Engineering Commons^™

Effect Of South Caroline Belt Law On Safety Belt Use, Sourabh Patki

All Theses

A number of factors and accessories help save lives and prevent injuries to road users, yet safety belts have become synonymous with automobile safety today, unlike any accessory before or since their introduction in automobiles. However, the scientific advances in automobile safety, followed by the acceptance of the necessity for safety in automobiles by both the manufacturers and the population, finally leading to the introduction of safety features and their incorporation within the laws occurred over a much longer span, continuing even today. Today's Safety movement aims at increasing safety belt using an awareness campaigns, accompanied by enforcement. Safety belt …

Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of Pavements: State-Of-The-Practice, Zeynep Guven

All Theses

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is performed by transportation agencies in the design phase of transportation projects in order to be able to implement more economical strategies, to support decision processes in pavement type selection (flexible or rigid) and also to assess the relative costs of different rehabilitation options within each type of pavement. However, most of the input parameters are inherently uncertain. In order to implement the LCCA process in a reliable and trustworthy manner, this uncertainty must be addressed. This thesis summarizes a through research that aims at improving the existing LCCA approach for South Carolina Department of …

Influence Of Socio-Economic And Demographic Factors On Crashes In Rural South Carolina At Sub-County Level, Sunil Jakhadi

All Theses

State of South Carolina ranks high in the fatality rates. The state is a predominately a rural state with more percentage of rural roads. This research focuses on the statistical variation of crash rates between the county and block-group, especially rural once to the state. Also, it focuses on the possibility of various socio-economic and demographic characters influence on the high crash rates particularly in rural South Carolina.
Crash database for the year 2004 was acquired from South Carolina Department of Transportation and was processed by the research team at Clemson University. This processed database was imported into GIS. Spatial …

Determinación De La Humedad En Suelos Granulares Utilizando Horno Microondas Y Comparación De Los Resultados Con El Método Tradicional, Claudia Patricia Gámez Camargo, Diana Lorena Hilarión Plazas

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Development Of Fatigue Predictive Models Of Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (Rac) Containing Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (Rap) Mixtures, Feipeng Xiao

All Dissertations

In recent years, some by-products such as crumb rubber has been used to save money, protect the environment, and extend the life of asphalt pavements. In addition, the utilization of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is an acceptable practice in many states around the United States and many countries all over the world. However, the use of RAP containing crumb rubber has not been investigated in great detail, so it is essential to explore whether these materials have a positive effect on the fatigue life of asphalt pavement. In general, previous experience shows that the use of RAP has proven to …

Best Practices For Developing The Engineer's Estimate, Karl Niedzwecki

All Theses

The research project 'Best Practices for Developing the Engineering Estimate' was executed by Clemson University on behalf of the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). The primary objective of this research project was to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of two types of estimating methods being utilized today by state department of transportations (DOT) nationwide. These two types of estimating methods are the unit cost line item approach, which the SCDOT utilizes, and the cost-based estimating approach. This research report identifies accuracy obtained, resources expended, and methodologies utilized when implementing either type of estimating approach. This was done so the …

Evaporation Estimation Using A Floating Pan, Michael Klink

All Theses

Almost all regions in the United States must accurately estimate evaporation to have effective water management programs. The purpose of this study is to develop a better method for measuring evaporation. Lake evaporation along with meteorological data are measured directly from a floating pan. The floating pan is specifically designed to account for one of the most sensitive parameters of evaporation, the water surface temperature, which the design achieves. However, other design factors such as air movement, solar radiation, stability, heat transfer, wave action, water level range, and site location were also taken into consideration. The evaporation measured from the …

Optimizing The Project Team's Contribution To Business Objectives, Chad Rowland

All Theses

The traditional expectations of the project team are for the processes of engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up to be expertly administered. However, these performance criteria can be satisfied yet still not meet the ultimate business needs of the owner. The purpose of this thesis was to determine ways to improve the likelihood of achieving owner's business objectives. Fifty-one questionnaire survey forms were analyzed to obtain data for thirty-three pre-project planning activities. A data analysis concluded with a degree of statistical significance that for thirteen of the thirty-three activities, the more successful projects, as defined by the satisfaction of the business …

Investigation Into Compatibility Between Repair Material And Substrate Concrete Using Experimental And Finite Element Method, Rashmi Pattnaik

All Dissertations

The failure of concrete repairs is mainly due to improper selection of repair material based on individual repair material properties, without investigating the compatibility between repair material and substrate concrete. In this dissertation the compatibility between eight repair materials and substrate concrete was investigated in three stages. First, individual properties of the repair materials such as setting time, flow, compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, bond strength, drying shrinkage, freeze-thaw resistance, and permeability, were determined using standard ASTM test procedures. Second, the compatibility was investigated using a composite beam under third point loading. Third, the correlation of repair material …

Shear-Wave Velocity Model Of Near-Surface Sediments, Site Response, And Building Damage: 1886 Charleston, South Carolina Earthquake, Cedric Fairbanks

All Dissertations

An updated small-strain shear wave velocity (Vs) model of near-surface sediments is constructed using measurements from over 90 investigation sites in the greater Charleston area. It is constructed by separating the Vs measurements into six major geologic units. The six units are: 1) man-made fills, 2) Holocene and late Pleistocene deposits, 3) the Wando Formation, 4) the Ten Mile Hill beds, 5) the Penholoway Formation and the Daniel Island beds, and 6) Tertiary deposits. Median Vs values for these units in the top 25 m are 145 m/s, 111 m/s, 189 m/s, 176 m/s, 285 m/s and 399 m/s, respectively. …

The Effects Of Calcium Magnesium Acetate Deicers On Portland Cement Mortar Bars, Jeffrey Davis

All Theses

This thesis involves the investigation of the effects of Calcium Magnesium Acetate (CMA) deicers on Portland cement mortar bars. In addition to mass-loss, length change, pulse velocity and soak solution pH, the thesis also contains a rigorous chemical analysis of the mortar completed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. The research completed at NIST was done using a technique known as X-ray Mapping. The X-ray techniques were employed to determine the exact nature of the damage caused by CMA. The thesis is a combination of two papers, on the physical effects of CMA and …

Software Didáctico E Interactivo Para La Visualización Del Fenómeno De Resistencia Al Corte Por Medio Del Procesamiento De Los Datos Del Ensayo De Triaxial A La Luz De Las Teorías De Falla De Mohr Coulomb Y De Estados Críticos Rescort V1, Ciro Antonio Suspes Pachón, Oscar Iván López Rodríguez, Richard Ansoly Suárez

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Estabilización Del Talud En El Pr 55+950 De La Vía Manizales Mariquita, Jhon Jairo Poveda Orduña, Guillermo Vargas Aldana

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Software Para El Cálculo Y Dimensionamiento De Plantas De Tratamiento De Aguas Residuales Por El Método De Lagunas De Estabilización, Manuel Alexis Bolaños Fresneda, Cesar Hernán Castellanos Heredia, Néstor Julián Párraga Escobar

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Asentamientos Generados Por Consolidación Secundaria Del Barrio San José De Bavaria Perteneciente A La Localidad De Suba En Bogotá D.C, Germán Eduardo Castro Bermeo, Juan José Daza Marín, Carlos Fabian García Torres

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Optimización Del Acueducto Por Gravedad Del Municipio De Timaná Huila, David Leonardo Benavides Garzón, Mildred Yohana Castro Molano, Hernan Mauricio Vizcaíno Cagüeño

Ingeniería Civil

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Tricalcium Silicate Content On Expansion In Internal Sulfate Attack, Troy T. Whitfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the cementitious parameters and placement temperature that impact internal sulfate attack in concrete. Concrete structures make up a large percentage of the infrastructure and multifamily housing. Durability is very important. Cements can be formulated to reduce the impact of external environmental exposure such as high salinity from marine environments or high sulfate levels from soils or surface waters. Concrete is also subject to internal attack such as alkali aggregate reaction, (AAR), and delayed ettringite formation, (DEF). This study focused on some of the cement chemistry issues that determine susceptibility of cement to …

Soil Type Identification Using Time Domain Relectometry, Carlos Eduardo Zambrano Narvaez

Lyles School of Civil Engineering Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Damage Assessment And Wind Loading Analysis Of Residential Structures Built Post-1996 In Punta Gorda In The Wake Of Hurricane Charley, James Newberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the communities in the path of Hurricane Charley as it came ashore

August 13, 2004, was Punta Gorda, recording gusts up to 145 mph. This project

utilizes aerial photos taken approximately 10 days after the storm battered the

area, using a digital photography program. Focusing on the one-story residential

structures (houses) of the Punta Gorda area, a damage assessment could be

made of the area’s homes, and how they stood up to the storm. This study

focused further on homes built after major changes to the local/state building

codes went into effect (starting in 1996) after the devastation …

Prediction Of Service Load Of Concrete Structures After Cracking Using Ultrasonic Technique, Xuezeng Wu

Dissertations

The objective of this study is to investigate the cracking behavior of fractured concrete structures and to introduce a new approach to assess their remaining service lives. A novel ultrasonic technique is utilized to detect crack propagation in notched beams of mortar, plain concrete and reinforced concrete. The study showed that crack growth and microcrack zone in cementitious composites can be quantitatively detected by the ultrasound technique.

To predict crack propagation during the fracture process in plain concrete, an effective compliance fracture model is proposed. A large fracture process zone is incorporated in the analytical model by means of an …

Analysis, Modeling, And Simulation Of The Tides In The Loxahatchee River Estuary (Southeastern Florida)., Peter Bacopoulos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent cooperative efforts between the University of Central Florida, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the South Florida Water Management District explore the development of a two-dimensional, depth-integrated tidal model for the Loxahatchee River estuary (Southeastern Florida). Employing a large-domain approach (i.e., the Western North Atlantic Tidal model domain), two-dimensional tidal flows within the Loxahatchee River estuary are reproduced to provide: 1) recommendations for the domain extent of an integrated, surface/groundwater, three-dimensional model; 2) nearshore, harmonically decomposed, tidal elevation boundary conditions. Tidal simulations are performed using a two-dimensional, depth-integrated, finite element-based code for coastal and ocean circulation, ADCIRC-2DDI. Multiple …

Variation Of Geotechnical Strength Properties With Age Of Landfills Accepting Biosolids, Kishore Pinapati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The solid portion of waste disposal, known as Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can be landfilled. Landfilling has proved to be a safe, sanitary and economical method of disposal. A by-product from wastewater treatment plants called biosolids is sometimes co-disposed along with MSW in landfills. Recent work at the University of Central Florida has focused on the behavior of the mixture of MSW and biosolids. As an increased amount of waste accumulates in these landfills, it creates a new problem – the geotechnical stability of landfills. In current literature, classical geotechnical testing methods have been followed to find the strength properties …

Utilizing A Real Life Data Warehouse To Develop Freeway Travel Time Eliability Stochastic Models, Emam Emam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the 20th century, transportation programs were focused on the development of the basic infrastructure for the transportation networks. In the 21st century, the focus has shifted to management and operations of these networks. Transportation network reliability measure plays an important role in judging the performance of the transportation system and in evaluating the impact of new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) deployment. The measurement of transportation network travel time reliability is imperative for providing travelers with accurate route guidance information. It can be applied to generate the shortest path (or alternative paths) connecting the origins and destinations especially under conditions …

Developing Emergency Preparedness Plans For Orlando International Airport (Mco) Using Microscopic Simulator Watsim, Daniel Dawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emergency preparedness typically involves the preparation of detailed plans that can be implemented in response to a variety of possible emergencies or disruptions to the transportation system. One shortcoming of past response plans was that they were based on only rudimentary traffic analysis or in many cases none at all. With the advances in traffic simulation during the last decade, it is now possible to model many traffic problems, such as emergency management, signal control and testing of Intelligent Transportation System technologies. These problems are difficult to solve using the traditional tools, which are based on analytical methods. Therefore, emergency …

A New Approach To Identify The Expected Crash Patterns Based On Signalized Intersection Size And Analysis Of Vehicle Movements, Hari Salkapuram

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Analysis of intersection crashes is a significant area in traffic safety research. This study contributes to the area by identifying traffic-geometric characteristics and driver demographics that affect different types of crashes at signalized intersections. A simple methodology to estimate crash frequency at intersections based on the size of the intersection is also developed herein. First phase of this thesis used the crash frequency data from 1,335 signalized intersections obtained from six jurisdictions in Florida, namely, Brevard, Seminole, Dade, Orange, and Hillsborough Counties and the City of Orlando. Using these data a simple methodology has been developed to identify the expected …

Safety Effects Of Traffic Signal Installations On State Road Intersections In Northeast Florida, Christopher Ledew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the installations of traffic signals affect crash experience at intersections, to identify those factors which help predict crashes after a signal is installed, and to develop a crash prediction model. It is the intent of this thesis to supplement the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices Signal Warrant procedure and aid the traffic engineer in the signal installation decision making process. Crash data, as well as operational and geometric factors were examined for 32 state road intersections in the northeast Florida area before and after signal installation. Signal warrant studies were …

A Three-Dimensional Bay/Estuary Model To Simulate Water Quality Transport, Jing Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a numerical water quality model using a general paradigm of reaction-based approaches. In a reaction-based approach, all conceptualized biogeochemical processes are transformed into a reaction network. Through the decomposition of species governing equations via Gauss-Jordan column reduction of the reaction network, (1) redundant fast reactions and irrelevant kinetic reactions are removed from the system, which alleviates the problem of unnecessary and erroneous formulation and parameterization of these reactions, and (2) fast reactions and slow reactions are decoupled, which enables robust numerical integrations. The system of species transport equations is transformed to reaction-extent transport equations, …

Pervious Concrete: A Hydrologic Analysis For Stormwater Management Credit, Joshua Spence

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Portland Cement pervious concrete's ability to permit water infiltration has encouraged its use as a stormwater management tool. However, the material has suffered historically poor support due to a number of factors, including failures due to poor mix design and improper construction techniques, concern about lesser structural strength, concern about poor long term performance due to clogging of surface pores and undefined credit for stormwater management. This study focuses on long term performances of pervious concrete parking lots and their stormwater management credit. Before stormwater management credit could be estimated, it was necessary to develop a testing device to gather …

Coupling Of Hydrodynamic And Wave Models For Storm Tide Simulations: A Case Study For Hurricane Floyd (1999), Yuji Funakoshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development of a two-dimensional St. Johns River model and the coupling of hydrodynamic and wave models for the simulation of storm tides. The hydrodynamic model employed for calculating tides and surges is ADCIRC-2DDI (ADvanced CIRCulation Model for Shelves, Coasts and Estuaries, Two-Dimensional Depth Integrated) developed by Luettich et al. (1992). The finite element based model solves the fully nonlinear shallow water equations in the generalized wave continuity form. Hydrodynamic applications are operated with the following forcings: 1) astronomical tides, 2) inflows from tributaries, 3) meteorological effects (winds and pressure), and 4) waves (wind-induced waves). The wave …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Aashto's 2002 Flexible And Rigid Pavement Design Methods, Sanjay Shahji

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years pavement design has been based on empirical equations developed from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) road tests. The various editions of the AASHTO pavement design guide have served well for several decades; nevertheless many serious limitations existed for their continued use as the nation's primary pavement design procedure. For example, the traffic loads and truck sizes have increased over the years, the AASHTO design equations were derived based on the climatic conditions present at the Road Tests site, and the issue of aging materials was not addressed in the design. To overcome these …