Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Quantifying The Benefits Of Using Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum In Sustainable Wallboard Production, Jin Cheol Lee, Sabrina L. Bradshaw, Tuncer B. Edil, Craig H. Benson

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Electric utilities produce more than 11.2 Mt of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum annually. Approximately 7.5 Mt is used in wallboard production. This article examines the environmental and cost benefits associated with replacement of natural gypsum in wallboard with FGD gypsum. A life-cycle analysis program was used to quantify the benefits of using FGD gypsum from electric power production in wallboard construction. Comparisons were made between energy consumption, water use, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with obtaining and processing virgin gypsum material and those with FGD gypsum. The added impact of disposing of the unused FGD gypsum in landfills …

Waste Classification Of Slag Generated In A Pilot-Scale Entrained-Flow Gasifier, Ashleigh Cousins, Robin W. Hughes, David J. Mccalden, Dennis Y. Lu, Edward J. Anthony

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Series of gasification tests have been completed in the pilot-scale entrained-flow slagging gasifier at CanmetENERGY using Canadian coals, oil-sand coke, and blends of these fuels to determine if the produced slags are nonhazardous in nature. Solid wastes generated during these tests were analyzed for their trace metals, crystallinity, and toxic constituent leaching tendency in an attempt to provide more insight into the possibility of disposal or by-product use of gasifier-produced solid waste. The gasification tests were performed at conditions representative of commercial gasifiers using a dry-fuel-feed configuration. The lower-volatility elements were found to partition between the slag and process-water solids …

Development Of Performance Measures And Revenue Projections For State Highway Transportation Systems, Dwight V. Denison, Christopher Jepsen, Bryan Gibson, Candice Wallace, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to develop a pilot model that demonstrates how metrics can be identified and reported in a “dashboard” format to be used to monitor the progress of a transportation system in efficiently meeting established priorities. An additional component of this research is to examine the revenue implications of a shift away from the traditional funding mechanism on the financial viability of state transportation systems.

Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2012 Report, Kentucky Transportation Center, Kentucky State Police

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KENTUCKY’S TRAFFIC COLLISION FACTS report for 2012 is based on collision reports submitted to the Kentucky State Police Records Branch. As required by Kentucky Revised Statutes 189.635, “every law enforcement agency whose officers investigate a vehicle accident of which a report must be made...shall file a report of the accident...within ten days after investigation of the accident upon forms supplied by the bureau.” The stated purpose of this requirement is to utilize data on traffic collisions for such purposes as will improve the traffic safety program in the Commonwealth. Data contained in this report are based solely on the observations …

Shear Strength Of Web-Tapered I-Shaped Members, Ryan Paul Studer

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Plate girders are fabricated in situations where standard structural shapes do not possess the required strength necessary to carry applied loads. In many instances, plate girders are tapered so that the resistance to bending is proportional to the bending moment, creating cost effective, aesthetically pleasing structures. The AISC 2010 Specifications accurately predict the flexural capacity of tapered plate girders but recent research has suggested that the required shear strength is overly conservative. The researchers postulate that the required shear strength is overly conservative due to an effect known as modified shear that has been neglected from the AISC 2010 Specifications …

Identifying Hot-Spots Of Fecal Contamination In The Royal Spring Karstshed, Samuel C. Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The City of Georgetown, Kentucky relies on a vast karst spring network as a drinking water source. This karst feature has several inputs from sinkholes and streams in the Cane Run Watershed: a watershed associated with a variety of land uses in the recharge area. The recharge area encompasses the area from North Lexington to Georgetown and is composed of urban, suburban, agricultural and industrial usage. A serious water quality issue exists with respect to the impact of fecal contamination within the spring recharge area. Identification of fecal contamination is quantified by microbial indicators adapted from surface water applications: fecal …

A New Simulation-Based Conflict Indicator As A Surrogate Measure Of Safety, Chen Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

Traffic safety is one of the most essential aspects of transportation engineering. However, most crash prediction models are statistically-based prediction methods, which require significant efforts in crash data collection and may not be applied in particular traffic environments due to the limitation of data sources. Traditional traffic conflict studies are mostly field-based studies depending on manual counting, which is also labor-intensive and oftentimes inaccurate. Nowadays, simulation tools are widely utilized in traffic conflict studies. However, there is not a surrogate indicator that is widely accepted in conflict studies.

The primary objective of this research is to develop such a reliable …

An Innovative Approach To Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design, Ronnie Clark Graves Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) developed by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) project 1-37A, is a very powerful tool for the design and analysis of pavements. The designer utilizes an iterative process to select design parameters and predict performance, if the performance is not acceptable they must change design parameters until an acceptable design is achieved.

The design process has more than 100 input parameters across many areas, including, climatic conditions, material properties for each layer of the pavement, and information about the truck traffic anticipated. Many of these parameters are known to have insignificant influence …

Development Of Strategies To Minimize The Release Of Trace Elements From Coal Waste Sources, Mohammad Rezaee

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

To assess strategies aimed at minimizing the release of trace elements and the impact of disposal of coal waste materials on the environment, two long-term leaching experiments of up to five months duration were performed using waste materials from two plants cleaning high and low sulfur bituminous coal. The tests evaluated the mobility of major trace elements under different disposal scenarios: (i) a static leaching test designed to simulate the quiescent conditions encountered by coal waste material stored under water in a stable impoundment, and (ii) a dynamic test to simulate waste materials exposed to the atmosphere, either in variable …

Estimation Of Gap Acceptance Parameters For Hcm 2010 Roundabout Capacity Model Applications, A. Gazzarri, Michael T. Martello, Antonio Pratelli, Reginald R. Souleyrette

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper deals with the field data observation and successive application of estimation procedures in order to estimate follow-up headway and critical headway at roundabouts. Average follow-up and average critical headway are two critical parameters in the new roundabout capacity model presented in the 2010 edition of the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). The HCM 2010 capacity model was developed as an exponential regression model with parameter estimates based on gap acceptance theory. Gap acceptance models are strongly affected by driver behaviour and local habits. Follow-up headways can be field measured, while critical headway cannot be obtained directly. The paper mainly …

Evaluation Of Long-Term Pavement Marking Performance, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the useful life of pavement markings. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides general guidelines for the application and installation of pavement markings. However, performance requirements for various types of pavement markings are not included. Retroreflectivity data were collected throughout Kentucky on various longitudinal pavement markings using mobile and manual techniques. Data were collected on one-year, two-year and three-year-old lines. The retroreflectivity levels were analyzed and the several recommendations were made. Minimum levels of retroreflectivity should be set for determining what roads to restripe annually. These values should be lower …

Fiscal Year 2011 Fhwa-536 Report For The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Steven Douglas Kreis, Candice Y. Wallace, Bryan Gibson, Sarah M. Mccormack

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires state transportation agencies to submit a biennial report on local highway finances. The purpose of these reports is to provide FHWA with the data it needs to capture the financing of highway activities at the local level. Based on this information, it can identify trends in revenue, expenditures, investments, and program development, and in turn make decisions about future investments. The report, FHWA-536, asks agencies to report on four areas of local highway finance: 1) disposition of highway-user revenues; 2) revenues used for roads and streets identified by source and funding type; 3) road …

Guidelines For Road Diet Conversions, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam Kirk, Chen Wang, Andrea Cull, Nithin Agarwal

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the development of the guidelines for the road diet conversions prepared for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The guidelines consider operational and safety aspects of the conversions to assist in the preliminary determination of whether a road diet conversion is appropriate for a given roadway segment. The guidelines provide suggested cross section designs, transition to and from the road diet section and a flow chart for determining the appropriate actions.

States’ Support Of Non-Highway Modes Of Transportation: Investigation And Synthesis, Chuck Knowles, Candice Y. Wallace, Benjamin L. Blandford, Timothy J. Brock, Andrew Martin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to determine how Kentucky and other selected states support and assist non-highway transportation modes and to identify leading and innovative initiatives. For the purposes of this study, the non-highway modes are aviation, public transportation, rail, and waterways. This summary will briefly discuss the rationale, objectives, and methodology for this study. It also provides an overview of the outcomes of the study and the modal matrices.

2011 Driver Attitudes And Awareness Survey, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Ronald E. Langley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A basic set of questions were developed that could be used in periodic surveys that track drivers attitudes and awareness concerning impaired driving, seat belt use, and speeding issues. The objective of the survey was to learn the knowledge, views, and behaviors of drivers in these areas. This report documents the results of the 2011 survey with a comparison to the 2010 baseline survey.

The method used to conduct the survey was a telephone survey. In addition to questions for the three major highway safety areas of impaired driving, seat belt use, and speeding, an additional question was …

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky (2006 - 2010), Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent, Jerry G. Pigman

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Construction Training For The Current And Next Generation Of Technicians, Paul M. Goodrum, Dong Zhai

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Technicians are a vital component to the success of any roadway projects. Unfortunately, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is experiencing significant shortages of technicians among all aspects of construction and maintenance. Training and developing the adequate numbers of qualified technicians is a substantial endeavor that requires a comprehensive examination of the adequacy of current training program versus the anticipated skill needs of technicians on future projects. Two questionnaires were developed to identify this gap. One is to investigate the skills and trainings that the Cabinet’s technicians possesses and received, and the second is to investigate the skills and/or knowledge which …

Experimental Coating On Interstate 264 In Jefferson County, Bobby W. Meade, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A waterborne acrylic coating was applied over a washed and tool cleaned zinc/vinyl system as a maintenance overcoat. The coating has several positive characteristics in that it is “user friendly”, substrate tolerant, develops good adhesion quickly, and is environmentally friendly. There were some issues concerning quality of work in surface preparation and application and in the fact that on two locations bubbles developed in the newly applied coating. The cause of the bubbling has not been determined.

Improving Intersection Design Practices, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam Kirk, Nithin Agarwal, Chris Jones

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the development of the Intersection Design Alternative Tool (IDAT) developed for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. IDAT provides an automated objective design and evaluation approach of 14 alternative intersection designs to assist in the conceptual design of at-grade intersections. The tool evaluates intersection operations, safety performance, bicycle/pedestrian accommodation and has the ability to assist access management implementation.

2011 Safety Belt Usage Survey In Kentucky, Eric R. Green, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The objective of this study was to establish 2011 safety belt and child safety seat usage rates in Kentucky . The 2011 survey continues to document the results after enactment of the original “secondary enforcement” statewide mandatory safety belt law in 1994 and the subsequent change to “primary enforcement” which was enacted in 2 006. Data were collected at 160 randomly selected sites in 18 counties across Kentucky. Data from the individual sites were combined into a statewide percentage considering roadway functional classification, county, and vehicle miles traveled.

The data show that the usage rate in 2011 (82.2 …

Improved Bridge Expansion Joints, Sudhir Palle, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Bobby W. Meade

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has both open and closed bridge expansion joints and associated details that are problematic. Several state highway agencies (SHA) have joints that they believe are superior performers to other types and have prepared guidance documents for their use. A literature search indicated that several previous research studies, including national surveys, addressing SHA joint practices have been conducted over the past 10 years. For up-to-date information, a new set of surveys were developed and distributed to all the SHAs by email through the AASHTO Subcommittee on Maintenance-Bridge Technical Working Group chairman in June 2010. There were …

A Case Study Analysis Of The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’S Design/Build Pilot Projects, Paul M. Goodrum, Mohammad Moin Uddin, Bradley J. Faulkenberg

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The current economic climate has forced transportation agencies to evaluate opportunities to save money. One possible opportunity lies in Design/Build (DB) delivery. In 2006, with the approval of the Kentucky General Assembly, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet selected ten projects to be developed through the Design/Build method. DB delivery offers many attainable advantages, the most notable being expedited delivery. The research described herein presents a case study of these DB pilot projects in order to capture lessons learned on the use of the DB delivery method on future projects. In order to determine which projects are suitable for DB delivery, a …

Lightweight Inflatable Borehole Receiver Unit For Seismic Testing, Michael Kalinski

Civil Engineering Faculty Patents

A borehole receiver for seismic testing has a support frame and an inflatable membrane configured to form a single, compact unit. The inflatable membrane has at least one sensor, such as an accelerometer affixed to the membrane. The at least one accelerometer may be adhesively affixed to an interior portion of the membrane with a cyanoacrylate adhesive. A pneumatic inflation system is used to inflate the membrane with pressurized air. In use, the membrane is slipped over the support frame and secured with a pair of O-rings. Once the borehole receiver is properly positioned in the borehole, pressurized air from …

Pavement Evaluation Of The Concrete Tie-Bars And Dowel Baskets On The Springfield Bypass, Ky 55 Washington County, Ky, Brad Rister, R. Clark Graves

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A 1500 Mhz. ground coupled, ground penetrating radar antenna was used to identify both the horizontal alignment and the vertical displacement of the concrete tie-bars and the transverse joint dowel bar assembles on a portland-cement-concrete-pavement (PCCP) on KY55 in Washington County, KY. Approximately six lanes miles of PCCP was evaluated using the 1500 Mhz. ground coupled antenna. Results indicate that only four transverse dowel baskets out of an approximate total of 2,112 were within three inches of the pavement surface. Three transverse dowel baskets were misaligned greater than four inches from the location of the sawed joint. These areas represent …

Implementation Of Remote Sensing Technology On The I-64 Bridge Over Us60, Issam E. Harik, Ching Chiaw Choo, Abheetha Peiris, Dan Eaton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Remote sensing devices have been implemented on the I-64 Bridges over US60 in Franklin County, KY. One of the girders in the westbound bridge has been previously repaired due to unexpected fatigue cracking. The exterior girder in the eastbound bridge has shown signs of impacts due to the traversing trucks on US60. Sensing and recording devices such as strain and temperature gauges, infrared sensors, ultrasonic height detectors, and an accelerometer have been installed. Specifically, eleven strain gauges are used on the repaired girder, impacted girders, and girders adjacent to them. Two sets of infrared sensors, ultrasonic detectors, and video cameras …

Evaluation Of Pilot Project: Emergency Traffic Control For Responders, Sarah M. Mccormack, Jennifer R. Walton, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Traffic control is an essential component of incident response in order to move road users safely and expeditiously past or around a traffic incident, and to reduce the likelihood of secondary crashes. Emergency responders, with the exception of law enforcement, are provided limited or no training in traffic control, but by nature of their job often have to perform such duties. There is a need to provide basic knowledge and equipment to on-scene responders in order to reduce traffic delays, secondary crashes, and injuries to those involved in response activities. This report summarizes the results of a pilot project where …

Automated Chemical Stabilizing Of Leaded Paint Residue From Bridge Maintenance Painting Operations, Bobby W. Meade, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This study addressed the use of automated equipment to dose and mix lead stabilizing compounds to allow leaded paint residue/debris to be disposed at in-state contained landfills. The stabilizing would be conducted in situ at bridges being subjected to maintenance painting operations involving total coating removal and replacement. Many Kentucky bridges have existing painting that contains lead compounds at levels which may constitute hazardous wastes upon removal. The KYTC practice of recycling lead containing residue is working well at this time but the issue of a single recycler available continues to place KYTC in a position of returning to hazardous …

Kentucky Bridges With High-Strength Quenched And Tempered Steel, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Jared Fairchild

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has several bridges employing high-strength quenched and tempered (QT) steels. In the past several decades, weld and corrosion cracking problems have occurred with QT steel in three KYTC bridges. This material has typically been employed on large bridges in fracture-critical members which increases the concern about these steels. This study was performed to review the KYTC steel bridge inventory and identify bridges/structural member containing QT steels. The list consisted of any KYTC maintained bridge with an individual span greater than 150 feet. KTC used this list to identify each bridge and members containing QT steel. …

Evaluation Of The Safe Patrol Program In Kentucky, Pengfei Li, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Members within the SAFE Patrol program have expressed concern that there is a lack of a clear understanding of the value or benefits of the SAFE Patrol program, both among various officials and the general public. The basis of this project is to explain the services provided by the program, and determine the value and benefit of those services. This evaluation report also serves to identify areas of improvement for the program. The result of investigation shows that the other stakeholders are basically satisfied with the SAFE Patrol service whereas some issues should also be addressed to improve the service …

Identification Of Secondary Crashes And Recommended Countermeasures, Jerry G. Pigman, Eric R. Green, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this study was to identify and analyze the occurrence of secondary crashes on roadways in Kentucky and recommend countermeasures to reduce their frequency and severity.

Results show a small percentage of crashes coded as a “Secondary Collision” were confirmed to be a secondary crash based on the definition and requirement of “a crash occurring as a result of a previous crash”. It appeared that many of those miscoded as a “Secondary Collision” were the result of misinterpretation of what constituted a secondary crash versus a secondary event. Adoption of the definition used in this analysis, along with …