Engineering Commons^™

“Transport Batteryfication” Analysis Of Pre-Recycling Phases Of End-Of-Life Electric Vehicle Lithium-Ion Batteries From An Irish Perspective, Matt Mcguinness

Masters

Transport plays a key role in maintaining the economic prosperity of our society. However, transport has remained reliant on fossil fuels, a main contributor to climate change. New EU and Government policies aim to decarbonise the transport sector through batteryfication by shifting to electric vehicles. The lithium-ion battery will underpin this strategy.

Lithium-ion batteries have a limited lifespan for automotive applications, this will bring new and unprecedented challenges for end-of-life waste management. The recent growth of electric vehicles is expected to continue exponentially which raises important questions on how to process this new waste stream.

This study investigates the recycling …

Design Mythbusters, Christopher Van Dyke, Steve Waddle, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

When highway project designs depart from design values found in the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) Highway Design Manual and AASHTO’s A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, project managers at the agency must obtain either a design exception or design variance. While designers are more comfortable with exceptions and variances than they were 10 or 20 years ago, some hesitancy remains, especially among the Cabinet’s consultants. Misperceptions about what exceptions or variances entail or about their performance may underlie this reluctance. Exceptions and variances are best conceptualized as formal justifications for design decisions. Project managers merely need …

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2020, Eric Green, Paul Ross, Christopher Blackden, Michael Fields, Kenneth Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635:

“Every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.”

The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth.

Safety Of Vulnerable Road Users (Vru's) In Light-Rail Transit (Lrt) Environment, Samir Ahmed, Rifat Bulut

Publications

Light-rail transit (LRT), which includes modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys, is one of the fastest growing modes of public transportation in the United States. To reduce the cost and complexity of construction, most LRT systems have their tracks placed on city streets, in medians, or in separate at-grade rights-of-way with at-grade crossings. Operating light-rail vehicles (LRVs) along these alignments introduces new conflicts and increases the risk of collisions with vulnerable road users (VRUs) including pedestrians, bicyclists, and electric scooter riders. This study has two main objectives: (1) to review and evaluate the existing body of knowledge and the state …

Quantifying The Mobility And Safety Benefits Of Transit Signal Priority, Md Sultan Ali

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The continuous growth of automobile traffic on urban and suburban arterials in recent years has created a substantial problem for transit, especially when it operates in mixed traffic conditions. As a result, there has been a growing interest in deploying Transit Signal Priority (TSP) to improve the operational performance of arterial corridors. TSP is an operational strategy that facilitates the movement of transit vehicles (e.g., buses) through signalized intersections that helps transit service be more reliable, faster, and more cost-effective. The goal of this research was to quantify the mobility and safety benefits of TSP. A microscopic simulation approach was …

Blacow Road Improvement Plan, Nishita Kandikuppa

City and Regional Planning

Providing safe and accessible entrances to schools, especially elementary, middle, and high schools where children are below the age of 18, should be of utmost priority to cities. Providing wide sidewalks, painted bicycle lanes and continental crosswalks (with the lateral lines) are just basic infrastructure improvements that can be made within the vicinity of a school. However, due to lack of funding or attention from the city departments, many school entryways are being neglected and the direct impact of this is increased collisions among students, drivers, and bicyclists. My senior project studied one such school in Fremont, California where the …

Prioritizing Mental Health Awareness In The Construction Industry, Molly E. Pryde

Construction Management

The construction industry is known as one of the most demanding industries for employees, both physically and mentally. Due to various factors associated with the working conditions and lifestyles of construction workers, the likelihood of mental health challenges amongst this demographic is quite high. Furthermore, industry culture surrounding masculinity poses a barrier to properly addressing the issue. Because of the dynamic and fast-paced work environment, assessing potential risks to protect workers is an integral part of each day on the job site. As a key component in company success and individual well-being, safety has become ingrained in construction culture. However, …

The Benefits And Challenges Of Automation In The Modular Construction Industry, Allen Le

Construction Management

Modular construction combined with automation technology such as robotics presents benefits and challenges associated with it. Modular construction takes on the traditional building methods and has streamlined the production of modules making it safer, efficient, and productive. Along with innovation and cutting-edge technology such as automation, it offers an alternative building method to the modular construction industry that enhances productivity, worker safety, and efficiency. This research presents an investigation on factors that may be benefited from the adoption of automation but also addresses the challenges in modular construction. Qualitative interviews with designers and consultants in the modular industry were conducted …

The Optimization Of Financial Investment In Project Safety Practices, Ryan Stewart Nielsen

Construction Management

This research paper explains the notable benefits to pursing a comprehensive safety plan complete with the most cost-effective safety practices in the industry. Through communication with environmental health and safety professionals within the construction industry, it was determined that certain safety practices are deemed essential on any active jobsite. Enforcing mandatory jobsite safety training to all individuals entering a jobsite serves as the first line of defense when attempting to protect individuals and mitigate risk. This educational and effective safety practice highlights the potential safety concerns of a jobsite while also mitigating contractor liability if an accident were to occur. …

A Case Study On The Ucsf Transplant Center Renovation: Mitigating Covid-19 Risks And Tracking Cost Impact, Alec Steven Woodyatt

Construction Management

At the beginning of 2020, the world was turned upside down at the hands of the global coronavirus pandemic. Today, economies and business are counting the costs and wondering what recovery will look like – how to navigate and adapt to a new style of life after returning from government-mandated lockdowns. The question on everyone’s minds is, “how do we continue to work while keeping people safe?” This question is extremely relevant in the construction industry where, for most people, working from home is not an option. This case study will delve into how Dome Construction, along with their client, …

Workers Head Protection Preferences In Construction, Matthew R. Langbehn

Construction Management

Head injuries are one of the most common ways workers are injured on a construction site, but head protection has not evolved over the last few decades. A new style of head protection, a safety helmet is being introduced to better protect workers, but the new style has not been widely adopted. A survey was conducted to determine workers preferences when choosing head protection and 31 responses were collected. 68% of the respondents currently wear a safety helmet, but 60% of the respondents would choose a traditional helmet if given the choice. 73% workers with more than 5 years of …

Analysis Of Covid-19 Concerns Raised By The Construction Workforce And Development Of Mitigation Practices, Makram Bou Hatoum, Ali Faisal, Hala Nassereddine, Hadi Sarvari

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The coronavirus outbreak has created a global health crisis that has disrupted all industries, including the construction industry. Following the onset of the pandemic, construction workers faced and continue to face unprecedented safety and health challenges. Therefore, construction employers established new safety precautions to protect the health and safety of the workforce and minimize the spread of the virus. The new precautions followed the advice and guidelines offered by different health and safety agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). With construction projects …

Risk And Safety Associated With Hazardous Materials Transport In Rural And Native American Communities: A Case Study Of Thurston County, Nebraska, Sydney James

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Rural counties and Native American Reservations often lack the resources and planning to respond to a hazardous material release which can cause catastrophic results. Many rural counties and Native American Reservations do not have close access to a fire department or medical facility, which would increase response times during a time of crisis. Jurisdiction issues further complicate the matter since Native American Reservations are sovereign nations,.

Thurston County, home to two Native American Reservations, served as a case study to perform a safety analysis for vehicles transporting hazardous material. Stakeholders within the county from tribal, county, and state levels were …

Bilingual Training Course For Redwood Residential Fence Company, Adriana Bernabe Martinez

Construction Management

The Hispanic population has been increasing in the US over the past twenty years, and made up 42.9% of the construction workforce in 2018 (Data USA, n.d.). Because of this population increase, it’s expected that 1 in 4 persons will be of Hispanic descent by the year 2050 (Canales, 2009). Due to this increase, many language barriers exist that can create serious issues in construction. Language barriers cause productivity to decrease and increase concerns for the workers’ safety. Although OSHA trainings are available in Spanish, the opportunity to take these courses vary from company to company and it is rare …

The Use Of Virtual Reality In Construction Safety Training, Matthias S. Guegler

Construction Management

The emergence of virtual reality has seemingly limitless possibilities in the construction industry. One of the most significant applications of this technology in construction, is its use in virtual reality safety training, as it allows for more immersive and retainable training programs. Construction VR training programs have been developed to allow workers to train in a safe working environment and develop the necessary skills in recognizing hazardous jobsite situations. The purpose of this study is to measure the effectiveness and potential of virtual reality construction training as it compares to traditional industry training through attitudinal research. To this end, a …

Common Issues Of Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment For Construction Workers, Alexandra N. Gattuso

Construction Management

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is an essential component to the safety of workers on construction jobsites. Construction is ranked one of the most dangerous industries to work in, with the highest reports of fatal work injuries. For this reason, it is required that construction employees wear PPE to keep them safe during work. Despite this requirement, many workers neglect to wear PPE, exposing themselves to high risk of injury and death. A survey was conducted on thirty-three (33) construction workers in California to gain a better understanding of issues with PPE and reasons for non-compliance. The survey found that only …

Safety Considerations For All Road Users On Edge Lane Roads, Michael Williams, Marcial Lamera, Aleksander Bauranov, Carole Voulgaris, Anurag Pande

Mineta Transportation Institute

Edge lane roads (ELRs), also known as advisory bike lanes or advisory shoulders, are a type of shared street where two-way motor vehicle (MV) traffic shares a single center lane, and edge lanes on either side are preferentially reserved for vulnerable road users (VRUs). This work comprises a literature review, an investigation of ELRs’ operational characteristics and potential road user interactions via simulation, and a study of crash data from existing American and Australian ELRs.

The simulation evaluated the impact of various factors (e.g., speed, volume, directional split, etc.) on ELR operation. Results lay the foundation for a siting criterion. …

Adaptive Signal System Safety Impacts Final Report, Mashrur Chowdhury, Weiman Jin, M. Sabbir Salek, Sakib Mahmud Khan, Katherine Brunk, Patrick Gerard, Nathan Huynh, Mohammad Torkjazi

Publications

The research team conducted a literature review and a nation-wide survey at the beginning of the research. The literature review revealed that Adaptive Signal Control System (ASCS) was effective in reducing crashes in some studies, while in other studies, the crash reduction due to ASCS was not statistically significant. Twenty-eight states participated in the nation-wide survey and helped the research team identify corridor characteristics, such as the design speed and Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) of an ASCS corridor, which would allow for the best operational and safety outcomes. Then, to determine the safety effects of ASCS, the research team …