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Articles 9481 - 9510 of 11805

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

An Evaluation Of Geobest Contingency Beddown Planning Software Using The Technology Acceptance Model, Shawn J. Jensen Mar 2002

An Evaluation Of Geobest Contingency Beddown Planning Software Using The Technology Acceptance Model, Shawn J. Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

GeoBEST is a software program designed to simplify the contingency beddown planning process through application of geographic information technology. The purpose of this thesis was to thoroughly evaluate GeoBEST using prospective GeoBEST users in a realistic beddown planning scenario. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied, which measures a prospective user's perceptions of the technology's usefulness and ease-of-use and predicts their intentions to use the software in the future. The evaluations also included a qualitative evaluation of specific software features. The test group for this thesis was seventy-one Civil Engineering students attending contingency skills training at the Silver Flag training …

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Comparative Energy And Cost Analysis Between Conventional Hvac Systems And Geothermal Heat Pump Systems, David D. Vanderburg Mar 2002

Comparative Energy And Cost Analysis Between Conventional Hvac Systems And Geothermal Heat Pump Systems, David D. Vanderburg

Theses and Dissertations

To sustain the United States current affluence and strength, the U.S. Government has encouraged energy conservation through executive orders, federal and local laws, and consumer education. A substantial reduction in U.S. energy consumption could be realized by using geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool buildings throughout the U.S., though initial installation cost are a deterrent. This thesis uses Monte Carlo simulation to predict energy consumption, life cycle cost and payback period for the vertical closed-loop ground source heat pump (GSHP) relative to conventional heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems: air-source heat pumps (ASHP), air-cooled air conditioning with either …

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Decision Analysis With Value-Focused Thinking As A Methodology In Structuring The Civil Engineer Operations Flight, Dee Jay Katzer Mar 2002

Decision Analysis With Value-Focused Thinking As A Methodology In Structuring The Civil Engineer Operations Flight, Dee Jay Katzer

Theses and Dissertations

The civil engineer operations flight organizational structure has been in a state of change since the flight's inception and is currently prescribed only to the element level. Therefore, an operations flight commander must determine the organizational structure best suited for their unique situation without any guidance or support. To provide insight and defensible support for an operations flight commander faced with this decision, a value-focused thinking process was used to create a value model that aids in evaluating possible organizational structures. To ensure that the results of this research are applicable across the Air Force, the value model was created …

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Evaluation Of Civil Engineering Operations Flight Competitive Sourcing Standards And Metrics, Ty A. Randall Mar 2002

Evaluation Of Civil Engineering Operations Flight Competitive Sourcing Standards And Metrics, Ty A. Randall

Theses and Dissertations

The Performance Work Statement (PWS), which defines the requirements and shapes the outcome of the activity under contract, and the Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP), which is vital in identifying what is to be evaluated, become critical documents as the Air Force enters into more competitive sourcing contracts. Currently, contractors and Most Efficient Organizations (MEO) are evaluated by the QASP based upon the requirements found in the PWS. It is imperative the PWS and QASP documents have adequate performance metrics and that they are applied appropriately to evaluate the contractor or MEO. This research collected PWS and QASP documents from …

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Bs News Mar 2002

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

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Evaluating Air Force Civil Engineer's Current Automated Information Systems, Edward P. Phillips Mar 2002

Evaluating Air Force Civil Engineer's Current Automated Information Systems, Edward P. Phillips

Theses and Dissertations

Almost every organization has some form of information system where data is captured and stored for later use. The Air Force civil engineering organization is no exception and is in the process of transitioning from the Interim Work Information Management System (WIMS) to the Automated Civil Engineer System (ACES). This research focused on users perceptions of both database and data importance to determine if significant differences existed between various user sub-groups. The research also attempted to identify the most frequently reported problems regarding system usage. The methods of analysis of variance and content analysis were used to answer the research …

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Closure To “Another Look At The L’Ambiance Plaza Collapse,” By Rachel Martin And Norbert J. Delatte, Norbert J. Delatte Feb 2002

Closure To “Another Look At The L’Ambiance Plaza Collapse,” By Rachel Martin And Norbert J. Delatte, Norbert J. Delatte

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Bs News Feb 2002

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

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Seismic Response Of Transformer Bushing Systems And Their Rehabilitation Using Frictional Pendulum System, Selahattin Ersoy Jan 2002

Seismic Response Of Transformer Bushing Systems And Their Rehabilitation Using Frictional Pendulum System, Selahattin Ersoy

Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the performance of electric power transformers and their attachments under earthquake loading. It begins with the description of the transformers, attached bushings, and some typical examples of substation failures in earthquake loading. This is followed by the development of finite element model of three different sizes of transformers. Finite element models consist of several thousand degrees of freedom and they are basic to this thesis. Some of the major findings from these models are utilized to derive a simplified model of a portion of a substation, The frictional pendulum system (a base isolation method) is …

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Inelastic Seismic Behavior Of Stiffening Systems : Multi-Span Simply-Supported (Msss) Bridges, Alireza Yazdani-Motlagh Jan 2002

Inelastic Seismic Behavior Of Stiffening Systems : Multi-Span Simply-Supported (Msss) Bridges, Alireza Yazdani-Motlagh

Dissertations

Stiffening behavior can result from interaction between a structure (base system) and its surrounding environment as in the MSSS bridge soil-structure interaction. In this study, three MSSS bridge cases are parametrically analyzed and their dynamic characteristics and behavior are presented and discussed. Later, for investigating stiffening behavior, a simplified stiffening model is introduced and an extensive parametric study with more than 367,000 analyzed cases is performed. In the parametric study, different stiffening parameters (i.e., stiffness, strength, gap size, and mass), 41 strong motion records, and several damage criteria are considered and effects of the stiffening parameters variations on the dynamic …

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Mechanical Properties And Stress-Strain Behavior Of High Performance Concrete Under Uniaxial Compression, Pornchai Jiratatprasot Jan 2002

Mechanical Properties And Stress-Strain Behavior Of High Performance Concrete Under Uniaxial Compression, Pornchai Jiratatprasot

Theses

Many recent innovations in advanced concrete materials technology have made it possible to produce concrete with exceptional performance characteristics. High performance concrete (HPQ is defined as concrete that meets special performance and uniformity requirements that cannot always be achieved routinely by using conventional materials and normal mixing, placing, and curing practices. The importance of HPC to structural engineering is unquestionable. However, HPC is a relatively new material. Some results of research on conventional concrete are not entirely applicable. In this experiment, the main mechanical properties of HPC including compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and Poisson's ratio were investigated and compared …

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Shear Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams Strengthened With Cfrp Laminates, Jon Erik Moren Jan 2002

Shear Behavior Of Reinforced Concrete Deep Beams Strengthened With Cfrp Laminates, Jon Erik Moren

Theses

Considerable research has been performed using CFRP plates bonded to normal reinforced concrete beams, the objective being to improve shear and flexural strength. However, very few tests have been performed on reinforced concrete deep beams with CFRP as shear reinforcement. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the behavior of the deep beam in shear with various arrangements of Sika CarboDur laminates bonded to the sides. The beams were designed to be shear deficient with stirrups omitted, except at the supports and directly under the load. In total eight beams were tested, four with one-point loading and four with …

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Cable Barrier Literature Review, Brian A. Coon, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid Jan 2002

Cable Barrier Literature Review, Brian A. Coon, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

A literature review of cable barrier systems.

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The Effect Of Broadleaf Canopies On Survey-Grade Horizontal Gps/Glonass Measurements, Thomas H. Meyer, John E. Bean, C. Roger Ferguson, James M. Naismith Jan 2002

The Effect Of Broadleaf Canopies On Survey-Grade Horizontal Gps/Glonass Measurements, Thomas H. Meyer, John E. Bean, C. Roger Ferguson, James M. Naismith

Department of Natural Resources and the Environment Articles

A study was conducted to empirically determine the degradation of survey-grade GPS horizontal position measurements due to the effects of broadleaf forest canopies. The measurements were taken using GPS/GLONASS-capable receivers measuring C/A and P-codes, and carrier phase. Fourteen survey markers were chosen in central Connecticut to serve as reference markers for the study. These markers had varying degrees of sky obstruction due to overhanging tree canopies. Sky obstruction was measured by photographing the sky with a 35mm reflex camera fitted with a hemispherical lens. The negative was scanned and the image mapped using an equal- area projection to remove the …

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Efficacy Of Interactive Internet-Based Education In Structural Timber Design, Aaron B. Henson, Kenneth J. Fridley, David Pollock, C Jayne Brahler Jan 2002

Efficacy Of Interactive Internet-Based Education In Structural Timber Design, Aaron B. Henson, Kenneth J. Fridley, David Pollock, C Jayne Brahler

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

While traditional teaching methods (e.g., real-time, synchronous lectures) have proven effective for training future engineers, the Internet provides an avenue to reinforce the material and augment student learning, comprehension, and retention of material. This paper presents the integration and assessment of a library of interactive instructional modules specifically for a senior-level undergraduate elective course in civil engineering. An ongoing, comprehensive assessment process was implemented in the fall 1999 semester. The results of this quantitative assessment indicate that the use of well designed and pedagogically sound Internet-based supplemental modules provide students with a better understanding of course material. However, when Internet-based …

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Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements: Policies And Thresholds, David Kuemmel, Richard Robinson, Ronald C. Sonntag, Robert J. Griffin, James K. Giese Jan 2002

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements: Policies And Thresholds, David Kuemmel, Richard Robinson, Ronald C. Sonntag, Robert J. Griffin, James K. Giese

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

A 5-year, pooled fund study with the Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin departments of transportation assessed the public's perceptions of pavement improvement strategies and developed thresholds of satisfaction using the departments' physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition on rural, two-lane highways in the states. Approximately 3,600 drivers in the three states were involved in the three phases of the project, which included 18 focus groups, 400 statewide surveys in each state, and 2,300 targeted surveys across the three states. A multidisciplinary team from Marquette University and a mass media survey lab conducted the studies. A summary of focus group …

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Radionuclide Leaching From Residual Soils: Screening Study, Mark W. Fitch, Ellen England Jan 2002

Radionuclide Leaching From Residual Soils: Screening Study, Mark W. Fitch, Ellen England

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Four soil samples, collected from a National Priorities Listed site contaminated with uranium, thorium, and radium, were leached for two, seven, and 30 days. The nonleached soils, leached soils, and leachates were analyzed using gamma spectroscopy, alpha spectroscopy, and delayed neutron activation. Unleached and leached soils had low radionuclide activities, and four different leaching solutions had no significant observable effect upon the resulting leachate activity. Three of the soils produced leachates with uranium activities below the expected primary drinking water standard of 30 µg/L for uranium, but the leachate from the fourth soil had an unacceptably high concentration of uranium …

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Forensic Investigation Of Failed Mast Arms Of Traffic Signal Supported Structures, Genda Chen, Michael G. Barker, D. Scott Mackenzie, Christopher W. Ramsay, Joe Alderson, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani, Jiaqing Yu Jan 2002

Forensic Investigation Of Failed Mast Arms Of Traffic Signal Supported Structures, Genda Chen, Michael G. Barker, D. Scott Mackenzie, Christopher W. Ramsay, Joe Alderson, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani, Jiaqing Yu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In Missouri, 11 traffic signal mast arms fractured at the arm-post weld connection in 7 years. To reduce this fatigue failure, the Missouri Department of Transportation developed a fatigue-resistant weld profile that increases the weld leg and reduces the slope of the weld at the toe. This study investigated causes of the failed arms, compared performance of new and old weld profiles, and suggested retrofitting measures for further investigation. The scope included a metallurgical investigation of one failed field mast arm, laboratory fatigue testing of five prototype mast arms (two new and three old profiles), and laboratory failure analysis of …

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An Evaluation Of Innovative Transportation Financing Techniques For Indiana, Kristine Drike, A. Vincent Genetti, Kumares C. Sinha Jan 2002

An Evaluation Of Innovative Transportation Financing Techniques For Indiana, Kristine Drike, A. Vincent Genetti, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

Innovative financing techniques can complement current methods of financing highway projects in Indiana. Annual federal apportionments and Indiana state revenues are not sufficient to maintain and improve state highways, so innovative approaches in transportation project financing should be sought. There are several available innovative financing techniques associated with the use of federal funds. Although, they do not provide new sources of revenue and cannot create enough funds for all identified projects, they provide flexibility in the use of available funds that can expedite the implementation of individual projects. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the major innovative …

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Design Of Durable Concrete Railroad Crossings, Anthony J. Lamanna, Charles F. Scholer Jan 2002

Design Of Durable Concrete Railroad Crossings, Anthony J. Lamanna, Charles F. Scholer

JTRP Technical Reports

Existing precast concrete railroad crossings in the state of Indiana are experiencing too short a life expectancy. This study proposes methods that can be used to produce durable concrete railroad crossings with satisfactory rideability, durability, and longevity. Thirty-two precast concrete railroad crossings were visited in central and northern Indiana. Failures were determined to belong to three major categories: structural capacity causes, environmental causes, and material property causes. A concrete mix was evaluated at three different polyolefin fiber contents and without fibers. Beams were tested in flexure, and modulus of rupture and first crack deflection were recorded for each beam. Cylinders …

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Design Of Mse Walls For Fully Saturated Conditions, Antonio Bobet Jan 2002

Design Of Mse Walls For Fully Saturated Conditions, Antonio Bobet

JTRP Technical Reports

The current design of MSE walls, which is based on limit state analysis, does not apply to undrained conditions. Laboratory and numerical pullout tests are performed to determine the relation between drained and undrained pullout capacities for different soil types (clean sand, 5, 10, 15 and 35 % silty sand), overburden pressures (30, 100 and 200 kPa), and scale and permeability effects in the dissipation of excess pore pressures. The results of the pullout tests show that both drained and undrained pullout capacities change as silt content changes since the pullout capacity increases as the internal friction angle of the …

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Effectiveness Of The Borman Expressway Its Program On Local Air Quality, Timothy M. Labreche, Robert Bertram Jacko, Barry K. Partridge, William H. Schneider, Ahmed S. Soliman Jan 2002

Effectiveness Of The Borman Expressway Its Program On Local Air Quality, Timothy M. Labreche, Robert Bertram Jacko, Barry K. Partridge, William H. Schneider, Ahmed S. Soliman

JTRP Technical Reports

Particulate Matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), and meteorological parameters were monitored at 10 second averaging intervals adjacent the Borman Expressway in Northwestern Indiana before and during the implementation of an Intelligent Transportation System. Traffic data was collected from sensors on the expressway. The high-resolution data permitted the expressway contribution to local air quality to be separated from background components of local air quality and significant correlations were made between pollutant flux and traffic flow and pollutant flux and highway occupancy. Traffic incidents (accidents / congestion) were shown to have a rapid impact on local …

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Effects Of Heavier Truck Loadings And Super-Single Tires On Subgrades, Rodrigo Salgado, Daehyeon Kim Jan 2002

Effects Of Heavier Truck Loadings And Super-Single Tires On Subgrades, Rodrigo Salgado, Daehyeon Kim

JTRP Technical Reports

Due to their efficiency and economy, super-single tires have gradually been replacing conventional dual tires in the trucking industry. According to recent studies, super-single tires generate much higher vertical contact stresses than do conventional dual tires, resulting in larger deformations and more severe damage to the subgrade. In order to better assess the higher stresses generated by super-single tires and their effect on the subgrade, analyses are done taking into account soil plasticity rather than simple elastic analysis. In this study, the effects of super-single tires on subgrades for typical road cross-sections are investigated using plane-strain (2D) and 3D static …

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Fatigue Behavior Of Beam Diaphragm Connections With Intermittent Fillet Welds, Part I, Volume 1, Field Evaluation, Tammy L. Canna, Mark D. Bowman Jan 2002

Fatigue Behavior Of Beam Diaphragm Connections With Intermittent Fillet Welds, Part I, Volume 1, Field Evaluation, Tammy L. Canna, Mark D. Bowman

JTRP Technical Reports

This report is the first of a two-part, three volume final report presenting the findings of the research work that was undertaken to evaluate the behavior of Indiana highway bridges with diaphragm members welded directly to the web of the primary beams and girders. Fatigue cracks have been observed at several bridges that utilize the welded diaphragm connection. The seriousness of the cracking and the corresponding potential risk on the integrity of the bridge superstructure were assessed. Inspection and repair guidelines for bridges with the welded diaphragm connections were also developed as part of the research effort. This volume presents …

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Guidelines For Use And Types Of Retaining Devices, Antonio Bobet Jan 2002

Guidelines For Use And Types Of Retaining Devices, Antonio Bobet

JTRP Technical Reports

A large number of types of retaining devices are currently available but their limitations, recommendations and guidelines are scattered in the technical literature. A synthesis study has been made in which different technologies have been investigated to develop guidelines for the use of the different types of retaining devices. For this purpose, an extensive literature review has been performed and a new classification has been proposed. An electronic database with 207 selected cases from the technical literature and INDOT archives has been created. The database stores the following information: (1) Type of Retaining Device; (2) Geometry (3) Soil conditions; (4) …

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Improving Efficiency Of Indot Traffic Data Collection Using Gps Devices, Shuo Li, Karen Zhu, Boudewijn H. W. Van Gelder, John Nagle, Carl Tuttle Jan 2002

Improving Efficiency Of Indot Traffic Data Collection Using Gps Devices, Shuo Li, Karen Zhu, Boudewijn H. W. Van Gelder, John Nagle, Carl Tuttle

JTRP Technical Reports

INDOT has utilized many new technologies to reduce travel delay, mitigate traffic congestion, and enhance public and employees’ safety. Many projects are underway, including re-timing of most existing traffic signals and pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. To evaluate signal system performance, prioritize alternatives of improvement, conduct before and after studies and investigate work zone safety, it requires a large amount of traffic data such as travel time, speed and delay. Issues, such as safety, efficiency and cost, may arise associated with the current methods. For the current manual or automatic data collection, it usually requires two operators, a driver and a …

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Internet-Supported Evaluation Of Highway Safety, Andrzej P. Tarko, Brian Desalle Jan 2002

Internet-Supported Evaluation Of Highway Safety, Andrzej P. Tarko, Brian Desalle

JTRP Technical Reports

Few current methods of identifying hazardous locations take into account the perspective of highway users. It is generally accepted by human factor experts that user feedback can provide valuable insight into safety at highway locations that is not obtainable through the use of crash data. However, little research has been conducted in the highway transportation area, and the relationship between user perception and actual safety at a location is not well known. Currently, motorist feedback in Indiana is gathered by individual highway agencies through the use of a phone and mail collection process. A centralized feedback collection would not only …

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Mid-Panel Cracking Of Portland Cement Concrete Pavements In Indiana, Hung-Ming Chen, Yunus Dere, Elisa D. Sotelino, Graham C. Archer Jan 2002

Mid-Panel Cracking Of Portland Cement Concrete Pavements In Indiana, Hung-Ming Chen, Yunus Dere, Elisa D. Sotelino, Graham C. Archer

JTRP Technical Reports

Portland cement concrete slabs are a common form of highway pavements in Indiana. As a result of their widespread use, the economic impact of their maintenance and life span is therefore tremendous. In Indiana, these types of pavements have been experiencing premature random transverse mid-panel cracking. This phenomenon has been observed under a variety of environmental and traffic conditions. Also, it has been found that the cracking occurs in conjunction with the opening of the lanes to traffic, within months of construction. In this project, a research synthesis was carried out to determine exactly what the current state of knowledge …

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Load Tests On Pipe Piles For Development Of Cpt-Based Design Method, Kwangkyum Kim, Rodrigo Salgado, Junhwan Lee, Kyuho Paik Jan 2002

Load Tests On Pipe Piles For Development Of Cpt-Based Design Method, Kwangkyum Kim, Rodrigo Salgado, Junhwan Lee, Kyuho Paik

JTRP Technical Reports

This research focused on the drivability and load-carrying capacity of both open and closed-ended steel pipe piles. Two pipe piles (one open-ended, the other closed-ended) were installed in a sandy soil to the same depth. The site was extensively characterized. SPT and CPT tests were performed both before and after pile installation. A variety of soil indices and shear strength parameters (such as the constant-volume friction angle) were measured in the laboratory. The piles were fully instrumented, permitting separate measurement of shaft and base capacity for the closed-ended pile and shaft, annulus and soil plug capacities for the open-ended pile. …

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Performance-Related Specifications For Concrete Bridge Superstructures, Volume 4: Bond Of Epoxy-Coated Bars With Thicker Coatings, J. A. Ramirez, Michael K. Appelhans Jan 2002

Performance-Related Specifications For Concrete Bridge Superstructures, Volume 4: Bond Of Epoxy-Coated Bars With Thicker Coatings, J. A. Ramirez, Michael K. Appelhans

JTRP Technical Reports

In Volume 4 of the final report, the results of an evaluation of the bond performance of epoxy-coated bars with a coating thickness up to 18 mils are presented. The experimental work on the bond performance of epoxy-coated bars with thickness up to 18 mils indicates that the current AASHTO requirements for development length of epoxy-coated bars up to #8 could be safely extended to coating thickness of up to 18 mils. Thus, no change to the bond specifications is recommended in order to implement the use of bars with diameters up to a #8 with epoxy-coating thickness up to …

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