Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Reliability-Based Shear Rating Of Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders Considering Capacity Adjustment Factor, Alaa I. Chehab, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

In this study, the reliability of prestressed concrete (PC) bridge girders in the shear rating process is quantified, where the use of a simple procedure to enhance the accuracy of shear capacity evaluation for rating is evaluated. It was found that the approximate methods used in code-based procedures to develop shear resistance used for reliability calibration of the AASHTO Bridge Design Specifications and the Manual for Bridge Evaluation result in larger discrepancies in reliability than previously assumed, as well as substantially conservative shear capacity evaluation in most cases. To examine the effects of using a more accurate shear rating process, …

34-Inch Tall Three Beam Transition To Concrete Buttress, Scott Rosenbaugh, Wyatt Fallet, Ronald K. Faller, Robert W. Bielenberg, Jennifer Schmidt

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Roadway resurfacing and overlay projects effectively reduce the height of roadside barriers placed adjacent to the roadway, which can negatively affect their crashworthiness. More recently, bridge rails and concrete barriers have been installed with slightly increased heights to account for future overlays. However, adjacent guardrails and approach transitions have not yet been modified to account for overlays. The objective of this project was to develop an increased-height, approach guardrail transition (AGT) to be crashworthy both before and after roadway overlays of up to 3 in. (76 mm).

A 34-in. (864-mm) tall, thrie beam transition was designed such that the system …

Energy Consumption And Routing Model For First Responder Vehicles, Alex Rodriguez

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

The ongoing research and prototyping of electric vehicles (EVs) offers numerous opportunities to investigate their performance in various service contexts. As EVs are integrated into society, the reliable prediction of fuel consumption and routing time becomes particularly important in emergency response services. This project develops a preliminary stochastic model that can route and predict the energy consumption and travel time for hypothetical emergency vehicles operating on an electric battery cell. Using a Monte-Carlo framework, we constructed a routing model designed to minimize travel time and resource consumption under various simulated conditions. In doing so, we establish the foundation for balancing …

Bridge Deck Delamination Segmentation Based On Aerial Thermography Through Regularized Grayscale Morphological Reconstruction And Gradient Statistics, Chongsheng Cheng, Zhexiong Shang, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Environmental and surface texture-induced temperature variation across the bridge deck is a major source of errors in delamination detection through thermography. This type of external noise poises a significant challenge for conventional quantitative methods such as global thresholding and k-means clustering. An iterative top-down approach is proposed for delamination segmentation based on grayscale morphological reconstruction. A weight-decay function was used to regularize the reconstruction for regional maxima extraction. The mean and coefficient of variation of temperature gradient estimated from delamination boundaries were used for discrimination. The proposed approach was tested on a lab experiment and an in-service bridge deck. The …

The Evaluation Of High Molecular Weight Methacrylate As A Treatment Option For Shrinkage Cracks In Airfield Pavement, Austin R. Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force policy dictates that only epoxy can be used as a treatment option for shrinkage cracks in concrete airfield pavement. However, since epoxy is not ideal for shrinkage cracks, this research focuses on the evaluation of high molecular weight methacrylate (HMWM) as a treatment option. Laboratory experiments were performed on four sealants to determine whether they could penetrate a crack 24 inches deep, bond to the concrete, and resist water intrusion. Three HMWMs (TK-2415, Kwik Bond KBP 103, and Castek Transpo T-70) and one epoxy (TK-2110) were assessed. The four sealers were applied to 32 concrete specimens with crack …

Improvement Of Thermal Technical Characteristics Of Wall Ceramic Material Based On Low-Sorted Lyssovid Suglinks And Modified Liquid Glass, Anvar Ishanovich Adilkhodjayev, I.M. Mahamataliev, A.T. Ilyasov

Journal of Tashkent Institute of Railway Engineers

Application of low-grade loesslike loams (NLS) in the production of effective wall ceramics requires development of methods of increase of frost-resistance of ceramic porizovannoy matrix. It can be attained by adjusting of porosity of structure. In the Tashkent architectural-build institute possibility of making of an effective wall ceramic material is studied on the basis of NLS with the use of dobavki- ash-taking away of Angrenskoy TES and modified liquid glass as a modifier of porous structure. It is set that introduction of addition ash-taking away in an amount 25 % from mass of NLS and burning at the temperature of …

The Risk Of Ballast Graphic Towards Pozzles Moving Frequency, Sh.Sh. Abdukamilov, A.Yu. Mamadaliyev

Journal of Tashkent Institute of Railway Engineers

A special place in identifying the features of the vibrational process of ballast material, it is necessary to take, first of all, the nature of the process of oscillations. Its identification helps to determine the causes of their occurrence, which is very important for assessing the influence of oscillations on the properties and state of the ballast layer. Knowledge of the nature of the oscillatory process makes it possible in the future to simulate it in laboratory conditions to determine the degree of decrease in strength properties of ballast material, clogged sands under the influence of vibrodynamic load, during the …

Theoretical Aspects Of Structural And Simulation Modeling Of The Macrostructure Of Composite Building Materials, Anvar Ishanovich Adilkhodjayev, I.M. Mahamataliev, S.S. Shaumarov

Journal of Tashkent Institute of Railway Engineers

At the present time, the description of the joint work of multi-component, high-quality concretes in the framework of the structural and simulation modeling of cement composites is a very topical task of building materials science. In the context of the solution of the above problems, theoretical aspects of structural and simulation modeling are presented on the example of the developed program "Concrete-technology", which allows to predict the strength properties of multicomponent high-quality concrete at the macro structural level.

High Friction Surface Treatment Initiatives By Indot: Spec Development, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

In-House Project Design, Special Provision Specification, and Initial Test Results—Highfriction surface treatment (HFST) has been proactively utilized as a cost-effective solution to reducing vehicle crashes at curves across the country. As an initiative, INDOT is currently installing HFST at 26 locations statewide, mainly horizontal curves with high crash rates. This session consists of two presentations to share the information on the development, expected benefits, project design, and initial test results based on the HFST at these locations.

Rough Roads Ahead!?, Sarah Reed, Brooke Thomas, Jim Hellmann

Purdue Road School

Have you ever found yourself in the public's cross-hairs when it is time to implement a few roadway improvements? Are you handicapped in your ability to describe the true value of community planning and economic development planning? Come hear from one dynamic trio with the ability to identify issues and opportunities that others might not see and work to uncover even more ways tin which we are better together.

Safety Improvements At Horizontal Curves, Joseph Bruno

Purdue Road School

This presentation highlights the progress INDOT has made in improving safety at horizontal curves by upgrading the signing and delineation and by applying high friction surface treatments at some locations. We will also discuss the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) requirements for signing horizontal curves and the approaching (December 31, 2019) FHWA target date for compliance.

Microwave Self-Healing Technology As Airfield Porous Asphalt Friction Course Repair And Maintenance System, Amir Tabakovic, Declan O'Prey, Drew Mckenna, David Woodward

Research and Innovation - Articles

A problem increasingly faced by airport authorities is the maintenance of runways. Due to their large aircraft loadings associated with take-off and landing operations, runways experience surface deterioration. Poor quality runway surfaces cannot be tolerated in such an environment. Maintenance issues must be carried out to maximise safety and minimise the risk of aircraft damage. A recent development has been the introduction of self-healing technologies such as rejuvenator encapsulation, induction and microwave heating to address these issues. This paper summarises a laboratory investigation to determine the effectiveness of microwave self-healing for crack repair of Porous Friction Course (PFC) used for …

Leveraging Telematics And Weather Data To Study The Productivity Of Roadside Mowers, Jijo K. Mathew, Matt Kraushar

Purdue Road School

Mowing activities are usually reported by daily work orders and it is difficult to obtain quantitative information characterizing the utilization and productivity of the mowing operations. This research uses telematics data from commercial sensors to track the daily activity of seven mowers in the Fort Wayne district. Weather data from NOAA was also captured to estimate the weather related delays. During a one-month period, the mowers collectively covered a total of around 1170 miles and an area of nearly 1800 acres of mowing. Crews worked alternative work schedules with extended hours four days a week. On an average 9.5 hour …

Quantifying The Impact Of Weather Events On Travel Time And Reliability, Xu Zhang, Mei Chen

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

It is of practical significance to understand the specific impact of weather events on the operating condition of the surface transportation system so that proactive and reactive strategies can be quickly implemented by transportation agencies to minimize the negativity resulted from adverse weather events. Many studies have been conducted on quantifying such effects yet suffer from limitations such as subjectively defining a time window under uncongested conditions and not being able to account for the severe impact from weather events which result in travel time unreliability. To overcome those shortcomings in existing literature, an integrated data mining framework based on …

Final Design Review: Mascoma River Greenway Extension, Sebastian Strong, Sarah Atac, Eleanor Dowd, David Ruiz, Isalys Quiñones

ENGS 89/90 Reports

This report outlines current conditions surrounding the extension of the Mascoma River Greenway (MRG) to downtown West Lebanon, NH and recommends a route to completion. Included in the report are maps detailing potential route alignments and recommendations based on outside research and interviews with numerous stakeholders, Lebanon City officials, and community members. The report is intended to provide context and updated insight into the present and future of the MRG, following in the spirit of the 2010 MRG Action Plan, a document that created a vision for redevelopment of the Northern rail corridor and motivated stakeholders to move the project …

Development Of A Laboratory Test For Evaluation Of Geogrid Materials, Charlie Sun, R. Clark Graves

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Two test methods have been developed in this project. The first test method is a compression test of a cylinder constructed out of geogrid material and filled with crushed stone. This test is simple and can be easily performed. Only a compression loading machine is needed for this test. The sample preparation is straightforward. However, multiple tests must be run to analyze geogrids with different ultimate tensile strength or different grid aperture size on machine direction and cross machine direction. The second test method is Geogrid Bearing Ratio (GBR) test. This test was developed to measure the effect of geogrids …

Process Analysis For Disposal Of Surplus Property, Bryan Gibson, Christopher Van Dyke, Candice Y. Wallace, Jeff Jasper, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) frequently acquires property to secure the right of way for transportation projects. Some property may eventually be declared excess and deemed surplus, enabling the Cabinet to dispose of it. Excess property can be declared surplus by an official order of the Secretary or Commissioner of the Department of Highways. Current law and policy require that KYTC undertake a 21-step process to dispose of surplus property, including reviews by the Governor, Finance and Administration Cabinet, and several KYTC personnel. The Cabinet lacks the personnel required to undertake the lengthy disposal process. This report provides background on …

Thermographic Laplacian-Pyramid Filtering To Enhance Delamination Detection In Concrete Structure, Chongsheng Cheng, Ri Na, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Despite decades of efforts using thermography to detect delamination in concrete decks, challenges still exist in removing environmental noise from thermal images. The performance of conventional temperature-contrast approaches can be significantly limited by environment-induced non-uniform temperature distribution across imaging spaces. Time-series based methodologies were found robust to spatial temperature non-uniformity but requires extended period to collect data. A new empirical image filtering method is introduced in this paper to enhance the delamination detection using blob detection method that originated from computer vison. The proposed method employs a Laplacian of Gaussian filter to achieve multi-scale detection of abnormal thermal patterns by …

Health Benefits From Upgrading Public Buses For Cleaner Air: A Case Study Of Clark County, Nevada And The United States, John O. Olawepo, L.-W. Antony Chen

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Public transit buses, which move more than 5 billion passengers annually in the United States (U.S.), can contribute substantially to the environmental health burden through emitted air pollutants. As a leader in transforming to cleaner bus fleets, the Regional Transport Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) has been transitioning from diesel to compressed natural gas (CNG) transit buses since 1999. By 2017, ~75% of RTC’s buses operating in Clark County, Nevada were CNG-powered. This study assesses the health benefits of the venture using the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Co-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA) model, considering the emission and exposure changes from …

Webinar: Rethinking Streets For Bikes: An Evidence Based Guide Of Bike-Friendly Street Retrofits, Marc Schlossberg, Roger Lindgren

TREC Webinar Series

There is a growing demand for better infrastructure and fewer barriers to biking and other forms of space-efficient micromobility. Tackling daily trips by bike is easier on the environment, healthier for users and non-users alike, uses precious urbanized public and private land more efficiently, costs taxpayers less to build and maintain infrastructure, and when routes are safe and comfortable, moving by bike is also fun! Complete Streets policies are being adopted across the country, and there is an active conversation around the safety imperative of a Complete Streets approach. Yet, local officials often need both design guidance and the …