Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Freight Tours In A Congested Urban Area Using Disaggregated Data: Characteristics And Data Collection Challenges, Miguel Andres Figliozzi, Lynsey Kingdon, Andrea Wilkitzki

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Confidentiality issues are usually an insurmountable barrier that precludes the collection of detailed and complete freight data. However, when detailed disaggregated truck activity data is available, the analysis of commercial vehicle routes and trip chain structures can provide insightful information about urban commercial vehicle tours, travel patterns, and congestion levels. Where truck data is usually aggregated and cross-sectional, this research analyzes several months of detailed truck activity records in a congested urban area and thus contributes a level of investigation unavailable with aggregated data. To the best of the author's knowledge, there is no published research regarding the analysis of …

Evaluation Of The Role Of Driver’S Knowledge Of Who Has The Right-Of-Way Contributes To Interstate On-Ramp Crashes, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The knowledge of drivers on who has the right-of-way between the one on mainline lanes of a freeway and the one entering the freeway through on-ramp junction lane was evaluated. In addition, drivers’ opinions on how to make the on-ramp junctions safer were collected. A survey instrument with 21 items requesting drivers’ information in regard with demographics, freeway driving experience, knowledge of right-of-way and merging practices was used for data collection. The results show that crashes are relatively rare events and for some reasons, most of them never happen but result into near misses, which can not be reported and …

Training Module In Regional And Municipal Governance Of Public Private Partnerships, Louis Gunnigan

Conference papers

This module concentrates on the issues important to those who will be setting up PPPs and who are involved in government at a regional or municipal level.

The module is centred on five tasks, namely:

• How to identify PPP opportunities and to find the best private sector partners for a PPP;
• How to organize a PPP programme within a government by enhancing cooperation amongst the relevant departments and ministries, local, regional and national authorities;
• How to be an effective manager and leader in a dynamic PPP unit;
• How to engage public support for PPPs;
• How to use international instruments to …

Our Legacy Of Neglect: The Longfellow Bridge And The Cost Of Deferred Maintenance, David Westerling, Steve Poftak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The Longfellow Bridge, connecting Boston and Cambridge, is in bad shape, due not only to its age and the ravages of our weather, but also to a troubling and persistent lack of maintenance. Fixing the bridge, in effect paying the bill for our unwillingness to maintain it, is estimated to cost at least $180 million, with the potential for cost overruns reaching into the hundreds of millions. The neglect of the Longfellow Bridge is symptomatic of a problem that encompasses almost all the assets owned by the Commonwealth.

Construction Superintendent Skill Sets, David E. Gunderson, Philip Barlow, Allan J. Hauck

Construction Management

This is the first of a series of articles reviewing the results of an ongoing qualitative research project designed to document construction superintendent skill sets and develop postsecondary curricula to support superintendent education. Varying views of the role of the superintendent and an historical perspective are presented in a review of literature. The research methodology for the entire project, as well as this first phase, is presented. Data have been coded and analyzed from the interviews with seven superintendents to date and the results of these analyses are provided. Themes that emerged in these interviews include people skills, understanding the …

Behaviour Of Reinforced Self-Consolidating Concrete Frames, Aly Said, Moncef Nehdi

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Multi-storey reinforced concrete (RC) structural frames represent some of the most congested structural elements. Placing and consolidating concrete in such structural frames imposes substantial challenges. This offers a unique area of application for self-consolidating concrete (SCC) because of its inherent ability to flow under its own weight and fill congested sections, complicated formwork and hard-to-reach areas. Research is, however, needed to demonstrate the ability of SCC structural frames adequately to resist vertical and lateral loads. In the present study, full-scale 3 m high beam-column joints reinforced as per the Canadian Standards CSA A23·3-94 and ACI-352R-02 were made with normal concrete …

Increasing Effectiveness Of Public Private Partnerships In The Irish Construction Industry, Louis Gunnigan

Doctoral

By 2003 the first Irish Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects had reached the operational stage. Media reports were emerging of significant differences in the effectiveness of these projects.

This research set out to find a means by which effectiveness of PPPs could be increased and to develop a model that would assist PPP practitioners with this task in the future. Through a literature review, the Irish PPP process was mapped, the changes encountered in the introduction of PPP were investigated and a conceptual model – based on a traditional process model - was proposed. The model was tested by examining …

Realising Electronic Tendering In The Irish Construction Industry, Alan V. Hore

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Increasing Effectiveness Of Public Private Partnerships In The Irish Construction Industry, Louis Gunnigan

Doctoral

By 2003 the first Irish Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects had reached the operational stage. Media reports were emerging of significant differences in the effectiveness of these projects.

This research set out to find a means by which effectiveness of PPPs could be increased and to develop a model that would assist PPP practitioners with this task in the future. Through a literature review, the Irish PPP process was mapped, the changes encountered in the introduction of PPP were investigated and a conceptual model – based on a traditional process model - was proposed. The model was tested by examining …

Efficiency Gains To Be Won Through The Introduction Of Electronic Tendering In The Construction Industry, Alan V. Hore, Roger West

Conference papers

The tendering process predominantly adopted in the Irish construction industry is largely paper-dependent. However, the increase in the availability of high speed Information Communications Technology (ICT) has meant that construction consultants can disseminate this information more cost effectively in an electronic format. The aim of this paper is to present a status report on an industry-led network project currently being undertaken by the Construction Information Technology Alliance (CITA) in Ireland. This project aims to demonstrate how greater effectiveness and efficiency can be applied to the tendering process by the application of ICT already used widely in other industries. The status …

Alternative Material Dowel Bars For Rigid Pavement Joints, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Over the last thirty to forty years, dowel support of the joint in Rigid Joint Pavement (RJP) has been widely used. The problem of deterioration of concrete pavement joints has resulted in the search for alternate solutions. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) and stainless steel represent corrosion resistant alternatives to conventional galvanized steel in this application. The recently study by the FHWA of Alternative Materials for Highway Construction demonstrated that even with extended wet-dry cycles of exposure to fluids of high chloride content, at various temperatures and PH levels, stainless steel had corrosion resistance hundreds and in many cases thousands of times …

Snap-Tite Composite Column Reinforcement, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Recent earthquakes throughout the world have demonstrated the vulnerabilities of older reinforced concrete columns to seismic deformation demands. The Snap Tite Composite Column Reinforcement strengthens a concrete column by confining it in an external composite jacket, which prevents the concrete from expanding during seismic activity or prolonged freeze-thaw cycles. The pre-manufactured fiberglass jacket is comprised of glass fibers and corrosion resistant isopolyester resins.

Gfrc Facade Panels With Steel Stud/Flex Anchor Connection, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The ability of building cladding systems to perform successfully depends primarily on their proper design and construction. Current practices in the United States utilize GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete) panels. However, new problems are being detected with such systems. The facade and its attachments (using GFRC) are not being adequately implemented to accommodate vertical and horizontal differential movement between the panels and concrete frame which is resulting in failure or cracking of the panels, and chipping off of the supporting concrete. With proper design and construction, steel stud-framed GFRC-skin cladding concept provides a versatile system for freedom of expression in …

Frp Deck - Rehabilitation Of A Steel Truss Bridge, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

To avoid a costly bridge replacement project, the New York State Department of Transportation partnered with private industry to rehabilitate a steel truss bridge using lightweight composites. Reducing dead load on the bridge by 265 tons, the application of composite deck technology doubled the load ratings (to a level higher than the original design) and allowed weight restrictions to be removed, while saving $1.4 million. This was the first time this type of rehabilitation was accomplished in the U.S. FRP bars appear to be promising alternative to steel reinforcement in concrete structures such as marine structures, parking structures, bridge decks, …

Superpave System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The Superpave is the acronym for 'SUperior PERforming Asphalt PAVEments' system. It was developed by Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) to give highway engineers and contractors the tools they need to design asphalt pavements that will perform better under extremes of temperature and heavy traffic loads.

Atlss Integrated Building System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The AIBS (ATLSS Integrated Building Systems) program was developed to coordinate ongoing research projects in automated construction and connection systems. The objective of this technology is to design, fabricate, erect, and evaluate cost-effective building systems with a focus on providing a computer integrated approach to these activities.

Simcon: Slurry Infiltrated Mat Concrete, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The cost of civil infrastructure constitutes a major portion of the national wealth. Its rapid deterioration has thus created an urgent need for the development of novel, long-lasting and cost-effective methods for repair, retrofit and new construction. A promising new way of resolving this problem is to selectively use advanced composites, such as High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCCs). The investigations conducted in North Carolina University have demonstrated that a special type of continuous fiber-mat HPFRCC, called SIMCON which stands for Slurry Infiltrated Mat Concrete, is well suited for the development of novel repair, retrofit and new-construction solutions that lead …

Snap Joint Technology For Composite Structures, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The optimum composite joint design is the one capable of distributing stresses over a wide area rather than to concentrate them at a point. Adhesively bonded joints can satisfy these requirements, however, most of the adhesives are brittle, and brittle failure is unavoidable. This was the motivation of developing what is called the SNAP joint. The snap joint technology developed by W. Brandt Goldworthy & Associates, Inc. The concept is based on similar joining technology used for connecting wooden parts (wood is considered as natural orthotropic composites). Also, this technique is very similar to techniques which were used a decade …

Ultrascreen - Sight And Sound Barrier Partition Walls, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Panels have been widely used for many years to act as sight and sound barriers in most of the highways and in residential areas where visual privacy is needed. The United States Gypsum Company, early in the 1980's started developing technologies to improve and reduced costs using lightweight cement panels. Recently, USG along with AFM Corporation introduced ULTRASCREEN: Sight and Sound Barrier. This lightweight panels require no special equipment for installation, maintenance, or replacement making them beneficial. This latest development also creates a system with good acoustical performance and excellent strength to weight ratio.

Substiwood™ - Concrete Lumber, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

In the United States, wood lumber products have always formed the primary (and secondary) elements of many types of construction, especially in the single-and multi-family housing sector. A new cementitious material, 'concrete lumber' products (SubstiwoodTM) developed by Substiwood Inc. is structurally strong, durable, nailable with conventional screws and nails, and sawable using hand or electric saws. Unlike other construction alternatives to wood framing, the SubstiwoodTM products essentially maintain the existing wood frame construction methods, processes, equipment, and skilled labor.

Frp Rebar (Afrp, Cfrp, Gfrp), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Insufficient concrete cover, poor design or workmanship, and presence of large amounts of aggressive agents including environmental factors all can lead to cracking of the concrete and corrosion of the steel rebar. The problems of steel corrosion are avoided with the use of FRPs because FRP materials are nonmetallic and noncorrosive. In addition, FRP materials exhibit several properties including high tensile strength, that make them suitable for the use as structural reinforcement. Furthermore, codes and design guide provisions have been recently prepared for the use of FRP bars in concrete structures for bridges and buildings.

Pavemend - Ceracrete Rapid Repair Products, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Repair of concrete continues to be a major maintenance item in the budget of many agencies. There are many circumstances in which a rapid repair is highly desirable. Ceracrete Technologies, Inc. (CTI) is a Richmond, Virginia-based small business. CTI focuses on the manufacture of commercial products for construction applications using non-hazardous inorganic recovered raw materials to replace conventional virgin raw materials. Ceracrete technology is a chemical bonding process that uses very high percentages of coal ash, municipal solid waste ash, foundry sand residue, dredge material, flue gas desulferization by-products, etc. to create rapid concrete repair products.

Steel-Free Concrete Bridge Deck, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Eliminating corrosion makes concrete deck slabs virtually maintenance-free, which makes life cycle costs of steel-free concrete decks much lower than reinforced concrete decks. In response, compressive membrane forces develop in the concrete deck. Ultimate load can be greater than the load at which the same deck would fail if it were reinforced conventionally.

Pothole Repairing Compound : Bondade Tcu-31, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Conventional asphalt-based tacking materials such as hot asphalt-cement, cutbacks or emulsions cannot be applied without specialized spraying and heating equipment. With current methods of repair, nearly half of the potholes filled today will fail within six months. Bondade uses readily available spraying equipment to wet the surface and develop a tenacious bond between the asphalt and the existing substrate. It is an environmentally safe and non-hazardous material that may be used with hot or cold asphalt concrete, under damp or dry conditions and on nearly all surfaces.

Use Of Composite Piping Offshore, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The high cost to replace steel piping in retrofit applications and increased longevity in new construction is driving the search for composite materials which are able to withstand the severe conditions experienced by offshore facilities. Advantages of composite piping compared to steel piping are: inherent corrosion resistance, lighter weight, ease of fabrication, lower maintenance costs, and lower life cycle costs.

Precast Inverted T Beam, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Current systems are either costly or time consuming to erect and have limitations. Cast-in-place slabs have become too expensive and time-consuming due to extensive field formwork. The Nebraska Inverted Tee (IT) system was designed for use by small contractors in sparsely populated areas where relatively modest erection equipment exists. The ITs were developed in "hard" metric units, i.e., using round-figure millimeters.

Italgrip System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

The ever increasing number of registered vehicles has resulted in, up until the present time, a parallel increase in the number of road accidents. One of the reasons for this is that the quality of the road surface has not adequately kept pace with the increased volume of traffic. The Italgrip System increases skid resistance, reduces hydroplaning risk, reduces noise, and reduces salt consumption and can be applied to asphalt, concrete, or steel surfaces. It has been applied to several roadways in Europe, particularly road sections exhibiting problem areas.

New Structural Material - Fiber Reinforced Plastics, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Traditional structural materials are heavy and require a great deal of maintenance. If a new breed of structural material could be produced that was lighter, stronger and more resistant to corrosion, impacts, parasites and chemicals, it could be a good substitute for steel, concrete, masonry and wood. One new material that has the potential to meet these demands is starting to show up on the construction industry market, it is Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP). Some technologies that have been developed using FRP materials within the last few years are: structural shapes, concrete reinforcing, prestressing and post-tensioning tendons and pre-engineered structural …

Surtreat - Concrete Restoration & Protection System, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

Reinforcing steel corrosion is the most common cause of failure of concrete structures. Once started, rebar corrosion can not be stopped by simply waterproofing the surface of the concrete. Surtreat is a proprietary concrete restoration and protection system. The system includes sequential application of chemical treatments to improve the properties of the deteriorating concrete and protect new structures.

Rapid-1 Hardening Accelerator Concrete Admixture, Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets

SIKA Rapid-1 is a concrete admixture that allows the development of very early high strengths in concrete consisting of commonly used mix components. Unlike concrete set accelerators, it does not reduce set time or long-term strength, and it does not corrode steel reinforcing. This hardening accelerator allows placement of fresh concrete without early stiffening, followed by a period of very rapid strength gain after initial set.