Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest's Pavements - Phase I - Focus Group Content Analysis - Iowa, University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This research is being conducted as part of a larger study of the public’s perceptions of state-maintained rural highway pavements in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Later stages of this project will involve interviewing residents of the three states by telephone to gather information about people’s concerns about the pavements in general and specific stretches of highways in particular. Information from this effort is expected to aid the states’ Departments of Transportation refine the standards used to set pavement reconstruction priorities to better meet the needs of residents.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest's Pavements - Iowa - Executive Summary, Robert J. Griffin, David A. Kuemmel, Richard Robinson, Ronald C. Sonntag, James K. Giese

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This report summarizes Iowa results of a five year, Pooled Fund study involving the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota DOTs designed to 1) assess the public's perceptions of the departments’ pavement improvement strategies and 2) to develop customer-based thresholds of satisfaction with pavements on rural two lane highways in each state as related to the Departments’ physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition. The primary objective was to seek systematic customer input to improve the Departments’ pavement improvement policies by 1) determining how drivers perceive the departments’ pavements in terms of comfort and convenience but also in terms of other …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Minnesota - Phase I (Focus Group), University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This research is being conducted as part of a larger study of the public’s perceptions of state-maintained rural highway pavements in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Later stages of this project will involve interviewing residents of the three states by telephone to gather information about people’s concerns about the pavements in general and specific stretches of highways in particular. Information from this effort is expected to aid the states’ Departments of Transportation refine the standards used to set pavement reconstruction priorities to better meet the needs of residents.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Wisconsin - Executive Summary, David Kuemmel, Richard Robinson, Robert J. Griffin, Ronald C. Sonntag, James K. Giese

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This report summarizes Wisconsin results of a five year, Pooled Fund study involving the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota DOTs designed to 1) assess the public's perceptions of the departments’ pavement improvement strategies and 2) to develop customer-based thresholds of satisfaction with pavements on rural two lane highways in each state as related to the Departments’ physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition. The primary objective was to seek systematic customer input to improve the Departments’ pavement improvement policies by 1) determining how drivers perceive the departments’ pavements in terms of comfort and convenience but also in terms of other …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Wisconsin - Phase I (Winter Ride), Marquette University,Department Of Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The Wisconsin Winter Ride Survey was designed to determine the extent to which drivers were tolerant of the rougher ride of pavements on rural two-lane highways in the winter. Survey objectives, as such, were centered around this primary question of winter ride tolerance. A telephone survey was conducted by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory (WSRL), which added questions to its quarterly Wisconsin Opinion Poll for the data collection period of January 15 to March 15, 1997. A similar survey focusing only on the topic of winter driving on rural highways was conducted in Minnesota during the same period. Random digit …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Minnesota - Phase Iii (Targeted Survey Report), University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This research is being conducted as part of a larger study of the public’s perceptions of state-maintained rural highway pavements in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Later stages of this project will involve interviewing residents of the three states by telephone to gather information about people’s concerns about the pavements in general and specific stretches of highways in particular. Information from this effort is expected to aid the states’ Departments of Transportation refine the standards used to set pavement reconstruction priorities to better meet the needs of residents.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Wisconsin - Phase I (Focus Group), University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This research is being conducted as part of a larger study of the public's perceptions of state-maintained rural highway pavements in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Later stages of this project will involve interview;ing residents of the three states by telephone to gather information about people's concerns about the pavements in general and specific stretches of highways in particular. Information from this effort is expected to aid the states' Departments of Transportation refine the standards used to set pavement reconstruction priorities to better meet the needs of residents.

Development Of Comprehensive Subgrade Deflection Acceptance Criteria - Phase 3 Report, James Crovetti, Jay Schabelski

Transportation Research Center: Subgrade Deflection Studies

This report has presented the findings of Phase III of research conducted to aid in the development of subgrade deflection acceptance criteria for WisDOT. The reconfigured rolling wheel deflectomter (RWD), portable truck-mounted deflection measurement systems, and automated dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) were utilized on subgrade construction projects throughout the 2000 construction season. Laboratory analysis of soil properties, including Proctor, CBR and unconfined compression tests, were also conducted.

The research findings have validated the concept of using deflection testing results to identify areas of poor in-place stability within constructed subgrades. It is recommended that pilot implementations of deflection acceptance testing be …

2001 Wisdot Specifications - Marquette Staff Introduction, Marquette University, Transportation Research Center

Transportation Research Center: Noise & Texture Studies

No abstract provided.

2001 Wisdot Specifications - Texture Of Pcc Pavements, Marquette University, Transportation Research Center

Transportation Research Center: Noise & Texture Studies

No abstract provided.

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Wisconsin - Phase Iii (Final Report), Marquette University, Department Of Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The stratified sample furnished by WisDOT and the participants recruited by the WSRL provided a sample adequate for purposes of fulfilling the objectives of Phase III. The sample as furnished by the DOT was skewed towards better pavement quality based on PDI. However, the sample based on IRI was skewed toward poorer quality pavements. The team believes this shows a balanced sample, and the differences in pavement quality between the two indices are the result of the IRI boundaries for the categories. The categories in the two indices should be in closer agreement, although they measure different characteristics.

Overall, the …

Excessive Strand End Slip In Prestressed Piles, Michael F. Petrou, Baolin Wan, Walter S. Joiner, Constantin G. Trezos, Kent A. Harries

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents the results of a research project that investigated excessive strand end slip observed recently in some prestressed piles. From measurements taken in the field, it is apparent that the problem o excessive initial strand slip is independent of pile shape and size. Strand end slip is evident in piles of different manufacturers in different states in the Southeast. Excessive strand end slip was found in both the top and bottom of the cross section of the piles, although the top portion of the cross section generally exhibited much higher initial slip. Several preventive measures can be adopted …

Influence Of Mortar Rheology On Aggregate Settlement, Michael F. Petrou, Baolin Wan, Francis Gadala-Maria, Venkata Giri Kolli, Kent A. Harries

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The influence of the rheology of fresh concrete on the settlement of aggregate is examined. Fresh concrete exhibits a yield stress that, under certain conditions, prevents the settlement of coarse aggregate, although its density is larger than that of the suspending mortar. Calculations, based on estimates of the yield stress obtained from slump tests, predict that aggregate normally used in concrete should not sink. To test this prediction, the settlement of a stone in fresh mortar is monitored. The stone does not sink in the undisturbed mortar (which has a high yield stress), but sinks when the mortar is vibrated, …

Preferences For Permitted And Protected Left-Turn Signal Displays, Alexander Drakopoulos, Richard W. Lyles

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Twenty-two different signal displays for permitted and protected left turns were evaluated from a driver comprehension perspective. The objective was to identify which alternate signal displays used to convey the same left-turn message to the driver are better comprehended and therefore recommended for use in the field. Protected displays compliant with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices were found to be better comprehended than certain noncompliant displays; however, some noncompliant permitted displays were found to outperform their compliant counterparts. Regional comprehension biases are nonexistent for the most part, regardless of display compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control …

Main Project Report : Noise And Texture On Pcc Pavements, David Kuemmel, Ronald C. Sonntag, James Crovetti, Yosef Becker, John R. Jaeckel, Allex Satanovsky

Transportation Research Center: Noise & Texture Studies

This report represents the second phase of a project sponsored by the Wisconsin DOT and the FHWA researching the texture and noise characteristics of Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements. The team of Marquette University and the HNTB Corporation measured noise, texture and friction of 57 test sites in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. During 1997, new test sections were constructed in Wisconsin, including random transverse, skewed and longitudinally tined PCC pavements. Interior and exterior noise was measured on all 57 sites using the Fast Fourier Transform method with a Larson-Davis two channel real time acoustical analyzer. Subjective …

Traffic Responsive Ramp Metering In A Coordinated System, Brian P. Scharles

Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus

Surface transportation in the United States faces a number of problems. Despite the fact that the United States has one of the best roadway systems in the world, the mobility is declining. Inefficient movement of vehicles reduces productivity, wastes energy, increases emissions, and threatens the quality of life we enjoy. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) provide tools that can assist in addressing current surface transportation problems. ITS provides emerging and advanced technologies in the area of communications, information processing, controls and electronics for transportation needs. Implementation of these technologies regains support of transportation agendas, in an attempt to solve today's traffic …

Investigative Study Of The Italgrip System - Noise Analysis, David Kuemmel, John Jaeckel, Alex Satanovsky

Transportation Research Center: Noise & Texture Studies

The purpose of this study was to determine if Italgrip is a suitable technique to increase the safety and quality of Wisconsin roadways. The objective of this noise analysis is to identify and quantify any exterior noise impacts of the Italgrip anti-skid surface treatment on PCC pavements. Italgrip is a very thin surface treatment consisting of a two-part polymer resin placed on pavement and covered with re-worked steel slag. Although widely used in Italy, Italgrip has only been available in the United States since 1999.

This study analyzes comparative data from three types of pavement surfaces: untreated transverse tined PCC …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Introduction, David Kuemmel

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The “Public Perceptions of the Midwest’s Pavements” is the largest survey of public perceptions of satisfaction and improvement policies on rural, two-lane highways ever conducted in the 20th Century in the USA. The project was a Pooled Fund effort undertaken by the Wisconsin DOT and included equal participation of the Iowa and Minnesota DOTs. Approximately 4500 drivers and over 1000 highway segments were surveyed in the three states in all three phases of the project, between 1996 and 2000.

The surveys included improvement policy and construction alternative issues and trade-offs, as well as surveys of beliefs and attitudes of the …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Iowa - Phase Ii (State Wide Survey Report), Marquette University Research Team, Transportation Research Center

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

This report covers Phase II of a three-phase pooled-fund project in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, to determine the perception/satisfaction levels of the driving public and how they correlate with the states’ physical data bases used to determine priorities for pavement improvements on rural, two-lane highways. In addition, policy issues of trust and improvement trade-offs are addressed.

In Phase I, six focus groups were conducted in each state to determine the beliefs and issues about pavements that could be used to draft statewide questionnaires. Focus groups were held during the last half of 1996 in all three states. From the focus …

Investigation Of Feasible Pavement Design Alternatives For Wisdot, James Crovetti, Sam Owusu-Ababio

Transportation Research Center: Feasible Pavement Design Alternatives

The current pavement design and selection process of WisDOT for all new pavements or reconstructions of existing pavement structures provides for the design of one asphaltic concrete (AC) and one portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement alternative. Life-cycle costs analyses are then used to determine the preferred alternative for construction. Previous restrictions in the WisDOT pavement selection process have essentially excluded the construction of thick AC (AC thickness > 150 mm) and thin PCC (PCC thickness < 225 mm) pavements and thus the validity of current life-cycle cost inputs for these pavement types is under question.

This report presents a performance analysis of existing thick AC and thin PCC pavements constructed in and around Wisconsin. The performance trends developed indicate current design …

Cost Effective Concrete Pavement Cross Sections - Interim Report, James Crovetti

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

The present pavement selection policy of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) limits the design alternatives for Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) pavements and inhibits the designer's ability to select cross-sections deviating from uniform slab thicknesses with doweled transverse joints. Currently, uniform slab thicknesses and conventional joint load transfer devices are incorporated into the design based on the heavy truck traffic in the outer lane. While this strategy provides for adequate pavement structure in this truck lane to limit faulting and slab cracking to tolerable levels, there is a potential for over-design in other traffic lanes which receive significantly lower Equivalent …

Public Perceptions Of The Midwest’S Pavements - Minnesota - Phase I (Winter Ride), University Of Wisconsin - Extension, Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory, Marquette University, Department Of Civil, Construction, And Environmental Engineering

Transportation Research Center: Public Perception of Midwest Pavements

The Minnesota Winter Ride Survey was designed to gauge the extent to which motorists were tolerant of the rougher ride of pavements on rural two-lane highways in the winter. Survey objectives, therefore, were centered around this focal question of winter ride tolerance. A telephone survey was conducted during the first quarter of the year (January 15 to March 15, 1997) by the Wisconsin Survey Research Laboratory (WSRL), which simultaneously conducted a similar survey in Wisconsin. Random digit dial samples were drawn for both states according to accepted sampling procedure. The survey data set provided by WSRL included 417 respondents.

Analysis …

Membrane Analogy For Saint-Venant Torsion: New Results, Stephen M. Heinrich

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The Saint-Venant torsion problem for a twisted shaft may be formulated in terms of the Prandtl stress function (PSF) or the conjugate warping function (CWF), each of which may be interpreted as the transverse deflection of a thin membrane via the well-known membrane (soap-film) analogies. The deflection of the PSF membrane is associated with a uniform transverse pressure loading, whereas the CWF membrane is nonpressurized—its deformation is due solely to imposed deflections along its edge. The utility of the PSF analogy stems from the simple relationships that exist between the geometry of the deformed membrane (slope, enclosed volume) and the …

Analysis Of Support Conditions Under Joined Concrete Slabs Along Ush 18/151, James Crovetti

Transportation Reports with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has been constructing jointed concrete pavements incorporating open graded permeable base (OGPB) layers for a number of years. The OGPB layer has been constructed using non-stabilized, asphalt stabilized, and cement stabilized aggregates of varying gradations. Test sections have been established throughout the State of Wisconsin and have been monitored for performance for the last 5 years. To date, little if any performance variations after limited trafficking have been noted for jointed PCC sections constructed over OGPB layers as compared to those constructed over conventional dense graded aggregate base layers.

Data was collected along USH 18/151 …

Knowledge‐Based Expert System For Concrete Mix Design, Yong Bai, Serji N. Amirkhanian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In the United States, the American Concrete Institute method (ACI 211) is the most widely used concrete mix design. However, ACI 211 does not consider all factors regarding concrete mix design. The acceptance of a freshly mixed concrete depends on concrete quality control test results. If the results indicate that the concrete does not meet the specification, mix design adjustment must be made. Concrete mix design and adjustment are somewhat complicated and time‐consuming tasks that are performed best by experienced persons. In this project, a rule‐based expert system was developed to assist the user in concrete mix design, including the …

Accident Analysis Of Ice Control Operations, David Kuemmel, Rashad Hanbali

Transportation Research Center: Accident Analysis of Ice Control Operations

Highway maintenance involves all work necessary to assure that the highway system is kept safe, open to traffic, and in proper working order. During winter, the removal of snow and ice from streets, roads, and highways is a major maintenance operation. With more than 135 million motor vehicles registered in the United States and roughly four million miles of roads and streets, local governments must be prepared to deal with the removal of snow and ice to insure public safety, and to reduce the adverse impact on the affected area’s economy.

Snow and ice covered roads can paralyze the functioning …

Accident Analysis Of Ice Control Operations - Abstract, David Kuemmel, Rashad Hanbali

Transportation Research Center: Accident Analysis of Ice Control Operations

This widely publicized study by Marquette University was the first of its kind in North America to document, with statistical validity, the direct benefits of deicing operations. It was patterned after a German study of the Technical University at Darmstadt during the late 1980s.

The Marquette study was conducted during the winter of 1990-1991 in four states: New York, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It covered a network of 520 miles of randomly selected twolane undivided highways and 50 miles of multi-lane divided freeways in the four states. The sections included were primarily rural or sub-urban.

Data collection included estimated hourly …

Stress Interference In A Transversely Isotropic Body Under Axisymmetric Loading, Stephen M. Heinrich, J. Y. Wang

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

An unbounded homogeneous transversely isotropic body of revolution containing two twin spheroidal cavities is subjected to an axisymmetric loading. The axis of loading symmetry coincides with the axis of elastic symmetry of the material and the axis of revolution of the body. The elasticity solution is obtained in series form utilizing the displacement potential representation for the equilibrium of transversely isotropic solids, and numerical results are presented for the cases of two spherical cavities perturbing uniaxial and hydrostatic tension fields in certain hexagonal crystals and in isotropic materials. Of primary interest is the influence of cavity spacing and material type …

Facing The Problem Of Traffic Congestion, William Forrestal

Bachelors’ Theses

Modes of transportation are constantly changing, and traffic, as well as its control, must be adapted to each new development.

Playgrounds And Recreation Areas In Real Estate Subdivisions, Joseph L. Doyle

Bachelors’ Theses

With the coming of the machine age, the need of adequate playground and recreation areas in large cities is steadily increasing. During the past ten years, or more, congested cities have found it necessary to supply at any cost, playground and. recreation areas, for their people, who from year to year find that they have more and more leisure time at their disposal. In an unlimited number of instances the only way this could be secured was by buying valuable land, wrecking the buildings thereon, and thus provide open spaces for recreation at an enormous cost to the city. Had …