Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Risk-Based Bridge Inspection Practices, Rebecca Reising

Open Access Theses

Improving bridge safety, reliability, and the allocation of bridge inspection resources are the goals of the proposed risk based bridge inspection practices. Currently, most bridges in the United States are inspected at a fixed calendar interval of 24 months, without regard to the condition of the bridge. Newer bridges with little or no damage are inspected with the same frequency as older, more deteriorated bridges thus creating inefficiency in the allocation of inspection resources. Because of limited resources, it is not possible to spend the necessary time examining bridges that are in poor condition and require extra attention since equal …

Investigating The Role Of Dem Resolution And Accuracy On Flood Inundation Mapping, Siddharth Saksena

Open Access Theses

Saksena, Siddharth. M.S.C.E., Purdue University, May 2014. Investigating the Role of DEM Resolution and Accuracy on Flood Inundation Mapping. Major Professor: Venkatesh Merwade. Topography plays an important role in determining the accuracy of flood inundation maps. A lot of the current flood inundation maps are created using topographic information derived from Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. Although LiDAR data is very accurate, it is expensive, computationally time consuming and not available in several areas across the United States and around the world. As a result, coarser resolution DEMs which are easily available but less accurate are used for flood …

Floodplain Mapping Using Soil Survey Geographic (Ssurgo) Database, Nikhil Sangwan

Open Access Theses

Floods are the most damaging of all natural disasters, adversely affecting millions of lives and causing financial losses worth billions of dollars every year across the globe. Flood inundation maps play a key role in assessment and mitigation of the potential flood hazards. However, there are several communities in the United States for which the flood risk maps have not been published yet, as the current flood inundation mapping methods are typically very expensive and time consuming. The objective of this study is to develop and examine an economical alternative approach to floodplain mapping using widely available soil survey data. …

Rheological Properties Of Laponite And Chemically Modified Laponite Suspensions, Meng Shen

Open Access Theses

This research investigates the rheological properties of concentrated laponite RD suspensions modified through the addition of laponite RDS and sodium pyrophosphate (SPP). The work is aimed at establishing the possible suitability of these materials for treating liquefaction susceptible sands. This application requires that a laponite suspension initially exhibits liquid like behavior and low viscosity that allow its delivery into the pore space of a sand, but that over time the suspension develop a gel structure with solid like behavior that can serve to restrict sand particle mobility during earthquake shaking.

The experimental program made use of a Physica MCR 301 …

Signalized Corridor Assessment, William Benjamin Smith

Open Access Theses

Traffic engineers are often required to investigate the operation of a corridor and determine if there are any areas for improvement. Typical performance measures used to aid in the analysis are volume-to-capacity ratio and average delays based on the Highway Capacity Manual method. Signal timing software might also be used to adjust the split timings in effort to improve the corridor. This thesis discusses procedure to implement split timing optimization and delay analysis to enhance the current process of corridor assessment.

This study examined the newly opened US-231 bypass corridor outside of West Lafayette, IN. Initially, all intersections were operating …

Guidelines For Construction Companies To Decide Between Outsourcing And Self-Performing For Prefabricated Components, Sebastian Soto Ortiz

Open Access Theses

Prefabrication and modularization has been used in the construction industry for decades. It has recently made a resurgence worldwide providing increased productivity, safety, quality and construction schedule. This research has focused on the situation where a construction company has decided to use prefabrication and faces two possibilities, they either will self-perform or they will outsource the construction of the prefabricated components. The decision making process used by a construction company to determine whether to outsource or self-perform prefabricated components is examined and analyzed.

Prefabrication is an industrial process in which certain components are manufactured in a specialized facility. These items …

Attached-Growth System For Nitrification At Low Temperature, Zhe Sun

Open Access Theses

Attached-growth biological treatment systems have potential to conduct nitrification in cold-temperature climates. In this research, in order to simulate the attached-growth nitrification process (using BOBBER biological reactor) at a real wastewater treatment facility, two laboratory-scale mini-BOBBER systems were installed in a temperature-controlled room and were operated for 101 days with pure ammonium chloride feed solution. Steady-state conditions were approached at 20°C, 15°C, 10°C, and 5°C. In addition, a series of batch experiments were conducted at temperatures of 20°C and 5°C to investigate the relationship between nitrification rate and ammonia-N concentration. Results from these experiments were analyzed and compared with the …

Retrofiting Lid Practices Into Existing Neighborhoods: Is It Worth It?, Timothy Wright

Open Access Theses

Low impact development (LID) practices are gaining popularity as a way to manage stormwater close to the source. This reduces infrastructure requirements and helps to maintain hydrologic processes close to predevelopment conditions. Studies have shown LID practices to be effective in reducing runoff and improving water quality. However, little has been done to aid decision makers in selecting the most effective practices for their needs and budgets.

To this end, the L-THIA LID model has been applied. Using readily available data sources, multiple scenarios can quickly be examined, and then analyzed to determine the cost of implementation and the approximate …

An Analysis On Causes Of Late Final Payment And Release Of Retainage: Electrical Subcontractors’ View, Xuejing Zhang

Open Access Theses

Using the survey approach, this study identified the underlying causes of late payments and release of retainage for electrical subcontractors, attempting to answer the questions, "What were the minimum, maximum and average delay days of final payment and release of retainage?", "What were the rank of factors in terms of significance on delaying final payment and release of retainage?", and "What were the rank of factors in terms of frequency on delaying final payment and release of retainage?" A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to about 150 professionals in electrical subcontractors. 29 reports were collected. Based upon the analysis …

Small Strain Stiffness Of A Carbonatic Fine Grained Soil, Sulaiman Dawood

Open Access Theses

The work presented in this thesis is part of a broad effort aimed at the characterization of the engineering properties, microstructure and mineralogy of soft fine-grained carbonatic soil deposit in Southwestern Indiana (Daviess Co.). The specific focus of this thesis is the characterization, through both field and laboratory measurements, of the small strain behavior of this soil, commonly referred to as a "marl."

Index tests indicate that the 3.5 m marl layer present at the site is characterized by two soil types alternating in small sublayers: a high plasticity silt (soil M) with wn ∼60% and CaCO3 ∼60%, mostly in …

Detailed Finite Element Analysis And Preliminary Study Of The Effects Of Friction And Fastener Pre-Tension On The Mechanical Behavior Of Fastened Built-Up Members, Francisco Javier Bonachera Martin

Open Access Theses

The characterization of fatigue resistance is one of the main concerns in structural engineering, a concern that is particularly important in the evaluation of existing bridge members designed or erected before the development of fatigue design provisions. The ability of a structural member to develop alternate load paths after the failure of a component is known as member-level or internal redundancy. In fastened built-up members, these alternate load paths are affected by the combination of fastener pre-tension and friction between the structural member components in contact. In this study, a finite element methodology to model and analyze riveted and bolted …

Graphical Performance Measures For Practitioners To Identify Split Failures, Richard Scott Freije

Open Access Theses

Detector occupancy is commonly used to measure traffic signal performance. Despite improvements in controller computational power, there have been relatively few innovations in occupancy-based performance measures or integration with other data. This thesis introduces and demonstrates the use of graphical performance measures based on detector occupancy ratios to verify potential split failures and other signal timing shortcomings reported to practitioners by the public. The proposed performance measures combine detector occupancy during the green interval, detector occupancy during the first five seconds of the red interval, and phase termination cause (gap out or force off). These are summarized by time of …

Effectiveness Of Air Sealing Measures And Other Energy Retrofit Measures In Lafayette Energy Improvement Program, Jia Ye

Open Access Theses

From September 2011 to March 2013, the City of Lafayette, IN implemented Lafayette Improvement Program. The goal of this project was to "increase energy efficiency of existing homes through retrofitting, thereby lowering the costs of home ownership within the Vinton and Glen Acres Neighborhood Target Area (The City of Lafayette, 2011)." Energy audit companies carried out before blower door test and after blower door test to identify air tightness of subjects. This paper finds out there was an improvement in air tightness in the population of 85 houses and the degree of improvement was between 16.85% and 17.85%.

Change point …

Post-Fracture Capacity Of Railroad Flat Car Bridges, Teresa L. Washeleski

Purdue Road School

Railroad flatcars (RRFCs) are a convenient option to replace existing deteriorating bridge structures on low-volume roads. They are typically used as the bridge superstructure by placing two or more flatcars side-by-side to achieve the desired bridge width. Utilizing RRFCs as a bridge allows for rapid construction and greater cost savings compared to traditional practices. These benefits make them an attractive solution for rural communities in Indiana, as well as other states.

Uncertainty remains about the response under higher loads than could be easily achieved in the field and the level of redundancy of railroad flatcar bridges. Using RRFCs as bridges …

Ada Focused Construction Inspection, Erik Seef, Eryn Fletcher

Purdue Road School

This presentation will introduce inspection guidelines for field staff to implement in inspecting projects with pedestrian facilities, including curb ramps and pedestrian signals. Review of new INDOT curb standards and requirements for accessible pedestrian signals will be included. These recent changes in standards will impact projects and thus it is imperative to advise field staff of what they should be looking for with regard to width and slopes on pedestrian access routes and pedestrian push buttons. Several issues have been noted in the field, including excessive cross slope and running slope, installation of fingertip-actuated push buttons, and substandard level landings …

Road Safety Audits, Henry Brown

Purdue Road School

A Road Safety Audit (RSA) is a formal review of an existing or proposed road segment or intersection by an independent, multi-disciplinary team. The purpose of an RSA is to identify safety concerns and suggest possible countermeasures to the project owner. There are several benefits to conducting RSAs, including increased awareness of safety and a reduction in the number of crashes. The RSA process includes 8 steps during which the RSA team develops a list of findings and presents them to the project owner for consideration. The RSA process for an existing facility includes a field review during which the …

I-65 South Split Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement, Tommy E. Nantung

Purdue Road School

Continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is constructed with reinforcing steel placed in along the entire length of the pavement. CRCP forms tight transverse cracks to evenly transfer loads without the need of contraction joints. The result is a continuous, smooth-riding pavement surface capable of accommodating heavy traffic loads in a severe environmental condition. First constructed in Indiana more than 75 years ago on US-50, CRCP became popular with the construction of the Interstate Highway system in the 1960s and 1970s. Many sections of interstate and non-interstate highways constructed at that time are still in service today, having outperformed their original …

2014 Road School, Kevin M. Hetrick

Purdue Road School

At the 2014 Road School, this presentation focused on the proposed sliding of the Milton-Madison Bridge, a 15000 ton truss superstructure intended to move laterally 55 feet from a temporary location onto permanent piers. The project was a joint procurement between INDOT and KYTC, with a Design/Build team consisting of Walsh Construction, Buckland and Taylor, and Burgess and Niple performing the slide. The presentation was in early March, with the slide scheduled for later in the month. The slide will be the largest of its kind.

Most Common Errors For Ada Ramp Construction, Stephen G. Metzer Aicp, Pws

Purdue Road School

Curb ramps are essential for persons with disabilities to traverse pedestrian facilities, allowing them to get from street level to the sidewalk. Errors that occur during the construction of curb ramps can result in ramps that are non-compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. This presentation will include examples of common sidewalk construction errors and offer ways that project engineers can assess existing ramps to identify cases where additional design assistance may be required.

Drilled Shaft Design & Construction-Integrity Testing Issues, Mir A. Zaheer, David Latka

Purdue Road School

This presentation will provide an overview of the design and construction of drilled shafts in Indiana, including construction monitoring issue, discussion of CSL, PIT and TIP testing, and comparisons with cores taken.

Post-Failure Capacity Of Built-Up Steel Members, Matthew H. Hebdon

Purdue Road School

Mechanically fastened built-up steel members have long been known to possess internal member redundancy and, as a result, multiple load paths which can be exploited to increase their functional life. Internal redundancy provides the ability to resist total member failure in the event of a fracture of an individual component. However, there is little experimental data in the literature regarding post-fracture capacity in terms of strength and subsequent fatigue life. The experimental study currently underway will provide needed information on parameters that affect the ability of built- up members to arrest a fracture as well as the available remaining fatigue …

Ada Prowag Status And Common Issues/Solutions, Stephen G. Metzer Aicp, Pws

Purdue Road School

The Proposed Accessibility Guidelines for Pedestrian facilities in the Public Right-of-Way (aka PROWAG), dated July 26, 2011, went through an extensive public comment period that ended in early 2012. The Access Board anticipates issuing final guidance that will be the enforceable standard for facilities in the public ROW. This presentation will provide the latest status of the guidelines and present common problems and creative solutions.

Tools For Improving Your Workplace, Ray W. Wilson

Purdue Road School

In this fast-paced session, learn eight practical tools that will help you conduct better meetings, gather, analyze and present data about your organization, and experience how a group can use these tools to quickly learn the causes of problems and to decide where to focus effort.

Kitchen Table Meetings: Applying The Golden Rule To Property Owner Outreach, David N. Goffinet, David Pluckebaum

Purdue Road School

Property impacts are unavoidable with most road construction. Rather than the owner’s first experience being a drilling rig pull up in their drive-way, the kitchen table meeting process takes a proactive approach to sitting down in the “safety and comfort” of their home, upfront to discuss the type and timing of activities that will occur during design, property acquisition and construction— reducing the “unknown” in this multi-year process that happens too fast for some and too slowly for others. Learn how this approach has not only resulted in increased project acceptance and perception, but also in valuable knowledge that can …

2014 Directory Of Indiana State, County, City And Town Officials Responsible For Road And Street Work, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Directory

Contact information for local agency officials and employees responsible for Indiana’s local road infrastructure.

Analytical System For Planning Of Infrastructure Rehabilitation (Aspire), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

ASPIRE stands for Analytical System for Planning of Infrastructure REhabilitation, a decision support system that can be used for all kinds of infrastructure facilities. It is based on a rehabilitation modeling theory developed by Professor Makarand Hastak at Purdue University.

Concession Analysis For Highway Infrastructure Projects Financed As Public-Private Partnerships, Tanaphat Jeerangsuwan

Open Access Dissertations

Public funds allocated to the improvement and maintenance of highway infrastructure have reached the limits due to a rapid rate of socioeconomic growth and deterioration in infrastructure system performance. A public-private partnership (PPP) concessions a contractual and project financing mechanism that helps public authorities lessen the impact of their limited financial resources. In this project financing scheme, a public authority enters into a partnership with a private concessionaire for the purpose of developing a specific infrastructure facility. In return, the concessionaire receives the right to operate for a specified period of time. This creates strong potential for the delivery of …

Concise Handbook For Temporary Traffic Control, Indiana Ltap, Ohio Department Of Transportation

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This handbook gives the basic principles and provides examples for the design, application, installation, and maintenance of the various types of traffic control devices used in temporary traffic control or for incident management. The guidelines presented are in accordance with the standards provided within the Indiana Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (IMUTCD). This handbook is based upon one created by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Guidelines for Traffic Control in Work Zones. Indiana LTAP expresses thanks to ODOT for their permission to reprint this material.

Evaluation Of Structural Properties Of The Freeze–Thaw-Damaged Rc Beam Members By Nonlinear Finite-Element Analysis, Hiroshi Hayashida, Yasuhiko Sato, Tamon Ueda

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

On RC beam members damaged by freeze–thaw cycles, the authors performed nonlinear finite-element analysis using distributed reinforcement and smeared cracking models, toward evaluating the structural properties of such RC beams. We then compared the analysis results to test results. The comparison found that the accuracy of analysis depends on the severity of concrete deterioration. It was clarified that the test values do not agree with the analysis values for RC beams that experience shear rigidity reduction from freezing damage to the compressive area or for RC beams that experience decreased rebar–concrete bonding strength from freezing damage to the tensile area. …

Research On Microscopic Pore Structure And Permeability Of Air-Entrained Fly–Ash Concrete Subjected To Freezing And Thawing Action, Zhuo Zhao, Dawang Li, Feng Xing, Ningxu Han, Dongwei Wang

International Conference on Durability of Concrete Structures

In this paper, rapid freezing and thawing test of air-entrained fly–ash concrete was carried out. Gas adsorption of concrete pores, mass loss, dynamic elastic modulus, and chloride diffusion coefficient of concrete after different freezing and thawing cycles was tested; scanning electron image was used to study the microscopic pore structure of the specimens. Results show that after certain freezing and thawing cycles, microscopic pores of the sample had a brittle failure, which results in sudden changes of cumulative desorption pore volume and cumulative desorption surface area obtained by Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda method. It was found that the variation of …