Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Inventory, Operations, And Safety At Free Right-Turn Ramps, Aemal Khattak, Jonathon Camezind, Mm Shakui Haque

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This research focused on traffic safety and operational performance of rural, minor approach stop-controlled intersections with free right-turn (FRT) ramps. The objectives of the research were to:

• Create a statewide inventory of rural FRT ramp intersections and provide to the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT),
• Using NDOT 10-year crash data, conduct statistical safety analysis of rural FRT intersections extending ¼-mile in each direction from the intersection,
• Study vehicular operations at rural intersections with and without FRT ramps including a comparison of vehicular conflicts, and
• Develop guidelines for operations and safety tradeoffs to assist with NDOT projects on maintaining similar locations, …

Nebraska Balanced Mix Design – Phase I, Farzad Yazdipanah, Mahdieh Khedmati, Hamzeh Haghshenas

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Balanced mix design (BMD) is an alternative concept for designing asphalt mixtures that mainly focuses on performance of mixtures rather than only volumetric analysis. Using this concept, it would be possible to account for the incorporation of recycled asphalt mixtures, warm technology, polymers, rejuvenators, and other foreign additives, as well as external effective factors on the mix design such as environmental effects. This project sought to investigate performance-based methodologies for the asphalt mix design by taking a step to develop a preliminary Nebraska BMD framework. With that, selection of appropriate performance tests, finding a functional laboratory aging protocol, and defining …

Columbus, Nebraska: Southern Housing Development Design Proposal, Ryan Weyers, Caiden Dynek, Alex Papa, Brexton Robertson, Kaden Perala

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

The following paper proposes the design and creation of a new housing development in the city of Columbus, Nebraska in a lot to the south of the city and directly north of the Columbus wastewater treatment plant. The goal of this proposal is to provide readers with confidence that our company is the most qualified to complete the project and will create the safest, most comfortable, most efficient, and most cost-effective final design. This proposal seeks to offer a solution to the lack of affordable housing for the growing workforce in Columbus. In order to arrive at this solution, each …

Equity In Transportation: Data Driven Analysis Of Transportation Services And Infrastructures, Javad Jomehpour Chahar Aman

Civil and Environmental Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Achieving equity in transportation is an ongoing challenge, as transportation options still vary tremendously when it comes to marginalized populations. This dissertation addresses this challenge by conducting a comprehensive review of existing transportation equity literature and identifying two critical gaps: the lack of data-driven approaches to studying spatial mismatch between transportation supply and demand, and limited information on women's perceptions and expectations towards emerging transportation services.

Chapter two introduces the concept of transportation "deserts," specifically transit deserts and walking deserts, and develops data-driven frameworks to identify and investigate neighborhoods with limited transportation service supply but high demand. The frameworks compare …

The Effect Of Four Decades Of Deregulation On Competition And Productivity Of The U.S. Freight Transportation Industry, Seungjae Shin

Theses and Dissertations

This study reviews the competition and productivity of the U.S. freight transportation industry for the past 41 years. This study investigated the trends of HHI market concentration index values and labor productivity values of rail and truck sectors and tried to find any relationships between the two values in the separate periods before and after the abolishment of the ICC. This study also investigated how the existence of a regulatory body impacted productivity of the freight transportation industry by using a Cobb Douglas production function on annual financial statement data in the U.S. stock exchange market. This study found that: …

Application Research And Prospect Of Passive Battered Pile, Zhou Dequan, Wang Chuangye, Zhou Yi, Zhao Yadang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Battered piles oriented in specific directions demonstrate superior horizontal load-bearing capacity compared to vertical piles. However, the working mechanism of battered piles remains inadequately understood, and corresponding design standards are yet to be established. These limitations hinder the effective utilization and application of the horizontal load-bearing and stability potential of battered piles. This paper comprehensively analyzes the soil-pile interaction mechanisms, horizontal displacement, and load-bearing behavior of passive battered piles and their composite systems under lateral unloading and lateral loading conditions, using model tests, numerical simulations, and theoretical analysis. In addition, it proposes future research directions aimed at advancing the study …

Study On Applicability Of Flexible Gabion Revetment In Soft Soil Subgrade In Lake District, Su Weiwei, Lei Mingxuan, Liu Guotian, Zhang Liujun, Liu Junyong

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Based on FLAC3D finite difference software, this paper conducts numerical simulations of both flexible gabion revetment structures and rigid revetment structures to compare their deformation and stress characteristics. The results indicate that the flexible gabion revetment structure demonstrates excellent applicability for soft soil subgrades in lake districts. Compared with rigid revetment structures, the gabion revetment structure improves overturning stability through coordinated deformation within the foundation. It significantly reduces the basal stress, thus lowering the bearing capacity requirements for the foundation, and ensures a more uniform stress distribution at the base, minimizing differential settlement and enhancing foundation stability. Moreover, the gabion …

Research And Application Of Dynamic Compaction Treatment Method For Highway Subgrade In Karst Development Area, Liu Xiaoming, Wang Yigang, Zhao Minghua

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper utilizes discrete-continuum coupled numerical simulation to investigate the failure modes of karst cave roofs with varying spans under specific compaction energy levels. The relationship between the span of the cave roof and the compaction energy required to cause roof collapse is established, providing an estimation method for the maximum unsupported span of cave roofs within the subgrade area. Based on this, the stability of karst cave foundations under the influence of subgrade loads can be evaluated. Depending on the results, a double-layer reinforced continuous concrete slab can be installed in the pavement base to enhance stability and mitigate …

Deformation Monitoring Of Highway Subgrade In Alpine Area Based On Spaceborne Insar, Luo Boren, Yu Fei, Yu Shaohuai

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The harsh geological and climatic conditions in the high-altitude alpine regions of Northwest China, including the widespread distribution of seasonal permafrost and other unfavorable geological bodies, significantly affect the service life of highways and threaten driving safety. Traditional highway deformation monitoring methods are inefficient, limited in coverage, and provide incomplete deformation information. This study employs spaceborne InSAR technology for highway deformation monitoring, enabling large-scale extraction of deformation information along highway corridors. The findings reveal the deformation patterns of highway subgrades in permafrost regions, offering fundamental data for targeted remediation of hazardous highway sections. This approach ensures the scientific construction and …

Study On Treatment Of Karst Foundation By Dynamic Compaction, Lyu Jiang, Zhao Hui, Yang Biao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Dynamic compaction is a commonly used method for treating karst foundations with cavities; however, the design parameters of dynamic compaction under different working conditions lack clear standards. This paper employs the finite element software Abaqus to simulate the effects of surrounding rock quality and karst roof thickness on the stability of karst cave roofs during dynamic compaction treatment. The results indicate that the vertical displacement and maximum tensile stress of karst cave roofs are negatively correlated with roof thickness. For Grade II and III surrounding rocks with better properties, no cave collapse occurred after dynamic compaction treatment. In contrast, for …

Research On Compaction Control Method Of High Water Content And High Liquid Limit Clay In Guizhou Province, Xu Shuliang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study and verify the compaction control method for high liquid limit clay subgrade in the humid and rainy regions of Guizhou Province, a series of experiments were conducted on high water content and high liquid limit clay from the Kaiyang Expressway (Kaili to Yangjia) in Guizhou. The experiments included wet heavy compaction tests, CBR strength tests, basic physical property tests, consolidation tests, thermogravimetric analysis, and trial road tests to analyze the performance of high liquid limit clay in road applications. The results show that for high liquid limit clay, increasing compaction energy does not always improve performance, as excessive …

Study On Dynamic Resilience Modulus Prediction Model Of Subgrade Fine‐Grained Soil Based On Physical Property Parameters, Tan Wei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper investigates representative fine-grained subgrade soils from a highway project. Samples with varying water content and compaction degrees were prepared, and the effects of water content, compaction degree, plasticity index, dynamic deviator stress, and confining pressure on the dynamic resilience modulus (Mr) were analyzed using dynamic triaxial tests. Matlab’s global optimization toolbox was employed to identify the relationships between model parameters ki and physical property indices, thus constructing a prediction model for the dynamic resilience modulus based on physical properties. The predictive performance of this model was compared with conventional models outlined in existing standards. The results show that …

Study On Failure Mechanism Of Rainfall Slope Based On Full‐Scale Slope Model Experiment, Zhang Yongchuang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Field investigations in debris flow source areas reveal that granite is exposed on slope surfaces, while a thin layer of sandy, weathered residual soil is distributed at the slope tops. This paper focuses on the significant permeability differences between the slope base and the upper weathered soil layer. A full-scale slope model experiment was conducted to replicate these characteristics, including rainfall infiltration simulations under both exposed surface conditions and conditions with non-woven fabric filter mats applied. The aim was to investigate the failure mechanism of rainfall-induced debris flows. The results show that the primary trigger for debris flows is the …

Detection Method Of Rural Road Pavement Damage Based On Smart Phone, Zhang Yang, He Li, Tang Qingzhou, Zhang Dejin

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Automatic detection of rural road pavement damage is a critical prerequisite for scientific maintenance. To address issues such as high false detection rates, missed detection, and the inability to quantify damage when using smartphones for pavement damage detection, this paper proposes a novel detection method. The proposed method involves using a smartphone to capture pavement images. A region of interest is first selected in the image, followed by weighted least-squares filtering, Canny edge detection, and Hough transform line detection to identify the pavement, minimizing environmental interference and reducing false detection rates. Perspective transformation is then applied to the pavement region …

Research On Road Crack Recognition Model Based On Yolo V3 Deep Learning Algorithm, Su Weiguo, Wang Jingxiao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address the challenges of manual intervention in road crack detection and the inaccuracy of traditional recognition algorithms, this paper proposes a road crack recognition method based on the YOLO v3 deep learning algorithm. The dataset images were first resized to 416×416 pixels. Labelme was then used to annotate cracks in the images and convert the boundary box location information. Finally, the YOLO v3 algorithm framework was employed for model training. The results show that the YOLO v3 algorithm achieves precision, recall, and F1 scores above 95%, with an image detection speed of 0.123 seconds per image. The YOLO v3 …

Comparative Analysis Of Asphalt Pavement Performance Prediction Models Based On Gamma And Markov Processes, Ma Shibin, Chen Yonghao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Pavement performance prediction is a critical component of pavement management systems, serving as an essential basis and prerequisite for decision-making in asphalt pavement maintenance. This paper introduces the relevant theories of Gamma and Markov stochastic processes to construct asphalt pavement performance prediction models and address uncertainties related to pavement degradation. The results show that stochastic process models are effective in predicting pavement performance degradation and service life. Matlab programming was used to predict asphalt pavement performance and lifespan, yielding pavement degradation curves that significantly improve prediction accuracy and reliability. Finally, taking a test road section in Hebei Province as an …

Study On Interlayer Bonding Properties And Influence Factors Of Cape Seal, Li Yan, Zhang Chengxue, Qiu Yeji, Zhang Haijun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address pavement issues such as shoving and rutting caused by insufficient bonding strength in cape seal layers, this paper investigates the interlayer bonding properties and influencing factors of cape seal. Mechanical tests were conducted using a pavement interlayer shear-pull testing device. Through interlayer pull-off, direct shear, and torsional shear tests, the maximum tensile force, shear force, and torque at failure were obtained. The interlayer bonding performance of cape seal was analyzed in terms of gravel coverage rates, as well as upper and lower layer combinations. The results show that when the gravel coverage rate is 80%-90%, and the cape …

Analysis Of Socket Depth Between Bridge Pier And Cap With Improved Socket Connection, Ge Jiping, Lai Luqi, Wang Zhigang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Traditional prefabricated socket-type bridge piers are limited in engineering applications due to the requirement for deep socket connections. This paper proposes an improved socket connection design incorporating measures such as side shear keys, U-shaped anti-punching reinforcement at the pier base, high-strength non-shrink grouting materials, and large-diameter corrugated metal pipe constraints. The current formulas for calculating socket depth in socket-type connections are reviewed, and a modified calculation formula for improved socket-type piers is presented. The influence of factors such as axial compression ratio and concrete strength on socket depth is discussed. The analysis shows that the improved socket connection reduces socket …

Finite Element Model Updating Of Long Span Suspension Bridge Based On Optimized Radial Basis Function Neural Network, Yang Wenfu, Chen Xin

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To achieve accurate prediction and analysis of the structural behavior of long-span suspension bridges, a finite element model updating method is proposed. An optimized radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is constructed using a genetic algorithm to map the relationship between structural responses and parameters. Using structural dynamic responses as inputs, the model updating was performed on a long-span suspension bridge using both numerical simulation data and actual data from a health monitoring system. The results show that the optimized RBFNN effectively represents the functional relationship between structural responses and parameters to be updated. Model updating via the optimized RBFNN …

Study On Relationship Of Solar Radiation Temperature And Pier‐Top Displacement Of Ultra‐High Thin‐Walled Hollow Pier, Liu Zhishen, Zhang Yifei, Song Fei, Su Jufeng, Ren Xiang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Thin-walled hollow piers are widely used in high-pier and long-span continuous rigid-frame bridges. Solar radiation-induced displacements at the tops of ultra-high thin-walled hollow piers can negatively affect the structural alignment and stress during construction and post-construction phases. Based on a 180 m high thin-walled hollow pier of a large bridge in Shaanxi Province, this paper analyzes the temperature field and pier-top displacement using data collected during two 24-hour periods: August 28-29 and October 11-12. The temperature field and pier-top displacement patterns over time were studied using finite element analysis. The results show that the temperature difference between the north and …