Engineering Commons^™

Investigation Of Concrete Electrical Resistivity As A Performance Based Test, Amir Malakooti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research project was to identify the extent that concrete resistivity measurements (bulk and/or surface) can be used as a performance based lab test to improve the quality of concrete in Utah bridge decks. By allowing UDOT to specify a required resistivity, concrete bridge deck quality will increase and future maintenance costs will decrease.

This research consisted of two phases: the field phase and the lab phase. In the field phase, concrete samples were gathered from local concrete producers in Utah. These concrete samples were made with common concrete mixes used in bridge decks across the state …

Experimental And Simplified Analytical Investigation Of Full Scale Sandwich Panel Walls, Salam Adil. Al-Rubaye

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Concrete sandwich wall panels have been used for decades in the precast concrete construction industry because of their thermal efficiency. To achieve full or partial-composite action in concrete sandwich panel walls, the engineer must obtain a percent composite action from a connector manufacturer, making some engineers uncomfortable. Engineers are dependent upon the recommendations given by the connector manufacturers to establish their designs. This project tested six full scale sandwich panel walls to evaluate the percent composite action of various connectors and compare the results to those provided by the composite connector manufacturers.

This project aimed to validate current procedures using …

Reliability Analysis For Shear In Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Bridges Using Shear Beam Database, Danile F. Jensen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The objective of this report is to analyze and calibrate the reliability indices for shear in reinforced concrete bridge girders. Existing statistical models are based on limited experimental data from only a few research tests. These existing models show that our current procedures for analysis are about 10-15% less conservative for lightweight concrete compared to an analysis for normal weight concrete. Accurate load models are used to find shear and moment envelopes of loads applied to bridges. Analysis is based on different span lengths, span number and girder dimensions. Design calculations are performed using design values and loads calculated from …

Uniform Temperature Predictions And Temperature Gradient Effects On I-Girder And Box Girder Concrete Bridges, Edyson Rojas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) created the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program with the objective of acquiring quality scientific data for in-service bridge performance throughout the United States. This information will be used to improve the practices of bridge design and maintenance. To accomplish this objective, a variety of sensors were installed on a bridge south of Sacramento, California and a bridge near Perry, Utah. Data from the sensors is constantly gather and analyzed.

This research analyzed the data from the temperature sensors in order to investigate the effect of temperature changes in the California and Utah bridges over a …

Shear And Flexural Capacity Of High Strength Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders, Arek Tilmann Higgs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The section of highway over the 400 South roadway in Orem, Utah is made up of two separate three span bridges. The bridges were originally constructed in 1960 and were expanded in 2004 to accommodate for one extra lane per bridge. During the fall of 2012 both bridges were scheduled for demolition and four girders were salvaged from the southernmost span of the 2004 expansion. These girders were transported to the Structural Materials And Systems Health Lab (SMASH Lab) where a series of tests were performed to determine the prestressing losses, flexural, shear, and shear-flexure capacity of the girders. The …

Concrete Design For Traffic Application, Marc Shields

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Inductive charging of electronic devices is a newer technology that is capable of transferring electrical power without physical contact through wiring. Research is currently being done to find and improve ways to implement this technology on electric cars. If this type of technology pas implemented on a large scale throughout much of the country, electrical or hybrid cars could travel across counties and states without depleting their batteries.

The current problem with electric cars is that they have a limited range of travel. Even with larger batteries with much more capacitance, the range of pure electric cars usually does not …

A Collection Of New Studies Using Existing And Proposed Techniques And Instrumentation For Nondestructive Testing And Analysis Of Concrete Materials And Structures, Shane D. Boone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A variety of studies were performed using existing and newly proposed techniques and instrumentation to further the understanding of nondestructive testing of concrete. A new combined stress wave propagation method was developed that combined the existing methods of the spectral analysis of surface waves, impact echo, and free-free resonant column experimental and analysis techniques. The method was used to determine the stiffness profile and location of embedded voids in a concrete tunnel lining modeled as a three layer concrete slab. A new equation was proposed that predicted the level of damage of concrete samples based on the functions of the …

An Evaluation Of In-Stream Structures Designed To Provide Fish Habitat, Charles H. Call Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In-stream concrete structures were studied through model tests and river tests. The model studies indicated that four designs provided good habitat in the model stream. These structures were the inverted weir, the "V" structure, the slab with legs and the cylinder. Through the river studies it was determined that these structures did not influence enough of the total river area to be effective in providing good fish habitat. Also an appreciable amount of yearly maintenance would be required to free the structures from silting in, debris, and vandalism. The slab with legs was the only promising structure.