Engineering Commons^™

Optimization Of The Calcium Alginate Capsules For Self-Healing Asphalt, Shi Xu, Amir Tabakovic, Xueyan Liu, Damian Palin, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Featured Application: This self-healing technology for asphalt pavements has the potential to greatly disrupt asphalt production methods (which have been stable over the past 100 years).This paper presents a development process of ‘calcium-alginate microcapsules encapsulating an asphalt bitumen rejuvenator’. The encapsulated rejuvenator is released when required (on demand) which rejuvenates the aged binder. Once crack is initiated and starts propagating it encounters a microcapsule, energy at tip of the crack opens the microcapsule, releasing the rejuvenator (healing agent). The rejuvenator will infuse into the aged binder soften it, allowing to flow, two broken edges to get into a contact ...

Webinar: Modeling Freeway Traffic In A Mixed Environment: Connected And Human-Driven Vehicles, Xianfeng Terry Yang

TREC Webinar Series

Although connected vehicles (CVs) will soon go beyond testbeds, CVs and human-driven vehicles (HVs) will co-exist over a long period. Hence, it is critical to consider the interactions between these two types of vehicles in traffic flow modeling. In this study, we aim to develop a macroscopic model to understand how CVs would impact HVs in the traffic stream. Grounded on the second-order traffic flow model, we study the relationships among flow, density, and speed by two sets of formulations for the groups of CVs and HVs, respectively. A set of friction factors, which indicate CVs' impact to HVs, are ...

Pedestrian Safety -- Fundamental To A Walkable City, Joshua Herrera, Patrick Mcdevitt, Preeti Swaminathan, Raghuram Srinivas

SMU Data Science Review

In this paper, we present a method to identify urban areas with a higher likelihood of pedestrian safety related events. Pedestrian safety related events are pedestrian-vehicle interactions that result in fatalities, injuries, accidents without injury, or near--misses between pedestrians and vehicles. To develop a solution to this problem of identifying likely event locations, we assemble data, primarily from the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, that include safety reports from a five year period, geographic information for these events, citizen survey of pedestrian reported concerns, non-emergency requests for service for any cause in the city, property values and public transportation ...

Preliminary Analysis Of Speed Limit Changes In Eastern Oregon, Christopher M. Monsere

Christopher M. Monsere

No abstract provided.

Reports From The United States Of North America On Railroads, Steamship Travel, Banks And Other Public Undertakings By Franz Anton Ritter Von Gerstner And Description Of A Journey Through The United States Of North America By Clara Von Gerstner, Née Von Epplen-Härtenstein Translated, With An Introduction, By Steven Rowan, Steven Rowan, Franz Anton Ritter Von Gerstner, Clara Von Gerstner, Née Von Epplen-Härtenstein

History Faculty Works

What follows contains a translation of the Berichte aus den Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika… [= Reports from the United States of North America] by Franz Anton Ritter von Gerstner, published in Leipzig in August 1839, and posted on the website of “austrian literature online.” It is the companion piece to two other classics of contemporary travel literature, one of them Ritter von Gerstner’s massive description of the transportation system of the United States published by F. A. von Gerstner’s assistant, Ludwig Klein,1 as well as the touching detailed travel narrative of his widow, Clara von Gerstner, Beschreibung einer ...

Synthesis Of Fault Traces In Se Louisiana Relative To Infrastructure, David Culpepper, Elizabeth Chinn Mcdade, Nancye Dawers, Mark Kulp, Rui Zhang

Publications

Geological faulting has been implicated as a contributor to subsidence, coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in southern Louisiana. This report reviews whether fault motion, either by slow creep or more sudden slip, can cause deformation of engineered structures resulting in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. The impact of surface, or near-surface, geologic faulting on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in southeastern Louisiana, but the state has a vast amount of energy-sector subsurface data that to date has been under-utilized for transportation and other near-surface engineering applications. Recent and on-going work by research groups at Tulane University, University of ...

Thin-Film Sensor For Fatigue Crack Sensing And Monitoring In Steel Bridges Under Varying Crack Propagation Rates And Random Traffic Loads, Xiangxiong Kong, Jian Li, Caroline Bennett, William Collins, Simon Laflamme, Hongki Jo

Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Publications

Fatigue cracks are critical structural concerns for steel highway bridges, and fatigue initiation and propagation activity continues undetected between physical bridge inspections. Monitoring fatigue crack activity between physical inspections can provide far greater reliability in structural performance and can be used to prevent excessive damage and repair costs. In this paper, a thin-film strain sensor, called a soft elastomeric capacitor (SEC) sensor, is evaluated for sensing and monitoring fatigue cracks in steel bridges. The SEC is a flexible and mechanically robust strain sensor, capable of monitoring strain over large structural surfaces. By deploying multiple SECs in the form of dense ...

Synthesis Of Fault Traces In Se Louisiana Relative To Infrastructure, David Culpepper, Elizabeth Chinn Mcdade, Nancye Dawers, Mark Kulp, Rui Zhang

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17GTLSU12. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geological faulting has been implicated as a contributor to subsidence, coastal land-loss and submergence of marshlands in southern Louisiana. This report reviews whether fault motion, either by slow creep or more sudden slip, can cause deformation of engineered structures resulting in increased infrastructure maintenance and repair costs. The impact of surface, or near-surface, geologic faulting on critical infrastructure is insufficiently documented in southeastern Louisiana, but the state has a vast amount of energy-sector subsurface data that to date has been under-utilized for ...

Walker, Dorian (Fa 1240), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1240. Collection of oral history interviews with railroad employees, locals, and historians recorded on Betacamand BetacamSP for Dorian Walker’s 1995 film Beauty of the Southland. Portions of the interviews were also used for a 2010 miniseries, All Aboard.

Lessons Learned From Six Different Structural Health Monitoring Systems On Highway Bridges, Abheetha Peiris, Charlie Sun, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Structural health monitoring has been utilized in numerous ways to investigate the performance and integrity of highway bridges. This paper highlights the use of six structural health monitoring systems, which were deployed to monitor distinct behaviors on six bridges in Kentucky. The structural health monitoring systems are as follows: (1) Over-height truck impact detection and monitoring on the I-64 over US 60 bridge, (2) Barge impact detection and monitoring on northbound US 41 over the Ohio River, (3) effectiveness of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer retrofit evaluation based on prestressed concrete I-girder crack movement on the I-65 elevated expressway in Louisville, (4 ...

Research Incentive Programs For Closures Of Public And Private Grade Crossings, Julius Codjoe

Publications

Vehicle-train crashes that occur at highway-rail crossings result in injuries, fatalities, and damage to equipment. In order to reduce the number of vehicle-train crashes, Federal Railroad Administration requires states which have challenges with crossing safety, including Louisiana, to develop a State Action Plan to improve grade crossing safety. Consequently, identification of specific solutions for improving safety at crossings was included in the 2015 Louisiana Transportation Plan as one of its objectives. This study seeks to identify and evaluate current and new incentive programs that encourage closure of at-grade railroad crossings to reduce the number of potential vehicle-train collision points, and ...

Sustainable And Equitable Financing For Pedestrian Infrastructure Maintenance, Gregory Rowangould

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PPUNM01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"In many communities, pedestrian infrastructure is discontinuous, inaccessible to those with physical disabilities, and poorly maintained. Correcting these problems would be a first step in providing infrastructure to achieve the active travel and related transportation goals of many communities. One nearly universal challenge to maintaining sidewalks in a state of good repair and addressing environmental justice concerns is an adequate, sustainable, and equitable source of funding. Municipal governments across the country maintain and repair their streets and roadways; however, most require residents ...

Use Of Nanoclays As Alternatives Of Polymers Toward Improving Performance Of Asphalt Binders, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BASU01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The main goal of this study is to assess the feasibility of the use of nanoclay as an alternative to commonly used polymers such as styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), which are used to modify the performance grade (PG) of asphalt binders. Three types of nanoclay and two types of neat binders were selected for laboratory investigation. Different amounts (1, 2, and 3%) of nanoclays were used. A blending protocol has been developed to mix the nanoclay with the asphalt binder. Rotational Viscosity (RV), Dynamic ...

Use Of Rice Hull Ash (Rha) As A Sustainable Source Of Construction Material, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17CASU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"With the imminent shortage of natural resources, the need to find sustainable development is the highest in recent history. Therefore, this study examines the potential uses of Rice Hull Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in preparation of concrete. This study also assesses the use of RHA as an alternative of commonly used polymers in preparing high-grade asphalt binders. RHA is a potential sustainable solution because it is currently being treated as an agricultural waste material, yet its high silica ...

Integrating Crash, Hospital, And Roadway Data To Investigate The Effect Of Cable Median Barriers On Injury Severity, Michael D. Singleton, Eric R. Green, William Nicholas Staats, I-Chen Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Executive Summary

• In median-involved crashes, the odds of a police-reported injury were estimated to be 42% lower on road segments with a cable median barrier (CMB) than on road segments with a concrete median barrier, and the difference was statistically significant [odds ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval (0.43, 0.78)].
• In median-involved crashes, the odds of having an injury severity score of 8 or greater were estimated to be 34% higher on road segments with a CMB than on road segments with a concrete median barrier; however, the difference was not statistically significant [odds ratio 1.34, 95 ...

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 ...

Use Of Ultra‐High‐Performance Fiber‐Reinforced Concrete (Uhp‐Frc) For Fast And Sustainable Repair Of Pavements, Shih-Ho Chao

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No.17STUTA03. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This research presents a new methodology, which enables streets, roads, highways, bridges, and airfields to use an advanced fiber-reinforced concrete material, which can delay or prevent the deterioration of these transportation infrastructure when subjected to traffic and environmental loadings. The major problem of concrete is its considerable deterioration and limited service life due to its brittleness and limited durability. As a result, it requires frequent repair and eventual replacement, which consumes more natural resources. Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) introduces significant enhancement in ...

Sustainability-Based Long-Term Management Of Bridges Under Multi-Hazard Exposure, Mohamed Soliman

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STOKS01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Bridges are under deterioration due to various mechanical and environmental stressors. Hydraulic-related hazards (e.g., flood and scour), aggressive environmental conditions, and seismic events (e.g., earthquake) are recognized as the most significant threats to the safety of bridges. In traditional risk assessment methods for structures susceptible to damage due to floods and other natural hazards (e.g., corrosion and seismic events), future hazard predictions are conducted using historic return periods and climate records. However, recent increase in flood intensity in central-southern ...

Relationship Between Road Network Characteristics And Traffic Safety, Hatim Sharif, Samer Dessouky

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17ITSTSA01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The Transportation and Capital Improvement of the City of San Antonio, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and other related agencies often make several efforts based on traffic data to improve safety at intersections, but the number of intersection crashes is still on the high side. There is no one size fits all solution for intersections and the City is often usually confronted with doing best value option analysis on different solutions to choose the least expensive yet more advancements. The goal of ...

Modeling Sulfate Attack In Modern Concrete For Building Sustainable And Resilient Infrastructure, Zachary Grasley

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17CTAM01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"External sulfate attack is a complex phenomenon and is manifested in the form of large expansion, cracking, and spalling depending on the exposure solution and material constituent properties. Several models were developed in the past to demonstrate sulfate attack mechanisms that account for the diffusion of sulfate ions into the porous concrete and the successive deformation triggered by the chemical reaction and precipitation of expansive agents. However, none of these models accounts for the effect of the migration of solvent water from ...

Simplified Approach For Structural Evaluation Of Flexible Pavements At The Network Level, Mena Souliman, Stefan Romanoschi, Samer Dessouky

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PUTA02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Currently, there are few available simple procedures to identify structurally weak pavement sections utilizing Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) data at the network level (e.g., city, state or province). A simple method is required to determine the structural condition of pavement sections that can be directly implemented and automated in current pavement databases. The objective of this research study is to develop a simple analysis method to determine the structural condition of pavement sections utilizing the currently available non-destructive testing (NDT) deflection ...

Development Of Environmentally-Friendly Stabilization Methods For Transportation Infrastructure Based On Geopolymers, Miladin Radovic, Anand Puppala

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17GTTAM02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Geopolymers (GPs) have received much attention as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to conventional chemical additives, since they can be processed at room temperatures from aqueous solutions by utilizing waste materials (e.g. fly ash) or abundant natural sources (e.g. clay). A collaborative research study is carried out by teams from Texas A&M University (TAMU) and University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) to investigate the effectiveness of GPs for stabilizing base and subgrade materials by considering the strength and shrink-swell ...

Use Of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (Uhp-Frc) For Fast And Sustainable Repair Of Pavements, Shih-Ho Chao

Publications

This research presents a new methodology, which enables streets, roads, highways, bridges, and airfields to use an advanced fiber-reinforced concrete material, which can delay or prevent the deterioration of these transportation infrastructure when subjected to traffic and environmental loadings. The major problem of concrete is its considerable deterioration and limited service life due to its brittleness and limited durability. As a result, it requires frequent repair and eventual replacement, which consumes more natural resources. Ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHP-FRC) introduces significant enhancement in the sustainability of concrete structures due to its dense microstructure and damage-tolerance characteristics. These characteristics can significantly reduce ...

Evaluation Of Comparative Damaging Effects Of Multiple Truck Axles For Flexible Pavements, Stefan Romanoschi, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Publications

This study aims at evaluating the effect of overlapping flexible pavement strain responses from truck axles that are not part of multiple axle configurations (i.e., tandem, triple and quad). For this purpose, a newly constructed pavement was instrumented with strain gauges installed at the bottom of the asphalt concrete base layer on US-287 south of Mansfield, TX. This pavement structure is typically used for medium- to high-volume roads in the South-Central region of the United States. The strain gauges were used to measure longitudinal and transverse strains under several passes of a test vehicle. This was a class 6 ...

Mitigating Traffic Congestion On I-10 In Baton Rouge, La: Supply- And Demand-Oriented Strategies & Treatments, Samir Ahmed, Osama Osman, Julius Codjoe

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17ITSLSU09. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of the causes of traffic congestion on I-10 in the Baton Rouge, LA area, particularly at the I-10 Mississippi River Bridge, and to identify treatments and strategies to mitigate congestion at the bridge site. This study developed and calibrated a microsimulation model of I-10 (from Lobdell Highway in Port Allen to Highland Road, I-110 to Florida Street, and I-12 to Walker Road) and investigated several supply- and demand-oriented strategies. This includes ...

Enhancing The Durability And The Service Life Of Asphalt Pavements Through Innovative Light-Induced Self-Healing Materials, Marwa Hassan

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17BLSU02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of a new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced self-healing polymers in enhancing the durability and self-healing properties of asphalt mixtures. Self-healing polymers were successfully synthesized in the laboratory and were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) results showed that the synthesized polymers achieved the required thermal stability to resist asphalt mixture production processes. Viscosity results showed that addition of 5% Recycled Asphalt Shingle (RAS) and/or ...

Bridge Deck Overlays Using Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Craig Newtson, Brad Weldon

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17CNMS01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This study investigated the use of a locally produced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as an alternative to typical overlay materials. Several bond strength tests including slant-shear, splitting tension, and direct tension tests were performed to assess the bond strength between UHPC and normal strength concrete (NSC) substrate with varying surface textures. Tests were also conducted to assess the early-age and longer-term shrinkage behavior and coefficient of thermal expansion of the UHPC as well as rapid chloride permeability testing. Good bond between UHPC ...

Prediction And Rehabilitation Of Highway Embankment Slope Failures In Changing Climate, Navid Jafari, Anand Puppala

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17GTLSU04. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"Highway slopes constructed with clayey soil are prone to desiccation cracks due to wetting and drying weather cycle, which allows greater moisture infiltration into the embankment from precipitation. Fissures formed due to extended wetting and drying cycles allow water to seep deeper into the soil than surficial wetting and increase the water content. This increases the moisture content in the soil and results in reduction in shear strength to the fully softened strength. On the other hand, development of desiccation cracks and ...

Recruiting, Retaining, And Promoting For Careers At Transportation Agencies, Christofer Harper, Susan Bogus, Raghava Kommalapati, Doeun Choe

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PPLSU07. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"State transportation agencies currently face complex challenges in recruiting and retaining the workforce necessary to function effectively. The situation exacerbates due to the number of employees from different generations that have to coexist with varying values, expectations, and principles. These agencies are primarily comprised of two generational groups: the baby-boomers, who are approaching retirement and occupy many managerial positions; and the millennials, who are demonstrating their interest in technology and demanding dynamism in their careers. This multiplicity of interest represents a challenge ...

Evaluation Of Comparative Damaging Effects Of Multiple Truck Axles For Flexible Pavements, Stefan Romanoschi, Athanassios Papagiannakis

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17PUTA01. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"This study aims at evaluating the effect of overlapping flexible pavement strain responses from truck axles that are not part of multiple axle configurations (i.e., tandem, triple and quad). For this purpose, a newly constructed pavement was instrumented with strain gauges installed at the bottom of the asphalt concrete base layer on US-287 south of Mansfield, TX. This pavement structure is typically used for medium- to high-volume roads in the South-Central region of the United States. The strain gauges were used ...