Engineering Commons^™

Rideability Issues For Asphalt And Concrete Specification Modifications, Brad Rister, Clark Graves

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Concerns have been raised regarding the differences between the incentive/disincentive determination procedures as well as the pay adjustments for rideability between asphalt and concrete projects. This report will attempt to do the following:

1. Address the differences between concrete and asphalt rideability specifications by looking at Kentucky’s historical rideability specifications and the specifications of peer states.
2. Review the necessity to revise current specifications based on historical rideability data, peer states rideability specifications, technological advancements in placement of roadway materials, and technological advancements in measuring rideability after construction.
3. Evaluate the monetary impact of a revised rideability specification on the latest year’s data. …

Fiscal Year 2007 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road …

Resilient Modulus Of Compacted Crushed Stone Aggregate Bases, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In recent years, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has recommended the use of resilient modulus for characterizing highway materials for pavement design. This recommendation evolved as result of a trend in pavement design of using mechanistic models. Although much progress has been made in recent years in developing mathematical, mechanistic pavement design models, results obtained from those models are only as good as the material parameters used in the models. Resilient modulus of aggregate bases is an important parameter in the mechanistic models. The main goal of this study was to establish a simple and efficient …

Synthetic Fuel And Methods For Producing Synthetic Fuel, Darrell Neal Taulbee

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

The present invention provides synthetic fuels, additives for use in preparing synthetic fuels and methods for producing synthetic fuel. The synthetic fuels include low levels of a chemical change additive selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth oxides and hydroxides and mixtures thereof. In one embodiment, the synthetic fuel further includes low levels of a second chemical change additive, which is a petroleum hydrocarbon material.

A Comparison Of State Policies For Complying With The Endangered Species Act, Lenahan O'Connell, Ted Grossardt

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In recent years the number of biological assessments (BAs) for the presence of endangered species conducted by KYTC has risen significantly. This was primarily due to new/additional restrictions imposed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 2005. The most consequential restriction was the listing of the Indiana bat as potentially present in all Kentucky counties. Previously BAs for the Indiana bat were only conducted when a project occurred in a county in which the Indiana bat had been observed (a known occurrence). This study reviewed the policies of the states adjacent to Kentucky, as well as those …

Developing A Byproduct Materials Information Systems For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, David Q. Hunsucker, Justin Jones, Tom Hopkins, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky has numerous coal-fired, electric generating facilities and, as a result, there are abundant byproduct materials being produced from these facilities that have environmental, engineering, and economic potential as materials for use in common highway construction and maintenance related activities throughout the Commonwealth. Other byproduct materials are being produced and are available that may have potential uses as well. Although large quantities of byproduct materials are produced in Kentucky and many of those materials have positive or neutral environmental impacts and excellent engineering properties, a formal regulatory framework for selecting, characterizing, recovering, and recycling these material types does not exist. …

Analysis Of Procurement Processes And Development Of Recommendations For Intelligent Transportation Systems (Its) Procurements, Joseph D. Crabtree, Christopher W. Frost, Jennifer Walton, John Crossfield

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traditional state procurement processes are not well-suited to the procurement of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The objective of this study was to analyze Kentucky’s existing procurement processes, identify strengths and weaknesses of each, and develop recommendations for a revised process (or processes) that would meet the unique requirements of ITS procurements. Four existing processes were identified, studied, documented, and assessed. The study also looked at design-build processes, both in Kentucky and in other states. Recommendations were developed for statutory changes to improve Kentucky’s ability to procure ITS technologies and systems.

Evaluation Of Us 119 Pine Mountain Safety Improvements (Final Report), Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky was requested to perform an evaluation of the safety improvement project over a 7.1-mile section of US 119 on the Whitesburg side of Pine Mountain in Letcher County to determine whether the types of improvements undertaken affected the overall safety of the roadway. Specific attention was given to the effects of a ban on truck traffic that was implemented in March 2001. In addition, there was a need to determine if the use of flexible design was successful after removal of the truck restriction by permitting trucks with dimensions up to the …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2002 - 2006), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents an analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky for the years of 2002 through 2006. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Average and critical numbers and rates of crashes 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 crashes. The other primary objective of this study was to provide data that can be used in the preparation of the problem identification portion of Kentucky’s Annual Highway Safety …

Evaluation Of Kentucky’S “Buckle Up Kentucky: It’S The Law & It’S Enforced” 2007 Campaign, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Ronald E. Langley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this report was to document the results of the “Buckle Up Kentucky: It’s the Law & It’s Enforced” 2007 campaign in Kentucky. Data were also taken to document the change in usage after enactment of the primary enforcement law. The campaign involved a combination of earned media, paid media, and enforcement. The earned media started about five weeks prior to Memorial Day 2007 and continued through the enforcement periods. The paid media campaign was for the two weeks prior to Memorial Day while the enforcement period was a two-week period including the week before and the week …

2007 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to establish 2007 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky. The 2007 survey continues to document the results after enactment of the original “secondary enforcement” statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994 and the change to “primary enforcement” which was enacted in 2006. Data were collected at 200 randomly selected sites spread across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering roadway functional classification, geographic region, and vehicle miles traveled. The data show that the usage rate in 2007 (71.8 percent) increased several percentage points compared …

Context Sensitive Solutions For Construction And Maintenance, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Donald L. Hartman, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this research was to conduct a survey to assess the state of practice related to state highway agencies (SHAs) implementing context sensitive solutions including its application in Construction and Maintenance and to prepare a workshop enabling SHA officials to adopt practices promoting context sensitivity beyond Planning and Design.

Deliverables from the study efforts include a survey summary of context sensitive solutions and workshop materials/presentation suitable for use in training a wide range of SHA personnel working in Construction and Maintenance.

Delivery System For A Composition, Bruce J. Hinds Iii, Audra L. Stinchcomb

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

Devices and methods for cutaneous delivery of a composition are provided, wherein the composition is passed through an ordered nanoporous membrane in fluid communication with a reservoir. The nanoporous membrane includes a plurality of aligned hollow nanotubules coated with a continuous polymer matrix, and etched to open the plurality of hollow nanotubules and form pores. In one embodiment, the etching step oxidizes an end of the nanotubules to form carboxylate groups. The ordered nanoporous membrane further includes at least one additional functional unit bound to the carboxylate groups. The at least one additional functional unit selectively exposes or at least …

Retrofit Of The Louisa-Fort Gay Bridge Using Cfrp Laminates, Ching Chiaw Choo, Tong Zhao, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report details the processes pertaining to the repair and strengthening of the Louisa-Fort Gay Bridge, Lawrence County, KY, using advanced composite materials. Site inspections revealed flexural cracks in the reinforced concrete girders of the continuous bridge structure. To determine the cause of these cracks, an evaluation was initiated based on vehicle classification and truck weight data. The results confirmed that certain reinforced concrete girders were stressed beyond the limits allowed by the AASHTO Code. A retrofit scheme using carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite was devised and the amount of CFRP laminates needed for flexural strengthening was determined from …

Use Of Reflective Armbands To Improve Adolescent Pedestrian And Pedalcyclist Safety, Nancy Dunaway, Eric R. Green, Jerry G. Pigman, Monica L. Barrett

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this effort was to determine if elementary and middle school students could be educated to use reflective armbands to increase their visibility to motorists while walking or bicycling to school. The number of armbands and surveys distributed totaled slightly over 7,000. Responses were received from approximately 12 percent (873) of the pre-surveys and slightly over 3 percent (119) of the post-surveys. Respondents to the survey indicated nearly 15 percent of schoolchildren receiving reflective armbands were wearing the armband “every day” or “most days”. Of the parents responding, 21 percent indicated their children would continue to wear the …

Compaction Of Mixtures Of Hard Rocks And Soft Shales And Non-Durable Shales Using Impact Compactors, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Impact roller compaction has been used to improve embankment and highway subgrades in South Africa, Australia, Europe, and China and other areas of the world. In September of 2003, the International Technology Scanning Program, sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the National Cooperative Highway Research Program of the Transportation Research Board, identified this technology as one of several foreign technologies and innovations that could significantly benefit U.S. transportation systems. The technology was high-lighted at the Fifth International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads and Airfields in 1998 …

Stockpiling Hydrated Lime-Soil Mixtures, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The concept and feasibility of stockpiling and reusing hydrated lime-soil mixtures to stabilize particular areas on stabilization projects after the mixing contractor has departed were examined. In chemical stabilization of subgrades, situations often arise where additional areas need to be stabilized after the specialty contractor and mixing equipment have left the project. Field and laboratory investigations were performed to determine if a soil mixed with hydrated lime during routine lime subgrade stabilization could be mixed, stockpiled, and used later. In laboratory studies, hydrated lime-soil mixtures were stockpiled loosely in the laboratory. CBR specimens of the stockpile material were remolded and …

Improve Safety Of Workers During Highway Construction And Maintenance, Donn E. Hancher, Kenneth Bussey, Robin Meagher, Jonathan Ross, Kristin Smith

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

There is an inherent risk of injury or fatality in all occupations. Even secretarial occupations face jobsite hazards such as carpal tunnel and back injury. The nature of the construction industry combined with the required physical demand and rigorous work processes, make it an industry with higher risk of injury or fatality. In an effort to decrease that inbuilt jobsite risk that construction workers face, this study will analyze the current best safety practices, examine new safety technologies, and collaborate with construction workers themselves to gain a better perspective of what jobsite hazards they face.

Specifically, this study will focus …

Prevention Of Voc Releases From Bridge Painting Operations, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Rick Younce, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Bridge maintenance painting employs solvent-based coatings that generate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to air-quality problems. Methods for capturing VOCs during normal Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) maintenance painting operations were investigated. One method, activated carbon adsorption, is adaptable to KYTC operations. Related factors including area of bridge, coating systems, containment volumes and VOC out gassing rates were reviewed. A commercial source of activated carbon adsorption equipment was identified and issues related to employing that technology for bridge painting were identified.

Recycling Practices For Environmental Materials, Sudhir Palle, Steve Higgins, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Two environmental materials, tree and brush debris and large animal roadkill carcasses were investigated. The disposal methods for these materials were reviewed as opportunities/methods for possible recycling. KYTC established several pilot composting operations in 2006. These were monitored during their preliminary stages of operation.

Corn Stover Availability And Collection Efficiency Using Typical Hay Equipment, Robert M. Prewitt, Michael D. Montross, Scott A. Shearer, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Stephen F. Higgins, Samuel G. Mcneill, Shahab Sokhansanj

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Corn stover has been identified as a potential feedstock for the production of fermentable sugars and thermochemical processes. The availability and efficiency of typical hay equipment for collecting corn stover has not been well quantified. Corn stover was collected for two years on a central Kentucky farm near Louisville. Six different harvesting treatments, using traditional hay equipment, were used to harvest corn stover. A rotary mower, rotary scythe (flail-type mower with windrow-forming shields), parallel bar rake, and a round baler were utilized. The average stover moisture content prior to grain harvest was above 40%, and field drying was required before …

Validation And Implication Of Segmentation On Empirical Bayes For Highway Safety Studies, Reginald R. Souleyrette, R. P. Haas, Thomas H. Maze

Reginald R. Souleyrette

Typically, crash frequency is modelled as Poison where the variation is the square root of the expected number. If the expected number of crashes is small, the variation is a large percentage of the expected number of crashes, and the observed number of crashes provides a crude estimate for the expected number. A better estimate is obtained when the expected number is large. For a specific location, there are two approaches for performing measurements where the expected number of crashes is large. One approach is to measure over a long period of time. However, data are not often available for …

Dry Stone Masonry Culvert Restoration, Rick Younce, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Jane M. Wooley, Neil Rippingale

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A damaged dry stone masonry culvert on KY 1268 Jessamine County was restored by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The work was performed by the Dry Stone Conservancy, a non-profit agency promoting dry stone masonry. The work included replacement of a retaining wall and widening of the culvert. The project also included a partnering effort to improve the skills of local stone masons.

Archived Data Management System In Kentucky, Mei Chen, Jingxin Xia

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Archived Data User Service (ADUS) was added to the national ITS architecture in 1999 to enable multiple uses for ITS-generated data. In Kentucky, ARTIMIS and TRIMARC are collecting volume, speed, occupancy, length-based classification, and incident data on a continuous basis. This study developed the Kentucky Archived Data Management System (ADMS) to archive and disseminate data collected by sensors in ARTIMIS and TRIMARC systems. This system is designed to be the prototype of ITS data clearinghouse in Kentucky.

The Kentucky ADMS operates on a web server that allows users to retrieve traffic data (i.e., volume, speed, lane occupancy) in 15 minute …

Functional Dissociation In Frontal And Striatal Areas For Processing Of Positive And Negative Reward Information, Xun Liu, David K. Powell, Hongbin Wang, Brian T. Gold, Christine R. Corbly, Jane E. Joseph

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Reward-seeking behavior depends critically on processing of positive and negative information at various stages such as reward anticipation, outcome monitoring, and choice evaluation. Behavioral and neuropsychological evidence suggests that processing of positive (e.g., gain) and negative (e.g., loss) reward information may be dissociable and individually disrupted. However, it remains uncertain whether different stages of reward processing share certain neural circuitry in frontal and striatal areas, and whether distinct but interactive systems in these areas are recruited for positive and negative reward processing. To explore these issues, we used a monetary decision-making task to investigate the roles of frontal and striatal …

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Identification of potential bacterial sources and levels, Red Duck Creek, Mayfield, Kentucky, Brooke Vorbeck, Travis Martin, and Mike Kemp, Dept of Industrial and Engineering Technology, Murray State University
• Water-quality trend analysis for streams in Kentucky, A.S. Crain and G.R. Martin, USGS, Louisville
• Preliminary Results of a Fecal Microbe Survey in a Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, W.S. Borowski and M.S. Albright, Depts of Earth Sciences and Geography, EKU
• Preliminary Physical and Chemical Characteristics of an Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, E.C. Jolly and W.S. Borowski, Dept of Earth Sciences, EKU
• Lethal and …

Session 2d: Superfund, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Challenges and Opportunities in Working Directly with Affected Superfund Communities in Kentucky, Lisa Gaetke, Nutrition and Food Science, UK
• Selected Chloro-Organic Detoxifications by Poly-Chelate (polyacrylic acid) and Citrate-Based Fenton Reaction at Neutral pH Environment, YongChao Li, L. G. Bachas, and Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Depts of Chemical & Materials Engineering and Chemisty, UK
• Reductive Degradation of Cholorinated Organics by Membrane-Supported Nonoparticles, Jian Xu and Dibakar Bhattacharyya, Dept of Chemical & Materials Engineering, UK

Session 2c: Education/Outreach, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• 5 Stars, 15 Students, and 5000 Trees, A.A. Gumbert and others, Extension Associate for Environmental and Natural Resource Issues, UK
• The Water Pioneers Water Quality Initiative, Stephanie Jenkins, Doug McLaren, Blake Newton, Amanda Abnee, UK
• Local and State Partnership for MS4 Success in Kentucky – Coordinated Communication, Education and Outreach, C.D. McCormick and Shelby Jett, FMSM Engineers, Louisville and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
• Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination: A Challenge for Kentucky’s Stormwater Program Cities, B. Tonning, R. Walker, and J. Arnold, Tetra Tech, Lexington

Session 2b: Goundwater, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Kentucky Groundwater-Quality Mapping Service, R.S. Fisher and Bart Davidson, KGS
• Kentucky Groundwater-Quality Data Search Engine, Bart Davidson and R.S. Fisher, KGS
• Water Quality in the Karst Terrane of the Sinking Creek Basin, Kentucky 2004-06, Angela S. Crain, USGS, Louisville
• Salt Movement Through the Vadose Zone of a Karst Soil – First Experiences with a Transfer Function Approach, Ole Wendroth and others, Dept Plant and Soil Sciences, UK

Session 2a: Surface Water, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Development and Application of a New Sediment Fingerprinting Methodology for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Charles Davis and Jimmy Fox, Dept of Civil Engineering, UK
• Accounting for Construction Stormwater in TMDL Development for Sediment Impaired Streams in Rapidly Growing Residential Areas, Jon Ludwig and John Bekman, Tetra Tech, and David Montali, WVDEP
• Responses of Riparian Plant Diversity to Gradients in Flood Frequency and Severity, Patrick Lawless and Jimmy Fox, Depts of Geography and Civil Engineering, UK