Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Improved Finite Analytic Methods For Solving Advection-Dominated Transport Equation In Highly Variable Velocity Field, Wei Cuifeng

Dissertations and Theses

Solute transport studies frequently rely on numerical solutions of the classical advection-diffusion equation. Unfortunately, solutions obtained with traditional finite difference and finite element techniques typically exhibit excessive numerical diffusion or spurious oscillation when advection dominates, especially when velocity field is highly variable.

One recently developed technique, the finite analytic method, offers an attractive alternative. Finite analytic methods utilize local analytic solutions in discrete elements to obtain the algebraic representations of the governing partial differential equations, thus eliminating the truncation error in the finite difference and the use of approximating functions in the finite element method. The finite analytic solutions have …

Micromechanics Of Hot Mix Asphalt Material Formulation And Numerical Simulation, Kuo-Neng G. Chang

Dissertations

Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), a highway and airfield pavement material, is heterogeneous, granular, and composite. It is traditionally modeled as a homogeneous material using continuum mechanics or semi-empirical methods. As a result, the above models either neglect or over-simply component reactions, failing to predict field performance problems resulting from particle segregation. This research presents micromechanical modeling, a novel approach that accounts for the components.

A micromechanical model is developed for HMA by modeling it as an assembly of asphalt cement coated particles. The asphalt cement is modeled as a viscoelastic material. To represent asphalt cement, several viscoelastic elements (i.e. Maxwell, …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Alternatives To The Current Aashto Standard Bridge Sections, Joseffa Viktoria Meir, Michael Ramon Cicciarelli, J. A. Ramirez, Robert H. Lee

JTRP Technical Reports

The main objective of this study was evaluate feasible alternatives to the current AASHTO bridge girders used in Indiana. This evaluation included precast pretensioned bridge girders for spans from 30 to 130 feet with girder spacing between 5 and 10 feet up to 12 feet for the longer spans. Other criteria included girder design concrete compressive strengths up to 7000 psi, 8” total concrete deck thickness with design strength of 4000 psi, grade 60 steel for slab reinforcement and stirrups and ½” special grade 270 low-relaxation strand for prestressing steel. Post-tensioning and pretensioned box girders were outside the scope of …

Analysis Of Plates And Reinforced Concrete Columns By Cubic B-Spline Function, Gang Wang

Dissertations

Applying spline functions to numerical structural analysis has been more common in recent years. The recent increase use of spline functions is mainly due to their excellent characteristics, such as sectionalized continuity, linear combination, flexibility, and easy use for various boundary conditions. The whole deformed shape of some structures or substructures can be described with one displacement function constructed by a series of spline functions. By doing this, the mesh generation and the huge computer memory space are no longer needed because only one single superelement can be used in the whole process. The choice of spline functions as displacement …

Stress-Strain Behavior Of High Strength Concrete Cylinders, Danqing Chen

Theses

Due to the recent development of high strength concrete in engineering and construction, it has become more important to study the behavior of materials in structures.

No results have been previously published in the literature regarding the influence of aspect ratio in plain high strength concrete cylinders on stress-strain behavior under uniaxial compression.Thus at present study, compression tests were conducted on 3x6 in., 3x9 in., and 3x12 in. plain high strength concrete cylinders to study their stress-strain behavior. Plain normal strength concrete cylinders were also tested and used for comparative study.

Based on the present investigations, attempting to obtain a …

Mechanical Behavior Of Polystyrene Foam Bead Lightweight Concrete, Hai-Ying Ni

Theses

This thesis is designed to investigate the effect of porosity on the mechanical properties (strength and modulus) of concrete, and to evaluate the effect of silica fume on the mechanical properties of the polystyrene foam bead lightweight concrete. In this research we made the lightweight concrete by using polystyrene foam beads as light weight aggregate and studied its mechanical properties in detail. Due to the near zero density and modulus of foam beads, we were able to consider it as "porosity". We could then control porosity in concrete by varying foam bead volume fraction.

In our experiments we used the …

Construction Resource Allocation Using A Genetic Algorithm, Siripong Malasri, Jennifer R. Martin

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A proper allocation of limited resources (men, machines, materials, and money) is critical in a construction project. Traditionally, resource allocation problems have been solved using methods in operations research (OR), such as mathematical programming. In recent years, genetic algorithms (GA) have emerged as an effective optimization methodology. One major advantage of the GA approach over the OR approach is that the GA approach is universal for various types of optimization problems, unlike the OR approach which varies depending on the types of problems at hand. This paper shows an application of GA to a resource allocation problem in the construction …

An Evaluation Of Lane Closure Strategies For Interstate Work Zones, Raktim Pal, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

A systematic procedure was developed in the present study that can be used to make a decision regarding the appropriate lane closure strategy at a particular interstate work zone. Four criteria were identified which influence such a decision, namely user travel time and vehicle operating cost, traffic control cost, safety, and contractors’ convenience. The influences of these criteria were aggregated using the Analytic Hierarchy Approach. The procedure developed in the present study is systematic in nature, simple to use and sensitive to the policy adopted by a transportation agency. A computer program, LANECLOSE, was developed which can be readily used …

Asphalt Mix Design And Performance, Shakor Ramat Badaruddin, Thomas D. White

JTRP Technical Reports

Premature flexible pavement distress became a major concern in Indiana. As a result, a study was conducted investigating the major underlying factors. Pavement sections were investigated based on a factorial study with four factors comprised of climate, truck traffic, pavement base type, and wheel path. The distresses evaluated were rutting, thermal cracking and stripping. All were evaluated against control sections with zero distress. The pavement condition of each section was determined. Laboratory tests of field sample included physical properties, dynamic creep and recompaction. Results of the study indicate that the Asphalt Institute mix design criteria identify an asphalt content that …

Concrete Pavement Crack And Seat Performance Overlay Design, Haiming Huang, Thomas D. White

JTRP Technical Reports

The objective of this study is to develop guidelines and criteria for design and construction of overlays on cracked and seated concrete pavements. The main factors which are investigated in this study include number of the seated roller pass, weight of seating roller pass, weight of seating roller, thickness of overlay, fiber content and fiber layer location. Eleven test sections were constructed on I-65 and twenty two test sections were constructed on US-31. An extensive investigation was conducted involving both field and laboratory testing. Field investigations included pavement condition survey and non destructive testing (NDT) of the pavements using FWD …

Development Of Annual Permit Procedure For Overweight Trucks On Indiana Highways, Robert K. Whitford, David P. Moffett

JTRP Technical Reports

Overweight truck permitting in Indiana is presently done on a per trip basis. This study evaluated alternatives to each trip having to make a call to the INDOT permit office to gain a permit. The study was originally requested by the Indiana State Legislature under P.L. 122-1993 section 7 in response to delays in getting permits. The report’s six chapters are 1. Introduction and Summary 2. Review of Other States’ Permitting Systems 3. Framework for Policy Evaluation 4. Permits for Michigan Truck-Trains 5. Overweight and Overweight/Oversized Trucks 6. Implementation Suggestions – PLUS -- 7. Appendices. A Michigan Truck-Train is a …

Fatigue Strength Of Girders With Tapered Covered Plates, Ahmed Farouk Hassan, Mark D. Bowman

JTRP Technical Reports

This report represents results from a study to determine the fatigue strength of steel beams with welded partial-length cover plates. Results of an experimental investigation that examined the fatigue strength of various cracked cover plate end details that were subsequently repaired are presented. The repair methods investigated included a slip-critical bolted splice plate connection, air-hammer peening, and a combination of the previous two called a partial bolted splice connection. Also, an analytical model was developed to predict the fatigue behavior of a cover plate and detail that is repaired using one of the three repair methods investigated and which contains …

Improved Strategies For Deploying Vehicle-Actuated Control At Isolated Signalized Intersections, Michael J. Cassidy, Yu-Hao Chuang, Jeffrey Dunn Vitale

JTRP Technical Reports

This research has sought to demonstrate potential benefits from deploying enhanced vehicle actuation strategies at isolated signalized intersections. The work has exploited microscopic, stochastic simulation to evaluate impacts of enhanced vehicle-actuated (VA) control schemes for an array of operating conditions. Simulated outcomes (i.e. average vehicle delays) generated under the enhanced strategies were compared with outcomes resulting from more “conventional VA control policies. Findings from this work suggest that substantial delay reduction generally occurs by exploiting VA strategies which seek to 1) facilitate the use of the clearance interval by discharging vehicles, 2) shorten the duration of the required clearance interval …

New Treatment Combinations For Control Of Brush And Vegetation Management Along Indiana Roadsides, D. James Morré

JTRP Technical Reports

This report represents results from a project for research to develop and implement new treatment mixtures for control of problem brush, trees and other woody species and herbicide-resistant weeds along Indiana roadsides. An environmentally safe mixture of trichlopyr (Galon Herbicide) and ammonium nitrate for one application control of deciduous roadside vegetation was developed. Also discovered and developed was a new, environmentally safe and effective TR series of additives that enhance the action of the auxin herbicides (trichlopyr, 2,4-D, picloram) for inclusion in both the brush control mixtures and control of milkweed, Canada thistle, bindweed, ground cherry and other perennial, herbicide-resistant …

A Decision Support System For Real-Time Snow And Ice Control, Hjalmar James Miedema, J. R. Wright

JTRP Technical Reports

Effective real-time snow and ice control operations require a timely initial call-out. A timely initial call-out is one that mobilizes the workforce slightly prior to the onset of hazardous road conditions. In order to estimate the onset of hazardous road conditions, the snow and ice control decision makers use available physical and meteorological information. New technologies are developed that could provide better information, thereby improving the ability to make timely initial call-outs. A systematic methodology for evaluating the benefit of additional information used in snow and ice control initiation is presented. The purposed methodology compares reduction in the direct and …

Predicting Traffic Impacts At Two-Lane Highway Work Zones, Michael J. Cassidy, Youngtae Son

JTRP Technical Reports

Maintenance or reconstruction activity on a two-lane highway often requires a lane closure. The implementation of “one-way traffic control,” required to maintain traffic flow throughout the work zone, typically produces significant motorist delay. This report describes the adaptation and application of queuing models, originally derived for intersections controlled by vehicle-actuated traffic signals, to estimate delay at two-lane highway work zones. The models estimate expected delay as a function of directional traffic demand rates, work zone physical length and observed traffic measures. Validation efforts using simulation suggest that the models accurately predict the impacts of two-lane highway lane closures.

Effects Of Salt And Trace Minerals For Bituminous Pavement Literature Review, Information Gathering, And Research Plan Development, Robert Allan Pittenger, Terry R. West

JTRP Technical Reports

A review of current literature on the effects of deicing salt and trace minerals, such as sulfate, on aggregate deterioration was conducted. Such deterioration in both Portland cement concrete, and bituminous pavements was reviewed. For Portland cement concrete, it was determined that current research on the effects of moisture and deicing salt on aggregates concrete matrix durability, with little discussion on the effects on aggregates. The effects of trace minerals in deicing salt are also rarely discussed. Pore size distribution, insoluble residue, absorption, and susceptibility to alkali-silica reaction all appear to affect aggregate durability in the presence of moisture of …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Stay-In Place Deck Panels - Part 1, Ariel Goldman, Menashi D. Cohen, J. A. Ramirez

JTRP Technical Reports

The objective of this study was the evaluation of frost resistance of concrete bridge decks with stay-in-place galvanized steel deck forms. The evaluation included specific aspects related to the potential for D-cracking in concrete bridge decks with these forms. The experimental program has been set up so that the real parameters of the bridge deck overlays and the environmental conditions could have been modeled. The program included freezing-and-thawing testing of large concrete slab specimens (22 ¼” x 17 ¼” x 5 ¼”) situated in a computer-controlled environmental chamber and of small specimens (3” x 4” x 12”) immersed in water …

Behavior Of Concrete Bridge Decks And Slabs Reinforced With Epoxy Coated Steel, Hendy Oetih Hasan, J. A. Ramirez

JTRP Technical Reports

Thirty-four slab specimens with splices and transverse steel were tested in the laboratory to evaluate the structural performance of concrete bridge decks reinforced with epoxy-coated steel. Thirty specimens were tested under fatigue loading, and four were tested monotonically. Evaluations were made by comparing the performance of uncoated bar concrete specimens with that of epoxy-coated specimens under service and ultimate load conditions. In addition, a field evaluation of six bridges was conducted to assess the in-service condition of concrete bridge decks reinforced with epoxy-coated steel in Indiana. The laboratory results indicated fewer but wider cracks in specimens with epoxy-coated reinforcement. No …

Use Of Time Domain Reflectometry For Determination Of Water Content An Density Of Soil, Shafiqul I. Siddiqui, Vincent P. Drnevich

JTRP Technical Reports

A new method is developed for measuring in-place density and moisture content of soil using the technique of Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR). The method is applicable for construction control of earthworks. The method is extended for measuring moisture content of soil in the laboratory and in the field for various other geotechnical purposes. Laboratory uses include measuring moisture content of soil in compaction molds; field uses include measuring moisture content of soil in Shelby tubes and soil retrieved during drilling and sampling operations. In the course of achieving these goals, this study develops the principles of TDR probe design, test …

Power Shedding Experiences And Lessons In A Township, Alexander Kyaruzi

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper presents how power shedding by taking out one of the trans- former high voltage fuses causes phase imbalance. And for the same elec- nicc,l energy output generator fuel consuntption with unbalanced phases is 12.5% of The fuel consunwtion with balanced phases. Furthermore it is shown thal energy efficient lighting by use of energy efficient bulbs can reduce load shedding.

Optimum Geometrical Parameters For Prismatic Folded Plate Roofs: System- Atic Search Approach, N Mwitta

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Folded plate structures have unique structural advantages over conven- nonal beam-and-slab structural forms. Selection of optimum geometrical parameters in design would make folded plate roofs more appealing to the national construction industry in terms ofcost. This paper presents a study on shape optimization of prismatic folded plate roofs for minimum weight of the structure per unit covered area. A computer based systematic search approach has been employed.for the optimization study, while the tranyeer matrix method has been used for analysis. Curves opriinum geometrical parameters versus span have been pre sented for three commonly used shapes of prismatic folded plate roofs. …

Predicting Solute Transport In Natural Streams - A Stochastic Approach, Xueqing Zhou

Dissertations and Theses

The existing theories for predicting longitudinal dispersion in straight open channels have long been recognized as inadequate when applied to natural rivers. These theories tend to grossly underestimate dispersion in real streams since an important mixing mechanism due to nonuniform river cross-section variations is not explicitly taken into account. Recognizing the important role of stream irregularities on solute transport and the analytical difficulties of classical deterministic analysis, we develop a stochastic approach for analyzing solute transport in natural streams. Variations in river width and bed elevation are conveniently represented as one-dimensional random fields, characterized by their autocorrelation functions. Advection and …

Development Of A Highway Safety Management System For Indiana: Phase 1, Omar Farooq, Kumares C. Sinha, John Nagle, Dwayne Stanley James, Yi Jiang

JTRP Technical Reports

This report presents the work plan for the development of a highway safety management system for Indiana. It identifies major activities and responsibilities for the development and implementation of a formal, statewide, interactive safety decision-making process. The safety management system of Indiana is perceived as a continuous process of considering all opportunities to improve highway safety in all phases of highway planning, design, construction, maintenance and operation. The primary emphasis is on coordination of activities at various levels and on the development of a common information data base that can be used for selecting and implementing effective highway safety strategies …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Two Dimensional Finite Element Modeling Of Swift Delta Soil Nail Wall By "Abaqus", Richard James Barrows

Dissertations and Theses

Soil nail walls are a form of mechanical earth stabilization for cut situations. They consist of the introduction of passive inclusions (nails) into soil cut lifts. These nailed lifts are then tied together with a structural facing (usually shotcrete) . The wall lifts are constructed incrementally from the top of cut down. Soil nail walls are being recognized as having potential for large cost savings over other alternatives. The increasing need to provide high capacity roadways in restricted rights of way under structures such as bridges will require increasing use of techniques such as combined soil nail and piling walls. …