Engineering Commons^™

Enhancing Serviceability And Resiliency Of Transportation Networks Based On Topological Credentials And Systematic Design Interventions, Md Ashraf Ahmed

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in network science showed that the topological credentials (i.e., rank of relative importance) of network components (such as nodes and links), carry significant implications as it is critical to know which components contribute the most to the overall network performance. For transportation networks, critical components (roads, bridges) may become inaccessible for adjacent traffic due to day-to-day congestion or external disruptions (i.e., man-made or natural hazards) that significantly reduce the level of service. Hence, topological credentials of critical network components based on their connectivity need to be assessed to enhance the serviceability, i.e., improved travel time experience as well …

Abq Streets: Creating Alternative Residential Street Designs, Gregory Rowangould Ph.D, Nick N. Ferenchak Ph.D

Publications

This research evaluates opportunities for retrofitting residential streets with alterative designs with the overall goal of improving their function, reducing their negative impacts and reducing maintenance costs. This is accomplished through three main research tasks. First, we conduct a comprehensive review of the street design literature with a focus on studies that report how alterative or unique designs that are relevant to the residential street context affect travel behavior, traffic flow, safety, crime and environmental impacts. We then survey residential streets in several study neighborhoods to measure typical design features and cross sections. With this information we then evaluate which …

Load Truncation Approach For Development Of Live Load Factors For Bridge Rating, Sasan Siavashi, Christopher D. Eamon

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research Publications

Various local governments have developed state-specific vehicular live load factors for bridge rating. However, a significant computational demand is often associated with such an effort. This is due to the large size of the weigh-in-motion (WIM) databases frequently used in the procedure. In this study, a method is proposed that can significantly reduce the computational cost of the analysis, while still maintaining reasonable accuracy. The proposed approach develops approximate live load random variable statistics by truncating the WIM database based on gross vehicle weight, then a complete reliability analysis is conducted to develop new live load factors that meet AASHTO-specified …

Civil Engineering Design Of Cornhusker Council's Outdoor Education Center, Kelly Weiler

Honors Theses

A team of geotechnical, structural, hydraulic, environmental, and transportation experts collaborated to provide engineering solutions to the Cornhusker Council in an effort to solve the current problems facing their Outdoor Education Center. This results of this project provided the structural design of three bridges on the property, transportation plans for two parking lots and roadway design, geotechnical recommendations for soil testing and erosion prevention, and an environmental and hydraulic analysis of the property. A major challenge in the design of this project is the consideration of the dangers and regulations that accompany the floodway and floodplain regions on site. Various …

Development Of Iowa Dot Combination Bridge Separation Barrier With Bicycle Railing, Chaz M. Ginger

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Iowa Department of Transportation typically builds separation barriers between vehicle and pedestrian/bicycle facilities when sidewalks or trails are present on vehicular bridges. Currently, Iowa DOT employs a combination bridge rail that utilizes a concrete parapet that previously had been successfully evaluated to National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Test Level 4 (TL-4) criteria for these situations. While the parapet had been successfully evaluated, the combination bridge rail system as a whole had not been evaluated to any crash test standards. Iowa DOT desired that researchers at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design and test a combination bridge …

Sloped And Mitered Concrete Headwalls, Kean H. Ashurst Jr., Brad W. Rister, Eileen Grady, Jason K. Ward

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) currently uses several pipe culvert end treatments, including standard headwalls, slope and flared headwalls, sloped and parallel headwalls, and safety metal ends. These treatments, however, can pose a safety hazard to motorists and those performing landscaping work (e.g., mowing). Crash statistics from 2012 through 2016 for Kentucky reveal that 49 fatalities and 148 incapacitating injuries occurred in incidents where culverts/headwalls were coded as the first harmful event on the police report. One solution to the safety hazards associated with standard pipe culvert headwalls is to use sloped and mitered concrete headwalls instead. To evaluate the …

Benefits From Constructability Reviews, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Roy Sturgill, Kiriakos Amiridis

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Constructability review is a process used during project design to infuse construction knowledge into the design process. There is industry impetus encouraging early construction involvement in project development. State transportation agencies often have to abide by legislation restricting these procurement methods leaving construability review as the only opportunity for early construction involvement. Staffing and budgetary constraints lead to state transportation agencies being very cautious in the practices and processes they implement that seemingly lie outside the main missions of project development and delivery. Without straightforward and documented savings of constructability review processes, these methods may also be eliminated. After streamlining …

Transition Zone Design Final Report, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam J. Kirk, Andrea Cull, Austin Dahlem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of the research effort and present the findings of the work accomplished. Transition zone is the area in which it is communicated to drivers that the roadway environment is changing (i.e., from rural to built-up) and that their speed should change as well. This study evaluated treatments that could advise drivers to this. Based on the study findings, it is recommended to add additional speed warning sites to such transition zones.

Tools For Applying Constructability Concepts To Project Development (Design), Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Paul Goodrum, Emily Shocklee, Roy Sturgill, Chen Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of Phases I and II of the research effort and present the findings of the work accomplished. Phase I developed the Constructability Review Database for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Phase II conducted a benefit analysis of the constructability review process. The database provides the basis for entry and collection of constructability reviews and allows for the identification of trends leading to potential improvements of the process. The database can be used to summarize activities, generate reports for a project, and be capable of quantifying the benefits from the process. …

Tools For Applying Constructability Concepts To Project Development (Design), Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Paul Goodrum, Emily Shocklee, Chen Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of Phase I of the research effort and present the development of the Constructability Review Database developed for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The database provides the basis for entry and collection of constructability reviews and allows for the identification of trends leading to potential improvements of the process. The database can be used to summarize activities, generate reports for a project, and be capable of quantifying the benefits from the process.

A Case Study Analysis Of The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’S Design/Build Pilot Projects, Paul M. Goodrum, Mohammad Moin Uddin, Bradley J. Faulkenberg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current economic climate has forced transportation agencies to evaluate opportunities to save money. One possible opportunity lies in Design/Build (DB) delivery. In 2006, with the approval of the Kentucky General Assembly, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet selected ten projects to be developed through the Design/Build method. DB delivery offers many attainable advantages, the most notable being expedited delivery. The research described herein presents a case study of these DB pilot projects in order to capture lessons learned on the use of the DB delivery method on future projects. In order to determine which projects are suitable for DB delivery, a …

Optimal Design Of Work Zone Median Crossovers, Karen Schurr, Brian R. Garnder, Shashwat Rijal

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Design Aids Of Nu I-Grinder Bridges, Kromel Hanna, George Morcous, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Resilient Modulus Of Compacted Crushed Stone Aggregate Bases, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In recent years, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has recommended the use of resilient modulus for characterizing highway materials for pavement design. This recommendation evolved as result of a trend in pavement design of using mechanistic models. Although much progress has been made in recent years in developing mathematical, mechanistic pavement design models, results obtained from those models are only as good as the material parameters used in the models. Resilient modulus of aggregate bases is an important parameter in the mechanistic models. The main goal of this study was to establish a simple and efficient …

Design And Evaluation Of An Open Combination Traffic/Bicycle Bridge Railing System, Jason A. Hascall, John R. Rohde, Dean L. Sicking, Karla A. Polivka, Ronald K. Faller, James C. Holloway M.S.C.E., E.I.T.

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Material Selection And Design Consideration For Moisture Damage Of Asphalt Pavement, Jamilla Emi Sudo Lutif, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Behavior And Design Of Buried Concrete Pipes, Ece Erdogmus, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Bearing Capacity Analysis And Design Of Highway Base Materials Reinforced With Geofabrics, Tommy C. Hopkins, Liecheng Sun, Mikhail E. Slepak

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The primary objective of this study was to develop and implement mathematical bearing capacity models originally proposed by Hopkins (1988, 1991) and Slepak and Hopkins (1993; 1995). These advanced models, which are based on limit equilibrium and are operated together, can be used to analyze the bearing capacity, or stability, of early construction of loads on a single layer of material, two-layered problems involving a layer of base aggregate and subgrade, and a foundation involving multiple layers of different materials, such as a flexible asphalt pavement. A Prandlt-type shear surface is used in the model analyses of layered foundations. In …

Resilient Modulus Of Kentucky Soils, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, Charlie Sun, Bixian Ni

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

In recent years, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has recommended the use of resilient modulus for characterizing highway materials for pavement design. This recommendation evolved as of a result of a trend in pavement design of using mechanistic models, which are based on the theory of elasticity (layered elastic analysis) or linear and non-linear, finite elements (and finite difference methods), or a combination of both of those theoretical approaches. Although much progress has been made in recent years in developing mathematical, mechanistic pavement design models, results obtained from those models are only as good as the …

Pavement Design Guide: A Short Course, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this short course is to provide information to the registered engineer (with no previous background in pavement design or pavement technology) on the structural design of pavements. Included in this course is a summary of background information on the materials used in pavement construction and on the history and evolution of pavement design. Included with this course is an updated Design Guide or catalog to be used for designing new pavements in Kentucky. The intent of the guide or catalog is to provide the road\\ a) designer with a simplified, straightforward methodology for developing structural designs of …

Embankment Construction Using Shale, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Shales have been used extensively in the construction of highway embankments, and other earthen structures, because of the vast amounts of these materials located in many areas of the country and the lack of economical and alternate available materials. Because shales exhibit a wide range of engineering properties and behaviors, many problems have occurred. Numerous shale embankment failures have occurred generally some 1 to 10 years after construction. Settlements of 1 to 3 feet (0.3 - 0.9 m) have been observed in many old embankments and required numerous asphaltic overlays. Shale embankments that settle continuously have been observed to fail …

Subsurface Drainage Of Highway Pavements, David Q. Hunsucker, Bobby W. Meade

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Properly designed and constructed drainage layers can be used for effective control of surface water infiltration. Former pavement design methods often have resulted in base courses that have not drained well, thereby resulting in some premature failures of the pavement structure. The Kentucky Department of Highways is currently reviewing proposed guidelines for design of highway pavements. The guidelines propose the use of open graded, free draining, aggregate bases for controlling infiltrated surface water. However, interim design guidelines do not specifically address the design of aggregate drainage blankets. The purpose of this study was to develop recommendations relating to the specification, …

Cost Estimating And Forecasting For Highway Work In Kentucky [1996], James D. Stevens, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

There is a need for better cost estimating and forecasting for highway work in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. KRS45.245 grants the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation oversight of the biennial highway plan, including a review of all authorized highway project phases that exceed their estimates by 15%. In recent years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has suffered the loss of many resources necessary to produce good cost estimates.

Estimates developed using current methods are not sufficiently accurate to preclude cost overruns in excess of 15%. Over the 1992 and 1994 bienniums, 362 overruns totaling $162,487,511 have been submitted to the Committee. …

Best Practices For Commercial Vehicle Monitoring Facilities Design, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, R. Clark Graves, John E. Schmidt

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The great technological advances that were made over the last decade in monitoring traffic and the increased emphasis on highway safety for truck traffic have prompted a need to determine more effective ways to monitor and inspect truck traffic. Commercial Vehicle Monitoring (CVM) facilities provide the highway community with the means of supervising truck traffic. However, in an era with limited funds and space for roadway expansion. some consideration must be given to the types of facilities needed and the most efficient way to spend the available funds. Hence, a research study was initiated to determine the successful practices for …

Modification Of Highway Soil Subgrades, Tommy C. Hopkins, Tony L. Beckham, David Q. Hunsucker

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Major study objectives were to develop highway pavement subgrade stabilization guidelines, examine long-term benefits of chemical stabilizers, such as cement, hydrated lime, and two byproducts from industrial processes, and to establish a subgrade stabilization program in Kentucky. In developing a program, a number of design and construction issues had to be resolved. Factors affecting subgrade behavior are examined. Changes in moisture content and CBR strengths of untreated and chemically treated subgrades at three experimental highway routes were monitored over a 7- year period. CBR strengths of the untreated subgrades decreased dramatically while moisture contents increased. CBR strengths of subgrade sections …

Selection Of Design Strengths Of Untreated Soil Subgrades And Subgrades Treated With Cement And Hydrated Lime, David Q. Hunsucker, Tony L. Beckham

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Selection of design strengths of soil subgrades and subgrades treated with cement or hydrated lime is a problem in pavement design analysis and construction because a variety of different types of soils may exist in a highway corridor and a wide range of different strengths may exist after the soils are compacted to form the pavement subgrade. The selected subgrade strength will largely affect the pavement thickness obtained from the design analysis, the future pavement performances, and the overall bearing capacities of the subgrade during construction and the pavement structure after construction. In developing the proposed selection scheme, a newly …

Bearing Capacity Analysis Of Pavements, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A multilayered, mathematical model for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and asphalt pavements is presented. Theoretical considerations and mathematical derivations of limit equilibrium equations, based on plasticity principles, for analyzing the ultimate bearing capacity of soil subgrades and partially completed asphalt pavements, and the extension of these equations to the analyses of asphalt pavements composed of multiple layers, are presented. The model is unique since shear strength parameters, Φ and c, (the angle of internal friction and cohesion, respectively) are used to describe each layer of material of the pavement structure and a factor of safety against …

Excessive Beam Deflections On The Ky-52 Bridge Over Dix River (Boyle-Garrard County Line), Theodore Hopwood Ii, Vishwas G. Oka, David Q. Hunsucker, James H. Havens

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Upon rehabilitation, beams and deck of the Ky 52 bridge over Dix River were observed to have excessive deflections. An investigation of the problem included field inspections, structural analyses, and interviews with relevant KYDOH and other personnel.

Field measurements were made of the beam deflections. Those were compared to construction field measurements and dead-load calculations.

The beam deflection problem is attributed to 1) a failure to provide for sufficient camber in the beams to accommodate for construction dead loads, and 2) pre-existing sags in the beams when placed prior to casting the deck. Part of the deck deflection problem can …

Design Of Highway Embankment On Unstable Natural Slopes, Charles S. Bishop, Donald W. Armour Jr., Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Sections of the new Alexandria-Ashland (M) highway in northeastern Kentucky must be located on and through natural slopes of the Kope and Crab Orchard Formations that consist mainly of shales. Numerous highway embankment and cut slope failures have occurred In these two geologic formations In past years. The shales of these formations have very poor and undesirable engineering properties. Many stability problems encountered with the Kope and Crab Orchard shales are caused primarily by the tendency of those shales to breakdown when exposed to water and produce clays and clayey silts of relatively low shear strengths. Construction of highway embankments …

Stability Of Embankments On Clay Foundations, Tommy C. Hopkins

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Ninety-one well-documented geotechnical failures are reviewed. The case studies involved the failure of embankments, footings and load tests, excavated slopes, and natural slopes. Seventy-five of the geotechnical failures had been analyzed using total stress analysis. Sixteen of the case failures had been analyzed using effective stress analysis. Based on a review of these case studies, there are discrepancies between predicted and actual stabilities of geotechnical structures and there is a tendency tu overestimate the factor of safety. Differences that may arise between predicted and actual performances are discussed and examined and guidelines are proposed for evaluating the potential of successfully …