was initiated by proposing a framework for selection of pavement design based on sustainable development.

The concept of sustainability is widely believed to be founded on three criteria: economic, environmental, and social standards. Since the purpose …

Integrating Pavement Crack Detection And Analysis Using Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Imagery, Patrick J. Grandsaert

Theses and Dissertations

Efficient, reliable data is necessary to make informed decisions on how to best manage aging road assets. This research explores a new method to automate the collection, processing, and analysis of transportation networks using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Computer Vision technology. While there are current methodologies to accomplish road assessment manually and semi-autonomously, this research is a proof of concept to obtain the road assessment faster and cheaper with a vision for little to no human interaction required. This research evaluates the strengths of applying UAV technology to pavement assessments and identifies where further work is needed. Furthermore, it validates …

Evaluation Of Oxidization Of Crumb Rubber-Modified Asphalt During Short-Term Aging, Amir Ghavibazoo, Magdy Abdelrahman, Mohyeldin Ragab

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt binder is subjected to aging during the construction process and service life of pavement. Aging substantially changes the chemical composition and physical properties of asphalt and leads to premature distresses on pavement. It is speculated that crumb rubber modifier (CRM) reduces the susceptibility of asphalt to aging, but its mechanism is not fully understood. Also, the impact of interaction parameters and exchange of components on the aging behavior of a crumb rubber-modified binder is not fully understood. In this study, the effect of CRM on the short-term aging of asphalt was investigated through an analysis of the distinctions between …

Effects Of Aggregate Gradation On The Physical Properties Of Semiflexible Pavement, Hilmi Mahmud

Hilmi Mahmud

Semiflexible pavement (SFP), a composite pavement, is formed by filling into a very open porous asphalt skeleton a specifically designed water consistency fluid mortar with a very high early and 28-day strength. The amalgamation of both components will produce a SFP where it will replace the conventional wearing course. The main goal of this investigation is to study the effect of various aggregate gradations towards producing SFP. These include determining the optimum binder, volumetric properties, and durability and strength of each aggregate gradation. The final results were statistically analyzed and two factor variance analyses (ANOVA) were performed to check on …

The Effect Of Loose Mix Aging On The Performance Properties Of Warm Asphalts, Thomas Martin Clements

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Recent improvements in warm mix asphalt technologies have spurred an aggressive adoption of these new practices within the asphalt paving industry. Concerns have arisen among federal and state agencies about the effects of this line of products on the performance of asphalt pavements. An investigation of the effects of lowering mixing, aging and compactions temperatures while varying the loose mix aging time was performed. Hamburg Wheel Tracking, Flow Number, Dynamic Modulus and Fracture Energy testing were used to evaluate mechanistic properties of the materials.

Use Of Eps-Filled Tires As Lightweight Construction Material, Sethapong Sethabouppha

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to study the possibility of recycling discarded automobile tires as a lightweight construction material by injecting expanded polystyrene (EPS) into the hollow space of the tires. The observation from compression tests on used tires revealed that the tread wall of these tires bent toward their own center. This inward deformation should provide confining stress to the contained EPS, and thus the compressive strength of EPS-tire composite was expected to be higher than that of EPS.

To produce EPS-filled tire prototypes for this study, EPS type II, with density of 24 kg/m3, was injected into …

Mid-Panel Cracking Of Portland Cement Concrete Pavements In Indiana, Hung-Ming Chen, Yunus Dere, Elisa D. Sotelino, Graham C. Archer

JTRP Technical Reports

Portland cement concrete slabs are a common form of highway pavements in Indiana. As a result of their widespread use, the economic impact of their maintenance and life span is therefore tremendous. In Indiana, these types of pavements have been experiencing premature random transverse mid-panel cracking. This phenomenon has been observed under a variety of environmental and traffic conditions. Also, it has been found that the cracking occurs in conjunction with the opening of the lanes to traffic, within months of construction. In this project, a research synthesis was carried out to determine exactly what the current state of knowledge …

Implementation Of Alf Results To Designing Flexible Pavements In Louisiana, Ludfi Djakfar

Doctoral Dissertations

The Louisiana Transportation Research Center (LTRC) recently conducted a research effort using the Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF). The objective of the research was to evaluate a limited number of alternative base materials and construction techniques envisioned to provide a significant reduction in the occurrence of shrinkage and reflected block cracking in the cement-stabilized bases. Nine test sections were constructed for this research, using the same wearing course material but having different thicknesses of crushed stone and soil cement bases and subbases. The soil cement base is the most commonly used base material in Louisiana, whereas crushed stone is a preferred …

Micromechanics Of Hot Mix Asphalt Material Formulation And Numerical Simulation, Kuo-Neng G. Chang

Dissertations

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), a highway and airfield pavement material, is heterogeneous, granular, and composite. It is traditionally modeled as a homogeneous material using continuum mechanics or semi-empirical methods. As a result, the above models either neglect or over-simply component reactions, failing to predict field performance problems resulting from particle segregation. This research presents micromechanical modeling, a novel approach that accounts for the components.

A micromechanical model is developed for HMA by modeling it as an assembly of asphalt cement coated particles. The asphalt cement is modeled as a viscoelastic material. To represent asphalt cement, several viscoelastic elements (i.e. Maxwell, …

Synthesis Study On Use Of Concrete Recycled From Pavement And Building Rubble In The Indiana Highway System, Thomas T. Burke, Menashi D. Cohen, Charles F. Scholer

JTRP Technical Reports

The demolition of buildings and highway pavements in the State of Indiana generates a considerable amount of waste materials. The disposal of these materials causes strain on the existing landfills which are rapidly approaching their full capacity. This study is a synthesis of the information on the use of concrete recycled from pavements and building rubble for use in the Indiana highway system. Test results have shown that recycled pavement concrete made chiefly from broken-up and crushed old concrete aggregate is as good as concrete made from virgin aggregate, and sometimes better. The aggregates made from recycled concrete can be …