Engineering Commons^™

Assessment Of Engineering Performance And Environmental Impacts Of High Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (Rap) Asphalt Mixtures In Flexible Pavements, Ibrahim A.I.E. Elnaml

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the critical role of asphalt pavements in national infrastructure development, there is a pressing need to investigate more sustainable materials and approaches. The use of natural aggregates and asphalt binders in asphalt pavement presents sustainability challenges due to the depletion of finite resources. Recycling Asphalt Pavement (RAP) offers a promising sustainable solution by substituting virgin aggregates and asphalt binders with recycled ones. However, increasing RAP contents in asphalt mixtures (>25%) can lead to premature cracking, insufficient durability, and limited longevity due to the presence of aged RAP-asphalt binder. To address these concerns, the application of novel recycling …

Understanding And Modeling Drivers’ En-Route Diversion Behavior During Congestion, Mohammad Shapouri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the field of transportation, traffic assignment models primarily have been used to forecast driver route preferences, translating their choices into traffic flow patterns across networks. These models are grounded in distinct behavioral theories and strive to explain how drivers navigate routes based on network features and personal tendencies. Using an aggregation approach, conventional traffic assignment models distribute demand among paths, considering utility and attractiveness. Despite their prevalent use in transportation planning and operations, the fundamental behavioral assumptions of these models have rarely been thoroughly explored. This gap is further compounded by their limited consideration of real-time adjustments and choices …

Integrating The Concept Of Complete Streets Into Pavement Preservation, Sirisha Gangireddy

LSU Master's Theses

This study is motivated by the evident gap in integrating Complete Streets principles into pavement preservation. Complete Streets opportunities, which aim to accommodate all road users, are typically encouraged in all kinds of projects including new construction, reconstruction, preservation, and rehabilitation. While the concept of Complete Streets is understood in terms of new construction (e.g., building sidewalks), its application through pavement preservation programs is not well-developed. To bridge the gap between the Complete Streets and pavement preservation, this study conducted a comprehensive review on how state Department of Transportation (DOTs) are currently incorporating Complete Streets into pavement preservation and identified …

Understanding And Modeling Drivers’ En-Route Diversion Behavior During Congestion, Mohammad Shapouri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the field of transportation, traffic assignment models primarily have been used to forecast driver route preferences, translating their choices into traffic flow patterns across networks. These models are grounded in distinct behavioral theories and strive to explain how drivers navigate routes based on network features and personal tendencies. Using an aggregation approach, conventional traffic assignment models distribute demand among paths, considering utility and attractiveness. Despite their prevalent use in transportation planning and operations, the fundamental behavioral assumptions of these models have rarely been thoroughly explored. This gap is further compounded by their limited consideration of real-time adjustments and choices …

The Effects Of Disruption Type, Trip Purpose, Gender, And Age On Driver Diversion Willingness In The United States Of America, James D. Fuller

LSU Master's Theses

When drivers encounter traffic congestion, one of the most common ways to avoid excessive delays is to divert to an alternate route. Despite the commonplace nature of such routing decisions, relatively little is known about the specific influencers, motivators, and preferences that affect diversion choices under disrupted conditions. Understanding these driver motivations is important for improving the ability of transportation authorities to plan, design, operate, and maintain transportation networks. The research described in this thesis utilizes a driver survey to investigate the situational factors and personal characteristics that may play a significant role in determining a decision to divert or …

Bim And Digital Twins In Infrastructure Projects: An Overview From The Transportation Professional's Perspective, Natállia Mendes

LSU Master's Theses

Transport infrastructure has undergone significant changes in recent years due to the digitalization of construction methods. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for more productive and cost-effective technologies to optimize various aspects such as time, cost, changes, waste, and errors in projects. Notably, technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Twin (DT) hold the potential to enhance the performance of infrastructure projects. While BIM has received substantial attention in recent years, Digital Twin is relatively new to the construction industry. This leads to a scarcity of studies on DT and its integration with other emerging technologies like BIM. …

Optimization Of The Self-Healing Efficiency Of Bacterial Concrete Using Impregnation Of Three Different Precursors Into Lightweight Aggregate, Omar Omar

LSU Master's Theses

Concrete is the most broadly used construction material; thus, developing sustainable concrete is essential to decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from concrete production. Implementation of self-healing concrete technologies is a promising approach to enhance the durability and sustainability of the transportation infrastructure. Among these technologies, bacterial concrete has the potential to seal microcracks through microbial induced calcite precipitation (MICP). Bacterial protection is essential to ensure the viability of this technology due to concrete’s harsh environment. Additionally, the success of this technology depends on the presence of an adequate mineral precursor compound and nutrient for the bacteria. As such, the main …

Motivators And Preferences Of Route Diversion During Roadway Incidents, Grace Cole

LSU Master's Theses

When confronted with congestion and delay, drivers often divert their route. Depending on factors like purpose, urgency, destination, route alternatives, type of disruption, and mode options, common diversionary options can range from changing departure time, route, and mode to canceling a trip altogether. One of the foundational building blocks of travel forecasting is traffic assignment, which is used to distribute trips over a network using complex algorithms to aggregately represent the desire of drivers to minimize travel time.

While these assignment models are backed by decades of research and observational experience, they are also limited by the fact that they …

Toward A Safer Transportation System For Senior Road Users, Saba Doulabi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Senior pedestrians and drivers (65 years and older) are among the most vulnerable road users. As the population of seniors rise, concerns regarding older adults' traffic safety are growing. The advantages of using autonomous vehicles, innovative vehicle technologies, and active transportation are becoming more widely recognized to improve seniors' mobility and safety. This behooves researchers to further investigate senior road users’ safety challenges and countermeasures. This study contributes to the literature by achieving two main goals. First, to explore contributing factors affecting the safety of older pedestrians and drivers in the current transportation system. Second, to examine seniors’ perceptions, preferences, …

A New Generation Of Open-Graded Friction Course For Enhanced Durability And Functionality, Hossam Abohamer

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims at (1) enhancing Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) mixes durability using additives and other by-products; (2) investigating the impacts of selected factors on OGFC pavements seepage characteristics; (3) developing a quantitative tool to model the deterioration in OGFC pavements functional performance; and (4) developing new guidelines of Air Void (AV) content for OGFC for optimum functionality and durability. For the durability objective, eight mixes were prepared with a PG 76-22 binder and two sources of aggregate (i.e., # 78 limestone and # 67 sandstone). Three Warm Mix Additives (WMA), one by-product (i.e., crumb rubber [CR]), and two …

Development Of Cost-Effective High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (Hmac) Mixtures Using Crumb Rubber And Local Construction Materials In Louisiana., Ibrahim A.I.E Elnaml

LSU Master's Theses

One of the emerging solutions to enhance the durability of asphalt pavements is the use of a French asphalt mix known as “High-Modulus Asphalt Concrete (HMAC).” This mix uses a hard asphalt binder, high binder content (about 6%), and low air voids content as compared to Superpave mixtures. The key objective of this study was to develop a cost-effective HMAC mixture using crumb rubber and local materials in Louisiana. To achieve this objective, four HMAC mixtures were prepared using two asphalt binders (PG 82-22 and PG 76-22 plus 10% crumb rubber) and two Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) contents (20% and …

Examining Optimal Truck Platoon Configurations To Maximize Its Operational, Safety, And Environmental Performance, Md Adilur Rahim

LSU Master's Theses

Efficient movement of freight is a critical component of the US economy and especially important to the southcentral region where several large freight distribution hubs are located. However, several challenges affect freight movement efficiency, including high fuel and labor costs, vehicular emissions, and traffic safety problems. Truck platooning is a promising application of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology that has great potential in addressing current challenges in freight movement in the USA and elsewhere. Few prior studies have examined the potential environmental and traffic operational impacts of truck platooning on freeways. In particular, little is known regarding its impacts …

Local Calibration Of Pavement Me And Performance Evaluation Of Pavement Rehabilitation And Preservation Asphalt Overlays In Louisiana, Farzana Moon

LSU Master's Theses

Asphalt overlays can be categorized as pavement rehabilitation structural overlays or pavement preservation overlays in terms of the thickness and timing of maintenance activities. Pavement rehabilitation overlay contributes to the structural enhancement of pavements and pavement preservation overlays generally provide functional improvement to an existing pavement. In recent times, the pavement design approach employed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) has been transitioning from the 1993 AASHTO design procedure to a locally calibrated Pavement ME method. The AASHTOWare Pavement ME (Mechanistic-Empirical) design procedure is considered the modern approach to pavement design. Significant updates have been introduced in …

Variability In The Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Device (Hwtd) Data And Results, Ilerioluwa S. Giwa

LSU Master's Theses

Over the years, the Hamburg Wheel-Tracking Test (HWTT) has become one of the most popular devices used for characterizing asphalt mixtures for rutting potential and moisture susceptibility. However, although the HWTT is a reliable standard test for evaluating asphalt mixtures, it is not exempt from variability in the test data and result. Variability in the HWTT test data and results have been majorly attributed to imprecision in the test practice and due to some limitations in the HWT device setup.

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the variability in the HWTT data and result by investigating a …

Development Of Cracking Resistance Prediction Model Of Long-Term Aged Asphalt Mixtures, Peyman Barghabany

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the increasing complexity of asphalt mixture composition, the current volumetric-based Superpave mixture design would not be sufficient to address durability concerns. To address this limitation, performance-based testing is introduced to supplement conventional volumetric mixture design in assessing the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. To perform cracking tests, samples need to be aged to represent the most embrittlement case. The current AASHTO standard for asphalt mixture long-term aging (LTA) is a 5-day oven-aging at 85°C. Quality control/assurance practices require samples to be long-term aged prior to a cracking test which is a time-consuming process. Therefore, it would be beneficial to …

Quality Assessment Of Flexible Pavement Automated Cracking Data In Louisiana, Mostafiz Emtiaz

LSU Master's Theses

Pavement distress survey is the most critical and integral part of pavement management system. Transportation agencies all over the world depends on the accurate pavement distress survey to take major decisions like pavement rehabilitation or reconstruction. Pavement management at the network level requires accurate pavement distress survey to decide the allocation of budget for pavement maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction. This study started collected network-level cracking distress data through manual measurements on high-resolution pavement images and the results were used as the ground truth measurements to evaluate the corresponding automated distress data from the Pavement Management System database. Results showed that …

Effectiveness Of Mechanical Test In Ascertaining Moisture Damage Of Asphalt Mixtures., Sanchit Sachdeva

LSU Master's Theses

Infiltrated moisture combined with repeated action of traffic and environmental loading generates distresses which adversely affect the durability of asphalt pavements. Almost 94% of states' highway agencies use either the Loaded Wheel Tracking (LWT) test or the Modified Lottman test to capture asphalt mixtures' moisture susceptibility. However, the current LWT and the modified Lottman test practice lack accuracy in relating laboratory performance to observed field performance.

The study's primary objective was to evaluate the capability of different laboratory mechanical test methods to predict moisture susceptibility of asphalt mixtures. Asphalt binder and mixture experiments were conducted to achieve the objective of …

An Approach To Counting Vehicles From Pre-Recorded Video Using Computer Algorithms, Mishuk Majumder

LSU Master's Theses

One of the fundamental sources of data for traffic analysis is vehicle counts, which can be conducted either by the traditional manual method or by automated means. Different agencies have guidelines for manual counting, but they are typically prepared for particular conditions. In the case of automated counting, different methods have been applied, but You Only Look Once (YOLO), a recently developed object detection model, presents new potential in automated vehicle counting. The first objective of this study was to formulate general guidelines for manual counting based on experience gained in the field. Another goal of this study was to …

Developing A Competency Model For Highway Safety Engineers: A Delphi Method, Garrett K. Wheat

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies needed by State DOT Highway Safety Engineers as perceived by Highway Safety experts in the United States. First, a list of competencies was identified. Next, a panel of Highway Safety experts determined the importance of each identified competency for the current year (2020) and for the future (year 2030). Finally, ratings provided by the panel were tested for the presence of consensus.

For this study, the researcher used a Delphi Method as classified by Delbecq, Van de Ven, and Gaustafson (1975). Through this method, a panel of forward-thinking …

Using Spatial Analysis And Machine Learning Techniques To Develop A Comprehensive Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Consolidation Model, Samira Soleimani

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The safety of highway-railroad grade crossings (HRGC) is still an issue in the United States of America (USA). The grade crossing is where a railroad crosses a road at the same level without any over or underpass. To improve the safety of crossings, the crossings’ condition should be explored from several aspects such as engineering design (speed limit, warning signs, etc.), road condition (number of lanes, surface markings, etc.), rail design (the type of track, ballast, etc.), temporal variables (weather, visibility, time of day, lightning, etc.), social variables (population, race, etc.), and last but not least, spatial variables (the type …

Laboratory And Short-Term Field Performance Of Crumb Rubber Modified Asphalt Emulsion In Chip Seal Applications, Md Nafiur Rahman

LSU Master's Theses

Chip sealing is a commonly used pavement maintenance treatment that aims to delay pavement deterioration by reducing water infiltration and restoring skid resistance. Loss of aggregate and bleeding are considered the major failure mechanisms in chip seal, and therefore, are the main design criteria for this treatment method. The objective of this study was to evaluate the laboratory and short-term field performance of chip seals prepared with different types of asphalt emulsions, application rates, and aggregate blends. A newly introduced crumb-rubber modified asphalt emulsion was evaluated that allows chip seal installation at the same temperature of a standard emulsion. Types …

Contextual Adjustment Of The Ite Trip Generation Rates Using Wi-Fi And Bluetooth Technologies, Saba Doulabi

LSU Master's Theses

The ITE Trip Generation Handbook has been in common use for about half a century to estimate vehicle trips generated by more than 172 land use categories as a function of establishment size (floor area) only. However, observed trip rates display a huge error range across different sites. Although contextual adjustment factors can ameliorate the error in the ITE trip generation estimates considerably, local site-specific trip generation rates should be collected for this purpose. Due to the huge time and monetary costs of data collection, adjusting the ITE trip generation rate is ignored by many jurisdictions. The primary contribution of …

Evaluation Of The Rheological Behaviors And Molecular Composition Properties Of Crumb Rubber Modified Emulsion For Chip Seal, Md Tanvir Ahmed Sarkar

LSU Master's Theses

An experimental study was conducted to characterize the chemical, molecular, and rheological properties of different asphalt emulsions including a newly introduced tire rubber modified asphalt emulsion. One tire rubber modified asphalt emulsion (CRS-2TR), two conventional emulsions (CRS-2 and CRS-2P), and one asphalt rubber binder (AC20-5TR) were evaluated. The differences in functional groups, chemical composition, and molecular weight distribution of the asphalt binder and emulsions under different aging conditions (Original, RTFO-aged, and PAV-aged) were evaluated by the Saturates, Aromatics, Resins and Asphaltenes (SARA) fractionation test, High-Pressure Gel Permeation Chromatography (HP-GPC), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) test, respectively. Superpave Performance Grade …

Effect Of Light Activated Self-Healing Polymers On The Performance Of Asphalt Pavement Containing Recycled Asphalt Materials (Rap/Ras), Sharareh Shirzad

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A new generation of Ultraviolet (UV) light-induced self-healing polymers was introduced for the asphalt pavement application with the aim to enhance pavements durability while increasing its service life. The developed self-healing polymer was mixed with asphalt binder using two different methods, passive and reactive. For the passive method, the cured self-healing polymer was ground to smaller particle size and then it was mixed with asphalt binder using a high shear stirrer and at a high temperature. For the reactive method, self-healing polyurethane pre-polymer was added to the asphalt binder at a lower temperature and lower shear rate compare to the …

Field Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Crack Sealing In Flexible And Composite Pavements, Momen Ragab Mousa

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Surface cracking is one of the major surface distresses in asphalt concrete (AC) pavement, allowing water infiltration through the cracks, causing stripping in asphalt pavement layers, and weakening and deteriorating the base and/or subgrade. Its treatment, therefore, is one of the major activities in pavement preservation for many state DOTs. Among the various treatment methods currently available to preserve AC pavement with existing surface cracking are various forms of crack sealing. Crack sealing is not a common practice to Louisiana highways since the benefit of such treatment appears to be affected by the elevation of the ground water table. Studies …

Evaluation Of Traffic Speed Deflectometer For Pavement Structural Evaluation In Louisiana, Zia Uddin Ahmed Zihan

LSU Master's Theses

Many state agencies have recognized the importance of incorporating pavement structural conditions in the selection of maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) strategies along with functional indices. To measure in-service pavement structural capacity, surface deflection under a defined load has been typically used. The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) and Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) have emerged as continuous pavement deflection-measuring devices as they operate at traffic speed and reduces lane closure and user delays.

The research objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using TSD measurements at the network-level for pavement conditions structural evaluation in Louisiana. To achieve the objectives …

A Decision-Making Tool For Incorporating Cradle-To-Gate Sustainability Into Pavement Design, Sujata Subedi

LSU Master's Theses

The need to continually maintain an aged and crumbling national roadway network, together with a growing demand for upgrading has resulted in major environmental and economic impacts around the nation. This has led to an interest in developing a structured framework to quantify the sustainability performance of pavements by balancing economic and environmental performance against engineering criteria. This study developed an Environment Product Declaration (EPD) based, decision-making framework to quantify the sustainability of pavement design alternatives. In this study, the sustainability of pavement is described in tandem with Environmental and Economic performance criteria. First, the Environmental analysis was inclusive of …

Examining The Effect Of Multiple Route Choice Criteria On Hurricane Evacuation Traffic Through External Validation Of Simulations, Haggai D. Davis Iii

LSU Master's Theses

Hurricane evacuations can be a chaotic experience for individuals involved, but researchers have attempted to find patterns in the routes people take. One paper laid out a model for predicting route choice based upon features that are different than standard route choice influencers. This thesis attempted to evaluate the accuracy of that model by using TransModeler modeling software. Using the building blocks of the HEMP project, this project compared the new model to the standard model and evaluated the two based upon the ability to reproduce real-world results. Interestingly, the two did not come out significantly different possibly because the …

Effect Of Different Traffic Signal Control Plans On Simulation Of Hurricane Evacuation Traffic, Divya Kolasani

LSU Master's Theses

The majority of hurricane evacuation modeling studies concentrate on evacuation traffic on freeways with relatively little attention being given to traffic on arterials. This study is focused on evaluating the evacuation efficiency of a network under different traffic signal settings on arterials using microscopic simulation. This is achieved by changing the traffic signal settings from existing signal timing plans to flashing yellow on major evacuation routes and flashing red on cross streets, for a given evacuation order. Time-dependent origin-destination matrices for hurricane evacuation up to 72 hours away from landfall for No Evacuation order, as well as a Voluntary/Mandatory Evacuation …

Performance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Chip Seal And Microsurfacing In Flexible Pavements, Mohammad Zobair Ibne Bashar

LSU Master's Theses

Chip seal and microsurfacing are pavement maintenance activities typically used in relatively low traffic roads with the aim to reduce the rate of deterioration and to defer the need for costly rehabilitation activities. Chip seal is widely used in Louisiana, and Louisiana’s $6.3 million microsurfacing program is amongst the largest microsurfacing programs in the United States. As these surface treatments seal the road surface, the effectiveness of this treatment in such a setting has been a concern in recent years by linking it to moisture damage caused by the trapped moisture underneath the pavement. Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness and optimal timing …