Civil Engineering Commons^™

Infrared Thermography-Driven Flaw Detection And Evaluation Of Hot Mix Asphalt Pavements, Yong K. Cho, Yong-Rak Kim Ph.D., Thaddaeus Bode

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

This research was conducted to study more realistic explanations of how variables are created and dealt with during hot mix asphalt (HMA) paving construction. Several paving projects across the state of Nebraska have been visited where sensory devices were used to test how the selected variables contribute to temperature differentials including density, moisture content within the asphalt, material surface temperature, internal temperature, wind speed, haul time, and equipment type. Areas of high temperature differentials are identified using an infrared camera whose usefulness was initially confirmed with a penetrating thermometer. A non-nuclear density device was also used to record how the …

Investigating Rfid For Roadside Identification Involving Freight Commercial Vehicle Operators (Cvo), Erick C. Jones Ph.D., Judy Perkins Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging technology to track commercial vehicles. This transcript describes research that investigates the ability for RFID technologies to work in license plates. Mile markers are common fixtures on the roadside and may provide infrastructure to support identifying RFID to enabled Commercial Vehicle Operators (CVO). This research considers variables that affect the performance of a RFID License Plate System that uses a scanner located at the mile marker. Mile marker characteristics, such as horizontal distance and vertical height, were evaluated along with RFID tag characteristics, such tag type and license plate location.

Safety Investigation And Guidance For Work-Zone Devices In Freight Transportation Systems Subjected To Passenger Car And Truck Impacts With New Crash Standards, Ronald K. Faller Ph.D., P.E., Dean L. Sicking Ph.D., P.E., Karla A. Lechtenberg M.S.C.E., E.I.T., James C. Holloway M.S.C.E., E.I.T., Jennifer D. Schmidt

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Crashworthy, work-zone, portable sign support systems accepted under NCHRP Report No. 350 were analyzed to predict their safety peformance according to the TL-3 MASH evaluation criteria. An analysis was conducted to determine which hardware parameters of sign support systems would likely contribute to the safety performance with MASH. The acuracy of the method was evaluated through full-scale crash testing. Four full-scale crash tests were conducted with a pickup truck. Two tall-mounted, sign support systems with aluminum sign panels failed the MASH criteria due to windshield penetration. One low-mounted system with a vinyl, roll-up sign panel failed the MASH criteria due …

Impact Of Truck Loading On Design And Analysis Of Asphaltic Pavement Structures, Yong-Rak Kim, Hokie Ban, Soohyok Im

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) is an improved methodology for pavement design and the evaluation of paving materials. However, in spite of significant advancements to pre-existing traditional design methods, the MEPDG is known to be limited in its accurate prediction of mechanical responses and damage in asphaltic pavements. This restriction is both due to the use of simplified structural analysis methods, and a general lack of understanding of the fundamental constitutive behavior and damage mechanisms in paving materials. This is additionally affected by the use of circular tire loading configurations. Performance prediction and pavement life are determined based on the …

Layer Moduli Of Nebraska Pavements For The New Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (Mepdg), Yong-Rak Kim, Soohyok Im, Hoki Ban

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

As a step-wise implementation effort of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for the design and analysis of Nebraska flexible pavement systems, this research developed a database of layer moduli — dynamic modulus, creep compliance, and resilient modulus — of various pavement materials used in Nebraska. The database includes all three design input levels. Direct laboratory tests of the representative Nebraska pavement materials were conducted for Level 1 design inputs, and surrogate methods, such as the use of Witczak’s predictive equations and the use of default resilient moduli based on soil classification data, were evaluated to include Level 2 and/or …

Foundation Design For High Tension Cable Guardrails, John R. Rohde Ph.D., P.E., Ling Zhu Ph.D., Ryan J. Terpsma B.S.M.E

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

High tension cable guardrail is becoming increasing popular in median and roadside applications due to the promise of reduced deflections upon impact and reduced maintenance. As the performance of these systems is observed in service, there is a growing concern over the end anchorage foundation performance of current systems. Foundations for high tension systems must not only be capable of restraining the impact load of a vehicle but must also restrain the initial pretension on the cable system as well as temperature induced loads. While it may be acceptable for many roadside safety devices to require foundation repair after impact, …

Estimating Highway Pavement Damage Costs Attributed To Truck Traffic, Yong Bai, Steven D. Schrock, Thomas E. Mulinazzi, Wenhua Hou, Chunxiao Liu, Umar Firman

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Kansas is one of the leaders in meat production in the United States. In the southwest Kansas region, there are more than three hundred feed yards and several of the biggest meat processing plants in the nation. Heavy trucks (e.g., tractor-trailers) have been used primarily for transporting processed meat, meat byproducts, grain, and other related products. With the continuous growth of these industries, there will be more trucks on highways transporting meat and meat-related products in southwest Kansas. These trucks cause noteworthy damage to Kansas highway pavements, which in turn leads to more frequent maintenance actions and ultimately more traffic …

Extending Pavement Life Using Thin Surfacing To Counter The Effect Of Increased Truck Traffic Due To Freight Movements On Highways, Mustaque Hossain Ph.D., P.E., Vikranth S. Manepalli, Shaidur Rahman, Haritha Y. Musty

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The highways in the Midwest are experiencing a considerable amount of truck traffic due to increased freight transportation. There is clearly a risk to the highway infrastructure caused by this additional truck traffic that will also have an increasingly detrimental effect on the safety of the citizens, the traveling public in terms of congestion, and the economy of the entire region. Traditionally the life of the pavements has been extended by a variety of rehabilitation techniques. For example, techniques used by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) include route and crack seal, chip seal, 1- to 4-inch overlay, 1- to …

Automated Erosion System To Protect Highway Bridge Crossings At Abutments, Thanos Papanicolaou Ph.D., Christopher Wilson Ph.D., Mohamed Elkakeem Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

A new instrument (Photo-Electronic Erosion Pin, or PEEP) was examined in collecting field data and remotely monitoring bank erosion near bridge abutments during floods. The performance of PEEPs was evaluated through a detailed field study to determine factors affecting their records. Proper calibration of the instrument was important in obtaining accurate erosion lengths. Calibration of the PEEPs within the banks nearby the study reach provided the most accurate erosion lengths. In addition, comparison with traditional, manual methods was recommended. Bank erosion was monitored at two study sites at the Clear Creek Watershed (CCW), IA between May 2009 and December 2009 …

Closed Course Testing Of Portable Rumble Strips To Improve Truck Safety At Work Zones, Steven D. Schrock, Yong Bai

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The purpose of this research was to compare the attention-getting characteristics, movements and vertical displacements of several portable, reusable rumble strips. The attention-getting characteristics and displacement were measured after passes of a fully loaded heavy truck and a passenger vehicle. Sound and vibration tests revealed that the portable plastic rumble strips were more effective on cars than trucks for generating in-vehicle vibration and increasing in-vehicle sound levels. Further, they were generally better able to match the characteristics of the tested permanent rumble strip compared to the adhesive rumble strips, and that this was also true for the configurations that contained …

Transfer And Development Length Of Strands In Post-Tensioned Members After Anchor Head Failure, Elie El Zghayar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Post-tensioning tendons in segmental bridge construction are often only anchored within the deviator and pier segments. The effectiveness of the post-tensioning (PT) system is therefore dependent on proper functioning of the anchorages. On August 28, 2000 a routine inspection of the Mid-Bay Bridge (Okaloosa County, Florida) revealed corrosion in numerous PT tendons. Moreover, one of the 19-strand tendons was completely slacked, with later inspection revealing a corrosion-induced failure at the pier anchor location. Anchorage failure caused all PT force to transfer to the steel duct located within the pier segment that in turn slipped and caused the tendon to go …

Evaluation Of Trenchless Renewal Methods For Potable Water Distribution Pipes, Abhay A. Jain

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Undoubtedly, potable water pipes, as part of an underground infrastructure system, play a key role in maintaining quality of life, health and well being of human kind. As these potable water pipes reach the end of their useful life, they create high maintenance costs, loss of flow capacity, decreased water quality, and increased dissatisfaction. Trenchless renewal methods (TRMs) are a medium to renew deteriorated potable water pipes, thus decreasing leakage loss, emergency maintenance costs and customer complaints. TRMs also maintain the quality of the water leaving the treatment plant. America's drinking water systems faces an annual shortfall of at least …

An Investigation Of Productivity Loss Due To Outdoor Noise Conditions, Shripad Dilip Maldikar

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Most people in day to day life at one time or other get irritated or distracted by surrounding noises. The irritation might have resulted in minor aggravation or may have been dramatic enough to hinder their work. This leads us to think whether there are any losses in the efficiency of construction workers due to surrounding varying noise conditions, or if they naturally adjust to their acoustic environment. In an effort to answer this question, this study on productivity loss due to varying sound conditions was conducted. It was found that, the efficiency of laborers was inversely proportional to the …

A Study Of The Strength Of Pervious Pavement Systems, Ikenna Uju

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a study on the strength properties of the different pervious pavement systems installed at the Stormwater Management Academy field laboratory at University of Central Florida (UCF), Orlando. The strength tests were performed both in the laboratory and in the field. Laboratory testing was conducted to determine the compressive strength and flexural strength of the various pavement surfaces. Evaluation of field pavement performance was performed by comparing the deflection basins using the Falling Weight Deflectometer test on pervious concrete and porous asphalt with conventional impervious concrete and asphalt pavements of similar layer profile and thickness, respectively. From literature …

Feasibility Study Of Lightweight High-Strength Hollow Core Balsa-Frp Composite Beams Under Flexure, Kevin O'Neill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States of America's Military, more specifically the Army, has since the late 1990's had a vested interest in the development of super-lightweight, portable, short-span composite bridge and decking components to replace aging heavy metal-alloy machine driven modular systems. The following study looks at the feasibility of using balsa wood as the structural core material in fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) wrapped hollow-core composites in short-span bridge applications. The balsa provides shear resistance and the FRP the flexural resistance, resulting in extremely high strength-to-weight and strength-to-depth ratios. Several scaled short span specimens were constructed and tested using a variety of …

A Field Investigation For The Wind Load Performance Of Vegetated Greenroofs Using Monitoring Systems, Melike Minareci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Greenroof systems have been shown to be an environmentally friendly alternative based on various factors; such as, reduced lifecycle cost, improved air quality, ambient temperature reduction, stormwater management credit, sustainability and preservation of the environment. Recent research studies attempt to determine the construction methods of an ideal greenroof for environmental purposes, yet there is an absence of standards for the best design required to achieve acceptable structural performance and sustainability under wind loads. As a result, there is a need to document the effectiveness of greenroofs under high wind events by addressing the following questions: Do winds have an effect …

A Tool To Improve And Preserve Flexible Pavement At Intersections, Carlos Jesus Solis

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Rural intersections originally constructed with thin untreated flexible base and hot mix or a two-course surface treatment tend to experience severe pushing, shoving and rutting. These failures cause an extremely rough surface that can cause damage to small vehicles and potentially cause motorists to lose control of their vehicles. These distresses almost always result in complete failure of the existing pavement that must be repaired several times during the life of the roadway by maintenance forces. In most cases, pavements constructed with the same materials and cross-sections adjacent to the intersection perform adequately.

The sources of and solutions for failure …

Performance-Based Plastic Design Of Earthquake Resistant Steel Structures: Concentrically Braced Frames, Tall Moment Frames, Plate Shear Wall Frames, Mohammad Reza Bayat

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

It is well known that structures designed by current codes experience large inelastic deformations during major earthquakes. However, current seismic design practice in the U.S. is based on elastic structural behavior and accounts for inelastic behavior only in an indirect manner through certain modification factors such as R, I, and Cd. Under moderate to severe earthquakes, inelastic activity, including severe yielding and buckling of structural members can be unevenly distributed in the structure which may result in global collapse or costly repair work. Recently, a new design method has been developed and referred to as Performance-Based Plastic Design (PBPD). This …

Chemical Compatibility Of Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall Backfills Containing Modified Bentonites, Matthew D. Mckeehan

Master’s Theses

This study examined the chemical compatibility of several model soil-bentonite(SB) backfills with an inorganic salt solution (CaCl2). First, bentonite-water slurry was created using a natural sodium-bentonite, as well as two modified bentonites –multiswellable bentonite (MSB) and a “salt-resistant” bentonite (SW101). Once slurries that met typical construction specifications had been created using the various bentonites,the model SB backfills were prepared for each type of bentonite. These backfills werealso designed to meet conventional construction and design requirements. The SB backfills were then subjected to permeation with tap water and/or CaCl2 solutions of various concentrations in order to evaluate the compatibility of the …

Evaluation Of Project Delivery Methods For Trenchless Construction, Sahar W. Hasan

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The need of today's construction whether it be residential, commercial or infrastructure is to cut costs while maintaining schedule, scope, and delivering the expected quality. This realization has brought to light the importance of project delivery methods. Project delivery methods are no longer seen only as procedures to follow for a construction project; they have become instruments that are being used to save money, deliver projects ahead of schedule and come up with innovative design solutions by utilizing the contractor's expertise. This thesis evaluates the pros and cons of project delivery methods with respect to trenchless construction. Trenchless technology methods …