Engineering Commons^™

Determining Kinetic Parameters Of Cellulose And Lignin Pyrolysis By Gaussian Process Regression (Gpr) Method, Pichayaporn Viriya-Amornkij, Kazunori Kuwana

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

The ignition and flame-spread processes in the forest and urban fires involve the pyrolysis reactions of biomass materials. One of the most common methods for estimating the fire performance of a material is the evaluation of kinetic parameters, i.e., activation energy (𝐸), pre-exponential factor (𝐴), and reaction model (𝑓(𝛼)), from thermogravimetric analysis (TG) data. Typically, 𝐸 is estimated based on an Arrhenius-type equation such as Kissinger, Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Friedman equations. Then, its value is adjusted along with other parameters by assuming a reaction model, e.g., the 𝑛-order model. This study proposes a Gaussian process regression (GPR) method to determine …

Spf-R Online User Guide, Eric Green, Paul Ross, Christopher Blackden, William Staats, Reginald Souleyrette

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

SPF-R Online greatly improves and simplifies the SPF development process. Building on the original SPF-R script, the online tool eliminates many of the technical barriers associated with the original process, allowing for a much larger audience to take advantage of SPF-R’s capabilities. Like the original SPF-R script, SPF-R Online lets users quickly explore the effect of roadway network heterogeneity on SPF development, compare CURE plots , and compare goodness-of-fit measures to decide which SPF is most appropriate for a given dataset.

Scale Modeling Of An Appearance Of Downwash Pattern Of Hot Smoke Ejected From Chimney In The Turbulent Cross Flow, Xangpheuak Inthavideth, Nobumasa Sekishita, Sounthisack Phommachanh, Yuji Nakamura

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

This study aims to elucidate the scaling law to provide the critical condition on appearance of the downwash pattern of the hot smoke ejected from a chimney in a turbulent cross flow. A specially designed wind tunnel with an active turbulence generator developed by Makita was adopted to offer a quasi-isotropic turbulence field in a lab-scale test facility. A heated jet with smoke is issued into the cross flow from the vertically oriented chimney placed in the test section of the wind tunnel. In this study, the experimental parameters considered are temperature of the heated jet (smoke), jet ejected velocity, …

Best Practices For Highway Project Scoping, Jeff Jasper, Samantha Wright, Jon Wilcoxson, Robin Baskette, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

One of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) foremost priorities in fulfilling its mission is to deliver successful projects — quality solutions that meet the defined scope and are delivered on time and within the budget specified in the Highway Plan. When a project scope is not clearly defined or uncertain, revisions may take place after the project is already underway, leading to delays or overpromising what can be delivered. Ideally, a reliable, decisive project scope is defined in the early phases of the highway project development process. The scope should include a project definition that clearly communicates the project scope’s …

Rapid Pothole Repair In Concrete Bridge Decks, Abheetha Peiris, Issam Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Using traditional methods to repair potholes in reinforced concrete (RC) bridge decks is time-consuming and requires significant manpower and equipment. However, commercially available epoxies and similar materials provide a repair option that does not require saw cutting the deck around the pothole, concrete removal, and replacement. Researchers laboratory tested three epoxies to identify which is best for pothole repairs. Based on assessments of substrate penetration times and set times for epoxy and epoxy mortar, as well as compressive strength gain over time for epoxy mortar, researchers selected Sikadur 52 for static and dynamic bending tests using small-scale beams with simulated …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2017-2021, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopehr Van Dyke, Michael Fields, Riana Tanzen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes Analysis of Traffic Crash Data in Kentucky, a report that reviews state-level crash data from the previous five years. This report summarizes crash data for 2017 through 2021. In addition to presenting a review of crash data, the report also contains safety performance functions (SPFs) for nine roadway types. Because SPFs were derived using 2017-2021 data, the models predict crashes for a five-year period. Users must adjust the model by adding a coefficient of 1/5 to models to avoid overestimating crashes by a factor of five.

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2021 Report, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Michael Fields, Kenneth Agent, Christopher Van Dyke, Ed Harding

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year the Kentucky Transportation Center publishes the Traffic Collision Facts report in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kentucky State Police, and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. This is the fiscal year 2022 report, which covers collisions reported during calendar year 2021. For the year, 734 fatal crashes, 20,117 nonfatal crashes, and 88,440 property damage only crashes occurred on the state’s roadways. Overall, 109,291 crashes were reported in calendar year 2021, a 8.4 percent increase over calendar year 2020.

Digital Twin For Hvac Load And Energy Storage Based On A Hybrid Ml Model With Cta-2045 Controls Capability, Rosemary E. Alden, Evan S. Jones, Huangjie Gong, Abdullah Al Hadi, Dan Ionel

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

Building modeling, specifically heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) load and equivalent energy storage calculations, represent a key focus for decarbonization of buildings and smart grid controls. Widely used white box models, due to their complexity, are too computationally intensive to be employed in high resolution distributed energy resources (DER) platforms without simulation time delays. In this paper, an ultra-fast one-minute resolution Hybrid Machine Learning Model (HMLM) is proposed as part of a novel procedure to replicate white box models as an alternative to widespread experimental big data collection. Synthetic output data from experimentally calibrated EnergyPlus models for three existing …

A Cfd-Based Scaling Analysis On Liquid And Paint Droplets Moving Through A Weak Concurrent Airflow Stream, Masoud Arabghahestani, Nelson Akafuah, Tianxiang Li, Kozo Saito

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

We conducted volume of fluids (VOF) multiphase model numerical simulations to obtain the interaction among all the major governing forces identified in our previous paper. Our numerical experiments are intended to assess the droplet generation process and the jetting behavior by providing specific input conditions, offering CFD as a tool to study scaling correlations instead of physical experiments. Water droplets that can represent waterborne paints were generated by piezo-generated sinusoidal waveforms at the inlet of the nozzle. The governing forces included the external piezo-based wave-generation force, the inertial force of droplets, the inertial force of air, the viscose force of …

Session 3a: Karst And Groundwater, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Examining the Utility of Tryptophan-Like Fluorescence As a Proxy for Fecal Contamination in Karst Basins, Inner Bluegrass Region, Kentucky
• A Predictive Flood Model for Urban Karst Environments
• Improving Best Management Practices for the Siting, Maintenance, and Design of Urban Karst Groundwater Injection Wells

Session 3b: Sediments, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Sediment Degradation Experiments for a Low Gradient Stream Suggest the Watershed’s Connectivity Regime Exhibits Control on Stream Biogeochemistry
• Does Sediment Organic Matter Content Mediate the Effects of Chironomid Larvae on Benthic Nitrous Oxide Flux
• Drivers of Variability in Annual Sediment Accretion Rates Within Wetland Easements of Western Kentucky

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Evaluating the Effects of Beaver Dam Removal on the Hydrology, Water Quality, and Bioindicators of a Restored Wetland
• Predictive Sediment Flux Modeling of a Karst Spring Using High Resolution Sensors and Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes
• Development and Validation of qPCR Assays for Use in eDNA Detection of Four Species of Semiaquatic Salamanders .
• Analyzing Recent Spatio-Temporal Rainfall Erosivity Patterns and Trends Across Kentucky
• Development of eDNA Protocols for Detection of Four Darter (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) Species in Central Kentucky Streams
• Assessing Change in the Seasonality of Stable Isotopes δ18O and δ2H for Meteoric and Terrestrial Waters of Central Kentucky
• Coupling …

Session 2: Water And The Community, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Development of Human Health Criteria for Surface Waters of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
• Kentucky Workforce Survey Results
• Modeling, Managing, and Mitigating Stormwater Flooding using a Real-time Monitoring Network and Environmental Equity Approach

Session 1a: Watershed Management, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Motivations and Barriers to the Implementation of Riparian Buffer Zones on Central Kentucky Horse Farms
• Engaging Urban Watershed Stewards in Stormwater Management
• Efficacy Examination of Urban Reforestation Efforts on Streams in Lexington, KY: Macroinvertebrates and Water Quality Assessments
• Over a Decade of Monitoring Water Quality at McConnell Springs – What Have We Learned?
• Glenns Creek Watershed Characterization Efforts

Session 1b: Contaminant Exposure And Treatment, Kentucky Water Research Institute

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Cyanobacteria, Cyanotoxin Synthetase Genes, and Cyanotoxin Occurrence Among Selected Large River Sites in the Lower Ohio River Basin, 2020–21
• Emerging Contaminant Exposure Following WWTP Processes to Surface Waters
• Reactive Membrane Synthesis for Capture and Degradation of Toxic Water Contaminants
• Implications to Tap and Stream Water Chemistry Due to Variations in Sampling Location and Watershed Land Use
• Examining Toxicity of 2D Nanomaterial Phosphorene, Free-Standing and Embedded onto Membranes, and Its Application for Removal of Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

Proceedings Of 2022 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This symposium was planned and conducted as a part of the state water resources research institute annual program that is supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number G21AP10631-00 from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The contents of this proceedings document and the views and conclusions presented at the symposium are solely the responsibility of the individual authors and presenters and do not represent the official views of the USGS or of the symposium organizers and sponsors. This publication is produced with the understanding that the United States Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for government purposes. Mention of trade …

Investigation Of Illegal Weigh Station Bypassing, Mallory Brown, Andrew Martin, David Leddy, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study recommends best practices to curb illegal weigh station bypassing by commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). Analysis of historical data collected by Kentucky State Police – Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (KSP-CVE) for 2017-2021 revealed that CMV drivers were charged with illegally bypassing weigh stations 2,616 times. Drivers were charged with an average of two other violations when cited for illegal bypassing — most often violations related to credentialing, vehicle safety, or driver safety. Site visits to three permanent weigh stations in Kentucky revealed that CMVs regularly bypass weigh stations illegally, including those authorized to use preclearance systems (Drivewyze and PrePass). A …

2022 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Erin Lammers-Staats, Derek S. Young, Eric Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each year Kentucky Transportation Center researchers conduct a safety belt usage survey to estimate Kentucky’s statewide safety belt usage rate. In 2022, the safety belt usage rate in Kentucky was 86.72 percent, which represents a 3.06 decline over 2021. Safety belt usage peaked in 2018 at 89.99 percent. Declines in safety belt usage rate over the past couple years may be attributable in part to changes in driver behaviors and traffic dynamics following the COVID-19 pandemic. If Kentucky wants to increase safety belt usage rates, the state may need ramp up enforcement of safety belt laws or bolster educational outreach …

Krs And Kar Review Of Models As A Legal Contract Document, Bryan Gibson, Pam Clay-Young, Rachel Catchings, Chris Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are expanding the use of electronic engineering data (EED) throughout highway projects — from design and construction through asset management. Included under the umbrella of EED are technologies such as building information modelling (BIM), digital terrain models (DTMs), and 3D models and plan sets. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) Digital Project Delivery (DPD) Initiative is spearheading the transition to EED in the state. While digital delivery promises to streamline project development and management it does not come without hurdles. This report discusses methods for agency wide implementation of EED and highlights best practices for managing, …

An Acid Baking Approach To Enhance Heavy Rare Earth Recovery From Bituminous Coal-Based Sources, Ahmad Nawab, Xinbo Yang, Rick Q. Honaker

Mining Engineering Faculty Publications

The recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from secondary resources, particularly coal-based materials, has recently received attention due to supply and demand imbalance. Research reported to date indicates that a high REE recovery can be realized when treating bituminous coal sources using strong acid solutions of approximately100 g/L or higher. This study introduces an approach to enhance the total rare earth recovery (TREE), especially for heavy rare earth elements (HREEs), from these coal sources at significantly lower acid concentrations. Based on the presence of REE minerals like monazite and xenotime, a detailed investigation was undertaken to quantify three pre-leach treatment …

A Simplified Model For The Intermediate Structure Of Strong Fire Whirls, Forman A. Williams

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

A model is described for the overall structure of intense fire whirls, based on a spatially evolving vortex, with circulation enhancement driven by the axial acceleration of low-density gas in the core through the axial pressure gradient. The axial acceleration increases the entrainment rate into the core which, through mass conservation, increases the circulation if the angle between the tangential and radial velocity components remains fixed. The two-zone model employs general balance equations for regions inside and outside a cylinder of fixed radius, each inviscid, the inside region being presumed to have a constant density small compared with the (constant) …

Reduced-Scale Experiments And Numerical Simulations Of Informal Settlement Dwelling Fires, Vigneshwaran Narayanan, Antonio Cicicone, Ayden D. Botha, Richard Shaun Walls

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

Informal settlement dwellings (ISDs) house approximately one billion people in the developing world and this number is expected to double by the year 2030. Contemporary research on ISD fires has focused on understanding the fire dynamics within individual dwellings (micro-scale) and fire spread in settlements consisting of multiple dwellings (macro-scale). This paper aims to do two primary things: investigate if scaling methods that were derived for compartments with thermally thick boundaries can be applied to ISDs (compartments with thermally thin boundaries), and if they can adequately represent the most important phenomena associated with full-scale ISD fires; and demonstrate Fire Dynamics …

Risk-Based Project Development, Steve Waddle, Ying Li, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Risk management is integral to highway project development. Managing risk entails identifying uncertainties which could influence project activities, understanding how they can be mitigated or eliminated, and monitoring risk during project development. Many state transportation agencies have introduced methods for identifying risks, determining whether risks are high impact or low impact, and generating response strategies. These methods are often qualitative or semi-quantitative in nature due to the challenge of quantifying the likelihood of a risk and its effects. These approaches are nonetheless valuable for helping designers and project development teams remain mindful of negative risks which could pose significant hurdles. …

Bridge Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Christopher Van Dyke, Sudhir Palle, Ryan Griffith, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky’s 14,000+ bridges are key nodes within the state’s surface transportation network. They facilitate the movement of freight, commercial vehicles, and personal vehicles alike. Historically, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has prioritized bridge maintenance projects using sufficiency ratings. These ratings are based on three factors — structural adequacy and safety, design obsolescence, and an asset’s importance within the roadway network. Although useful, sufficiency ratings do not account for factors that should be considered during the prioritization process (e.g., condition factors, risk). To address the shortcomings associated with using sufficiency ratings, KYTC — with the assistance of the Kentucky Transportation Center …

Utilization Of Lidar Technology — When To Use It And Why, Levy Mcintosh, Brad Rister

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Lidar technologies can assist transportation agencies during the design, construction, and maintenance phases of transportation projects. While Lidar has numerous applications, successfully deploying Lidar technologies is only possible if agencies have a solid understanding of their use cases and potential limitations. This report offers guidance the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) can use when making decisions on how to employ Lidar technologies in highway contexts. In addition to reviewing Lidar platforms and comparing Lidar-driven surveying to traditional surveying methods, the report examines challenges related to processing and storing Lidar data and the safety benefits Lidar technologies confer in the field. Brief …

Specialized Safety Training And Tracking For Kytc Construction And Maintenance Personnel, Gabriel Dadi, Ashtarout Ammar, Seth Atkins, Martha Horseman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

High-quality safety training is critical for educating employees in the highway construction and maintenance industry about workplace hazards and giving them tools to remove and/or minimize associated risks. But researchers and state transportation agencies have not committed enough resources to develop safety trainings that address the unique needs of this sector. This report fills in this gap for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) by cataloguing safety training resources available through other state and federal transportation agencies, documenting trainings available to Cabinet staff, identifying and prioritizing training gaps, and critically evaluating the content, quality, and duration of training resources. A web-based …

Steel Bridge Coating Inventory For 2022, Christopher Goff, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has replaced the lead-based coatings on many of its steel bridges over the past 30 years. In the 1980s and 1990s, inorganic zinc primers with vinyl topcoats were the go-to option for coating replacement projects. Since 2000, the typical choice for these projects has been organic zinc primers that are part of a two- or three-coat system. Some of these coatings have localized failures in high-stress areas. KYTC’s current inventory of steel bridges numbers over 1,100 structures. Accounting for expected service lives, to properly maintain protective coatings on these bridges will require the Cabinet to …

Updating The Bridge Construction Cost Database, Rachel Catchings, Ying Li, Ryan Griffith, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Adopting a comprehensive suite of methods to track, analyze, and maintain data on bridge construction costs can help state transportation agencies identify and implement strategies to mitigate the influence of factors which escalate project costs. This report discusses how the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) should approach updating, maintaining, and analyzing its bridge construction cost data. Based on a review of practices introduced at other agencies and interviews with public and private industry stakeholders, the report catalogues practical strategies for improving estimating procedures and tracking cost data as well as the most important cost drivers of bridge construction. Analysis of KYTC …

Extended Weight Systems Pavement Analysis, Gayle Marks, Jon Wilcoxson, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky established its Extended Weight Coal or Coal By-products Haul Road System (EWCHRS) in 1986. This road network includes segments of the Coal Haul Highway System on which more than 50,000 tons coal or coal byproducts were transported by motor vehicles during the previous calendar year. In the past few years, the state has introduced extended weight (EW) systems focused on petroleum products and metal commodities. Trucks can operate above posted weight limits on these networks by paying annual fees that range from $160 to $2,000. While EW networks benefit motor carriers by improving efficiency, vehicles that exceed weight limits …

Challenges & Pragmatic Solutions For The Design And Construction Of A 300-Acre Ccr Landfill Located In The Southwestern Us - A Case Study, Andy Lucas, Jason Pokorny

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

No abstract provided.