Digital Commons Network^™

Superabsorbent Polymers For Internally Cured Concrete, Caitlin J. Adams, Baishakhi Bose, Ethan Mann, Kendra A. Erk, Ali Behnood, Alberto Castillo, Fabian B. Rodriguez, Yu Wang, Jan Olek

JTRP Technical Reports

Two commercial superabsorbent polymer (SAP) formulations were used to internally cure cement pastes, mortars, and concretes with a range of water-to-cement ratios (w/c 0.35–0.52). The following properties were determined as a function of cement chemistry and type, use of chemical admixtures, use of slag, and batching parameters: SAP absorption capacity, fresh mixture workability and consistency, degree of hydration, volumetric stability, cracking tendency, compressive and flexural strength, and pumpability. SAP internal curing agents resulted in cementitious mixtures with improved hydration, accelerated strength gain, greater volumetric stability, and improved cracking resistance while maintaining sufficient workability to be pumped and placed without sacrificing …

Real Life Experience With Major Pavement Types, Ayesha Shah, Jan Olek, Rebecca S. Mcdaniel

JTRP Technical Reports

Pavement performance is a complex issue which depends on many contributing factors. Examining the performance of real-life pavements across the state determines what the actual service lives are for the pavements. For the purposes of this study, only selected LTPP projects were examined, along with a database containing all the historic repair projects completed in Indiana. Pertinent information present in the Indiana Historic Contracts Database was extracted concerning the types of pavement repair and treatments options commonly employed within the state, the time between repairs, etc. These data were used to determine descriptive statistical parameters and was summarized in graph …

Improved Reliability Of Fwd Test Results And Correlations With Resilient Modulus, Kanika Gupta, Sung Soo Park, Antonio Bobet, Tommy Nantung

JTRP Technical Reports

Resilient modulus (M_R) is a key factor in the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) which was adopted by INDOT in January 2009. The resilient modulus can be determined in new pavement projects from subgrade soil samples collected at the site. However, for a pavement rehabilitation project, it becomes difficult to obtain soil information, and coring for samples may not be feasible because of traffic. The literature is rich with correlations between the M_R of the subgrade obtained in the laboratory with that estimated from FWD tests in the field. However, the review conducted shows very contradictory …

A Strategic Assessment Of Needs And Opportunities For The Wider Adoption Of Electric Vehicles In Indiana, Theodora Konstantinou, Donghui Chen, Konstantinos Flaris, Kyubyung Kang, Dan Daehyun Koo, Jonathon Sinton, Konstantina Gkritza, Samuel Labi

JTRP Technical Reports

The primary objective of this study was to assess the challenges and opportunities associated with the provision of appropriate infrastructure to support electric vehicle (EV) operations and electrification across Indiana. A secondary objective of this study was to develop a strategic plan for INDOT that outlines new business opportunities for developing EV charging stations. To achieve these objectives, the project team assessed current and emerging trends in EV operations, particularly EV charging infrastructure and EV demand forecasting. They also examined opportunities for the strategic deployment of EV charging stations by identifying EV infrastructure deficit areas; investigated the impact of EV …

Environmentally Tuning Asphalt Pavements Using Phase Change Materials, Miguel A. Montoya, Daniela Betancourt-Jiminez, Mohammad Notani, Reyhaneh Rahbar-Rastegar, Jeffrey P. Youngblood, Carlos J. Martinez, John E. Haddock

JTRP Technical Reports

Environmental conditions are considered an important factor influencing asphalt pavement performance. The addition of modifiers, both to the asphalt binder and the asphalt mixture, has attracted considerable attention in potentially alleviating environmentally induced pavement performance issues. Although many solutions have been developed, and some deployed, many asphalt pavements continue to prematurely fail due to environmental loading. The research reported herein investigates the synthetization and characterization of biobased Phase Change Materials (PCMs) and inclusion of Microencapsulated PCM (μPCM) in asphalt binders and mixtures to help reduce environmental damage to asphalt pavements. In general, PCM substances are formulated to absorb and release …

Design Of Educational Material And Public Awareness Campaigns For Improving Work Zone Driver Safety, Ricardo Chahine, Prince Adu Gyamfi, Nandhesh Subash, Wonsang Cho, Krista O. Kelley, Stacey L. Connaughton, Konstantina Gkritza

JTRP Technical Reports

This project aims to help improve work zone driver safety in Indiana through driver education and public awareness campaigns. The project focused on two specific objectives: (1) to design a public awareness campaign to increase drivers’ knowledge and influence positive attitudes about work zone driver safety practices; and (2) to prepare educational materials to be incorporated into driver’s education or training curriculum prior to taking driving test and getting a driver’s license issued. The campaign was informed by formative research, conducted using a survey to assess public knowledge and attitudes. Based on these results, campaign messages were designed. The team …

Synthesis Study: Repair And Durability Of Fire-Damaged Prestressed Concrete Bridge Girders, Tzu-Chun Tseng, Amit H. Varma

JTRP Technical Reports

Recent research results from INDOT research project SPR-4221 indicate that the damage to prestressed concrete bridge girders from an intense hydrocarbon fire is limited to concrete material degradation up to a depth of 1 inch from the surface. Additionally, concrete cracking and spalling occur in the fire-damaged region, but the structural strength (flexure and shear) of fire-exposed prestressed concrete bridge girders is not compromised. The findings open the possibility for repairing damaged bridge girders and answers questions regarding the durability of damaged-unrepaired and damaged-repaired girders.

Pack Rust: Mitigation Strategy Effectiveness, Edgar Oscary Soriano Somarriba, Mark D. Bowman

JTRP Technical Reports

As of 2013, the damage caused by corrosion on highway bridges has been estimated to cost approximately 14 billion dollars annually, and this cost has been increasing over the years. Corrosion is one of the natural phenomena that has been slowly deteriorating infrastructure systems across the United States. One of the most problematic types of corrosion is crevice corrosion, which is defined as the formation of rust between overlapping surfaces, such as the case of a splice connection where flanges are attached by splice plates. A significant number of steel bridges in Indiana have developed crevice corrosion in splice connections. …

Development Of In-Situ Sensing Method For The Monitoring Of Water-Cement (W/C) Values And The Effectiveness Of Curing Concrete, Rui He, Na (Luna) Lu, Jan Olek

JTRP Technical Reports

As the most widely used construction material, concrete is very durable and can provide long service life without extensive maintenance. The strength and durability of concrete are primarily influenced by the initial water-cement ratio value (w/c), and the curing condition during the hardening process also influences its performance. The w/c value is defined as the total mass of free water that can be consumed by hydration divided by the total mass of cement and any additional pozzolanic material such as fly ash, slag, silica fume. Once placed, field concrete pavements are routinely cured with liquid membrane-forming compounds. For laboratory study, …

Safety And Mobility Analysis Of Rolling Slowdown For Work Zones: Comparison With Full Closure, Abdullah Jalal Nafakh, Franklin Vargas Davila, Yunchang Zhang, John D. Fricker, Dulcy M. Abraham

JTRP Technical Reports

There are times when the traffic lanes through a work zone must be kept clear for activities such as placing overhead beams, erecting overhead signs, and installing power lines, and other temporary roadway work activities. As an alternative to a full road closure, a rolling slowdown can typically provide up to 30 minutes to complete such activities without bringing approaching traffic to a complete halt. Using data from recent rolling slowdowns and full closures carried on the Indiana interstate network and a simulation approach, this study compares rolling slowdowns to full closures from safety and mobility standpoints. The study suggests …

Estimating Strength From Stiffness For Chemically Treated Soils, Pranavkumar Shivakumar, Kanika Gupta, Antonio Bobet, Boonam Shin, Peter J. Becker

JTRP Technical Reports

The central theme of this study is to identify strength-stiffness correlations for chemically treated subgrade soils in Indiana. This was done by conducting Unconfined Compression (UC) Tests and Resilient Modulus Tests for soils collected at three different sites—US-31, SR-37, and I-65. At each site, soil samples were obtained from 11 locations at 30 ft spacing. The soils were treated in the laboratory with cement, using the same proportions used for construction, and cured for 7 and 28 days before testing. Results from the UC tests were compared with the resilient modulus results that were available. No direct correlation was found …

Indot Research Program Benefit Cost Analysis – Return On Investment For Projects Completed In Fy 2021, Bob Mccullouch

JTRP Technical Reports

To demonstrate the value of research and its implementation, the Governor’s Office requested an annual financial analysis of the INDOT Research Program to determine the return on the research investment (ROI). The current financial analysis is for research projects that completed in FY 2021. Analyses on previous year’s projects is necessary primarily due to the time it takes some project outcomes to be implemented, extending into the following year. Therefore, the FY 2021 analysis is completed in calendar 2022. The ROI analysis will supplement the annual IMPACT report by adding a more rigorous quantitative benefit cost analysis (BCA) to the …

Assessing The Travel Demand And Mobility Impacts Of Transformative Transportation Technologies In Indiana, Hao Luo, Ricardo Chahine, Arianna Rambaram, Elizabeth Theresa Rosenzweig, Konstantina Gkritza, Hua Cai

JTRP Technical Reports

The rapid development of transformative transportation technologies, such as bike-sharing, shared e-scooters, and ride-hailing systems, is reshaping the transportation landscape. These transformative transportation technologies have the potential to significantly change travel behavior and travel demand and affect transportation agencies’ planning, operations, and decision-making. The objective of this project is to develop a framework and models to quantify the potential travel demand and mobility impacts of transformative transportation technologies in Indiana cities. This project analyzed historical system usage data and conducted survey studies to evaluate the availability and use of transformative transportation technologies in select Indiana cities. The project also proposed …

Highway Lighting Test Bed On Indot Facility (Off-Roadway), Xiaoqiang Hu, Jieyi Bao, Yi Jiang, Shuo Li

JTRP Technical Reports

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), during 2016 there were 7,277,000 vehicle crashes nationally. Among them, approximately 70% happened during the daytime and around 30% of crashes occurred during the nighttime. There were 11,375 nighttime fatal crashes that account for about 48% of total fatal crashes (23,714). Given the fact that only 25%–33% of the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) occur at night, the above statistics indicate that the nighttime crash fatality rate is much higher and nighttime crashes are usually more severe compared to daytime crashes. Providing lighting on roadways is one of the proven safety countermeasures …

Demonstration Project For Asphalt Performance Engineered Mixture Design Testing, Reyhaneh Rahbar-Rastegar, Gerald Huber, Miguel A. Montoya, Christopher Campbell, John E. Haddock

JTRP Technical Reports

The asphalt industry is moving towards performance-based methods for asphalt mixture design. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is supportive of state departments of transportations (DOT) adopting index and predictive performance tests, especially those making use of the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT). The FHWA is therefore encouraging state DOTs to gain experience with the requirements of the procedures and analysis tools for Balanced Mixture Design (BMD). The main objective of this study is to evaluate fatigue cracking on three INDOT mainline pavement projects that have asphalt mixtures designed by the Superpave 5 mixture design, and to better understand the fundamental …

Integration Of Lane-Specific Traffic Data Generated From Real-Time Cctv Videos Into Indot's Traffic Management System, Stanley Chien, Lauren Christopher, Yaobin Chen, Mei Qiu, Wei Lin

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) uses about 600 digital cameras along populated Indiana highways in order to monitor highway traffic conditions. The videos from these cameras are currently observed by human operators looking for traffic conditions and incidents. However, it is time-consuming for the operators to scan through all video data from all the cameras in real-time. The main objective of this research was to develop an automatic and real-time system and implement the system at INDOT to monitor traffic conditions and detect incidents automatically. The Transportation and Autonomous Systems Institute (TASI) of the Purdue School of Engineering and …

Steel Bridge Coating Evaluation And Rating Criteria, Mark D. Bowman, Bryan D. Hagan, William D. Hurdle

JTRP Technical Reports

The aim of the study is to gather information on three topics: (1) the evaluation and rating of steel bridge protective coatings, (2) coating systems used by various states throughout the United States, and (3) maintenance painting procedures employed by various state department of transportation agencies (DOTs). First, it was found that most state DOTs use either an Element Level type rating of the coating system or a 9–0 NBI type rating; many state DOTs use both methodologies, with one used for state bridges and the other for local bridges. Second, for coating systems, it was found that there is …

Field Test Bed For Evaluating Embedded Vehicle Sensors With Indiana Companies, Ayman Habib, Darcy M. Bullock, Yi-Chun Lin, Raja Manish, Radhika Ravi

JTRP Technical Reports

With the advent of modern sensing technology, mapping products have begun to achieve an unprecedented precision of measurement. Considering their diverse use cases, several factors play a role in what would make the resulting measurements accurate. For light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and photogrammetry-based mapping solutions that implement vehicles outfitted with laser ranging devices, RGB cameras, and global navigation satellite system/inertial navigation system (GNSS/INS) georeferencing units, the quality of the derived mapping products is governed by the combined accuracy of the various sensors. While ranging errors associated with LiDAR systems or the imaging quality of RGB cameras are sensor-dependent and …

Crawfordsville Technical Services Asset Management Workflow Improvement Project, Ted W. Boehm, Jim Handy

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is divided into six districts, with district offices located in LaPorte, Fort Wayne, Crawfordsville, Greenfield, Vincennes, and Seymour. Each district has a Technical Services Department responsible for (with support from INDOT Central Office staff) managing the INDOT assets within the district and providing technical support to the district (including capital programs, maintenance, construction projects, and others). They also provide input to Statewide Asset Management and Capital Programs. Each Technical Services Department has assigned Asset Owners responsible for management of assets such as roadways/pavement, bridges, large culverts, small culverts, traffic/safety, mobility, and (in the case …

Pile Stability Analysis In Soft Or Loose Soils: Guidance On Foundation Design Assumptions With Respect To Loose Or Soft Soil Effects On Pile Lateral Capacity And Stability, Yao Wang, Jeehee Lim, Rodrigo Salgado, Monica Prezzi, Jeremy Hunter

JTRP Technical Reports

The design of laterally loaded piles is often done in practice using the p-y method with API p-y curves representing the behavior of soil at discretized points along the pile length. To account for pile-soil-pile interaction in pile groups, AASHTO (2020) proposes the use of p-multipliers to modify the p-y curves. In this research, we explored, in depth, the design of lateral loaded piles and pile groups using both the Finite Element (FE) method and the p-y method to determine under what conditions pile stability problems were likely to occur. The analyses considered a wide …

Development Of Volumetric Acceptance And Percent Within Limits (Pwl) And Criteria For Stone Metrix Asphalt (Sma) Mixtures In Indiana, Jusang Lee, John E. Haddock, Jongmyung Jeon

JTRP Technical Reports

SMA is to be designed based on SMA volumetric properties in terms of air voids content (Va), voids in the mineral aggregate (VMA), and adequate stone-on-stone contact. For construction quality assurance (QA) purposes, INDOT currently accepts SMAs based on aggregate gradation and asphalt binder content. Thus, there is a discrepancy between SMA design criteria and construction acceptance. To better align design and construction, it is necessary to consider SMA volumetric properties in the use of QA. For HMA mixtures, INDOT has already transitioned from volumetric QA acceptance procedures to PWL. Today, SMA still uses adjustment points not based on robust …

Large Culvert Inspection Procedures: Guidelines For Indot, Scott M. Grier, Christopher S. Williams

JTRP Technical Reports

Within the state of Indiana, there are approximately 9,000 structures with unsupported span lengths that range from 4 ft to 20 ft that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is responsible for maintaining. These structures are referred to as large culverts by INDOT. The agency recognized the need to improve culvert inspection procedures so that inspection data that is collected can provide essential information to asset engineers who make decisions regarding culvert management. The purpose of the project described in this report was to identify best practices for the inspection and management of these structures to develop guidelines that optimize …

Improving Scaling Resistance Of Pavement Concrete Using Titanium Dioxide (Tio2) And Nanosilica, Dan Huang, Mirian Velay-Lizancos, Jan Olek

JTRP Technical Reports

This project focused on the evaluation of the influence of nanoadditives on the hydration kinetics, mechanical properties, and durability of concretes with and without supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The types of nanomaterials used in the course of this study included nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO₂) and two forms of nanosilica. A series of experimental tasks, including fabrication, curing, and conditioning of specimens, microstructure analysis, mechanical strength testing, and durability testing were conducted in the laboratory. Based on experimental results, it can be concluded that the addition of nanoparticles can accelerate the early-age hydration process of cementitious pastes, especially those containing …

Clinical Reasoning Education In The Clerkship Years: A Cross-Disciplinary National Needs Assessment, Jonathan G Gold, Christopher L Knight, Jennifer G Christner, Christopher E Mooney, David E Manthey, Valerie J Lang

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Improving clinical reasoning education has been identified as an important strategy to reduce diagnostic error-an important cause of adverse patient outcomes. Clinical reasoning is fundamental to each specialty, yet the extent to which explicit instruction in clinical reasoning occurs across specialties in the clerkship years remains unclear.

METHOD: The Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE) Clinical Reasoning Workgroup and the Directors of Clinical Skills Courses (DOCS) Clinical Reasoning Workgroup collaborated to develop a clinical reasoning needs assessment survey. The survey questionnaire covered seven common clinical reasoning topics including illness scripts, semantic qualifiers, cognitive biases and dual process theory. Questionnaires were …

A Precision Medicine Agenda In Traumatic Brain Injury, Jovany Cruz Navarro, Lucido L Ponce Mejia, Claudia Robertson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Traumatic brain injury remains a leading cause of death and disability across the globe. Substantial uncertainty in outcome prediction continues to be the rule notwithstanding the existing prediction models. Additionally, despite very promising preclinical data, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of neuroprotective strategies in moderate and severe TBI have failed to demonstrate significant treatment effects. Better predictive models are needed, as the existing validated ones are more useful in prognosticating poor outcome and do not include biomarkers, genomics, proteonomics, metabolomics, etc. Invasive neuromonitoring long believed to be a "game changer" in the care of TBI patients have shown mixed results, and …

How Do Digital Lives Affect Resident Mental Health In The Digital Era? Empirical Evidence Based On Chinese General Social Survey, Yan Chen, Mengyang Wei, Jaime Ortiz

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Having good mental health means we are better able to connect, function, cope and thrive. The widespread application of digital technology in daily life provides new ways and promising tools for residents to maintain their mental health. Given the importance of mental health for everyone, and the fact that mental health problems are prevalent worldwide, this study discusses how digital lives affects the mental health of residents. The results suggest that digital lives are significantly and positively associated with mental health. Mechanisms analysis identifies personal perceptions (self-rated physical exercise and subjective wellbeing) as the important paths for digital lives to …

Long-Term Project And Network-Level Ndt Implementation Plan For Indiana, Yunhui Jia, Christopher S. Williams, Prince Baah, Mark D. Bowman

JTRP Technical Reports

Bridge deck condition assessments in Indiana are primarily reliant on visual inspection. The condition of bridge decks, however, is highly dependent on deterioration under the surface, which includes the corrosion of steel reinforcement and concrete delamination. The implementation of reliable nondestructive testing (NDT) methods can provide information about such internal deterioration, but considering the multiple NDT methods currently available, guidance is needed to find the best approach for assessing bridge decks in the state’s bridge inventory. A research program was conducted to examine various NDT methods with the objective of recommending an effective NDT strategy for network-level and project-level bridge …

Machine Learning Land Cover And Land Use Classification Of 4-Band Satellite Imagery, Lorelei Turner, Torrey J. Wagner, Paul Auclair, Brent T. Langhals

Faculty Publications

Land-cover and land-use classification generates categories of terrestrial features, such as water or trees, which can be used to track how land is used. This work applies classical, ensemble and neural network machine learning algorithms to a multispectral remote sensing dataset containing 405,000 28x28 pixel image patches in 4 electromagnetic frequency bands. For each algorithm, model metrics and prediction execution time were evaluated, resulting in two families of models; fast and precise. The prediction time for an 81,000-patch group of predictions wasmodels, and >5s for the precise models, and there was not a significant change in prediction time when a …

Effect Of Trigonometric Transformations On The Machine Learning Prediction And Quality Control Of Air Temperature, Andrea Fenoglio, Torrey J. Wagner, Paul Auclair, Brent T. Langhals

Faculty Publications

Conducting effective quality control of weather observations in real time is vital to the 14th Weather Squadron’s mission of providing authoritative climate data. This study explored automated quality control of weather observations by applying multiple machine learning techniques to 43,487 surface weather observations from 5 years of data at a single location. Temperature predictors were evaluated using recursive feature elimination on linear regression and XGBoost algorithms, as well as using a neural network hyperparameter sweep. Modeling was repeated after calculating trigonometric transforms of temporal variables to give the models insight into the diurnal heating cycle of the Earth. All models …

Credibility In Empirical Legal Analysis, Hillel J. Bavli

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Empirical analysis is central in both legal scholarship and litigation, but it is not credible. Researchers can manipulate data to arrive at any conclusion they wish to obtain. A practice known as data fishing—searching for and selectively reporting methods and results that are favorable to the researcher—entirely invalidates a study’s results by giving rise to false positives and false impressions. Nevertheless, it is prevalent in law, leading to false claims, incorrect verdicts, and destructive policy. In this article, I examine the harm that data fishing in empirical legal research causes. I then build on methods in the sciences to develop …