Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Quantitative Analysis Of The Impact Of Craft Labor Availability On Construction Project Performance, Hossein Karimi

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

A shortage of skilled craft labor in the North American construction industry has been an unfortunate cyclic trend since the late 1980s. This shortage has been reported and discussed frequently by numerous past studies in the context of construction industry. The 2008 U.S. recession was at least one period when the craft shortage temporarily improved, as witnessed by spikes in construction unemployment rates above 20% due to the work slowdowns. However, the current economic recovery period is once again experiencing craft shortages in some sectors of the U.S. construction industry. Although the past literature provides wealth of information about influence …

Segment-Based Reliability Assessment For Water Distribution Networks, Erika Hernandez Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

In recent years, water utilities have placed a greater emphasis on the reliability and resilience of their water distribution networks. This focus has increased due to the continuing aging of such infrastructure and the potential threat of natural or man-made disruptions. As a result, water utilities continue to look for ways to evaluate the resiliency of their systems with a goal of identifying critical elements that need to be reinforced or replaced. The simulation of pipe breaks in water reliability studies is traditionally modeled as the loss of a single pipe element. This assumes that each pipe has an isolation …

Tunable Nanocomposite Membranes For Water Remediation And Separations, Sebastián Hernández Sierra

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Nano-structured material fabrication using functionalized membranes with polyelectrolytes is a promising research field for water pollution, catalytic and mining applications. These responsive polymers react to external stimuli like temperature, pH, radiation, ionic strength or chemical composition. Such nanomaterials provide novel hybrid properties and can also be self-supported in addition to the membranes.

Polyelectrolytes (as hydrogels) have pH responsiveness. The hydrogel moieties gain or lose protons based on the pH, displaying swelling properties. These responsive materials can be exploited to synthesize metal nanoparticles in situ using their functional groups, or to immobilize other polyelectrolytes and biomolecules. Due to their properties, these …

Impact Of Climate Change On Extreme Hydrological Events In The Kentucky River Basin, Somsubhra Chattopadhyay

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Anthropogenic activities including urbanization, rapid industrialization, deforestation and burning of fossil fuels are broadly agreed on as primary causes for ongoing climate change. Scientists agree that climate change over the next century will continue to impact water resources with serious implications including storm surge flooding and a sea level rise projected for North America. To date, the majority of climate change studies conducted across the globe have been for large-sized watersheds; more attention is required to assess the impact of climate change on smaller watersheds, which can help to better frame sustainable water management strategies.

In the first of three …

Nondestructive Evaluation Of Steel Bridges: Methods And Applications, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Christopher Goff, Jared Fairchild, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods can be used to assess in-service steel bridges for problematic conditions caused by factors such as design, manufacturing, fabrication, and the service effects of traffic and corrosion. This report discusses typical NDE test methods used on bridges, including penetrant testing, magnetic particle testing, eddy current testing, ultrasonic testing (including phased array testing), radiography, and acoustic emission testing. NDE operations such as flaw location, characterization, and sizing are covered as well. Results of a national survey of departments of transportation’s (DOTs) use of NDE are presented. A simple procedure for using NDE to address DOT bridge concerns …

Thin Film Concrete Coatings, Bobby W. Meade, Danny Wells, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KTC researchers obtained eight types of concrete coatings to assess their performance and resistance to chloride penetration. Researchers evaluated eight of the systems in the field and seven in the laboratory. In the field, coatings were applied to a bridge pier that had suffered degradation and chloride contamination. This site will undergo long term monitoring in order to thoroughly evaluate the coating systems. Adhesion of all products in both field and laboratory application was sufficient to provide a durable coating, and ranged from approximately 500 psi to 1,600 psi. Researchers also tested color and gloss changes, which are early indicators …

Bridge End Settlement Evaluation And Prediction, Jiwen Zhang, Timothy R. Taylor, Roy E. Sturgill

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A bridge approach is usually built to provide a smooth and safe transition for vehicles from the roadway pavement to the bridge structure. However, differential settlement between the roadway pavement that rests on embankment fill and the bridge abutment built on more rigid foundation often creates a bump in the roadway. Previous work examined this issue at a microscopic level and presented new methods for eliminating or minimizing the effects at specific locations.

This research studies the problem at a macroscopic level by determining methods to predict settlement severity; this assists designers in developing remediation plans during project development to …

Chloride Contamination Remediation On Steel Bridges, Bobby W. Meade, Christopher Goff, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Researchers evaluated 32 steel surface preparation methods to determine how effectively they remove chloride from corroded chloride-contaminated steel panels. Wet methods proved more effective than dry methods. The three most effective wet methods injected mineral slag abrasives in a water stream and resulted in less than 1% chlorides remaining. Most dry surface preparation methods left significantly more chloride contamination after surface preparation. The three most effective dry methods used multiple blast cleaning cycles. These methods approached the effectiveness of the best wet methods, with 1.6 to 2.0% chlorides remaining. The least effective surface preparation was a single abrasive blast cleaning …

Transportation System Vulnerability And Resilience To Extreme Weather Events And Other Natural Hazards: Report For Pilot Project — Kytc District 1, Benjamin L. Blandford, Scott Schurman, Candice Y. Wallace, Sarah M. Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This research’s objective is to assist the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) in its efforts to develop strategies to address natural hazard vulnerabilities and improve the resiliency of Kentucky’s transportation infrastructure. Recent federal legislation calls for state transportation agencies to develop a risk-based asset management plan for National Highway System (NHS) assets that includes consideration of natural hazards. Similarly, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) calls for state transportation agencies to identify potential vulnerabilities associated with extreme weather events and climate change, and to incorporate these findings into transportation planning, design, and maintenance practices.

Analysis Of Farm Vehicle Crashes And Safety Belt Usage, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Michael A. Fields

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The use of safety belts and child safety seats has been shown to be an effective means of reducing injuries to motor vehicle occupants involved in traffic crashes. There have been various methods used in efforts to increase safety belt and safety seat usage. Past efforts have included public information campaigns, local followed by statewide legislation, and enforcement of the legislation.

The objectives of the study were to collect data and review related Kentucky data to determine the following information:

• usage rate specifically for occupants of farm vehicles,
• the number of registered farm vehicles and their percentage of all registered …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2011-2015), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman, Michael A. Fields

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents an analysis of traffic crash data in Kentucky for the years of 2011 through 2015. A primary objective of this study was to determine average crash statistics for Kentucky highways. Rates were calculated for various types of highways and for counties and cities. Difference criteria were used for exposure.

2016 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Michael A. Fields

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The use of safety belts and child safety seats is a proven means of reducing injuries to motor vehicle occupants involved in traffic crashes. There have been various methods used in efforts to increase safety belt and safety seat usage. Past efforts have included public information campaigns, local and statewide legislation, and enforcement of the legislation.

The objective of the survey summarized in this report was to establish a statewide safety belt usage rate in Kentucky for 2016. This rate can be compared to those determined from previous surveys. The 2016 statewide survey documents the continued increase in usage associated …

Synthesis Of Kentucky’S Traveler Information Systems, Christopher W. Van Dyke, Jennifer R. Walton, James Ballinger

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

After the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a dedicated phone number for real-time travel information services, the abbreviated 511 dialing code was founded in July 2000. The FCC reasoned that 511 services could reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and the inefficient use of fossil fuels. 511 would, in turn, improve traveler safety. In 2010, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) mandated a set of requirements for systems that deliver real-time traffic information to the public. States DOTs were asked to comply with this mandate by November 2014. Many states, in addition to …

Development Of An Improved Method For Determining Advisory Speeds On Horizontal Curves, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Erin Lammers-Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Horizontal curves are an integral part of the highway alignment. However, a disproportionately high number of severe crashes occur on them. One method transportation agencies use to reduce the number crashes at horizontal curves is the installation of curve warning signs which post an appropriate advisory speed. Appropriate curve advisory speeds can be determined using several methods. Some of these methods are time-consuming to perform and are error-prone. The purpose of this research was to find the most efficient and accurate data collection method for determining curve advisory speeds. Several processes were developed and tested. They were then validated against …

Estimation Of Average Daily Traffic On Local Roads In Kentucky, Reginald R. Souleyrette, Brian K. Howell, Eric R. Green, William Nicholas Staats

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials use annual average daily traffic (AADT) to estimate intersection performance across the state maintained highway system. KYTC currently collects AADTs for state maintained roads but frequently lacks this information on local roads. A method is needed to estimate local road AADTs in a cost-effective and reasonable manner. Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers conducted a literature review on U.S. AADT models but found that none of them were suitable to Kentucky. Therefore, KTC developed an AADT model using non-linear regression to estimate AADTs on approaches to those intersections.

KTC developed a Poisson distributed, non-linear regression model …

Aqueous Photochemistry Of Glyoxylic Acid, Alexis J. Eugene, Sha-Sha Xia, Marcelo I. Guzman

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Aerosols affect climate change, the energy balance of the atmosphere, and public health due to their variable chemical composition, size, and shape. While the formation of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) from gas phase precursors is relatively well understood, studying aqueous chemical reactions contributing to the total SOA budget is the current focus of major attention. Field measurements have revealed that mono-, di-, and oxo-carboxylic acids are abundant species present in SOA and atmospheric waters. This work explores the fate of one of these 2-oxocarboxylic acids, glyoxylic acid, which can photogenerate reactive species under solar irradiation. Additionally, the dark thermal aging …

Cost Benefit Analysis: Applications And Future Opportunities, Bryan Gibson, Candice Y. Wallace

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA or Benefit Cost Analysis — BCA) is an evaluation tool that state transportation agencies can use to compare infrastructure project options across transportation modes and gauge if the discounted value of benefits exceed the costs. CBA lets policymakers compare alternative project proposals to a baseline scenario, or status quo case, under which no investments are made. CBA is used to select which proposal is the most sensible investment—ideally, the project that maximizes benefits while minimizing costs should be chosen. As the use of CBA to evaluate projects and grant applications (e.g., TIGER Discretionary Grants) continues to …

Evaluation Of The Use Of Painted And Unpainted Weathering Steel On Bridges, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle, Bobby W. Meade, Rick Younce

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KTC researchers studied the use of unpainted weathering steel on bridges, using findings of inspections performed on Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) bridges constructed with both painted and unpainted weathering steel as well as laboratory testing. Laboratory tests were conducted on test panels of conventional and weathering grades of steel to determine the performance of barrier and zinc-based coatings over abrasive-blasted substrates of those steel types in both the new and corroded conditions. The report provides the following recommendations for the use of painted and unpainted weathering steel on Kentucky bridges based upon both the field and laboratory findings:

• KYTC should …

Evaluation Of Alternatives To Provide Wet-Nighttime Delineation, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to compare the performance of various types of materials, devices, and procedures that can potentially delineate roadways during wet, nighttime conditions. Snowplowable markers provide the most effective wet-nighttime delineation. Durability issues associated with the steel casting marker make the recessed marker preferable over the life of the pavement. Wet reflective tape placed in a groove provided both dry and wet-nighttime delineation and remained durable. The performance of thermoplastic material installed on the pavement surface supports its future use but will not provide wet-nighttime delineation. Inconsistent performance of inlaid tape argues against its expanded use. …

2016 Maintenance Customer Survey, R. Clark Graves, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Center, with the assistance of the University of Kentucky’s Survey Research Center, administered a telephone survey to 1,221 licensed drivers throughout the state to gauge their opinion of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s (KYTC) maintenance activities. Survey respondents were distributed throughout KYTC’s 12 highway districts. The survey focused on five areas of highway maintenance: roadside features, pavement surfaces, shoulders, drainage and signs/markings. Respondents indicated they were most satisfied with the current maintenance of signs, guardrail, and striping. Pavement surfaces and potholes, and shoulders and roadway drainage, received the lowest rankings — given that the driving public is very …

Commercial Driver’S License (Cdl) Workflow Study, Steven Andrew Martin, Candice Y. Wallace, Valerie J. Keathley, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Kentucky uses federally funded, time-limited (FFTL) employees to handle some of the administrative work necessary to meet federal compliance standards for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs). The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has decided not to continue funding FFTLs for these purposes, meaning that states will have to find other ways to meet CDL program requirements and maintain compliance. Given the potential ramifications of losing federal transportation and enforcement funding due to lack of compliance with federal standards, it is imperative that state lawmakers act to ensure KYTC has the resources to carry out its mandated functions. The study delineates …

Circular Rc Columns Partially Confined With Frp, Sahar Y. Ghanem

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Wrapping reinforced concrete (RC) columns with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites is effective in increasing their capacity. The current state of art concentrates primarily on fully wrapped RC columns and few studies dealt with partially wrapped columns. The majority of the studies did not account for the influence of the existing steel reinforcement on the column’s behavior. Other studies estimated the total confinement pressure as the sum of the confinement pressure due to the external FRP jacketing and due to the internal transverse steel reinforcement. Few models dealt with the coupled effect of the confinement from steel and partial FRP …

Characteristics And Composition Of Magnetic Concentrates Of Bottom Ash Samples From Two Types Of Thermal Power Plants In Odisha, India, Subir Kumar Das

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Aluminosilicate bottom ash samples were examined from a thermal power plant in Talcher (sample NT-BA) and in Sambalpur (sample HR-BA), Odisha, India, to determine magnetic particle morphology, internal structure, mineralogy, mineral chemistry, ash fusion temperature, chemical composition, and leaching characteristics. The Talcher plant has adopted pulverized coal combustion, whereas the Sambalpur plant uses circulating fluidized bed combustion boiler technology. For NT-BA, most magnetic particles were ideal solid spheres (ferrospheres) with diverse morphological features (smooth, granular, dendritic and skeletal, porous, spotted, polygonal, and hollow [magnetite cenospheres]). For HR-BA, magnetic particles were subspherical, oval, and angular and showed widely varying surface morphologies, …

Distribution Of Uranium And Other Radionuclides In Coal And Coal Combustion Products, With Discussion Of Occurrences Of Combustion Products In Kentucky Power Plants, James C. Hower, Shifeng Dai, Greta Eskenazy

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Uranium and thorium are part of the mineral assemblages within coals. Uranium can also occur in organic associations, particularly in low-rank coals. While the average U concentration in coals is 2.9 ppm for low-rank coals and 1.9 ppm for bituminous and higher rank coals, high concentrations are known from certain low-rank and thin coals and from coals in areas associated with U mineralization. No high-U coals are mined for power production in the United States. Uranium and Th in coal combustion products are found in amounts more or less in proportion to their concentrations in the feed coal. Not being …

Behavior Of Rc Beams Strengthened In Flexure With Spliced Cfrp Rod Panels, Akram Rasheed Jawdhari

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

FRP laminates and fabrics, used as an externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) to strengthen or repair concrete members, have proven to be an economical retrofitting method. However, when used to strengthen long-span members or members with limited access, the labor and equipment demands may negate the benefits of using continuous EBR FRP. Recently, CFRP rod panels (CRPs) have been developed and deployed to overcome the aforementioned limitations. Each CRP is made of several small diameter CFRP rods placed at discrete spacing. To fulfill the strengthening length, CRP’s are spliced together and made continuous by means of overlaps (or finger joints).

In …

3d Infrastructure Condition Assessment For Rail Highway Applications, Teng Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Highway roughness is a concern for both the motoring public and highway authorities. Roughness may even increase the risk of crashes. Rail-highway grade crossings are particularly problematic. Roughness may be due to deterioration or simply due to the way the crossing was built to accommodate grade change, local utilities, or rail elevation. With over 216,000 crossings in the US, maintenance is a vast undertaking. While methods are available to quantify highway roughness, no method exists to quantitatively assess the condition of rail crossings. Conventional inspection relies on a labor-intensive process of qualitative judgment. A quantifiable, objective and extensible procedure for …

Development Of A Statistical Theory-Based Capital Cost Estimating Methodology For Light Rail Transit Corridor Evaluation Under Varying Alignment Characteristics, Anthony J. Catalina

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The context of this research is the investigation and application of an approach to develop an effective evaluation methodology for establishing the investment worthiness of a range of potential Light Rail Transit (LRT) major system improvements (alternatives). Central to addressing mobility needs in a corridor is the ability to estimate capital costs at the planning level through a reliable and replicable methodology. This research extends the present state of practice that relies primarily on either cost averages (by review of cost data of implemented LRT projects) or cost categories in high and low cost ranges. The current methodologies often cannot …

Underwater Explosion Energy Dissipation Near Waterborne Infrastructure, Paul R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Underwater explosions pose a significant threat to waterborne infrastructure though destructive pressure waves that can travel significant distances through the water. However, the use of bubble screens can attenuate the peak pressure and energy flux created by explosions to safe levels. This study investigates the prediction of pressure wave characteristics based on accumulated data, the damage potential of underwater explosions based on applied loads and effective material strength, and the bubble screen parameters required to prevent damage. The results were compiled to form a procedure for the design and implementation of a bubble screen the protection of waterborne infrastructure.

Transient-Based Risk Analysis Of Water Distribution Systems, Steven Hoagland

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Water distribution system utilities must be able to maintain a system’s assets (i.e., pumps, tanks, water mains, etc.) in good working condition in order to provide adequate water quantity and quality to its customers. Various asset management approaches are employed by utilities in order to make optimal decisions regarding the renewal of system components. Part of a good asset management approach is performing a comprehensive risk analysis which consists of considering all potential ways in which the system may fail, the likelihood failure of for each scenario, and the consequences of said failure. This study investigates a water distribution system’s …

Estimation Of Annual Average Daily Traffic On Local Roads In Kentucky, William Nicholas Staats

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is used to estimate intersection performance across Kentucky. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) currently collects AADTs for state maintained roads, but lacks this information on local roads. A method is needed to estimate local road AADTs in a cost-effective and reasonable manner. A literature review was conducted on AADT models and found no models suitable to Kentucky. Therefore an AADT model using non-linear regression was developed for local roads in Kentucky

This model divided the state into three regions utilizing Kentucky’s highway districts. This partitioning accounted for geographic and socioeconomic variability across the state. Each …