Engineering Commons^™

Experimental Evaluation And Implementation Of Post-Tensioning In Concrete Bridge Decks, Julio A. Ramirez, Gerardo Aguilar

JTRP Technical Reports

A research program was conducted to evaluate the design recommendations for transverse post-tensioning of bridge decks developed in the FHWA/IN/JTRP/2002-26 (SPR-2409) report. The test specimen consisted of a 40x18 ft cast-in-place concrete deck on precast pretensioned girders. Thirty-two tests were carried out by applying different distributions of transverse post-tensioning force, in combination with a changing number of diaphragms, and two conditions of end-restraint at the supports. The transverse post-tensioning stress ranged from 400 to 1 200 psi and the number of diaphragms was reduced from five to zero.

The main findings support the notion that the presence of diaphragms affects …

An Exploratory Survey Of Drivers’ Knowledge Of Right Of Way At Freeway On-Ramp Merging Areas, Deogratias Eustace, Stephen Owusu-Ansah, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States. The most recent data available show that in 2006 there were almost 6 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes in the United States where a total of 42,642 people were killed and an additional 2.6 million were injured. The majority of these motor vehicle crashes occurred at intersections or within the intersection influence areas. Traffic conflicts occur at intersections due to traffic streams moving in different directions interfering with each other, and as a result they become areas with high potential for traffic crashes compared with …

Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Permeability Performance, Javier Castro, Robert Spragg, Phil Kompare, W. Jason Weiss

JTRP Technical Reports

The objective of this project was to evaluate the transport properties of concrete pavement in the state of Indiana using common testing procedures. Specifically this work evaluated the absorption of water, the absorption of deicing solutions, and electrical conductivity. A series of concrete paving mixtures were tested to provide a range of values that were typical for the state of Indiana. While similar mixture proportions were used for the mixtures in Indiana differences in the magnitude of water absorbed occurred. A series of mortars were tested to illustrate the effect of curing conditions, water to cement ratio, and paste volume. …

Environmental Management For Small Business : A Case Study At Izie Herb Enterprise., Mohd Rafiziee Abdul Razak

Student Works (2010-2019)

Environmental Management approaches can be used to minimize waste generation, reduce risk and at same time increase the business profit. In this work, Environmental Management options are adopted for reducing solid waste, water usage, energy consumptions and minimize risk. For this purpose, an Environmental Management audit has been conducted at Izie Herb Enterprise, a Small and Medium Enterprise. In general, the Environmental Management practises at Izie Herb Enterprise were classified based on four major elements which are Good Operating Practices, Process Changes, Substitution of Materials and Source Reduction. Subsequently, the options practiced were evaluated in terms of their benefits and …

Control And Repair Of Bridge Deck Cracking, Robert J. Frosch, Sergio Gutierrez, Jacob S. Hoffman

JTRP Technical Reports

Cracking of bridge decks poses a significant threat to the lifespan of our nation’s bridges. Cracking has been shown to occur in various climates and geographical areas and can be seen on various types of superstructures. Often these cracks appear before or shortly after opening the bridge to live loads. Cracks in the deck create a path for water and deicing salts to reach the steel, often leading to corrosion of the reinforcement, greatly reducing the durability of the deck. Measures must be taken during design and construction to control bridge deck cracking and prolong the lifespan of bridges. In …

The Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program Roller Compacted Concrete Pavement Manual For Local Government Agencies, Kyung Joon Shin, Neal Carboneau

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Technical Reports

Interest in the use of Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement (RCCP) for local roads and streets has increased. The Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP), which is a part of the Purdue University School of Civil Engineering, has developed this document to assist local agencies with the implementation of roller compacted concrete as a paving material. This manual is intended for those interested in planning, designing and constructing RCCP for local roads and streets. It provides design guidelines, construction guidelines, local case studies, guide specifications and paving plan guidelines.

Changes In The Structure And Function Of Microbial Communities In Drinking Water Treatment Bioreactors Upon Addition Of Phosphorus, Xu Li, Giridhar Upadhyaya, Wangki Yuen, Jess Brown, Eberhard Morgenroth, Lutgarde Raskin

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phosphorus was added as a nutrient to bench-scale and pilot-scale biologically active carbon (BAC) reactors operated for perchlorate and nitrate removal from contaminated groundwater. The two bioreactors responded similarly to phosphorus addition in terms of microbial community function (i.e., reactor performance), while drastically different responses in microbial community structure were detected. Improvement in reactor performance with respect to perchlorate and nitrate removal started within a few days after phosphorus addition for both reactors. Microbial community structures were evaluated using molecular techniques targeting 16S rRNA genes. Clone library results showed that the relative abundance of perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) Dechloromonas and Azospira …

Bs News November/December

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Modeling And Predicting Taxi Times At Airports, Arjun Chauhan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research aims at providing methods in analyzing and estimating the taxi times of aircraft at airports, which are expected to be an important element for reducing taxiing delay and consequent excess fuel consumption and environmental costs. The proposed model involves a set of regression equations to model the taxi-out and taxi-in times at airports. The estimated results can be used to calculate the nominal taxi times, which are essential measures for evaluating the taxiing delays at airports. Given the outcomes of the regression model, an iterative algorithm is developed to predict taxi times. A case study at LGA shows …

The Green And Ampt Infiltration Model Accounting For Air Compression And Air Counterflow In The Shallow Water Table Environment: Laboratory Experiments, Yuliya Lukyanets

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water infiltration into the unsaturated zone especially in a shallow water table environment is affected by air compression ahead of the wetting front and air counterflow. Neglecting air compression in infiltration modeling can overestimate infiltration and infiltration rates, whereas not accounting for air counterflow can underestimate infiltration and infiltration rates due to unrealistic buildup of air pressure resistance ahead of the wetting front. A method, derived on the basis of the Green and Ampt (1911) infiltration model, is introduced to simulate air compression and air counterflow during infiltration into a shallow water table. The method retains the simplicity of the …

A Junction And Drop-Shaft Boundary Conditions For Modeling Free Surface, Pressurized, And Mixed Free Surface-Pressurized Transient Flows, Arturo S. León, Xiaofeng Liu, Mohamed S. Ghidaoui, Arthur R. Schmidt, Marcelo H. García

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A junction and drop-shaft boundary conditions (BCs) for one-dimensional modeling of transient flows in single-phase conditions (pure liquid) are formulated, implemented and their accuracy are evaluated using two Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models. The BCs are formulated for the case when mixed flows are simulated using two sets of govern- ing equations, the Saint Venant equations for the free surface regions and the compressible water hammer equations for the pressurized regions. The proposed BCs handle all possible flow regimes and their combinations. The flow in each pipe can range from free surface to pressurized flow and the water depth at …

Halloysite Clay Nanotubes For Controlled Delivery Of Chemically Active Agents, Elshard Abdullayev

Doctoral Dissertations

In this work we explored the capabilities of halloysite nanotubes as capsules for encapsulation and controlled delivery of the chemically and biologically active substances. Halloysite is a two-layered aluminosilicate which has a predominantly hollow tubular structure in the submicron range and is chemically similar to kaolinite [1, 2].

In the first section of this work, we analyzed the structure of the halloysite nanotubes as well as its capability to encapsulate and deliver biologically and chemically active agents, similarities and differences between release characteristics of different agents and how these differences relate with their chemical structure. Models were used to describe …

Env Engineering Engagement, Maya Trotz

Service-Learning Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Plain And Steel-Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls With And Without Cfrp Retrofitting, Ali Mohammed Salih Al Aloosi

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents the outcome- of a study of the behavior and strength of plain and steel-reinforced concrete shear walls with and without a window opening and Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) retrofitting. A total of seven tests were conducted using six different shear walls. Each wall was subjected to a gradually increasing static load at one of it's top corners until the maximum load was reached. The load-deflection relations and the walls' failure patterns were observed and recorded. It was found that the window opening in the plain concrete wall reduced the wall load capacity by 18 percent. For the …

Analysis Of Fema Guidelines For Coastal Dunes Using A Numerical Model, Brenton Edward Payne

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

FEMA's current guideline for coastal dune erosion is called the 540 Rule. The intent of the 540 Rule is to act as a boolean guideline for dune protection. If a dune is validated as being substantial against the 1 % Annual Chance Storm Water Elevation Level by the 540 Rule, then the area behind the dune is considered to be susceptible to less energetic flooding. This is known as an AE Flood Zone. An immediate effect of being rezoned is a significant drop in the insurance costs behind the dune. However, if the dune is not validated by the 540 …

Application Of The Coastal Storm Impulse (Cosi) Parameter To Predict Coastal Erosion, Robert Aaron Walker

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A new coastal storm-strength parameter, the Coastal Storm Impulse (COSI) parameter, was introduced at the 2006 International Conference of Coastal Engineering (ICCE) in San Diego and further discussed at the ICCE 2008 in Hamburg. COSI is based on the conservation of linear, horizontal momentum to combine storm surge, wave dynamics, and currents over the storm duration. Both tropical storms (hurricanes) and extra-tropical storms (northeasters) can produce similar COSI parameters. Potential implications of such a storm classification system include the evaluation of potential coastal erosion and coastal infrastructure, as well as providing a universal storm strength indicator that is directly tied …

Forecasting Of Highway Revenues Under Various Options, Bismark R.D.K. Agbelie, Qiang Bai, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

Throughout the United States, state highway revenue, which is dominated by receipts from fuel taxes, has failed to keep up with expected investments required for infrastructure preservation and improvement. The reasons for this trend include the increasing fuel efficiency of vehicles, slowing of the growth in vehicle-miles of travel, and the erosion of the purchasing power of the dollar due to inflation. This development motivates highway agencies not only to seek revisions of existing funding structures but also to consider potential alternative sources.

To establish and implement an effective and efficient financing strategy that incorporates potential new funding sources, it …

Long Term Performance Of A Porous Friction Course, Rebecca S. Mcdaniel, Karol J. Kowalski, Ayesha Shah, Jan Olek, Robert J. Bernhard

JTRP Technical Reports

In 2003, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration allowed a test section of Porous Friction Course (PFC) to be placed on I74 east of Indianapolis. The design, construction and early performance of that surface were compared to an adjacent SMA surface and a conventional Superpave HMA surface in a report prepared for the Institute for Safe, Quiet and Durable Highways (1). The early performance indicated that the PFC offered several advantages over the SMA and the conventional surfaces, including reduced tire/pavement noise, high friction and surface texture, and reduced splash and spray. There was …

Quantifying Benefits Of Traffic Signal Retiming, Christopher M. Day, Thomas M. Brennan Jr., Hiromel Premachandra, Alexander M. Hainen, Stephen M. Remias, James R. Sturdevant, Greg Richards, Jason S. Wasson, Darcy M. Bullock

JTRP Technical Reports

Improvements in the quality of service on a signalized intersection or arterial can be interpreted as a reduction in the user cost of service, which is expected to induce demand based on economic theory. This report presents a methodology for measuring and interpreting changes to user costs, and determining whether demand was induced. High-resolution signal event data and Bluetooth device MAC address matching are demonstrated in three case studies with the purpose of quantifying the impacts of changes in signal timing plans. In the first case study, 21 months of vehicle volume data are used to test whether demand was …

Determining Of The Binder Content Of Hot Mix Asphalt Containing Dolomitic Aggregates Using The Ignition Oven, Karol K. Kowalski, Rebecca S. Mcdaniel, Jan Olek, Ayesha Shah

JTRP Technical Reports

The binder content of an HMA mix is one of the critical factors affecting the quality of the mix. The ignition oven is one widely used method for determining the binder content, however, its use is problematic with some types of aggregates, including dolomites. With these aggregates, the mass loss continues after the binder is burned off as the aggregates decompose and the test does not terminate at a stable mass. This study investigated the factors that affect this mass loss in problematic aggregates and developed a modified ignition oven procedure to limit this mass loss. The mass loss in …

Identification Of Laboratory Technique To Optimize Superpave Hma Surface Friction Characteristics, Karol J. Kowalski, Rebecca S. Mcdaniel, Jan Olek

JTRP Technical Reports

Wet pavement friction is known to be one of the most important roadway safety parameters. In this research, frictional properties of flexible (asphalt) pavements were investigated.

As a part of this study, a laboratory device to polish asphalt specimens was refined and a procedure to evaluate mixture frictional properties was proposed. Following this procedure, 46 different Superpave mixtures, one stone matrix asphalt (SMA) mixture and one porous friction course (PFC) mixture were tested. In addition, 23 different asphalt and two concrete field sections were also tested for friction and noise.

The results of both field and laboratory measurements were used …

Development Of Internally Cured Concrete For Increased Service Life, John Schlitter, Ryan Henkensiefken, Javier Castro, Kambiz Raoufi, Jason Weiss, Tommy Nantung

JTRP Technical Reports

Higher strength, lower water to cement ratio (w/c) concrete has been advocated over the last two decades due to its increased strength and reduced permeability. The lower w/c of these concretes makes them susceptible to autogenous shrinkage. This autogenous shrinkage can be significant and can be a contributing factor to early age cracking. Internal curing was investigated as a potential method to improve the durability of concrete pavements and bridge decks. Prewetted lightweight aggregate was used to supply water to the hydrating cement paste. This additional water can counteract the hindered strength development, suspended hydration, autogenous shrinkage, and early age …

Peat Improvement Under Vacuum Preloading:A Novel Approach For Bog Roads In Ireland, Juan Pablo Osorio, Eric R. Farrell, Brendan C. O'Kelly

Conference papers

This paper presents the preliminary findings of a TCD/NRA vacuum preloading field trial that is part of a research project into the construction options for improving rampart roads. Vacuum preloading is a construction method used to accelerate settlement and the increase shear strength by applying a vacuum pressure to the ground by means of prefabricated vertical drains, an impervious tight sheet and a vacuum pump. Consolidating the ground by applying a vacuum load has several advantages over other techniques, for example; no fill material is required; construction periods are generally shorter; and there is no need for chemical admixtures. This …

Development Of A New Marine Exposure Site On The Atlantic North-West Coast Of Ireland, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, S. Nanukuttan, S. Srinivasan, Pam Basheer, J. Mccarter, M. Chrisp

Conference papers

This paper presents a new marine exposure site being developed on the North-west Atlantic coastline of Ireland in Co. Donegal by the Centre for Built Environment Research at Queen’s University Belfast. The site will initially contain a number of large precast concrete stems, each 1.5m high, 1.5m wide and 1m thick placed on concrete plinths poured in-situ. The concrete stems will be placed at three levels to achieve different exposure conditions outlined in EN 206, namely atmospheric (XS1), a splash or spray zone (XS3) and a tidal zone (XS3) where the stems will be submerged by the incoming tide twice …

Methodology For Designing Structures To Withstand Extreme Environments: Performance Based Specifications, S. Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, S. Srinivasan, L. Basheer, P.A.M. Basheer, L. Tang, J. Mccarter

Conference papers

Existing guidelines in BS 8500 allow the selection of concrete mix based on variables such as compressive strength, maximum water to binder ratio, minimum cement content and minimum cover thickness. This approach does not guarantee the durability and expected performance of the concrete structure in a given environment. One alternative is to develop performance- based specifications that supplement the existing guidelines in BS 8500, by specifying the required performance of concrete in terms of measurable properties such as resistance to environmental penetrations. This paper demonstrates one of such methodology for developing performance-based specifications for concretes exposed to marine environments. Chloride …

A Synthesis Of Overweight Truck Permitting, Muhammad K. Bilal, Muhammad Irfan, Anwaar Ahmed, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

For purposes of safety and system preservation, trucking operational characteristics are regulated through legislation and policies. However, special permits are granted for trucks to exceed specified operational restrictions. Thus, the Indiana DOT not only seeks highway operations policies that retain/attract heavy industry including those that haul large loads but also seeks to protect the billions of taxpayer dollars invested in highway infrastructure. As such, it is sought to avoid policies that may lead to premature and accelerated deterioration of assets through excess loading or undue safety hazard through oversize loads. This study was carried out primarily to document the state …

Determination Of Unit Hydrograph Parameters For Indiana Watersheds, Jared L. Wilkerson, Venkatesh M. Merwade

JTRP Technical Reports

Regression equations predicting Clark Synthetic Unit Hydrograph (SUH) parameters for time of concentration (tc) and storage coefficient (R) are developed for small watersheds across Indiana [drainage areas = 3-38 square miles (mi2)]. The state is partitioned into three regions: North, Central, and South, with consideration for past regionalization studies of Indiana and geomorphology. The equations are derived using multiple linear regression analysis for 30 watersheds with 90 observed rainfall-runoff events. Clark SUH parameters are optimized using Hec-HMS to match the observed rainfall-runoff events. The optimized Clark SUH parameters are related to geomorphologic parameters estimated using geographic information system (GIS) applications. …

Refine Process To Identify, Evaluate, And Adopt New Technologies And Identify New Proven Technologies For Indiana, Joseph V. Sinfield

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Bs News September/October

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Mixing Layer Dynamics In Separated Flow Over An Estuarine Sill With Variable Stratification, Stefan A. Talke, Alexander R. Horner-Devine, C. Chris Chickadel

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We investigate the generation of a mixing layer in the separated flow behind an estuarine sill (height H ∼ 4 m) in the Snohomish River, Washington as part of a larger investigation of coherent structures using remote and in situ sensing. During increasing ebb flows the depth d and stratification decrease and a region of sheared flow characterized by elevated production of turbulent kinetic energy develops. Profiles of velocity and acoustic backscatter exhibit coherent fluctuations of order 0.1 Hz and are used to define the boundaries of the mixing layer. Variations in the mixing layer width and its embedded coherent …