Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Kentucky's Graduated Driver Licensing System, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Lorena C. Steenbergen, Susan H. Pollack, Pamela S. Kidd, Caroline Mccoy

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky's current GDL program, which applies to drivers up to age 18, was enacted in 1996. The program includes a six-month instruction permit for drivers under age 18 (minimum age 16), a restriction on driving between midnight and 6am and a requirement for adult-supervised driving for permit drivers. In addition, there is a six-point limit on traffic violations with a penalty of license suspension for drivers under age 18, a requirement for a four-hour driving safety education class (or driver education course) and a 0.02 ml/dl limit on blood alcohol concentration (continues up to age 21 ).

Objectives: The …

Environmental Management Of Wastes In The Semiconductor And Electronics Industries, Samuel A. Vigil

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The management of wastes in the semiconductor and electronics industries requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers the health and safety of employees as well as the treatment and recycling of waste materials. The manufacturing of semiconductor devices requires the use of many toxic chemicals and gases. Air emissions from manufacturing tools must be carefully monitored both inside and outside of the fabrication facility. Liquid effluents must be collected and pretreated before discharge to local wastewater systems. The subsequent use and eventual discard of electronic devices such as television sets and personal computers by consumers has created a new set of …

Corrosion Of Galvanized Fasteners: Appendix, Steel Framing Alliance

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

Performance Comparison Of A Roundabout Versus Two-Way Stop Controlled (Twsc) Intersections, Deogratias Eustace

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The superior safety record of modern roundabouts is well known in Western Europe, Australia and in most British-influenced countries around the world. The experience from a single modern roundabout installed in the City of Manhattan, Kansas, some three years ago, also shares the same experience. A major study of the performance of Manhattan, Kansas, modern roundabout was conducted at Kansas State University (KSU) and was co-sponsored by Mac-Blackwell National Rural Transportation Study Center, Kansas State University, and the City of Manhattan. The study examined three intersections, one modern roundabout and two Two-Way Stop Controlled (TWSC) intersections with similar traffic conditions. …

Design Methods For Auger Cip Piles In Compression, Giuliana A. Zelada, Richard Wesley Stephenson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Paper Reports on a Study of 43 Compression Load Tests (Five Fully Instrumented) and Ten Pullout Tests of Auger Cast-In-Place (ACIP) Piles in Sand. Eight Design Methods Reported in the Literature Were Used to Predict the Measured Pile Capacities. Ultimate Load Capacities of the ACEP Load Tests Were Determined using Two Different Definitions of Ultimate Capacity and Compared with Predictions. Load Transfer Behavior Was Determined from a Study of the Fully Instrumented Pile Tests and Compared to Predicted Values. Recommendations Are Made Regarding the Design Approach Most Appropriate for These Foundations and the Best Procedure for Estimating Ultimate Capacity …

Simplified Window Glass Design Procedure, H. Scott Norville, Joseph E. Minor

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a simplified window glass design procedure (SWGDP) as an alternative to the comprehensive window glass design procedure described in ASTM E 1300, `Standard practice for determining the load resistance of glass in buildings.' Although ASTM E 1300 provides a technically robust treatment of the strength of window glass and window glass constructions, architects and engineers will find ASTM E 1300 difficult to use. The SWGDP presented herein uses the same failure prediction methodology to characterize the annealed window glass strength that underlies ASTM E 1300. By reducing the number of basic glass strength charts to one, the …

Effects Of Supplemental Viscous Damping On Inelastic Seismic Response Of Assymetric Systems, Cecilia A. Booker, Rakesh K. Goel

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study investigates the effects of supplemental viscous damping on the seismic response of one-story, asymmetric-plan systems responding in the inelastic range of behavior. It was found that addition of the supplemental damping reduces not only deformation demand but also ductility and hysteretic energy dissipation demands on lateral load resisting elements during earthquake loading. However, the level of reduction strongly depends on the plan-wise distribution of supplemental damping. Nearly optimal reduction in demands on the outermost flexible-side element, an element generally considered to be the most critical element, was realized when damping was distributed unevenly in the system plan such …

Another Look At The L'Ambiance Plaza Collapse, Rachel Martin, Norbert J. Delatte

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The collapse of the L'Ambiance Plaza building, under construction in Bridgeport, Conn., in 1987, killed 28 construction workers. A number of concurrent investigations were undertaken to attempt to determine the cause. At least six separate theories were developed. However, a prompt legal settlement kept these investigations from being completed. This paper reviews the collapse and discusses the competing theories. The failure focused controversy on the safety of the lift-slab construction method. Because there is a need in civil engineering education for case studies to illustrate ethical and professional issues as well as technical principles, this paper also addresses these aspects. …

Alternative Principal Components Regression Procedures For Dendrohydrologic Reconstructions, Hugo G. Hidalgo, Thomas C. Piechota, John A. Dracup

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Streamflow reconstruction using tree ring information (dendrohydrology) has traditionally used principal components analysis (PCA) and stepwise regression to form a transfer function. However, PCA has several procedural choices that may result in very different reconstructions. This study assesses the different procedures in PCA-based regression and suggests alternative procedures for selection of variables and principal components. Cross-validation statistics are presented as an alternative for independently testing and identifying the optimal model. The objective is to use these statistics as a measure of the model's performance to find a conceptually acceptable model with a low prediction error and the fewest number of …

Rhizosphere Competitiveness Of Trichloroethylene-Degrading, Poplar-Colonizing Recombinant Bacteria, Hojae Shim, Sadhana Chauhan, Doohyun Ryoo, Kally Bowers, Stuart M. Thomas, Keith A. Canada, Thomas K. Wood, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Indigenous bacteria from poplar tree (Populus canadensis var. eugenei `Imperial Carolina') and southern California shrub rhizospheres, as well as two tree-colonizing Rhizobium strains (ATCC 10320 and ATCC 35645), were engineered to express constitutively and stably toluene o-monooxygenase (TOM) from Burkholderia cepacia G4 by integrating the tom locus into the chromosome. The poplar and Rhizobium recombinant bacteria degraded trichloroethylene at a rate of 0.8 to 2.1 nmol/min/mg of protein and were competitive against the unengineered hosts in wheat and barley rhizospheres for 1 month (colonization occurred at a level of 1.0 × 10⁵ to 23 × 10^{5 …}

Tidal Asymmetry In An Estuarine Pycnocline: Depth And Thickness, Cynthia N. Cudaback, David A. Jay

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tidal variations in estuarine stratification are revealed by the depth and thickness of the density interface. The depth of the interface may be predicted using an inviscid two-layer model that combines baroclinic estuarine circulation with barotropic tidal currents [Helfrich, 1995]. Here we present results from a two-layer model modified to include the effects of bottom friction and interfacial mixing. Modeled layer thickness and speed compare favorably with prior analytic studies [Farmer and Armi, 1986; Pratt, 1986]. We use a bulk Richardson number criterion to estimate the thickness of the pycnocline from two-layer model results; the predicted pycnocline depth and thickness …

A Design Approach For Complex Stiffeners, Andrew T. Sarawit

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

Web Crippling Data And Calibrations Of Cold Formed Steel Members, R. M. Schuster, B. Beshara

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

Performance Of Bridge Decks And Girders With Lightweight Aggregate Concrete, V. 2 Of 2, J. A. Ramirez, J. Olek, Eric Joseph Rolle, Brian Joseph Malone

JTRP Technical Reports

Structural lightweight concrete is a very versatile material and Haydite and Minergy lightweight aggregates can be utilized in the mixture development of concrete for use in girders and decks in bridges. More widespread use of lightweight aggregates (LWA) would result in savings in construction cost due to considerable dead load reduction.

The materials phase of this research study evaluated the fresh concrete properties (slump, unit weight, and air content), the mechanical properties of hardened concrete (compressive strength, tensile strength, flexural strength, static and dynamic modulus of elasticity, Poisson’s Ratio, and temperature development), and durability related parameters (air void distribution, freeze-that …

A Computer Simulation Model For Single-Lane Roundabouts, Hesham Roshdy Elbadrawi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the past three decades, the use of roundabouts has increased throughout the world due to their greater benefits in comparison with intersections controlled by traditional means. Roundabouts are often chosen because they are widely associated with low accident rates, lower construction and operating costs, and reasonable capacities and delay.

In the planning and design of roundabouts, special attention should be given to the movement of pedestrians and bicycles. As a result, there are several guidelines for the design of pedestrian and bicycle treatments at roundabouts that increase the safety of both pedestrians and bicyclists at existing and proposed roundabout …

Direct Displacement-Based Design Using Inelastic Design Spectrum, Rakesh K. Goel, Anil K. Chopra

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Wisconsin - Phase Iii (Final Report), Marquette University, Department Of Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The stratified sample furnished by WisDOT and the participants recruited by the WSRL provided a sample adequate for purposes of fulfilling the objectives of Phase III. The sample as furnished by the DOT was skewed towards better pavement quality based on PDI. However, the sample based on IRI was skewed toward poorer quality pavements. The team believes this shows a balanced sample, and the differences in pavement quality between the two indices are the result of the IRI boundaries for the categories. The categories in the two indices should be in closer agreement, although they measure different characteristics.

Overall, the …

2000 Indiana County Highway Department Wage And Salary Survey, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

Included in this publication are wage and salary figures for the major salaried and hourly county highway positions in Indiana. In addition, the numbers of employees working under each job title are tabulated, and the ratio of total number of employees per mile of county road is displayed. The following series of tables are divided into four categories: administration, maintenance and repair, general and undistributed, and cumulative bridge. The appendix presents the recommended methods for calculating the labor burden for both salaried and hourly employees. Also included are generalized worksheets, which may be copied and used to calculate labor burden …

Computing Optimal Pumping Strategies For Groundwater Contaminant Plume Remediation, Richard C. Peralta, Alaa H. Aly

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Simulation/Optimization (S/0) models can greatly simplify the process of designing remediation systems for contaminated groundwater. We describe some technical aspects of using S/0 models and possible S/0 model formulations for groundwater remediation design. We: discuss some S/0 model optimization algorithms; illustrate simple optimization problem solution; describe two real-world S/0 model applications; and demonstrate S/0 model application under uncertainty.

Analysis Of Traffic Accident Data In Kentucky (1995-1999), Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report includes an analysis of traffic accident data in Kentucky for the years of 1995 through 1999. A primary objective of this study was to determine average accident statistics for Kentucky highways. Average and critical numbers and rates of accidents were calculated for various types of highways in rural and urban areas. These data can be used in Kentucky's procedure to identify locations that have abnormal rates or numbers of accidents.

The other primary objective of this study was to provide data which can be used in the preparation of the problem identification portion of Kentucky's Annual Highway Safety …

Excessive Strand End Slip In Prestressed Piles, Michael F. Petrou, Baolin Wan, Walter S. Joiner, Constantin G. Trezos, Kent A. Harries

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents the results of a research project that investigated excessive strand end slip observed recently in some prestressed piles. From measurements taken in the field, it is apparent that the problem o excessive initial strand slip is independent of pile shape and size. Strand end slip is evident in piles of different manufacturers in different states in the Southeast. Excessive strand end slip was found in both the top and bottom of the cross section of the piles, although the top portion of the cross section generally exhibited much higher initial slip. Several preventive measures can be adopted …

Simulation Of Temperature And Stress Fields During Rcc Dam Construction, Ronaldo Luna, Yongfu Wu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The worldwide experience in the construction of roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams together with the use of numerical solutions, allows the simulation of different scenarios in a computer. It is well documented that thermal control is one of the most important problems for RCC dam construction. The dam temperature changes due to the heat produced by the internal hydration of concrete and the environmental boundary conditions influencing the elastic modulus and creep properties of concrete. The construction process was simulated to study how the temperature and stress change during dam construction. The numerical methodology considers the effect of temperature on the …

Thermally Treated Coal Tar Contaminated Soil As A Concrete Aggregate, Katherine E. Leblanc, John L. Durant, Christopher Swan, Michael J. Weaver, Daniel C. Jansen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The current practice of landfilling thermally treated and untreated coal tar-contaminated soil is expensive, and it is a waste of a potentially useful material and landfill space. A less expensive and possibly more practical alternative is to use coal tar-contaminated soil as an aggregate in concrete. Because little work has been done in this area, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of coal tar-contamination and thermal treatment on the physical properties of soil and the strength of concrete containing contaminated soil as an aggregate. Also assessed was the leachability of coal tar constituents (specifically, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons …

Distoritonal Buckling Of Cold-Formed Steel Columns, Benjamin W. Schafer

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

No abstract provided.

Ccfss Technical Bulletin August 2000, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Technical Bulletins (1993 - 2020)

No abstract provided.

Field Case Histories For Spt-Based In Situ Liquefaction Potential Evaluation, K. Onder Cetin, Raymond B. Seed, Robb E.S. Moss, Armen Der Kiureghian, Kohji Tokimatsu, Leslie F. Harder, Jr., Robert E. Kayen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report provides documentation of the field performance case histories and site response analyses described in the report entitled "SPT-Based Probabilistic and Deterministic Assessment of Seismic Soil Liquefaction Initiation Hazard," by Cetin, et al. (2000).

Table 3-5, taken from that report, summarizes the interpreted field performance case histories from the original database of Seed et al. (1984) that were found to conform to the standards of Data Classes A, B or C, and so were used in the studies of Cetin et al. Table 3-7, also taken from that report, summarizes the cases that were deleted from the overall database …

Bridge Rail Rating Guide, Marc Friedman

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This guide provides criteria and check lists for rating bridge railings, approach rails, tranisitions, and end terminals to be used during a visual inspection of these bridge elements.

Ccfss News August 2000, Wei-Wen Yu Center For Cold-Formed Steel Structures

CCFSS Newsletters (1999 - 2008)

No abstract provided.

2000 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 2000 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 2000 survey continues to document the results after enactment of a statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994. Data were collected at 200 randomly selected sites spread across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering function classification, geographic region, and vehicle miles traveled.

The data show that the usage rate increase found in 1999, after a few years where the rate had remained at a stable level, continued in 2000 to a smaller degree. …

Wavelet-Based Approach For Structural Damage Detection, Z. Hou, Mohammad N. Noori, R. St. Amand

Office of the Dean (CENG) Scholarship

A wavelet-based approach is proposed for structural damage detection and health monitoring. Characteristics of representative vibration signals under the wavelet transformation are examined. The methodology is then applied to simulation data generated from a simple structural model subjected to a harmonic excitation. The model consists of multiple breakable springs, some of which may suffer irreversible damage when the response exceeds a threshold value or the number of cycles of motion is accumulated beyond their fatigue life. In cases of either abrupt or accumulative damages, occurrence of damage and the moment when it occurs can be clearly determined in the details …