Engineering Commons^™

Resilience Of Interdependent Transportation And Healthcare Systems: A Simulation-Driven Framework Incorporating Social Equity And Facility Optimization, S. Yasaman Ahmadi

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

The overarching goal of this dissertation is to develop an integrated, simulation-driven framework to assess and enhance the resilience of interdependent transportation and healthcare systems before, during, and after natural hazards. By examining how spatial disruptions, social vulnerability, operational constraints, and infrastructure interdependencies affect access to and functionality of hospitals, this research offers a multifaceted evaluation of system performance under stress. This dissertation examines the impact of natural hazards, particularly floods, on the interdependent transportation and healthcare systems. The proposed approach combines and advances GIS-based network analysis, graph-theoretical modeling, and discrete-event simulation to evaluate system performance under different scenarios. The …

Modeling Disaster Resilience Through A Human-Centered Lens: Exposure, Vulnerability And Adaptation, Tong Liu

All Dissertations

The core of reframing and operationalizing disaster resilience with a human-centered lens is to incorporate concepts from socio-ecological resilience into engineering resilience to better understand the humans’ capability for disaster adaptation. Existing studies have drawn practical implications by identifying actionable thresholds for infrastructure systems under disasters, which can be easily applied by policymakers, emergency managers and municipal agencies. However, how individuals interact with, respond to, or adapt under these infrastructure thresholds remain understudied. This hinders the operationalization of disaster resilience at the human scale.

First, I examined exposure by analyzing how configuration and distribution of urban infrastructure systems, such as …

Groundwater Flooding On Highways In The Nebraska Sandhills: Applying Remote Sensing, Precipitation And Groundwater Modeling To Determine Depth, Cause And Frequency, Aaron R. Mittelstet

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Climate change significantly impacts infrastructure sustainability, particularly through shifts in precipitation patterns, intensity, and duration. These precipitation dynamics may increase the occurrence of surface water and groundwater flooding. Groundwater in the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), including the thickest portions of the High Plains Aquifer, extends close to the land surface in interdunal areas, making the NSH vulnerable to groundwater flooding. Recent events involving heavy precipitation, snow melt, and rising groundwater levels have caused prolonged highway flooding, disrupting transportation networks. This study estimates groundwater flood inundation depth, duration and frequency in the highways of NSH using remote sensing techniques and groundwater …

Balancing Infrastructure Demands: Analysis Of Materials Pricing And Supply, Bethany Paris, Ying Li, Steve Waddle, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) lets around 700 contracts year valued at over $1 billion. One of KYTC’s foremost goals is to deliver projects on time and on budget. However, over the past five years achieving these twin goals has grown in difficulty due to material shortages, widespread inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the tight labor market triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although material shortages have abated and supply chain disruptions have eased, instability is seemingly a permanent feature of the national and global economies. As such, Cabinet decision makers need reliable tools that can be used to understand historical …

Enhanced Pavement Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Jon Wilcoxson, Gayle Marks

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is responsible for inspecting, maintaining, and improving 27,000 centerline miles of pavement. Given the vastness of the state’s transportation network, KYTC needs a robust method for prioritizing pavement preservation projects. The Cabinet has relied on pavement condition ratings, data collected using Laser Crack Measurement Systems, and input from district-level staff to prioritize these types of projects. But this approach overlooks information that should be considered, such as factors related to safety, mobility, and geographic context. To resolve these shortcomings, Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers worked with KYTC subject-matter experts to develop the Enhanced Pavement Prioritization …

Stabilizing Embankments Using Geosynthetic Reinforcement, Daryl Greer, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Reinforced soil slopes (RSSs) can be a feasible solution for embankments where there exist right of way re-strictions, environmental issues, rolling or mountainous topography, unfavorable geology, and other limiting fac-tors. They can be an alternative to retaining walls or importing select fills to construct steeper, stable embankment slopes where flatter embankment slopes may result in unwanted impacts, costs, and maintenance issues. Thisreport discusses the advantages and limitations of using geosynthetic reinforcement to construct RSSs. Researchers investigated current design, specification, and construction practices to determine which practices can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Specifications were developed for using …

Effect Of Vehicular Electrification On Transportation Emissions In Florida, Shreya Sapkota Dhakal

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Vehicular emissions from fuel-based passenger cars emit an array of gases and particles that are detrimental for human health and the environment. In that regard, electric vehicles (EVs) present a viable, sustainable solution. This study investigated the impact of electrification of passenger cars on air quality in Florida, in five major urban counties namely Miami-Dade, Duval, Hillsborough, Orange, and Leon. Between 2018 and 2022, these counties experienced a significant increase of 219.50 ± 52.32% in EV adoption, coupled with a 11.55 ± 6.13% decrease in fuel-based vehicle usage. Herein, we characterize five pollutants primarily generated from fuel-based passenger vehicles- carbon …

The Role Of Internal Factors On Vehicular Mobility, Aziz Mdimi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Vehicle mobility internal factors are influenced by the performance state of the road surface quality, governor, engine, gear train, differential unit and mobility unit. Studies on vehicular mobility models exist for off-road external factors but absent on on-road internal factors. The on-road internal factors model describes the vehicular mobility performance as a function of internal factors. In the current undertaking, results are generated by the determination of mobility performance characteristics with the application of 2nd Order Ordinary Differential Equations and using Laplace operator with MATLAB Software simulation. The effect of road surface against the time taken varies accordingly. At a …

A Model Of Trips Route Planning To Improve The Accessibility Of Public Transportation In Bengkalis City Using Geographic Information System (Gis), Nur'ain Jaafar, Hendra Saputra, Mutia Lisya

CSID Journal of Infrastructure Development

The increase in population and motorized vehicles in Bengkalis City has led to greater demand for public transportation, which remains insufficient in meeting accessibility needs. This study aims to develop a model for planning public transportation routes using Geographic Information System (GIS) tools to improve accessibility in Bengkalis City. The study employs primary data from field surveys and secondary data from relevant agencies. GIS-based spatial analysis methods, such as service area analysis and the Origin-Destination (OD) matrix, are applied to evaluate accessibility and passenger movement patterns. The analysis results in two route alternatives assessed based on stop point density, community …

Study On Reasonable Parameters Of Natural Smoke Exhaust Shafts In Tunnels With Different Longitudinal Slopes, Yang Tao, Zeng Yuekai, Li Peijun, Ren Rui, Deng Min, Zhang Aoyu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To obtain the reasonable parameters of a smoke exhaust shaft in a tunnel under different longitudinal slope conditions,the temperature,flow velocity,and smoke exhaust efficiency of the tunnel were taken as indexes,and the numerical model was established by using fire dynamics simulator (FDS ) software to study the influence of the longitudinal slope of the tunnel,shaft width,and shaft length on the ventilation and smoke exhaust in case of a fire.The results show that under the longitudinal slope conditions,with the increase in the shaft width and length,the maximum temperature in the tunnel decreases,and the smoke exhaust efficiency of the shaft increases.However,the influence of …

Study On Salt Release Mechanism Of Self-Melting Ice Asphalt Mixture And Its Impact On Road Performance, Li Tao, Zhang Xiu ’Ang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the long-term salt release characteri stics of self-melting ice asphalt mixture and the impact of the complete salt release on pavement durability,an accelerated salt release method was developed using a Los Angeles abrasion tester.The salt release mechanism under varying asphalt types,deicing agent contents,and gradation types was revealed.The impact of the complete salt release on road performance was analyzed.Results show that the Los Angeles abrasion tester-based salt release method achieves 91 times and 114 times higher salt release efficiency than the magnetic stirrer and natural immersion methods,respectively.SBS-modified asphalt mixture exhibits a longer salt release duration.The salt release duration is …

Research On Size Effect On Cubic Compressive Strength Of Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Fly Ash Stabilized Large-Size Macadam, Liu Qunyan, Liu Liping, He Miao, Yuan Lingqing, Zhang Liang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To analyze the effect of specimen size on the compressive strength of ground granulated blast furnace slag-fly ash (GGBFS-FA ) stabilized large-size macadam,the 200 mm × 200 mm × 200 mm cubic specimen and 3 d compressive strength were designated as a reference specimen and strength in this study,and numerical simulations of compressive strength were performed by using a discrete element method for GGBFS-FA stabilized large-size macadam specimens with a maximum particle size (dmax) of 73 mm and five side lengths of 2.0dmax,2.5dmax,3.0dmax,3.5dmax,and 4.0dmax.The size effect mechanism on the mixture ’s compressive strength was revealed from the perspective of energy.By …

Effect Of Mineral Admixtures On Properties Of Shotcrete, Ma Kaikai, Zhao Feng, Sun Rongxiao, Han Song, Hu Peng, Wang Kun

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To study the influence of different mineral admixtures on the properties of shotcrete,the effects of four kinds of mineral admixtures including fly ash,silica fume,metakaolin,and carbon black on the rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength of shotcrete were analyzed through tests on concrete rebound rate,one-shot thickness,and compressive strength.The results show that:① as the content of carbon black,silica fume,and metakaolin increases from 5% to 10%,the rebound rate of shotcrete decreases by 25.76%,16.46%,and 16.70%,respectively;② carbon black and silica fume have a good effect on increasing the one-shot thickness of concrete.When the content of carbon black and silica fume is 10%,the one-shot thickness exceeds 35 …

Study On Rheological Properties Of Basalt Fiber Asphalt Mastic Modified With Silane Coupling Agent, Liu Yuande, Zheng Nanxiang, Zhang Xiang, Gao Haiwei, Zhang Bowen

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To investigate the rheological properties of basalt fiber asphalt mastic,a silane coupling agent was used as a modifier for basalt fibers,and the effects of varying fiber contents were analyzed. Cone penetration tests,bending beam rheological tests,and dynamic shear rheometer tests were conducted to evaluate the rheological properties of asphalt mastic consistency, high-temperature stability,and low-temperature cracking resistance under different temperatures and fiber contents.The findings show that the silane-coupled basalt fibers enhance the shear strength and consistency of asphalt mastic.After modification,the phase angle decreases;elastic response increases,and complex modulus improves.Adsorption capacity between fibers and asphalt increases significantly,enhancing high-temperature deformation resistance and low-temperature cracking resistance …

Analysis Of Mechanical Properti Es Of Integral Jacking Basket Arch Bridge During C Onstruction, Chen Tao, Qiu Jingkui, Wang Ji

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Taking the Xindian Bridge in Ni ngbo as the background,this paper analyzed the mechanical properties of the integral jacking basket arch bridge during construction.Midas finite element software was used to establish the spatial model of the main bridge,and the deviation of the suspender force and support reaction force of the completed bridge from the design was 1.84% and 1.8%,respectively.The maximum deviation of the displacement calculation of the tie beam at the bridge completion stage was 22 mm,and the maximum deviation of the displacement of the arch rib at the same stage was ‒ 12 mm,which showed that the finite element …

Internal Force Optimization In Com Pleted Stage And Construction Alignment Control Of Super Long-Span Extradosed Cable-Stayed Bridge, Ba Wenpeng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper is based on a super long-span extradosed cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 400 m.In view of the technical challenges of high negative bending moment at the quarter point of the bridge and large deformation during the cantilever assembly process in the non-cable area,a systematic solution was proposed in combination with the entire construction process.This paper proposed three schemes:permanent cable over-tensioning,temporary cable setting,and large segment closure.The bending moment ratio (λM) and structural deformation were used as quantitative indicators,and a finite element model was established to compare the three schemes.The results show that all three schemes can improve …

Comparative Study On Differences In Asphalt Pavement Design Between China And Southern Africa, Wang Qing, Lin Yangyang, Yan Hongxiang, Zhao Bin, Xia Moxuan, Li Ning, Si Wei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To facilitate the successful implementation of projects in the Southern Africa region and promote the application and internationalization of China ’s standards,this study compared the asphalt pavement design systems,construction materials,design parameters,and structural design methods of both regions based on the main asphalt pavement design specifications currently in use in China and Southern Africa.The results show that among Southern African countries,South Africa has a comprehensive and widely applied standard system,while other Southern African countries adopt more varied and less theoretical standards.In contrast,China ’s standard system is complete and highly practical.Due to differences in regional climates,the selection principles and mechanical requirements for …

Discontinuous Deforma Tion Analysis Of Progressive Toppling Of Rock Slopes With Fractured Slab Structure, Yuan Sifan, Li Tonglu, Haider Mumtaz, Zhang Changliang, Li Ping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Progressive toppling of rock sl opes with fractured slab structures is quite common in the slopes of hydropower and highway engineering,posing a potential safety risk during both construction and operational phases.The field investigation found that progressive toppling mostly occurs on slopes with concentrated tectonic stress,intense river incision,and high steepness.Typically,these slopes are composed of hard,thinly-layered,and overthrusted rock mass with a fractured slab structure.From a macroscopic point of view,progressive toppling failure is neither a collapse nor a slide but a form of discontinuous deformation.The traditional limit equilibrium method for slope stability analysis is not suitable for evaluating such slopes.In this paper,by taking …

Prediction For Humidity Adjustment Factor And Dry-Wet Cycle Reduction Factor Of Resilient Modulus Of Subgrade Soil Based On Ann, Wang Xufeng, Fu Wei, Peng Junhui, Hu Jiankun, Zhang Junhui, Li Zhiguang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Existing methods for determining the humidity adjustment factor and dry-wet cycle reduction factor of the resilient modulus of subgrade soil are mostly based on laboratory tests that consume a large amount of manpower and time,and the prediction accuracy is limited due to the constraints of specification value ranges.In order to achieve fast and accurate prediction of these two factors,the effects of stress state,moisture content,and the number of dry-wet cycles on the resilient modulus of subgrade soil were investigated through laboratory dynamic triaxial tests.Based on existing literature,physical parameters,state parameters,and stress parameters of subgrade soil were selected,and an artificial neural network prediction …

Semi-Flexible Pavement Structure Analysis Based On Double Modulus Theory, Pan Qinxue, Zhou Shurui, Hu Jia, Zhang Long, Song Xiaojin, Liu Hongfu

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Semi-flexible pavement materials have significant differences in tension and compression.If the mechanical response analysis of pavement structures is conducted by using the traditional linear elastic theory with a single modulus,there will be a considerable deviation from actual situations.To analyze and optimize semi-flexible pavement structures,this paper compared the changes in key mechanical responses of pavement structures under six different semi-flexible layer positions and thickness combinations based on the double modulus theory.The results show that there is a significant difference in the calculation results of key mechanical responses of the pavement based on the double modulus theory and the single modulus theory,with …

Structural System Reliability Analysis Method For Cable-Supported Bridges Based On Deep Belief Networks, Chen Zhenyu, Xie Bo, Lu Naiwei

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Aiming at the high-precision reconstruction of structural function functions caused by the strong nonlinearity of cable load-bearing bridge structures,this study presented a structural system reliability analysis method based on a deep belief network (DBN ).A long-span suspension bridge was used as the engineering background to identify the dominant fault path of the structural system and analyze the law of structural fault path transfer caused by the deterioration of the suspender strength.Numerical analysis results show that DBN can capture the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the finite element model of the suspension bridge,thereby making the implicit statically indeterminate functional function explicit and …

Experimental Study On Engineering Performance Of Post-Planted Precast Concrete Pile With Prebored Grouting, Zhao Yu, Wang Wei, Jiang Lei, Song Zhenya, Zhang Hao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

The traditional piling methods of precast concrete (PC) piles are difficult to pass through the hard soil layers and tend to induce severe soil squeezing effects.To address this issue,the technology of a post-planted PC pile with prebored grouting was analyzed.Based on the project of the Hefei‒ Zongyang section of G3W Dezhou ‒ Shangrao Expressway,the bearing characteristics of post-planted PC piles were researched by the load tests of five piles in two different field test sections.The results show that the bearing capacity of the PC piles can be effectively improved by setting the cement mortar coating layer around the PC piles.The …

Research On Evaluation Index Of Low-Temperature Semi-Circular Bending Test Of Asphalt Mixtures, Lyu Songtao, Chen Qi, Lu Weiwei, Zhao Pei, Wang Jinping

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This article aims to investigate the low-temperature crack resistance performance of asphalt mixtures under different aging conditions and loading rates and select appropriate indicators to accurately characterize and quantify their performance.Based on the semi-circular bending test,the influence of different aging degrees (unaged,short-term aged,long-term aged for three days,and long-term aged for five days ) and loading rates (50 mm/min,5 mm/min,0.5 mm/min,and 0.1 mm/min ) on the low-temperature performance of asphalt mixtures was investigated.The evaluation effect and applicable range of five crack resistance performance indicators,namely fracture energy (Gf),stress intensity factor (KIC),flexibility index (IFI),crack resistance index (ICRI),and balanced cracking index (IBCI),were studied through …

Research On Pavement Crack Segmentation Based On Swin-U, Wang Hua, Wang Liangcai, Xiong Feng, Hu Jing

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

To address the issues of overfitting,low computational speed,and insufficient target information extraction in pavement crack segmentation tasks,this study proposed a Swin-U network model based on the U-Net architecture.The model adopted the Swin-Transformer as the feature extraction module to enhance the model ’s fitting capability and enable more accurate crack feature extraction,thereby enhancing segmentation accuracy.Additionally,a stable loss function,Focal Loss,was introduced to improve the accuracy of target segmentation.Experiment results on a proprietary pavement crack dataset show that the Swin-U network model achieves pixel-level segmentation of crack images and significantly outperforms the traditional U-Net.On the test set,it improves the intersection over union and …

Long-Term Water P Ermeability Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures Under Wide-Scope Void Ratio, Chen Sanxi, Guan Hongxin, Yao Ming, Mo Zhiwei, Jiang Wangheng

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to compare the water pe rmeability performance of asphalt mixtures with different void ratios after scouring and clogging,self-developed equipment was adopted to conduct vertical water permeability tests,dynamic water scouring-based water permeability tests,water pressure tests,and simulated clogging tests on semi-open-graded DK- 13 mixtures with void ratios of 9%,11%,and 13%,as well as open-graded PA- 13 mixtures with void ratios of 15%,17%,and 19%.The experimental results show that:① The water permeability performance of the asphalt mixture becomes better as the void ratio increases.The water permeability coefficient changes relatively small after the void ratio of the asphalt mixture reaches 15%,which is attributed to …

Research On Key Construction Monitoring Technology Of Long-Span Skewed Arch And Curved Beam Bridge, Xu Yufeng, Zhang Zhantao, Xie Yunfei, Li Zihui

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

As a new structure with sloping arch ribs and curved main beams,a skewed arch and curved beam bridge markedly differs from the conventional bridge in construction monitoring technology due to its complex structure and prominent spatial effect.To investigate the key technology in construction monitoring,this study took a long-span skewed arch and curved beam bridge as the engineering background and discussed construction process simulation analysis,field monitoring,and parameter identification and adjustment of the bridge.The results show that the plate-shell unit model has higher calculation accuracy and can comprehensively show the stresses in all directions of the bridge compared with the beam element …

Study On Aerodynamic Optimization Of Π-Shaped Cable-Stayed Bridge With Vortex-Induced Vibration In Mountainous Areas, Zeng Min, Liu Hanyun, Mao Na, Chen Baixiang, Han Yan, Li Chunguang

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Given vortex-induced vibrations of bridges caused by high wind attack angles in mountainous canyons,this study investigated the vortex-induced dynamic characteristics of a Π-shaped steel-concrete composite beam cable-stayed bridge in a mountainous canyon under high wind attack angles based on wind tunnel tests and examined aerodynamic measures for vortex suppression.Firstly,a finite element model of the bridge was established,and the dynamic characteristics of the bridge in both the completed and construction states were analyzed.Subsequently,a 1∶50 scale detailed segment model was designed based on similarity theory to analyze the vortex-induced vibration performance of the original main beam under conventional wind attack angles of …

Wind Tunnel Experiment On Wind-In Duced Vibration Performance Of Arch-Shaped Inclined Steel Bridge Tower In Construction Free-Standing State Using Ae Roelastic Model, Xu Peijun, Deng Fei Yun, Chen Shixuan, Zhang Jiren

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

This paper presented a wind tunnel experimental study on the wind-induced response characteristics of a rectangular-sectioned arch-shaped inclined steel bridge tower during the construction free-standing stage.A 1:50 scaled aeroelastic model was employed to conduct experiments at different wind yaw angles β (0°‒180°).The experimental results indicate:① under the uniform flow field,the tower in its free-standing state does not experience galloping when the bridge ’s wind speed reaches 60 m/s;② under the uniform flow field,the tower exhibits bending vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs ) along the bridge direction or transverse to the bridge direction.However,the amplitudes of the tower top displacements associated with these VIVs …

Numerical Simulation Study On Scour Erosion Of Bridge Pile Foundations In Service, Wang Shang, Mi Jiangchuan, Chen Mingtao, Song Dan, Zhang Qiao, Zhang Yong, Wang Weixiao

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

Bridge pile foundations in servic e are subjected to long-term scour erosion caused by sediment-laden water flow,leading to a gradual expansion of the eroded and worn areas.This in turn results in varying degrees of damage to the pile foundation structure and reduces the durability and safety of the bridge.In order to study the impact of scour erosion on bridge pile foundations,this study took the Hanjiang No.1 Bridge in Ankang City as the research object.The ANSYS FLUENT software was used to conduct three-dimensional numerical simulations of the pile foundation and analyze the distribution characteristics and patterns of scour erosion under different …

Research On Influence Of Shield Synchronous Grouting Parameters On Surface Deformation, Luo Xu, Zhang Zhaofeng, Fu Helin, Cao Guiqian, Zhao Chuanming

Journal of China & Foreign Highway

In order to determine reasonable grouting parameters,control surface settlement,and reduce the risk of excessive surface settlement caused by irrational synchronous grouting parameters,this study studied the shield tunnel project between maglev T 2 station and maglev T 3 station.A numerical simulation method was adopted to study the influence of grouting pressure,grouting volume,and the elastic modulus of slurry on surface deformation.The results show that the tunnel synchronous grouting has a significant effect on surface settlement control.A greater grouting pressure,equivalent grouting layer thickness,and elastic modulus of slurry mean a smaller surface settlement.As the three parameters increase,the variation range of surface settlement decreases and …