Engineering Commons^™

Irish Building Services News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Construction Cost Estimating In Project Management, Kalpit N. Patel

Theses

The primary objective of Cost Estimating is to support the timely generation of bid or alternative estimates. Cost Estimating also supports management analysis of estimate accuracy, reasonableness and project risk through the generation of summary reports and analysis. Estimates also provide a base of information during construction for such items as scope changes to the contract, variations in costs of the project cost, total project cost, feedback for scheduling etc.

Contruction cost estimating is the process of identifying and compiling the many items of cost that will enter into a construction project. This is a procedure that requires very detailed …

Experimental Evaluation Of Process Zone Deformation In Concrete, Cherng-Maou Meng

Theses

Concrete structures are often subjected to a variety of loading conditions. Under ultimate load design, concrete structures can resist these loads without evident deformation. However, under service, tension cracks will develop and depending on their location, they may impair load carrying capacity.

It is generally believed that microcrack development is preceeded by formation of a relatively long microcracked region. A large number of studies have indicated that due to formation of this process zone (microcracked zone), Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) principles are not applicable to concrete. However, a number of nonlinear models can be developed if the length of …

Prestressed Concrete Columns Under Bending And Axial Load, Ajit Chiplunkar

Theses

A general analysis and design equation for slender and nonslender prestressed concrete columns subjected to uniaxial or biaxial moments combined with axial load is proposed. The proposed equation is an extension to the one developed by Hsu for reinforced concrete columns. The analytical results of the ultimate loads of eccentrically loaded slender prestressed columns are compared with the experimental results reported by Brown and Hall and Aroni respectively. The comparative study shows that the proposed equation of interaction diagram is in good agreement with the actual tests.

The ultimate loads of biaxially loaded short columns are also compared with the …

Shear Behavior Of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Under Monotonic And Cyclic Loads, June Suh

Theses

Up to now relatively few tests have been reported on shear behavior in fiber reinforced concrete beams. Even less experiments have been carried out under fatigue loading. In the present experiment, the reinforced concrete beams with 1 percent and 2 percent steel fiber volume fraction are investigated. Conventional stirrups are included in number of beams at certain intervals. Beams are loaded under monotonic and cyclic loads. The strength of beams are determined and the behavior of beams under each loading are observed in order to determine some advantages of adding steel fibers to reinforced concrete beams.

It has been found …

Study Of Essential Factors Affecting The Efficiency Of Sludge Digestion, I-Chang Tsao

Theses

The sludge produced by wastewater treatment plant has some major characteristics such as high COD ( 52093 mg/1 - 79683 mg/1) and VS ( 19247 mg/1 - 44178 mg/1). The present laboratory investigation has indicated that successful treatment and purification of the subject of sludge is possible using multiple-stage anaerobic digestion system.

The multiple-stage system is capable of degrading 40-55% of COD and 50 to 60% of VS. The conventional digestion system degrades 30-45% of COD and 40-50% of VS. After treated by conventional system and multiple-stage system, the concentration of COD and VS are still high (21200 mg/1 - …

Effects Of Fly Ash And Kiln Dust On The Compressive Strength Of Cement Mortar, Yitao Yu

Theses

Fly ash generated from coal-burning power plants has been an increasing problem to the utility company in terms of storage and disposal in compliance with the environmental regulations. Presently, fly ash has been widely used in the concrete mix. Research shows that fly ash can improve many properties of fresh and harden concrete. Landfill is another significant usage of fly ash. Usually, fly ash is stored in dry and weathered conditions. The properties of fly ashes from different sources and in different storage conditions are different.

In this research, the compressive strength of mortar containing cement replacement of Deep Hollow, …

Calcium Bentonite In Containment Structures, Ramnarayan K. Tirumala

Theses

Experiments were conducted on calcium bentonite from different sources to determine its suitability as a material for slurry wall. The emphasis was placed on cement-bentonite types of materials. A few tests were conducted on specimens consisting of soil-bentonite materials. Permeability, swelling potential, and immersion tests were conducted. Specimens were initially permeated with water to determine which variety of bentonite was most suitable and later with chemicals. In cement bentonite specimens, the effect of addition of blast furnace slag, fly ash, and sand were also studied. Addition of slag cement lowered the permeability value by an order of magnitude, and with …

Behavior Of Slender High Strength Reinforced Columns Under Biaxially Eccentric Loading, Pei-Shiun Wu

Theses

The advantage of using high strength concrete is to reduce column sizes and to increase stiffness. At present there are not any available design aids and the code provisions that provide adequate guidelines for the design of slender columns in high strength concrete.

A total of four 3 in. by 3 in. dimension, 4 ft. length high strength concrete specimens were casted, cured and tested till failures in a vertical pinned-ended configuration.The experimental results were compared with the analysis using Hsu failure surface equation.

Moment, curvature and load deflection cures were obtained successfully from the present experimental tests. These curves …

Behavior Of Slender High Strength Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Columns Under Combined Biaxial Bending And Axial Compression, Tzuoh-Jaw Wu

Theses

A total of four slender high strength steel fiber ( 20 vol. hooked ends 1 in and 2 in ) reinforced concrete columns were casted, cured and tested to failure under biaxially eccentric load us—KT MTS testing system. The experimental load-deflection behavior exhibits not only the ascending branch but also the descending branch of the load and deformation curves.

The experimental ultimate load capacity was analyzed by the equation of Failure Surface Method developed by Hsu. recently, the result shows that the analysis method is able to predict the ultimate load value for biaxially loaded slender concrete columns.

For biaxially …

Investigation Of Mixed-Made Fracture In Concrete, Stylianos C. Aniftos

Theses

This study is aimed at evaluating the failure characteristics of concrete in the notched beam configuration. In general, for Mode I failure tension is commonly encountered. However, in the area of high shear stress, it remains to be a question whether shear or Mode II failure exists. Researches carried out in the past decade confirmed the existance of both Mode I and Mode II failure. It is the objective of this investigation to clarify this failure characteristics using FRANC an interactive fracture mechanics software.

The investigation carried out in this study used the experimental results of Bazant and Pfeiffer (3) …

Irish Building Services News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Frontal Method For Finite Element Analysis On Ibm-3090 Vector Computer, Chaerul Kamal

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this report, a Finite Element program based on the Frontal method was implemented on the IBM-3090 to exploit the vector capabilities offered by modern high performance vector computers. The overall computational speed for the Frontal Finite Element program was increased by 30% when the vector instructions were introduced. The Frontal solution for a system of simultaneous linear equations, however, has shown only minor improvement when vector instructions were used. More improvement in computational speed and memory storage can be expected by using the Parallel Frontal method with Substructures.

Nonproportionally Loaded Steel Beam-Columns And Flexibly-Connected Nonsway Frames, Siva Prasad Darbhamulla

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A theoretical study of the inelastic stability of nonproportionally loaded steel beam-columns and flexibly-connected frames is conducted. Specifically, solution techniques are formulated to predict the nonlinear behavior of cross sections, spatial beam-columns, and nonsway plane frames under the combined influence of imperfections, flexible connections, and nonproportional loads. A set of new inelastic slope-deflection equations for imperfect members are derived and their use illustrated through in-depth studies of flexibly-connected portal and two-bay two-story frames. These equations are derived from a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations. The member studies are carried out using a second-order finite-difference solution to a set of …

Irish Building Services News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Irish Building Services News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Desiccation And Permeability Of Backfill Materials In Soil-Bentonite Walls, Hemendra J. Moradia

Theses

Soil-Bentonite Walls offer a cost effective solution to many groundwater problems in new and remedial work projects such as hydraulic barriers in dams, dewatering large soil cuts, and as part of pollution control systems around hazardous waste landfills. However, the performance of soil-bentonite walls in environments other then fresh water types is still a matter of great controversy. In recent years, some data on soil-bentonite backfill have became available. The data indicate change in properties of these walls with time of exposure and concentration of chemicals found in leachates. However, no research work is available in the literature on the …

Evaluation Of The Cost-Effectiveness Of Pavement Surface Maintenance Activities, Ibrahim Moussa Mouaket, Abdullah Al-Mansour, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

This study covers pavement surface maintenance on three surface types: rigid, flexible and composite (asphalt overlay on rigid pavement). It addresses 3 main issues as follows: 1) Do routine maintenance activities make a difference in terms of pavement serviceability? If yes, how much? 2) Are chip and sand seal coating cost-effective? What is their optimal timing? 3) What management criteria should be used as a guide to make seal coating decisions on specific roadways? In resolving Issue #1, a stratified 2-stage sample of observational data was used in a statistical before/after comparison. SAS-General Linear Model was used due to its …

An Electronic Surveillance And Control System For Traffic Management On The Borman Expressway, Part I : Executive Summary, Michael J. Cassidy, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Development Of A Procedure To Forecast Traffic Volumes On Urban Segments Of The State And Interstate Highway Systems, Sunil K. Saha, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

This study developed a multi-facted procedure to forecast traffic volumes on urban segments of the state and interstate highway systems for the Indiana Department of Transportation. A detailed statistical analysis was conducted to develop alternative models to forecast traffic. The models and the procedures described in this study's Final Report are intended to provide highway planners with a tool for simple, fast and inexpensive estimation of traffic projections. Emphasis was also placed on achieving reliable input information for the forecasts of any background factors (independent variables) used in the models. This study improves on previous efforts to build simple and …

Engineering Soils Map Of Blackford County, Indiana, Andrew Garrigus

JTRP Technical Reports

This report entitled "Engineering Soils Map of Blackford County, Indiana," completes a portion of the long-term project concerned with the development of county engineering soils maps of the 92 counties in the state of Indiana. This is the 86th report of the series. The report was prepared by Andrew Garrigus, Research Assistant, Joint Highway Research Project, under my direction. The soils mapping of Blackford County was done primarily by the analysis of landforms and associated parent materials as portrayed on stereoscopic aerial photographs. Extensive additional information on the soils was obtained from the soil survey and publications of the Soil …

Traffic Speed Report No. 123, David L. Cochran, Donald W. Genda

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Bottom Ash In Highway Embankments, Subgrades, And Subbases : Executive Summary, Wei-Hsing Huang

JTRP Technical Reports

This research assessed those properties of power plant bottom ash likely to affect its use as highway fill or pavement material, based on laboratory investigation conducted on eleven Indiana bottom ashes. Laboratory tests included: chemical analysis, mineralogical study, microscopic examination of ash particles, specific gravity, grain size distribution, sulfate soundness, Los Angeles abrasion, permeability, shear strength, moisture-density relations, degradation under compaction, compressibility, and California bearing ratio.

The various test values and properties were compared to- those of representative granular soils or appropriate specifications. These comparisons provide information necessary for judging the suitability of bottom ash in Indiana highway construction.

The …

The Physical Durability And Electrical Resistivity Of Indiana Bottom Ash : Executive Summary, Te-Chih Ke

JTRP Technical Reports

This research assessed the long-term performance (durability) and the environmental effect (corrosiveness to adjacent metal structures) of Indiana bottom ashes, based mainly on laboratory investigation. The 5-cycle sodium sulfate soundness tests and the 50-cycle freeze-thaw tests were conducted to examine the physical durability. Four electrochemical characteristics (electrical resistivity, pH, soluble chloride, and soluble sulfate) were used to estimate the corrosion potential of Indiana bottom ashes.

Evaluation criteria for durability and corrosiveness of bottom ash, based on appropriate specifications for aggregates and past experiences for soils, were developed. The comparison of test results and the above criteria shows that Indiana bottom …

The Use Of Bottom Ash In Highway Embankments, Subgrades, And Subbases, Wei-Hsing Huang

JTRP Technical Reports

This research assessed those properties of power plant bottom ash likely to affect its use as highway fill or pavement material, based on laboratory investigation conducted on eleven Indiana bottom ashes. Laboratory tests included: chemical analysis, mineralogical study, microscopic examination of ash particles, specific gravity, grain size distribution, sulfate soundness, Los Angeles abrasion, permeability, shear strength, moisture-density relations, degradation under compaction, compressibility, and California bearing ratio.

The various test values and properties were compared to- those of representative granular soils or appropriate specifications. These comparisons provide information necessary for judging the suitability of bottom ash in Indiana highway construction.

The …

An Electronic Surveillance And Control System For Traffic Management On The Borman Expressway, Part I, Michael J. Cassidy, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

The Physical Durability And Electrical Resistivity Of Indiana Bottom Ash, Te-Chih Ke

JTRP Technical Reports

This research assessed the long-term performance (durability) and the environmental effect (corrosiveness to adjacent metal structures) of Indiana bottom ashes, based mainly on laboratory investigation. The 5-cycle sodium sulfate soundness tests and the 50-cycle freeze-thaw tests were conducted to examine the physical durability. Four electrochemical characteristics (electrical resistivity, pH, soluble chloride, and soluble sulfate) were used to estimate the corrosion potential of Indiana bottom ashes.

Evaluation criteria for durability and corrosiveness of bottom ash, based on appropriate specifications for aggregates and past experiences for soils, were developed. The comparison of test results and the above criteria shows that Indiana bottom …

Irish Building Services News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Bag House Fines And Incomplete Combustion Products In A Drum Drier On The Characteristics Of Asphalt Paving Mixtures, Phase Ii, Jyh-Dong Lin, Leonard E. Wood

JTRP Technical Reports

An extensive laboratory study of the asphalt paving mixtures containing baghouse fines has been conducted through seven sets of experimental designs to characterize the performance of pavement. Marshall size specimens of asphalt paving mixtures with different kinds and amounts of baghouse fines were fabricated using the gyratory testing machine. The following techniques were used to evaluate the influence of the various variables upon mechanical properties such as: gyratory parameters, resilient modulus, indirect tensile strength, indirect creep, and Hveem stability tests to evaluate their mechanical properties. In addition, in the asphalt paving mixtures, asphalt cement was replaced with baghouse fines in …

The Effect Of Baghouse Fines And Incomplete Combustion Products In A Drum Drier On The Characteristics Of Asphalt Paving Mixtures - Phase I, Thomas Binn Nelson, Leonard E. Wood

JTRP Technical Reports

The major purpose of this study was to use the high pressure-gel permeation techniques to evaluate the changes in asphalt subjected to different mix production parameters, including plant type, level of aging and fuel used in the burner of the drier. Additional objectives were to establish correlations between physical parameters of asphalts and their chromatographic parameters, and to determine whether the HPGPC technique could be used to detect burner fuel contamination in the mix produced by asphalt plants.

This study determined that the HPGPC technique is an excellent comparative analysis tool, capable of detecting changes in the aging of asphalt, …