Engineering Commons^™

A Novel Concrete-Based Sensor For Detection Of Ice And Water On Roads And Bridges, Habib Tabatabai, Mohammed Aljuboori

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Articles

Hundreds of people are killed or injured annually in the United States in accidents related to ice formation on roadways and bridge decks. In this paper, a novel embedded sensor system is proposed for the detection of black ice as well as wet, dry and frozen pavement conditions on roads, runways, and bridges. The proposed sensor works by detecting changes in electrical resistance between two sets of stainless steel poles embedded in the concrete sensor to assess surface and near-surface conditions. A preliminary decision algorithm is developed that utilizes sensor outputs indicating resistance changes and surface temperature. The sensor consists …

State-Based Peridynamic Particle Method, Siavash Nikravesh Kazeroni

Civil Engineering ETDs

In this study, a novel discrete Peridynamics framework called the “State-Based Peridynamic Particle Model (SPPM)” is introduced. In this approach, a solid body is simulated by neither solving differential equations nor integral equations; instead, the simulation is accomplished by directly solving discrete systems of equations using finite summations. SPPM is formulated for a random distribution of particles, hence, it can be considered as a meshfree method. The assumptions of continuity and homogeneity are not necessary for this approach. The SPPM is a generalization of the “State-Based Peridynamic Lattice Model (SPLM)”. In the SPLM formulation, for sake of simplicity and computational …

Development Of High Early-Strength Concrete For Accelerated Bridge Construction Closure Pour Connections, Stephanie Castine

Masters Theses

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) has become a popular alternative to using traditional construction techniques in new bridge construction and existing bridge deck replacement because of the reduction of time spent in field activities. A key feature of bridges built using ABC techniques is the extensive use of prefabricated components. Prefabricated components are joined in the field using small volume closure pours involving high performance materials (steel and concrete) to ensure adequate transfer of forces between components. To date, the materials developed for closure pours have been based on proprietary components, so a need has arisen for development of mixes that …

Shrinkage Cracking In Concrete Tilt-Up Construction, Stewart Hooks, Jack Robinson

Architectural Engineering

The purpose of this project is to investigate a particular, undesirable cracking pattern in concrete tilt-up panels that, until now, did not have a known definite cause. The cause of this cracking pattern is hypothesized to be due to shrinkage restraint of the concrete panels. The cracking under investigation occurs at the bottom corners of the Tilt-Up panels, suggesting that the base of the panel is restrained from shrinkage. This project models various components of Tilt-Up Construction that have potential for restraining the panels from shrinking. This project consists of the following main components.

The first aspect of this project …

Evaluating The Bond Behavior Between Frp And Grooved Concrete Specimens Using Single Shear Pull Out Test, John Omboko

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Surface preparation affects the bond behavior between Fiber Reinforcing Polymer (FRP) composite material and concrete. In this research, a special type of surface preparation known as grooving, which involves cutting transverse grooves, is conducted on concrete blocks (specimens) that are categorized as either Unfilled (U) or Filled (F). This idea is to ascertain how the grooves affect the strength of FRP-bonded-concrete specimen. These two categories are then benchmarked to control (C) specimens which do not have grooves on them. Category U specimens only have the epoxy applied on the concrete surface while category F specimens have epoxy applied on both …

Ductile Corrosion-Free Gfrp-Stainless Steel Reinforced Concrete Elements, Maged A. Youssef, Mohamed E. Meshaly, Ahmed Elansary

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Corrosion of steel rebars is known to cause deterioration of concrete structures that can lead to catastrophic failures. To mitigate this problem, steel rebars can be replaced with Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars. However, the lack of ductility of GFRP-reinforced elements has prevented their use in many structural applications, especially in seismic areas. Stainless Steel (SS) rebars are corrosion resistant and have adequate energy absorption and ductility. However, they are much more expensive than steel rebars. This paper proposes the combined use of SS and GFRP rebars to achieve ductile and corrosion-free elements. The first challenge for such a proposal …