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Multiclass Intermodal Network Model : The Use Of Combined Model On System Evaluations, Yi Deng

Dissertations

United States transportation policy has generally addressed the negative economic and social effects of the standpoint of individual transportation modes and local government involvement. Therefore, there has been an increased focus on the development of intermodal transportation. Integrating the modes and using each of them to its best advantage are strategies to optimize the existing resources and to create new capabilities.

According to the literature review performed in this research, the research in intermodal transportation system evaluation is far from mature. Most transportation performance measurements are focused on one mode rather than a whole network. In practice, the data necessary …

An Assessment Of The Use Of Structural Deformation As A Method Of Determining Area Of Fire Origin, Andrew T. Tinsley, David J. Icove

Safety, Security and Emergency Management Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Current methodologies of origin investigation have yet to include the structural deformations seen in steel buildings as a viable indicator of the area of origin of a given fire. As many steel structures are of relatively large size, it is often difficult to determine the area of origin using the typical dig and sift methods advocated in NFPA 921, especially if the extent of the fire was large and there were no witnesses as to the origin of the fire. As has been investigated for years, the performance of steel is highly affected by the application of heat. The science …

Investigation Of Asphalt Pavement Analyzer Testing Program In Nebraska, Minki Hong, Yong-Rak Kim

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The asphalt pavement analyzer (APA) has been widely used to evaluate hot-mix asphalt (HMA) rutting potential in mix design and quality control – quality assurance (QC-QA) applications, because the APA testing and its data analyses are relatively simple, rapid, and easy. However, as demonstrated in many studies and also experienced by the state of Nebraska, the APA testing is in question due to its high testing variability and a lack of sufficient correlation with actual filed performance. The primary objective of this research was to find critical materials and/or mixture design factors affecting APA test results so as to eventually …

Infrastructure Economics - University Of California, Davis, Jay R. Lund

All ECSTATIC Materials

Graduate course in infrastructure economics offered at University of California, Davis in Winter 2008

A Comparison Of Load Test Data And Predicted Behavior Of Augercast Piles In Layered Soils, John Hudson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of auger cast-in-place (ACIP) pilings is very common in Florida; however, there is a significant degree of uncertainty in determining the actual capacity of the pilings, especially when the pilings are installed through layers of cohesive soils. Therefore, there is a need to improve upon the existing methods of predicting the behavior of ACIP piles in layered soils. As a result, the primary objective of this study is to determine if a significant difference exists between the accepted methods of pile load test analysis. Provided a significant difference is noted, the secondary objective would be to determine if …

Estimation Of Earthquake Loss Due To Bridge Damage In The St. Louis Metropolitan Area: Part I - Direct Losses, Ronaldo Luna, David J. Hoffman, William T. Lawrence

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The risk associated with earthquake hazards on highway systems is dependent on the complexity of a network and its redundancy in providing traffic flow. Earthquake loss estimation studies can provide decision makers with an appreciation of the importance of having a highway network resistant to earthquakes and information to make the network resistant to these events. The direct economic loss was estimated for a major metropolitan area, St. Louis, for a series of earthquake scenarios. The primary component of the study was damage to bridges within the highway system. The study zone covers the St. Louis metropolitan area and its …

Dynamic Impact Testing Of Crt Wood Posts In A Rigid Sleeve, Steven W. Arens, Ronald K. Faller, John R. Rohde, Karla A. Polivka

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Dynamic impact testing was performed on 152-mm x 203-mm (6-in. x 8-in.) CRT wood posts placed in a rigid sleeve at various angles. A total of nine bogie tests were performed with three tests each at 0, 90, and 45 degree rotation angles relative to the strong axis of bending. For each bogie test, the raw acceleration data was obtained from accelerometers and was filtered. Then, force-displacement and energy-displacement graphs were plotted. Based on the results, the properties and strengths of the CRT wood posts at the different impact angles were determined. The results of this study will be the …

Transportation Security Framework For A Medium-Sized City, Ryan Fries, Mashrur Chowdhury, Anne Dunning

Publications

Terrorist attacks have made security preparedness unquestionably necessary in all cities. While major metropolitan areas have long recognized that their global visibility has required strong security operations, many medium-sized cities, specifically those of the U.S. and European Union, now face the need to establish transportation security frameworks for the first time. This paper assesses the resources available to help medium-sized cities begin the task of creating such systems. This assessment presents infrastructure risk assessment tools, identifies infrastructure and funding resources, and creates a process for developing a security framework to connect agencies responsible for transportation security in these metropolitan areas. …

Clay Mineralogy Effects On Long-Term Performance Of Chemically Treated Expansive Clays, Bhaskar Chandra Srinivas Chittoori

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Stabilization of expansive soils using chemical additives such as cement and lime had been in use for several decades and these treatments provide riding comforts to travelers. However, many state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the United States have had problems with subgrade failure even after stabilization with chemical additives due to a loss of stabilizer over time, or a stabilizer being ineffective in some soils while other soils with the same index properties respond well to that stabilizer. These problems are attributed to the limitations of the current procedures of stabilization for pavement subsoil layers. One such limitation is …

Construction Cost Of Underground Infrastructure, Seyed Behnam Hashemi

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Renewal of aging underground infrastructure is a major challenge that municipalities inNorth America face every day. Traditional replacement or renewal of these underground utilitiesuses open-cut excavation methods that can be disruptive to everyday life of citizens andexpensive, particularly in built-up areas and in projects with difficult ground and site conditions. Incontrast, trenchless technologies use innovative methods, materials, and equipment that requireminimum surface excavation to renew and construct aging underground infrastructure. Thesenew methods are considered to be more safe, cost-effective, efficient and productive thanconventional open-cut projects. However, to select trenchless technologies in utility design,consulting engineers and utility owners need to compare …

Adsorption Curve Fits For Landfill Vocs On Bituminous Coal Based And Coconut Shell Based Activated Carbon, Annaprabha Athappan

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This study explores adsorption as a method of controlling hazardous gas emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills (MSWL). In particular, the hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) para, meta, and ortho-xylene, ethylbenzene and methyl ethyl ketone are selected for experimental study. Activated carbon is a good adsorbent and well known for its high surface area. Among the many varieties of activated carbon, bituminous coal based activated carbon (BPL) and coconut shell based activated carbon (OVC) are compared in this study. Each experiment was conducted in a vial with a known amount of carbon in it. The pollutant concentration remaining in the vial …

Assessing Control Strategies For Ground Level Ozone, Neelesh Vijay Sule

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Developing cost effective control strategies for ozone has been a challenge to air quality modelers. Conventionally, the control strategies are applied across-the board to the region. The main aim of this research was to develop a Decision-Making Framework (DMF) for evaluating and optimizing the selection of ozone control strategies. Conventional across-the-board reductions conduct emission reductions uniformly throughout the region and throughout the day. By contrast, this dissertation studied targeted reductions, in which emission sources of various types are reduced at various times and locations. The proposed DMF comprised of four phases: (1) Initialization, (2) Mining, (3) Metamodeling, and (4) Optimization. …

Measured And Theoretical Response Of Perpetual Pavement Structures, Miguel M. Portillo

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The Kansas Perpetual Pavement experiment includes the construction of four pavement sections on the US-75 highway designed according to the perpetual pavement concept. The sections were instrumented with strain gauges and pressures cells to measure strains and stress at the bottom of the base layer and at the top of the subbase layer. Pavement response measurements were carried out in seven occasions between July 2005 and October 2007 with a loaded truck. Measured values obtained show that longitudinal and transverse values were almost always below the average endurance limit of 70 microstrains. The measurements also showed that temperature and vehicle …

Statistical Approach To The Development Of A Microscale Model For Estimating Exhaust Emissions Of Light Duty Gasoline Vehicles, Benjamin Nmai Afotey

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Today, air pollution is taking a growing toll on human health, the environment and the economy, despite decades of efforts to combat it. Although it was once a primary urban phenomenon in industrialized countries, today air pollution has spread worldwide. Mobile, industrial and natural sources constitute the major sources of air pollution. Around the world, major cities in industrialized countries have in recent times been battling air pollution from mobile sources. Beijing, New Delhi, Dallas/ Fort Worth and Los Angeles are no exceptions.Pronounced interest has focused on mobile source (vehicle exhaust) emissions in recent decades. A rapid increase in the …

Multi-Criteria Assessment For Supporting Freeway Operations And Management Systems, Auttawit Upayokin

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Freeway traffic congestion represents an increasing concern for urban areas throughout the United States. In addition, faced with limited roadway expansion alternatives, transportation agencies are considering investment in traffic management centers (TMCs) as a more viable way to operate and manage freeways effectively. The TMCs' responsibilities include monitoring roadway conditions using the various data collection strategies and determining performance measures for freeway operations. At the same time, traffic engineers at the TMCs may react to the traffic congestion problems by implementing operational strategies. In order to provide reliable decision support for TMC freeway operations and management systems, this dissertation aims …

Capacity Of Two-Sided Type C On Freeway With Four Lanes, Shadi Ghasemi-Majd

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Weaving segments are categorized based on weaving length, configuration, number of lanes, free flow speed and weaving ratio. All these parameters affect weaving capacity. One of the objectives of this research was to extend Phong Thanh Vo's dissertation and study the relation between weaving capacity of two-sided type C on freeways with four lanes and any potential variables (mainalane demand, entrance ramp demand, exit ramp demand and weaving ratio). Micro-simulation has been used in order to analyze different capacity scenarios and the VISSIM calibrated model by Vo was used. Also, the effect of each of the VISSIM calibration parameters on …

The Effect Of Displacement Control Loading Histories On Genral Connecting Surfaces Using Finite Element Analysis, Sanjog Chandrakant Sabnis

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Displacement loading history provided by the AISC Seismic Provision 2002 is commonly used for experimental testing and analytical modeling of beam-to-column steel connection to stimulate the seismic effect. However, the basis for the above loading history is not documented in the literature. Thus, this study developed 25 cyclic load cases by varying the frequency and magnitude of the AISC-2002 loading within a predefined envelops. The 25 load cases are obtained from five different load sets in which the concept of uniform and non-uniform frequencies and amplitude are utilized. All the load cases are limited to the displacement equivalent to the …

Clay Mineral Quantification Using Gravemetric Analysis, Sarwenaj Ashraf

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The current procedure used by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to determine the type of stabilizer is based mainly on the Plasticity Index (PI) and the gradation of the soil. This method of stabilization does not always work because two soils with the same PIs can have very different shrink/swell potential, plastic limits or liquid limits, hence their behavior may be very different. This is mainly due to the fact that two soils that have the same PI can have very different clay mineral composition. Montmorillonite and kaolinite are the clay minerals that cause swelling/shrinking in soils.Chittoori (2008) had …

Empirical Relationships Betweenload Test Data And Predicted Compression Capacity Of Augered Cast-In-Place Piles In Predominantly, Donald Mccarthy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Augered Cast-In-Place (ACIP) Piles are used in areas were the loading from a superstructure exceeds the soil bearing capacity for usage of a shallow foundation. In Northwest Florida and along the Gulf Coast, ACIP piles are often utilized as foundation alternatives for multi-story condominium projects. Data from 25 compression load tests at 13 different project sites in Florida and Alabama were analyzed to determine their individual relationships between anticipated and determined compression load capacity. The anticipated capacity of the ACIP pile is routinely overestimated due to uncertainties involved with the process of estimating the compressive capacity and procedures of placing …

Evaluating The Impact Of Oocea's Dynamic Message Signs (Dms) On Travelers' Experience Using A Pre And Post-Deployment Survey, Jason Flick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the impact of dynamic message signs (DMS) on the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) toll road network using a Pre and Post-Deployment DMS Survey (henceforth referred to as "pre and post-deployment survey") analysis. DMS are electronic traffic signs used on roadways to give travelers information about travel times, traffic congestion, accidents, disabled vehicles, AMBER alerts, and special events. The particular DMS referred to in this study are large rectangular signs installed over the travel lanes and these are not the portable trailer mount signs. The OOCEA have been working over the past …

Lidar In Coastal Storm Surge Modeling: Modeling Linear Raised Features, David Coggin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A method for extracting linear raised features from laser scanned altimetry (LiDAR) datasets is presented. The objective is to automate the method so that elements in a coastal storm surge simulation finite element mesh might have their edges aligned along vertical terrain features. Terrain features of interest are those that are high and long enough to form a hydrodynamic impediment while being narrow enough that the features might be straddled and not modeled if element edges are not purposely aligned. These features are commonly raised roadbeds but may occur due to other manmade alterations to the terrain or natural terrain. …

Rational Best-Value Model Based On Expected Performance, Magdy Abdelrahman, Tarek Zayed, Jay Hietpas, Ahmed Elwakil

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The best-value procurement strategy is gaining the interest of federal and state agencies. The strategy increases the value added to a project for each dollar added. A new concept of best value, that is, a rational and flexible model based on expected performance, is presented. The model's flexibility is obvious in the selection of parameters to be included in the contractor selection process and in the determination of their weights. The model's rationality will be achieved through relating all awarded scores to the agency's expected performance. The establishment of the best-value model relies on the past record of the contractor's …

Studies On Field Stabilization Methods To Prevent Surficial Slope Failures Of Earth Fill Dams, Venkata S. Dronamraju

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Surficial failures are occurring frequently on the slopes of earthfill dams which are predominantly rainfall induced. Desiccation cracks form on the slope surface during dry environment which accelerates infiltration during rainfall. Infiltration causes increase of pore water pressures and saturation of soil mass in top layer resulting in surficial failures. Numerous surficial failures occurred on the slope of earthfill dams maintained by The United States Army Corps. of Engineers. The current research is undertaken at the University of Texas at Arlington with an objective of exploring the best field stabilization method to mitigate these surficial failures.Two sites, Joe Pool Dam …

Sediment Budgets In The Irish Estuarine Environment, Kevin Motherway

Theses

A sediment budget is the quantification of sediment sources and sinks for natural physical systems such as rivers and estuaries.

This thesis has developed estuarine sediment budgets for Cork Harbour, Kinsale Harbour and Youghal Harbour. The thesis includes a literature review of the properties of sediment, river and estuary related sediment transport, sediment management and sediment related legislation and the approaches used to develop a sediment budget for an estuary system.

An extensive study of riverine suspended sediments discharging to the estuaries has been undertaken. Both surface grab samples and depth integrating suspended sediment samples were collected, tested and analysed. …

Development Of Ballistic Limit Equations For Dual-Wall Spacecraft Shielding: A Concise History And Suggestions For Future Development, William P. Schonberg

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

All earth-orbiting spacecraft are susceptible to impacts by orbital debris particles, which can occur at extremely high speeds and can damage flight- and mission-critical systems. The traditional damage mitigating shield design for this threat consists of a “bumper” that is placed at a relatively small distance away from the main “inner wall” of the spacecraft. The performance of a hypervelocity impact shield is typically characterized by its ballistic limit equation, which is typically drawn as a line of demarcation between regions of rear-wall perforation and no perforation; when graphically represented, it is often referred to as a ballistic limit curve. …

Implications Of Future Heavier Trucks For Europe's Bridges, Colin C. Caprani, Bernard Enright, Eugene O'Brien

Conference papers

European road freight transport has increased by 38% between 1995 and 2005 and this strong growth trajectory seems likely to continue into the future. To address this growth without compromising the competitativeness of European transport, some countries are contemplating the introduction of longer and heavier trucks, with up to 8 axles and gross weights of up to 60 t. This has the advantage of reducing the number of vehicles for a given volume or mass of freights, reducing labour, fuel and other costs. However, many roads authorities are concerned about the implications for Europe's bridge infrastructure. For bridge loading, it …

Pavement Quality Indicators Study, Wayne Jensen Ph.D., Cody Kluver

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

The Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) conducts annual examinations of the Nebraska’s interstate and federal high-way pavements. During these examinations, numerous indicators of pavement quality are measured directly or are com-piled from parameters recorded by a vehicle passing over the pavement section. Parameters are documented and analyzed for each one-tenth mile segment. A number of pavement sections where innovative features have been incorporated were selected by the NDOR for comparison to nearby conventional pavement sections. This study used data recorded by the NDOR as well as field observations to develop a comparison between two pavement sections, one with innovative fea-tures …

A Laboratory Study Of Struvite Precipitation For Phosphorus Removal From Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Wastewater, Sushmita Dhakal

Masters Theses

"Struvite precipitation occurs spontaneously in many wastewater treatment facilities as a nuisance. However, struvite precipitation is now being studied as a method to concurrently treat high phosphorus wastewaters and generate a valuable product. Many factors influence the precipitation of struvite such as component -ion molar ratios, pH, aeration, solubility, solids and mixing energy. In the present work, struvite precipitation in the actual swine wastewater was studied by strategically controlling aeration, pH, and mixing"--Abstract, page iv.

Hazards Assessment Of St. Charles County - Earthquakes And Floods, Amy Lynn Krauch

Masters Theses

"Located on the northernmost limits of the St. Louis metropolitan area, St. Charles County has been, and continues to be, one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. The county consists of several major cities featuring extensive industry, retail, and agriculture. Bounded by the Missouri River on the south and the Mississippi River on the north and east, St. Charles County is predominantly flat, low-lying terrain at great risk to periodic flooding. The county is also well within the area of influence for several local seismic zones, increasing the susceptibility to earthquake damage. Given the apparent risk to both flood …