Engineering Commons^™

Use Of Ground Penetrating Radar For Construction Quality Assurance Of Concrete Pavement, George Morcous Ph.D., Ece Erdogmus

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Extracting concrete cores is the most common method for measuring the thickness of concrete pavement for construction quality control. Although this method provides a relatively accurate thickness measurement, it is destructive, labor intensive, and time consuming. Moreover, concrete cores are usually taken approximately every 750 ft, which may be inadequate for estimating the actual thickness profile of a pavement section; however extracting more cores would damage the pavement extensively and increase the labor cost and time excessively. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a well-established technique for subsurface exploration. Recently, GPR has been used for several transportation applications, such as measuring …

Application Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete To Bridge Girders, Maher K. Tadros Ph.D., P.E., George Morcous Ph.D.

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) is a new class of concrete that has superior performance characteristics compared to conventional concrete. The enhanced strength and durability properties of UHPC are mainly due to optimized particle gradation that produces a very tightly packed mix, extremely low water to powder ratio, and use of steel fibers. The unique strength and durability properties of UHPC make it an attractive material for precast prestressed bridge girder construction. However, commercial UHPC mixes currently available in the US market cost about 10 times the cost of conventional concrete mixes, in addition to the need for special mixing and …

Dynamic Evaluation Of A Pinned Anchoring System For New York State’S Temporary Concrete Barriers, Christopher N. Howard, Cale J. Stolle, Karla A. Lechtenberg, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Dean L. Sicking

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Temporary concrete barrier (TCB) systems are utilized in many circumstances, including for placement adjacent to vertical dropoffs. Free-standing TCB systems are known to have relatively large deflections when impacted, which may be undesirable when dealing with limited space behind the barrier (as seen on a bridge deck) or limited lane width in front of the barrier system. In order to allow TCB systems to be used in space-restricted locations, a variety of TCB stiffening options have been tested, including beam stiffening and pinning the barriers to the pavement. These pavement-pinning procedures have been considered time-consuming and may pose undue risk …

Perchlorate In Wet Deposition Across North America, Srinath Rajagopalan, Todd A. Anderson, Stephen Cox, Greg Harvey, Qiuqiong Cheng, W. Andrew Jackson

United States Air Force: Publications

Natural perchlorate is believed to be of atmospheric origin, yet no systematic study has been conducted to evaluate perchlorate deposition rate and possible seasonal or spatial variations. This study evaluated perchlorate concentrations in weekly composite wet deposition samples acquired through the National Atmospheric DepositionProgramfrom 26 sites across the continental United States, Alaska, and Puerto Rico for a 1-3 year period. Perchlorate concentrations varied from /L to a high of 102 ng/L with a mean of 14.1±13.5 ng/L for the 1578 total samples. The annual perchlorate flux by site ranged from a low of 12.5 (TX) to 157 mg/ha-year (NE) and …

A Location Analysis Approach For Military Maintenance Scheduling With Geographically Dispersed Service Areas, Dale L. Overholts Ii, John E. Bell, Marvin A. Arostegui

United States Air Force: Publications

This research uses a two-stage maximal covering location problem (MCLP) model to develop Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) maintenance schedules for the US Air Force. Solutions are compared to actual missile maintenance activities accomplished at F. E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), Wyoming in May 2005. Sensitivity analysis is performed to determine the impact of altering security response times and the number of security patrol are as on the quality of daily maintenance schedules and personnel usage. Results indicate marked improvement over traditional Air Force scheduling methods. In addition, sensitivity analysis identifies the levels at which the quality and quantity of …

2009 Government And Industry Pipeline R&D Forum Report

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

Nine government and industry organizations via a steering committee organized, planned and executed this forum. The forum brought together approximately 215 representatives from Federal, State and foreign government offices along with domestic and foreign natural gas and hazardous liquid pipeline operators. The forum’s goals included identifying key challenges facing industry and government, sharing information on current research efforts, and identifying research that can help to meet the challenges.

Hydrodynamic Forces On Inundated Bridge Decks, Kornel Kerenyi, Tanju Sofu, Junke Guo

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

The hydrodynamic forces experienced by an inundated bridge deck have great importance in the design of bridges. Specifically, the drag force, lift force, and the moment acting on the bridge deck under various levels of inundation and a range of flow conditions influence the design and construction of the bridge. This report explores the forces acting on bridges in two ways. First, through physical experimentation on scaled-down bridge deck models tested in a flume and then with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation models. Three bridge deck prototypes were used for the experimentation: a typical six-girder highway bridge deck, a three-girder …

Peer Review Report 2009

United States Department of Transportation: Publications

The purpose of this document is to report findings from the research peer reviews held April 1, April 2, April 14 & April 15, 2009 for PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research and Development Program. The findings and recommendations in this report derive from the scoring and comments collected from the peer review panelists.

Department of Transportation (DOT) Operating Agencies (OA) are required to develop and execute a systematic process for peer reviews and for all influential and highly influential information that the OA plans to disseminate in the foreseeable future.

Through the Information Quality Act, Congress directed the Office of Management …

Uranium In Framboidal Pyrite From A Naturally Bioreduced Alluvial Sediment, Nikolla P. Qafoku, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, James P. Mckinley, Bruce W, Arey, Shelly D. Kelly, Chongmin Wang, Charles T. Resch, Philip E. Long

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Samples of a naturally bioreduced, U-contaminated alluvial sediment were characterized with various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques and wet chemical extraction methods. The objective was to investigate U association and interaction with minerals of the sediment. Bioreduced sediment comprises ∼10% of an alluvial aquifer adjacent to the Colorado River, in Rifle, CO, that was the site of a former U milling operation. Past and ongoing research has demonstrated that bioreduced sediment is elevated in solid-associated U, total organic carbon, and acid-volatile sulfide, and depleted in bioavailable Fe(III) confirming that sulfate and Fe(III) reduction have occurred naturally in the sediment. SEM/EDS analyses …

Heterogeneous Reduction Of Tc(Vii) By Fe(Ii) At The Solid–Water Interface, T. Peretyazhko, John M. Zachara, S.M. Heald, B.-H. Jeon, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, C. Liu, D. Moore, C.T. Resch

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Experiments were performed herein to investigate the rates and products of heterogeneous reduction of Tc(VII) by Fe(II) adsorbed to hematite and goethite, and by Fe(II) associated with a dithionite–citrate–bicarbonate (DCB) reduced natural phyllosilicate mixture [structural, ion-exchangeable, and edge-complexed Fe(II)] containing vermiculite, illite, and muscovite. The heterogeneous reduction of Tc(VII) by Fe(II) adsorbed to the Fe(III) oxides increased with increasing pH and was coincident with a second event of Fe²⁺_(aq) adsorption. The reaction was almost instantaneous above pH 7. In contrast, the reduction rates of Tc(VII) by DCB-reduced phyllosilicates were not sensitive to pH or to added Fe^{2+ …}

Characterization Of Electrochemically Active Bacteria Utilizing A High-Throughput Voltage-Based Screening Assay, Justin C. Biffinger, Meghann Ribbens, Bradley Ringeisen, Jeremy Pietron, Steven Finkel, Kenneth Nealson

United States Navy: Publications

Metal reduction assays are traditionally used to select and characterize electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) for use in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, correlating the ability of a microbe to generate current from an MFC to the reduction of metal oxides has not been definitively established in the literature. As these metal reduction assays may not be generally reliable, here we describe a four- to nine-well prototype high throughput voltage-based screening assay (VBSA) designed using MFC engineering principles and a universal cathode. Bacterial growth curves for Shewanella oneidensis strains DSP10 and MR-1 were generated directly from changes in open circuit voltage …

Simultaneous Analysis Of Physiological And Electrical Output Changes In An Operating Microbial Fuel Cell With Shewanella Oneidensis, Justin C. Biffinger, Ricky Ray, Brenda J. Little, Lisa A. Fitzgerald, Meghann Ribbens, Steven E. Finkel, Bradley R. Ringeisen

United States Navy: Publications

Changes in metabolism and cellular physiology of facultative anaerobes during oxygen exposure can be substantial, but little is known about how these changes connect with electrical current output from an operating microbial fuel cell (MFC). A high-throughput voltage based screening assay (VBSA) was used to correlate current output from a MFC containing Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to carbon source (glucose or lactate) utilization, culture conditions, and biofilm coverage over 250 h. Lactate induced an immediate current response from S. oneidensis MR-1, with both air-exposed and anaerobic anodes throughout the duration of the experiments. Glucose was initially utilized for current output by …

Lower Yellowstone River Irrigation Dam, Fish Protection And Passage

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

This Value Engineering (VE) Report summarizes the events of the VE workshop facilitated by GeoVal, Inc., June 1-5, 2009 for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Omaha District, Nebraska. The Lower Yellowstone River Irrigation Dam, Fish Protection and Passage Value Engineering Study focuses on the assessment of alternatives for meeting Federal project objectives examining current plans and programs to seek out alternative approaches and ideas that will improve the overall performance of the project.

Federal project objectives of the Lower Yellowstone River Irrigation Dam, Fish Protection and Passage Project are to:

-Continue to provide reliable irrigation water delivery to …

Photophysical Properties Of C60 Colloids Suspended In Water With Triton X-100 Surfactant: Excited-State Properties With Femtosecond Resolution, Andrew F. Clements, Joy E. Haley, Augustine M. Urbas, Alan Kost, R. David Rauh, Jane F. Bertone, Fei Wang, Brian M. Wiers, De Gao, Todd S. Stefanik, Andrew G. Mott, David M. Mackie

United States Army: Publications

We examine the photophysics of a colloidal suspension of C₆₀ particles in a micellar solution of Triton X-100 and water, prepared via a new synthesis which allows high-concentration suspensions. The particle sizes are characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering and found to be somewhat polydisperse in the range of 10-100 nm. The suspension is characterized optically by UV-vis spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, laser flash photolysis, and z-scan. The ground-state absorbance spectrum shows a broad absorbance feature centered near 450 nm which is indicative of colloidal C₆₀. The transient absorption dynamics, presented for the …

Retrieval Of Subpixel Snow Covered Area, Grain Size, And Albedo From Modis, Thomas H. Painter, Karl Rittger, Ceretha Mckenzie, Peter Slaughter, Robert E. Davis, Jeff Dozier

United States Army: Publications

We describe and validate a model that retrieves fractional snow-covered area and the grain size and albedo of that snow from surface reflectance data (product MOD09GA) acquired by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The model analyzes the MODIS visible, near infrared, and shortwave infrared bands with multiple endmember spectral mixtures from a library of snow, vegetation, rock, and soil. We derive snow spectral endmembers of varying grain size from a radiative transfer model specific to a scene's illumination geometry; spectra for vegetation, rock, and soil were collected in the field and laboratory. We validate the model with fractional snow …

Monoclinic Optical Constants, Birefringence, And Dichroism Of Slanted Titanium Nanocolumns Determined By Generalized Ellipsometry, Daniel Schmidt, Benjamin Booso, Tino Hofmann, Eva Schubert, Andrew Sarangan, Mathias Schubert

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Generalized spectroscopic ellipsometry determines the principal monoclinic optical constants of thin films consisting of slanted titanium nanocolumns deposited by glancing angle deposition under 85° incidence and tilted from the surface normal by 47°. Form birefringence measured for wavelengths from 500 to 1000 nm renders the Ti nanocolumns monoclinic absorbing crystals with c-axis along the nanocolumns, b-axis parallel to the film interface, and 67.5° monoclinic angle between the a- and c-axes. The columnar thin film reveals anomalous optical dispersion, extreme birefringence, strong dichroism, and differs completely from bulk titanium. Characteristic bulk interband transitions are absent in the spectral range investigated.

The Magnetoelectric Effects In Multiferroic Composite Nanofibers, C. L. Zhang, W. Q. Chen, S. H. Xie, J. S. Yang, Jiangyu Li

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

In this letter, we analyze the quasistatic and dynamic magnetoelectric responses of multiferroic composite nanofibers consisting of both ferroelectric and ferromagnetic phases and demonstrate that the nanofibers exhibit magnetoelectric responses orders of magnitude higher than multiferroic composite thin films of similar compositions. The analysis suggests that the multiferroic nanofibers are promising for magnetoelectric applications.

Tem Study Of Lizardite-1t Particles In Toluene Solvent, J. Yan, Xingzhong Li, J. Y. Jiang, L. Tan

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

To investigate the self-assembled growth of organosilane molecules carrying Si, C and H to form multiple layers, samples were prepared in toluene and then transferred to TEM Cu grids coated with thin C films for TEM observation. It is surprising that micrometer sized flakes with a main composition of Mg and Si (or Al and Si) were occasionally observed in the TEM specimens, later were identified as lizardite-1T phase. To trace down the source of the inorganic particles, all procedures in the sample preparation were carefully checked. The particles of the lizardite-1T phase were confirmed from the organic solvent of …

Optimal Electrode Shape And Size For Shear Mode Thin Film Acoustic Wave Resonators, L. M. Xu, B. B. Tang, Y. T. Hu, H. Fan, J. S. Yang

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

We study electrode shape and size for plates of hexagonal crystals or polarized ceramics with the sixfold axis or the poling direction parallel to the plate surfaces so that they can be excited into thickness-shear vibration by an electric field in the plate thickness direction. Electrode size and shape optimal in the sense that they satisfy the criterion of Bechmann’s number in every direction are determined.

Connected Vibrating Piezoelectric Bimorph Beams As A Wide-Band Piezoelectric Power Harvester, Zengtao Yang, Jiashi Yang

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Faculty Publications

We analyze coupled flexural vibration of two elastically and electrically connected piezoelectric beams near resonance for converting mechanical vibration energy to electrical energy. Each beam is a so-called piezoelectric bimorph with two layers of piezoelectrics. The 1D equations for bending of piezoelectric beams are used for a theoretical analysis. An exact analytical solution to the beam equations is obtained. Numerical results based on the solution show that the two resonances of individual beams can be tuned as close as desired by design when they are connected to yield a wide-band electrical output. Therefore, the structure can be used as a …

Nebraska Summary: S702 Challenger Mt545b, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S701 Challenger Mt535b, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S698 Massey Ferguson 6480, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S697 Massey Ferguson 6475, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S692 Agco Lt85a, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S713 Challenger Mt465b, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S711 Challenger Mt445b, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S710 Challenger Mt425b, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S709 Massey Ferguson 5475, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Summary: S708 Massey Ferguson 5470, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …