Engineering Commons^™

Understanding And Modeling Taxi Demand Using Time Series Models, Sabiheh Faghih

Dissertations and Theses

The spatio-temporal variations in demand for transportation, particularly taxis, are impacted by various factors such as commuting, weather, road work and closures, disruption in transit services, etc. Identifying the factors that influence taxi demand and understanding its dynamic provide planners with the information necessary to improve the transportation systems and also help drivers to reduce their vacant time.

This dissertation focuses on important factors affecting the demand. In the beginning, the impact of price changes on the demand is studied. Chapter One discusses how the seasonal effects and trends are removed from the demand, and then price elasticity for demand …

Analysis And Optimization Of Chassis Movements In Transportation Networks With Centralized Chassis Processing Facilities, Timothy Martin Vanderbeek

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This work studies the concept of “Centralized Processing of Chassis,” and its potential impact on port drayage efficiency. The concept revolves around an off-dock terminal (or several off-dock terminals), referred to as Chassis Processing Facilities (CPFs). A CPF is located close to the port, where trucks will go to exchange chassis, thereby reducing traffic at the marine terminals and resulting in reduced travel times and reduced congestion. This work is divided into two major studies: one at the strategic planning level, and one at the operational level for individual trucking companies.

In the first study, an analytical framework for modeling …

Research On High-Rap Asphalt Mixtures With Rejuvenators - Phase Ii, Hamzeh Haghshenas, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Yong-Rak Kim, Kommidi Santosh, Soroosh Amelian

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

A previous study by the authors have demonstrated effectiveness of three rejuvenators: R1 (triglyceride/fatty acid: agriculture-tech based), R2 (aromatic extract: petroleum-tech based), and R3 (tall oil: green-tech based) on rejuvenating properties of the aged binder. In that study, it was observed that the rejuvenators made high-RAP mixtures softer and more compliant, which may increase the rutting potential, while they simultaneously improve cracking resistance of the high-RAP materials. Research outcomes and findings from the previous study resulted in consequential research needs for more specific investigation of high-RAP mixtures with rejuvenators in order to achieve realistic implementation into future high-RAP paving projects …

Effect Of Moisture Condition On Concrete Core Strengths, Wally Heyen, Lieska Halsey

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The main purpose of this study was to determine if there would be any major differences between curing methods of cores taken for acceptance testing from a highway slab on a project. The comparison provided data to determine the effect of the moisture gradients created by these different curing treatments on core strength and core permeability. The strengths were measured of moist cured cores and sealed plastic bag cured cores from the day cores were obtained (14, 21 and 26 days) until they reached 28 days. Permeability was also measured at 26, 28 and 32 days. According to ASTM C42, …

Validation Of The Mechanical Rocker Test Method For Ice Melting Capacity (Mrt-Imc), Lieska Halsey, David Hansen

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The anti-icing and deicing industry has interest in the development of an objective, repeatable test procedure for the evaluation and comparison of anti-icing and deicing products. Pursuant to this goal, the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) funded research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) to investigate methods for evaluating deicing products, beginning in 2011[1]. Researchers at UNL developed the procedure for the Mechanical Rocker Test for Ice Melting Capacity (MRT or MRT-IMC) in 2014[2].

From 2017-2019, NDOT evaluated the MRT-IMC procedure for validity and suitability as a standard test procedure for assessing deicer performance. NDOT also explored opportunities to improve …

Investigating The Interaction Of Ndot Hot-Pour Pcc Joint Sealant And Penetrating Concrete Sealers, Bruce Barrett, Dale Byre, Wally Heyen, Lieska Halsey, David Hansen

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Based on the field observations on NE-83, PCS potentially impacts the bond between the concrete and hot-pour sealant after application. If penetrating sealers break the interfacial bond after application, concrete pavements could become compromised and subject to freeze-thaw damage, chloride attack, and other deleterious effects.

The results show that discoloration occurred when applying the five PCS products to the NE-3405 hot-pour sealed testing blocks. All three test methods of application; spraying, 1-min, and 5-min soaks, caused discoloration. The level of discoloration increased with the duration of contact with the PCS. Despite discoloration, none of the five PCS products caused de-bonding …

Ua66/9/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Engineering Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

No abstract provided.

Estudio Comparativo Del Perfil Del Motociclista En Cuatro Ciudades De Colombia: Bogotá, Medellín, Cúcuta Y Bucaramanga, Daniel Alfredo Martin Rojas, Daniela Pardo Castaño

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2018, Eric R. Green, Paul A. Ross, Christopher L. Blackden, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth. Data contained in this report are based solely on the observations and judgements …

Investigating The Use Of In-Place Lateral Pull Off Tests To Determine The Compressive Strength Of Structural Concrete, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s current practice for determining the compressive strength of structural concrete consists of two methods. Both methods require that samples be delivered to an off-site facility for testing. Accordingly, affected parties on the project site must wait for the delivery of samples to the off-site facility, the performance of tests and analysis of test data, and the return of test results to the project site. Analysis of existing structural concrete requires core samples to be taken from the structural element in question. As a result, sample locations must be patched and repaired. Sampling can also potentially damage …

An Assessment Of Historical Traffic Forecast Accuracy And Sources Of Forecast Error, Jawad Mahmud Hoque

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Transportation infrastructure improvement projects are typically huge and have significant economic and environmental effects. Forecasts of demand of the facility in the form of traffic level help size the project as well as choose between several alternatives. Inaccuracy in these forecasts can thus have a great impact on the efficiency of the operational design and the benefits accrued from the project against the cost. Despite this understanding, evaluation of traffic forecast inaccuracy has been too few, especially for un-tolled roads in the United States. This study, part of a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) funded project, bridges this gap …

The Operational And Safety Effects Of Heavy Duty Vehicles Platooning, Ahmed Alzahrani

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Although researchers have studied the effects of platooning, most of the work done so far has focused on fuel consumption. There are a few studies that have targeted the impact of platooning on the highway operations and safety. This thesis focuses on the impact of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) platooning on highway characteristics. Specifically, this study aims at evaluating the effects of platooning of HDVs on capacity, safety, and CO₂ emissions.

This study is based on a hypothetical model that was created using the VISSIM software. VISSIM is a powerful simulation software designed to mimic the field traffic flow …

An Initial Exploration Of The 2005 Iowa Rural Interstate Speed Limit Increase Using Linear Regression, Thomas Ryan Cook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Speed limit increases, particularly on interstates have been studied and researched many times over the course of the last 50 years in the United States. These research efforts began after the implementation of the National Maximum Speed Law (NMSL), which reduced all speed limits to a maximum of 55-mph. In the years that followed, this restriction was relaxed to 65-mph with the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (STURAA) and ultimately repealed later by the National Highway System Designation Act (NHSDA). Since the repeal, states reacted in myriad of ways and many studies documented the changes of those reactions. …

E-Construction Technologies For Efficient Highway Construction Inspections, Dhaivat Patel

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Over recent years, organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration and Departments of Transportation across the United States have showed interest in automating highway construction processes. The addition of e-Construction and other advanced technologies can significantly improve the efficiency and safety of highway paving operations, specifically paving inspections. Activities such as collecting load tickets, tracking pavement lay-down temperatures, and monitoring roller movement are antiquated practices that DOT inspectors perform during paving operations. E-Ticketing, Paver Mounted Thermal Profiling, and Intelligent Compaction were proposed to automate paving inspections and were recently tested in two resurfacing pilot projects in the state of Kentucky. …

Assessing Impact And Blast Resilience Of Polymer Coated Cementitious Materials, Murtaza Nalwala, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Yong-Rak Kim

UCARE Research Products

RESEARCH MOTIVATION The bridge piers are highly vulnerable to the impact and blast loads. The position in which they are constructed makes it difficult to install protective devices around them. By the current AASHTO standard, it is possible to under-design bridge piers for commercial vehicle impacts and other events such as blast.

OBJECTIVE To improve impact and blast resilience of bridge piers using polymeric coatings.

CONCLUSION Polymer coating of Portland cement concrete can be achieved with a good bonding. ü The polymeric coating seem to improve impact resilience of Portland cement concrete by increasing absorbed impact energy (i.e., area underneath …

Autonomous Vehicles, Sarah Flis

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Some research objectives to be considered in this paper will include: What are the general advantages and disadvantages of having fully autonomous vehicles? What research has been done on the safety of them and what needs to be done to improve that safety? In order to have the safest and most efficient system for autonomous vehicles, will there be a place for older vehicles that require a human to operate in this new transportation system? Where does Ohio stand in the development of autonomous vehicles and what steps are they taking to prepare for such technology?

Another important research objective …

Deterioration Modelling Of Bridges On Brm 5.2.3, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) initiated the study KYSPR 17-532, “Deterioration Modelling of Bridges on BrM 5.2.3,” so it could receive assistance identifying and employing bridge deterioration and cost forecast modeling for its bridge maintenance program. The Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) was to help coordinate KYTC in adapting BrM 5.2.3’s deterioration and cost modelling features and update the existing guide material to reflect all changes for BrM 5.2.3. This study included acquiring access and becoming familiar with AASHTO Bridge Management (BrM 5.2.3) software. It was also to explore opportunities for any training on BrM and BrM 5.2.3’s deterioration and cost …

Inventory Of Hazardous Materials Shipments Moving Into Fayette County, Kentucky, Candice Y. Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Steven Douglas Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Each day, significant quantities of hazardous materials are transported through Fayette County. The bulk of the materials pass through without incident, but some vehicles carrying them are involved in roadway incidents and/or accidents. However, first responders and management personnel lack clear knowledge of what hazardous material commodities are on central Kentucky’s roads. This project was designed to provide a high level analysis of hazardous material commodity flows in Fayette County.

Evaluation Of Shared Space To Reduce Traffic Congestion, Kimley Frosch, David Martinelli, Avinash Unnikrishnan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Pedestrian and vehicle interactions often lead to conflicts that bring about safety, traffic congestion, and priority or right of way issues. Common methods used in the past to combat said issues have largely relied on the principle of separating the motions of pedestrians and vehicles by means of bridges, tunnels, signals, and access restrictions. A different approach known as shared space aims to solve the same problems with a less structured and defined environment which instead places more reliance on human interaction and perception. Although it has been used in multiple scenarios across Europe with success, instances of shared spaces …

Observational Method And Coding Framework For Analyzing The Functionality Of Unprotected Bicycle Lanes, Cat Silva, Kelly Clifton, Rolf Moeckel

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research evaluates how well unprotected bicycle lanes function as dedicated travel lanes for bicyclists. Two types of bicycle lanes are included in this study, including on-street bicycle lanes demarcated with painted lines on the vehicular roadway and bicycle lanes at-grade with, and immediately adjacent to, the pedestrian sidewalk. Specifically, the research is focused on how people behave and interact on street segments with these facilities in place. To assess how, and how well, these types of bicycle lanes function for the bicyclists using them, an observational method is deployed to record, document, and analyze people’s behavior and interactions. A …

Investigate An Appropriate Spatial Resolution For Large-Scaled Pedestrian Travel Demand Model, Qin Zhang, Kelly Clifton, Rolf Moeckel

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

An appropriate spatial resolution plays a significant role in any travel demand models. It directly impacts the level of detail of model input data, outcomes, and sensitivities (Castiglione et al., 2014; Moeckel and Donnelly, 2015). Compared to motorized or bicycle travel, pedestrian trips occur over a shorter travel distance and they are sensitive to environmental conditions at a much finer grain. Thus, it is important for models to set an appropriate spatial resolution to capture variations in walking conditions, leading to better representation of pedestrian demand over space (Gehrke and Clifton, 2014).