Engineering Commons^™

Quality Of Service Measures At Signalized Intersections, Kamal Goyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept of using qualitative measures to describe the quality of service at signalized intersections provided by different designs and controls has been discussed in numerous conferences. Such measures may include driver's comfort, convenience, anxiety, and preferences. The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using the University of Central Florida's interactive driving simulator to execute several scenarios involving different unusual design and operation practices to measure the quality of service at a signalized intersection. This thesis describes the scenarios, the experiments conducted, the data collected, and analysis of results. Signalized intersections with 3 types of …

Estimation Of Hybrid Models For Real-Time Crash Risk Assessment On Freeways, Anurag Pande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relevance of reactive traffic management strategies such as freeway incident detection has been diminishing with advancements in mobile phone usage and video surveillance technology. On the other hand, capacity to collect, store, and analyze traffic data from underground loop detectors has witnessed enormous growth in the recent past. These two facts together provide us with motivation as well as the means to shift the focus of freeway traffic management toward proactive strategies that would involve anticipating incidents such as crashes. The primary element of proactive traffic management strategy would be model(s) that can separate 'crash prone' conditions from 'normal' traffic …

Modal Perturbation Method For The Dynamic Characteristics Of Timoshenko Beams, Meng-Lin Lou, Quihua Duan, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Timoshenko beams have been widely used in structural and mechanical systems. under dynamic loading, the analytical solution of a Timoshenko beam is often difficult to obtain due to the complexity involved in the equation of motion. In this paper, a modal perturbation method is introduced to approximately determine the dynamic characteristics of a Timoshenko beam. In this approach, the differential equation of motion describing the dynamic behavior of the Timoshenko beam can be transformed into a set of nonlinear algebraic equations. Therefore, the solution process can be simplified significantly for the Timoshenko beam with arbitrary boundaries. Several examples are given …

Aggregate Gradation Optimization -- Literature Search, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Development Of An Artificial Neural Networks Model To Estimate Delay Using Toll Plaza Transaction Data, Aparna Muppidi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In spite of the most up-to-date investigation of the relevant techniques to analyze the traffic characteristics and traffic operations at a toll plaza, there has not been any note worthy explorations evaluating delay from toll transaction data and using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) at a toll plaza. This thesis lays an emphasis on the application of ANN techniques to estimate the total vehicular delay according to the lane type at a toll plaza. This is done to avoid the laborious task of extracting data from the video recordings at a toll plaza. Based on the lane type a general methodology …

Neural Network Trees And Simulation Databases: New Approaches For Signalized Intersection Crash Classification And Prediction, Piyush Nawathe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intersection related crashes form a significant proportion of the crashes occurring on roadways. Many organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are considering intersection safety improvement as one of their top priority areas. This study contributes to the area of safety of signalized intersections by identifying the traffic and geometric characteristics that affect the different types of crashes. The first phase of this thesis was to classify the crashes occurring at signalized intersections into rear-end, angle, turn and sideswipe crash types based on the traffic and geometric properties of …

Sediment Transport In Rivers And Estuaries, John Clancy

Theses

The processes of erosion, transportation and sedimentation in rivers and estuaries have fascinated researchers for centuries. These processes have been active throughout geological time and have shaped the present landscape. To effectively study these processes analysis needs to be carried out at catchment scale level. Cork Harbour and its tributaries including the River Lee, the Owenabue River, the Glashaboy River, the Owennacurra River, and the Dungoumey River are analysed for the processes of sediment transport within their catchments and systems, and particularly river sediment loadings.

This thesis includes a literature review of the properties of sediment, river and estuary related …

Dredging And Dredge Disposal And Reuse In Ireland, Séamus Sutton

Theses

Dredging involves raising material from a river or estuary bed to the surface and transporting it some distance for disposal or reuse. It may be required to improve navigational access, to allow for port development or for mining aggregates.

This thesis includes a literature review and a detailed study of the dredging industry in Ireland. This study is partly based on a nationwide survey undertaken on dredging and dredge disposal and reuse, the results of which are included in a dredging database created for this project. All the main stakeholders in the industry were invited to complete questionnaire forms for …

Engineered Struvite Precipitation: Impacts Of Component-Ion Molar Ratios And Ph, Jun Wang, Joel Gerard Burken, Xiaoqi Zhang, Rao Y. Surampalli

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Struvite precipitation has the potential for removing and recovering phosphorus from agricultural wastewater streams, such as concentrated animal feeding operations wastewater. However, impacts of anticipated component-ion molar ratios and potentially interfering ions are unknown as are the compounding pH relationship with respect to all potential complexes. This research experimentally investigates and mathematically models these factors. Emphasis is placed upon the composition of formed deposits and model validation with experimental data. Results show that calcium is a major interfering ion affecting the deposit composition, decreasing struvite purity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy + energy dispersive spectrometry were used to …

Spatial Bioaccumulation Modeling In A Network Of Bayous, Ronaldo Luna, Karen H. Watanabe, Andrew J. Wilding

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A software system, Spatial Network Bioaccumulation Model (SNBM), was developed to model the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic food webs. The SNBM uses a geographic information system as an engine to: (i) store the spatial representation of input parameters (the data related to the ecosystem), (ii) transfer input and output data to and from the food-web bioaccumulation model, and (iii) display the predicted food-web organism concentrations over a base map of the field site. The bioaccumulation model is a time-dependent, set of first-order ordinary differential equations that are solved numerically. Many sampling locations can be analyzed using …

Assessing Crash Occurrence On Urban Freeways Using Static And Dynamic Factors By Applying A System Of Interrelated Equations, Rajashekar Pemmanaboina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traffic crashes have been identified as one of the main causes of death in the US, making road safety a high priority issue that needs urgent attention. Recognizing the fact that more and effective research has to be done in this area, this thesis aims mainly at developing different statistical models related to the road safety. The thesis includes three main sections: 1) overall crash frequency analysis using negative binomial models, 2) seemingly unrelated negative binomial (SUNB) models for different categories of crashes divided based on type of crash, or condition in which they occur, 3) safety models to determine …

Implementation Strategies For Real-Time Traffic Safety Improvements On Urban Freeways, Jeremy Harvey Dilmore

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research evaluates Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) implementation strategies to improve the safety of a freeway once a potential of a crash is detected. Among these strategies are Variable Speed Limit (VSL) and ramp metering. VSL are ITS devices that are commonly used to calm traffic in an attempt to relieve congestion and enhance throughput. With proper use, VSL can be more cost effective than adding more lanes. In addition to maximizing the capacity of a roadway, a different aspect of VSL can be realized by the potential of improving traffic safety. Through the use of multiple microscopic traffic simulations, …

Three Dimensional Modeling Of Wekiva Springshed With Wash123d, Sandeep Paladagu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a three-dimensional groundwater modeling of Wekia springshed in central Florida using a numerical model, WASH123D. Springs have historically played an important role in Florida's history. The Wekiva River is a spring-fed system associated with about 19 springs connected to the Floridan aquifer. With increased urbanization and population growth in this region, there has been an increased strain on the water levels of Floridan aquifer which is a major source of potable water. Maintaining groundwater recharge to the aquifer is a key factor of the viability of the regional water supply as well as Wekiva ecosystem. Hence, the …

Safety Issues Of Red-Light Running And Unprotected Left-Turn At Signalized Intersections, Xuedong Yan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Crashes categorized as running red light or left turning are most likely to occur at signalized intersections and resulted in substantial severe injuries and property damages. This dissertation mainly focused on these two types of vehicle crashes and the research methodology involved several perspectives. To examine the overall characteristics of red-light running and left-turning crashes, firstly, this study applied 1999-2001 Florida traffic crash data to investigate the accident propensity of three aspects of risk factors related to traffic environments, driver characteristics, and vehicle types. A quasi-induced exposure concept and statistical techniques including classification tree model and multiple logistic regression were …

Applying Log-Linear Models And Gis To Study The Safety Of Pedestrians And Bicyclists : A Case Study Of Orange County School Children, Sai Srinivas Chundi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Pedestrian /bicycle safety of school children has been a growing menace that has been attracting attention from transportation professionals, school boards, media and the community all over the country. As such there has been a necessity to identify critical variables and assess their importance in pedestrian/bicycle crashes occurring in and around school zones. The current study is an endeavor in this direction. The literature review identified some studies that were conducted on school zone safety related to pedestrian/bicyclist crashes. Most of the studies pertained to crashes with all age groups. There have been few studies with emphasis only on …

Evaluation Of Proprietary Stormwater Treatment Devices In Field And Laboratory Conditions, Saheeda Marie Romah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proper stormwater management acknowledges both water quantity and water quality. Historically, stormwater quantity and quality have been separately considered; runoff was routed as quickly as possible into the nearest body of water. Although this alleviates potential flooding concerns, water quality is often compromised. Common stormwater quality problems include gross pollutants, sediment, nutrients, and heavy metals. The chronic elevated presence of these pollutants is detrimental to the environment. As a result, the government has passed legislature to protect waterways. The passage of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requires that municipalities implement stormwater treatment techniques, known as Best Management …

Finite Element Evaluation Of The Effects Of Lateral Anchorage Strips On The Behavior Of Cfrp-Strengthened Rc Beams, Jose Javier Perez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a fully nonlinear finite element study of the flexural behavior of doubly reinforced concrete beams strengthened using different Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite strengthening configurations has been carried out. Prior to the study, a total of six beams were constructed, pre-cracked, strengthened and tested to failure under a four-point loading condition (Zhao and O'Riordan-Adjah, 2004). Then, for the purpose of this thesis work, detailed three dimensional finite element models were created not only to correlate the results obtained from the experiments, but also to predict the load capacity, failure modes and crack pattern of reinforced concrete …

The Effect Of Tidal Inlets On Open Coast Storm Surge Hydrographs: A Case Study Of Hurricane Ivan (2004), Michael Salisbury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Florida's Department of Transportation requires design storm tide hydrographs for coastal waters surrounding tidal inlets along the coast of Florida. These hydrographs are used as open ocean boundary conditions for local bridge scour models. At present, very little information is available on the effect that tidal inlets have on these open coast storm tide hydrographs. Furthermore, current modeling practice enforces a single design hydrograph along the open coast boundary for bridge scour models. This thesis expands on these concepts and provides a more fundamental understanding on both of these modeling areas. A numerical parameter study is undertaken to elucidate the …

Adapting The Modified Cam Clay Constitutive Model To The Computational Analysis Of Dense Granular Soils, Jose Arvelo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The computational constitutive Modified Cam Clay Model (MCCM) was developed at Cambridge to study the behavior of clays and has been proven to be effective. In this study, this model is extended to the case of dense sands to analyze the accuracy of the stress-strain behavior. This analysis is based on triaxial test data applied to remolded and compacted sand samples under drained conditions. The laboratory triaxial tests were performed by the Florida Department of Transportation to research the permeability effect in sandy soils compacted up to 95% of maximum unit weight at the optimum moisture content. Each soil sample …

Structural Condition Assessment Of Prestressed Concrete Transit Guideways, Robert Zachary Shmerling

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective condition assessment is essential to make better decisions for safety and serviceability of existing civil infrastructure systems. This study explores the condition of an existing transit guideway system that has been in service for thirty-five years. The structural system is composed of six-span continuous prestressed concrete bridge segments. The overall transit system incorporates a number of continuous bridges which share common design details, geometries, and loading conditions. The original analysis is based on certain simplifying assumptions such as rigid behavior over supports and simplified tendon/concrete/steel plate interaction. The current objective is to conduct a representative study for a more …

Right Turn Split: A New Design To Alleviate Weaving On Arterial Streets, Khaled Shaaban

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While weaving maneuvers occur on every type of roadway, most studies have focused on freeway maneuvers. Weaving occurring on non-freeway facilities, such as arterial streets, can cause significant operational problems. Arterial streets weaving typically occur when vehicles coming from a side street at an upstream intersection attempt to enter the main street from one side to reach access points on the opposite site at a downstream intersection by crossing one or more lanes. This dissertation investigates the type of problems occurring on arterial streets due to the weaving movements and recommends a new design to alleviate weaving on arterial streets. …

Modeling, Simulation And Analysis Of Multi-Barge Flotillas Impacting Bridge Piers, Peng Yuan

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The current design code governing bridge structure resistance to vessel impact loads in the U.S. is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) Guide Specification and Commentary for Vessel Collision Design of Highway Bridges. The code stipulated method, based on Meir-Dornberg's equivalent static load method, is usually not warranted because of insufficient data on the impact load histories and wide scatter of the impact force values. The AASHTO load equations ignore certain fundamental factors that affect the determination of impact forces and bridge dynamic responses. Some examples of factors that are omitted during standard impact force …

Non-Destructive Estimation Of Pavement Thickness, Structural Number And Subgrade Resilience Along Indot Highways, Samy Noureldin, Karen Zhu, Dwayne Authur Harris, Shuo Li

JTRP Technical Reports

Nondestructive testing has become an integral part for evaluation and rehabilitation strategies of pavements in recent years. Pavement evaluation employing the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) can provide valuable information about pavement performance characteristics and be a very useful tool for project prioritization purposes and estimation of construction budget at the network level. FWD deflection testing is an accurate tool for determining pavement structural capacity and estimating the required thickness of overlays and hence is an accurate tool for planning for or estimating required current and future construction budgets. GPR is the only tool that …

Countermeasures Against Scour At Bridge Abutments, Hua Li

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Scour at bridge abutments can cause damage or failure of bridges and result in excessive repairs, loss of accessibility, or even death. To mitigate abutment scour, both clear-water and live-bed laboratory experiments in a compound channel were performed using parallel walls and spur dikes as countermeasures, respectively. In addition, collars were tested under clear-water conditions only. It was found that both parallel walls and spur dikes can efficiently protect the abutment from scour provided that they are properly designed. Design guidelines were discussed for both countermeasures. Preliminary clear-water tests of collars as countermeasures against scour showed some promising results although …

An Assessment Of Highway Financing Needs In Indiana, Kumares C. Sinha, Samuel Labi, Stacey D. Hodge, Gabriel U. Tine, Hardik Rajendra Shah

JTRP Technical Reports

In recent years highway revenues in Indiana have been eroding due to inflation, increased costs, and the increased use of fuel-efficient vehicles. It is necessary, therefore, to reliably assess the current and future needs for highway funding in order to facilitate informed fiscal planning. This study provides a methodology for tracking current and future demand for highway financing, along with a systematic modeling approach for revenue projections such that financing plans can be developed for state and local highway networks. Highway infrastructure needs for pavements, bridges, safety, and capacity improvements for the 15-year period between 2006 and 2020 are assessed …

Damage Analysis Of Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements In Indiana, Part I: Finite Element Modeling And Damage Analysis, Part Ii: Indislab, A Software Tool For Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement Design, Elisa D. Sotelino, Alireza Asgari, Andrew C. Saksa, Guillermo Cedeno

JTRP Technical Reports

Current design procedures for concrete pavements do not account for several factors that can influence their service life. In this work, these factors are investigated and the findings are integrated into a procedure for better predicting longterm performance of concrete pavements. To achieve this, sophisticated finite element techniques are employed and parametric studies are performed. The findings are then integrated into a nonlinear procedure for damage accumulation. In the development of the comprehensive 3D Finite Element (FE) model several issues are studied including the geometry of the model, mesh refinement, element selection, interaction between pavement components, and loading simulation. The …

Emergency Earthquake Routes; Part I, Criteria For Selection Of Primary Routes; And Part Ii: Route Seismic Vulnerability Aspects, Julio Ramirez, Srinivas Peeta, Mete Sozen, Luis Garcia, Kannan Viswanath

JTRP Technical Reports

The occurrence of a strong earthquake in Indiana or neighboring states, as has occurred in the past, has serious implications for the State Transportation System with respect to adequate response. The definition of Earthquake Emergency Routes for the State of Indiana became a priority for the Indiana Department of Transportation. These Emergency Routes take into account various aspects related to transportation including coverage of population and area and travel time along these routes, and issues related to structural and geotechnical seismic vulnerability of the roads and bridges along these routes. Part I of the overall study report formulates a multi-commodity …

Life Cycle Cost Analysis For Indot Pavement Design Procedures, Geoffery Lamptey, Muhammad Z. Ahmad, Samuel Labi, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

Given the aging of highway pavements, high traffic levels, and uncertainty of sustained preservation funding, there is a need for balanced decision-making tools such as LCCA to ensure long-term and cost-effective pavement investments. With driving forces such as ISTEA 1991, the NHS Act of 1995, and TEA-21, LCCA enables evaluation of overall long-term economic efficiency between competing alternative investments and consequently has important applications in pavement design and management. It has been shown in past research that more effective long-term pavement investment could be made at lower cost using LCCA. Current LCCA-based pavement design and preservation practice in Indiana could …

Remediation And Stabilization Of Soils Contaminated By Lead Resulting From The Removal Of Paint From Bridges, M. K. Banks, A. Paul Schwab

JTRP Technical Reports

Lead-based paints are commonly used for painting steel bridge structures. Soils in the immediate vicinity of older bridges have been contaminated with Pb as a result of normal weathering and peeling of the paint coupled with removal prior to repainting. The objectives of this project were to assess the extent of lead contamination near highway bridges and to evaluate phytoremediation and immobilization as means of remediation. We examined soils in the vicinity of approximately 20 bridges in Indiana that had been repainted recently and were know to have been painted originally with Pb-based paint. We found only three bridges in …

Shear Reinforcement Requirements For High-Strength Concrete Bridge Girders, J. A. Ramirez, Gerardo Aguilar

JTRP Technical Reports

A research program was conducted on the shear strength of high-strength concrete members. The objective was to evaluate the shear behavior and strength of concrete bridge members with compressive strengths in the range of 10 000 to 15 000 psi. The goal was to determine if the current minimum amount of shear reinforcement together with maximum spacing limits in the 2004 AASHTO LRFD Specifications, and the upper limit on the nominal shear strength were applicable to concrete compressive strengths up to 15 000 psi.

A total of twenty I-shaped specimens were tested monotonically to failure. Sixteen specimens were reinforced concrete …