Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Governors Highway Safety Associations And Transportation Planning: Exploratory Factor Analysis And Structural Equation Modeling, Sudeshna Mitra, Simon Washington, Eric Dumbaugh, Micael D. Meyer

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991 mandated the consideration of safety in the regional transportation planning process. As part of National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 8-44, "Incorporating Safety into the Transportation Planning Process," we conducted a telephone survey to assess safety-related activities and expertise at Governors Highway Safety Associations (GHSAs), and GHSA relationships with metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and state departments of transportation (DOTs). The survey results were combined with statewide crash data to enable exploratory modeling of the relationship between GHSA policies and programs and statewide safety. The modeling objective was to illuminate current hurdles …

Spatiotemporal Variation Of Risk Preceding Crashes On Freeways, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Liang Hsia

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Research into the application of freeway loop detector data for traffic safety has gained momentum in recent years. The incompleteness of data from loop detectors has been a common problem in both the development and the implementation of models. The effect of individual crash precursors, obtained one at a time from a series of loop detectors, on relative risk of crash occurrence was examined through within-stratum one-covariate logistic regression models. The hazard ratio (resultant change in log odds of observing a crash by changing the covariate by one unit) was used as the measure of risk. The log of coefficient …

Split Models For Predicting Multivehicle Crashes During High-Speed And Low-Speed Operating Conditions On Freeways, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Nizam Uddin, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The future of traffic management and highway safety lies in proactive traffic management systems. Crash prediction models that use real-time traffic flow variables measured through a series of loop detectors are the most important component of such systems. A previous crash prediction model was developed with the matched case-control logistic regression technique. Although the model achieved reasonable classification accuracy, it remained open to improvement because of the limited study area, sample size, and transferability issues. Therefore, the previous work had been extended. Multivehicle freeway crashes under high- and low-speed traffic conditions were found to differ in severity and in their …

A Freeway Safety Strategy For Advanced Proactive Traffic Management, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Reactive traffic management strategies such as incident detection are becoming less relevant with the advancement of mobile phone usage. Freeway management in the 21st century needs to shift focus toward proactive strategies that include anticipating incidents such as crashes. A simple approach to identify freeway locations with high probability of crashes through real-time traffic surveillance data is presented here. The crash and loop detector data for the study was collected from 36-mile corridor of Interstate-4 in Orlando, Florida. The analysis is based on simple (one covariate) logistic regression models developed under a matched study design. Individual traffic parameters obtained one …

Identifying Crash Propensity Using Specific Traffic Speed Conditions, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Anurag Pande

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Introduction: In spite of recent advances in traffic surveillance technology and ever-growing concern over traffic safety, there have been very few research efforts establishing links between real-time traffic flow parameters and crash occurrence. This study aims at identifying patterns in the freeway loop detector data that potentially precede traffic crashes.

Method: The proposed solution essentially involves classification of traffic speed patterns emerging from the loop detector data. Historical crash and loop detector data from the Interstate-4 corridor in the Orlando metropolitan area were used for this study. Traffic speed data from sensors embedded in the pavement (i.e., loop …

Characterization Of Surface Topography Of Sand, Nazli Yesiller, James L. Hanson, Donald K. Cohen

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This study was conducted to investigate surface characteristics of sand particles. Surface topography of sand particles was determined in 3-D using a commercially available optical profiler. Measurements were made on areas that had side dimensions on the order of 0.1 mm at a lateral resolution of 0.3 μm and height resolution of less than 6 nm. The 3-D representation of a surface obtained using the measurement system is analyzed to determine 3-D as well as 2-D surface texture parameters. The parameters included amplitude, spacing, hybrid (amplitude and spacing), and functional (performance related) parameters. Tests were conducted on two silica sands: …

Secondary Reinforcement For Fiber Reinforced Polymers Reinforced Concrete Panels, Reid Stephens Jr.

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

No abstract provided.

Slope Stability Of Laterite Soil Embankments, Ikiensinma Gogo-Abite

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Embankments are key elements in the infrastructural development of structures such as dams, bridges, and roads. Residual soils are generally used as fills in the construction of embankments in areas were residual soils such as laterite is the dominant soil types. Laterite soils have the characteristics of losing its shear strength with time and in fully saturated conditions and its properties varies from region to region. The soil property is influenced by the chemical composition and the environment. The binding agent iron oxide in such soils changes its composition with time and in the presence of moisture. Sudden failures of …

Application Of The Fuzzy Performance Indices To The City Of London Water Supply System, Ibrahim El-Baroudy, Slobodan P. Simonovic

Water Resources Research Report

This study explores the utility of fuzzy performance indices: (i) combined reliabilityvulnerability index, (ii) robustness index, and (iii) resiliency index, for evaluating the performance of a complex water supply system. Regional water supply system for the City of London is used as the case study. The two main components being investigated in this case study are; (i) the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System (LHPWSS), and (ii) the Elgin Area Primary Water Supply system (EAPWSS).

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, December 2005

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 7 NOV 2005 through 28 NOV 2005

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Year 2004 vs. Water Year 2005

Ft. Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe, SD

U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Omaha District Monthly Drought Report, October 2005

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Current Conditions

Drought Outlook

Ft. Peck, Montana

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Garrison, North Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Boat Ramp Information

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Other Areas of Interest/Concern

Oahe, South Dakota

Reservoir Elevation Overview

Water Intake Overview

Access Overview

Noxious Weeds Overview

Cultural Resources Overview

Mainstem Reservoir Information, Weekly Elevation Comparison 27 JUN 2005 through 31AUG 2005

Mainstem Reservoir Storage Comparison Water Year 2004 vs. Water Year 2005

Ft.Peck, MT

Garrison, ND

Oahe,SD

Relationship Of Stream Flow Regime In The Western Lake Superior Basin To Watershed Type Characteristics, N. E. Detenbeck, V. J. Brady, D. L. Taylor, V. M. Snarski, S. L. Batterman

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

To test a conceptual model of non-linear response of hydrologic regimes to watershed characteristics, we selected 48 secondand third-order study sites on the North and South Shores of western Lake Superior, MN(USA) using a random-stratified design based on hydrogeomorphic region, fraction mature forest, and fraction watershed storage (lakeCwetland area/watershed area). We calculated several commonly used hydrologic indices from discharge and velocity estimates, including daily flow indices, overall flood indices, low flow variables, and ratios or ranges of flow percentiles reflecting the nature of cumulative frequency distributions. Four principal components (PCs) explained 85.9 and 88.6% of the variation of flow metrics …

Regional Scale Evidence For Improvements In Surface Water Chemistry 1990-2001, B. L. Skjelkvåle, J. L. Stoddard, D. S. Jeffries, K. Tørseth, T. Høgåsen, J. Bowman, J. Mannio, D. T. Monteith, R. Mosello, M. Rogora, D. Rzychon, J. Vesely, J. Wieting, A. Wilander, A. Worsztynowicz

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The main aim of the international UNECE monitoring program ICP Waters under the Convention of Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) is to assess, on a regional basis, the degree and geographical extent of the impact of atmospheric pollution, in particular acidification, on surface waters. Regional trends are calculated for 12 geographical regions in Europe and North America, comprising 189 surface waters sites. From 1990-2001 sulphate concentrations decreased in all but one of the investigated regions. Nitrate increased in only one region, and decreased in three North American regions. Improvements in alkalinity and pH are widely observed. Results from the ICP …

Mole Drainage For Increased Productivity In The South West Irrigation Area, D L. Bennett, Richard George, Bill Russell

Bulletins 4000 -

Heavy soils, with low rates of soil-water movement, such as those found in the South-West Irrigation Area (SWIA), require closely spaced (2-6 m apart) subsoil drainage systems to provide sufficient water movement to control the effects of salt-waterlogging on pastures. Such close spacing using traditional buried pipe or tile drainage systems is impractical. As a result, mole drainage systems, used in other parts of the world for over 50 years, have gained popularity in the SWIA in recent years.

This Bulletin Farmnote reports the current ‘best-bet’ mole draining technique for SWIA conditions gathered from observations over a number of years …

Modeling, Simulation And Analysis Of Multi-Barge Flotillas Impacting Bridge Piers, Peng Yuan

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The current design code governing bridge structure resistance to vessel impact loads in the U.S. is the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) Guide Specification and Commentary for Vessel Collision Design of Highway Bridges. The code stipulated method, based on Meir-Dornberg's equivalent static load method, is usually not warranted because of insufficient data on the impact load histories and wide scatter of the impact force values. The AASHTO load equations ignore certain fundamental factors that affect the determination of impact forces and bridge dynamic responses. Some examples of factors that are omitted during standard impact force …

Attainable Compressive Strength Of Pervious Concrete Paving Systems, Ann Marie Mulligan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The pervious concrete system and its corresponding strength are as important as its permeability characteristics. The strength of the system not only relies on the compressive strength of the pervious concrete but also on the strength of the soil beneath it for support. Previous studies indicate that pervious concrete has lower compressive strength capabilities than conventional concrete and will only support light traffic loadings. This thesis investigated prior studies on the compressive strength on pervious concrete as it relates to water-cement ratio, aggregate-cement ratio, aggregate size, and compaction and compare those results with results obtained in laboratory experiments conducted on …

Development Of A Graphical User Interface For Cal3qhc Called Calqcad, Sheetal Gawalpanchi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the major sources of air pollution in the United States metropolitan areas is due to automobiles. With the huge growth of motor vehicles and, greater dependence on them, air pollution problems have been aggravated. According to the EPA, nearly 95% of carbon monoxide (CO ) (EPA 1999) in urban areas comes from mobile sources, of which 51% is contributed by on road vehicles. It is well known fact that, carbon monoxide is one of the major mobile source pollutants and CO has detrimental effects on the human health. Carbon monoxide is the result of mainly incomplete combustion of …

A New Paradigm Of Modeling Watershed Water Quality, Fan Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accurate models to reliably predict sediment and chemical transport in watershed water systems enhance the ability of environmental scientists, engineers and decision makers to analyze the impact of contamination problems and to evaluate the efficacy of alternative remediation techniques and management strategies prior to incurring expense in the field. This dissertation presents the conceptual and mathematical development of a general numerical model simulating (1) sediment and reactive chemical transport in river/stream networks of watershed systems; (2) sediment and reactive chemical transport in overland shallow water of watershed systems; and (3) reactive chemical transport in three-dimensional subsurface systems. Through the decomposition …

Optimization Of An Unstructured Finite Element Mesh For Tide And Storm Surge Modeling Applications In The Western North Atlantic Ocean, Satoshi Kojima

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recently, a highly resolved, finite element mesh was developed for the purpose of performing hydrodynamic calculations in the Western North Atlantic Tidal (WNAT) model domain. The WNAT model domain consists of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the entire portion of the North Atlantic Ocean found west of the 60° W meridian. This high resolution mesh (333K) employs 332,582 computational nodes and 647,018 triangular elements to provide approximately 1.0 to 25 km node spacing. In the previous work, the 333K mesh was applied in a Localized Truncation Error Analysis (LTEA) to produce nodal density requirements for the WNAT …

Benchmark Studies For Structural Health Monitoring Using Analytical And Experimental Models, Jason Lee Burkett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The latest bridge inventory report for the United States indicates that 25% of the highway bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. With such a large number of bridges in this condition, safety and serviceability concerns become increasingly relevant along with the associated increase in user costs and delays. Biennial inspections have proven subjective and need to be coupled with standardized non-destructive testing methods to accurately assess a bridge's condition for decision making purposes. Structural health monitoring is typically used to track and evaluate performance, symptoms of operational incidents, anomalies due to deterioration and damage during regular operation as well …

The Use Of The Ucf Driving Simiulator To Test The Contribution Of Larger Size Vehicles (Lsvs) In Rear-End Collisions And Red Light Running On Intersections., Rami Charles Harb

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Driving safety has been an issue of great concern in the United States throughout the years. According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), in 2003 alone, there were 6,267,000 crashes in the U.S. from which 1,915,000 were injury crashes, including 38,764 fatal crashes and 43,220 human casualties. The U.S. Department of Transportation spends millions of dollars every year on research that aims to improve roadway safety and decrease the number of traffic collisions. In spring 2002, the Center for Advanced Traffic System Simulation (CATSS), at the University of Central Florida, acquired a sophisticated reconfigurable driving simulator. This …

Quality Of Service Measures At Signalized Intersections, Kamal Goyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The concept of using qualitative measures to describe the quality of service at signalized intersections provided by different designs and controls has been discussed in numerous conferences. Such measures may include driver's comfort, convenience, anxiety, and preferences. The primary objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using the University of Central Florida's interactive driving simulator to execute several scenarios involving different unusual design and operation practices to measure the quality of service at a signalized intersection. This thesis describes the scenarios, the experiments conducted, the data collected, and analysis of results. Signalized intersections with 3 types of …

Stormwater Irrigation Of Saint Augustine Grass: Nitrogen Balance And Evapotranspiration, Ewoud Hulstein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A change in surface condition of a watershed, which is usually caused by development, can have measured effects on the naturally occurring hydrologic cycle and nitrogen cycle. This could result in environmental problems, such as reduced springflow and eutrophication. In an effort to address these issues, a combination of best management practices (BMPs) can be adhered to. The practice of using excess stormwater as a source for irrigation is proposed as a BMP for the minimization of impacts by development to the hydrologic and nitrogen cycles. To study the proposed BMP, a field experiment was installed in an outdoor location …

Estimation Of Hybrid Models For Real-Time Crash Risk Assessment On Freeways, Anurag Pande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relevance of reactive traffic management strategies such as freeway incident detection has been diminishing with advancements in mobile phone usage and video surveillance technology. On the other hand, capacity to collect, store, and analyze traffic data from underground loop detectors has witnessed enormous growth in the recent past. These two facts together provide us with motivation as well as the means to shift the focus of freeway traffic management toward proactive strategies that would involve anticipating incidents such as crashes. The primary element of proactive traffic management strategy would be model(s) that can separate 'crash prone' conditions from 'normal' traffic …

A Trade Construction Knowledge Module To Enable Use Of Design Component Data In Project Management, Zhigang Shen, Raja R. A. Issa, William J. O'Brien, Ian Flood

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

The complexity, tight budget, and dynamic market of today's construction project require the seamless integration of both design and construction data, However, despite the availability of both digital design tools (various CAD applications) and digital project management tools (such as schedule software and construction management software), design data has to still be entered manually into construction applications. In order to close this gap, CAD applications widely used in AEC industries are evolving toward providing the product data within the CAD package itself, in addition to the existing graphic-oriented data. While useful, those new data-driven CAD applications are largely design-oriented and …

Modal Perturbation Method For The Dynamic Characteristics Of Timoshenko Beams, Meng-Lin Lou, Quihua Duan, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Timoshenko beams have been widely used in structural and mechanical systems. under dynamic loading, the analytical solution of a Timoshenko beam is often difficult to obtain due to the complexity involved in the equation of motion. In this paper, a modal perturbation method is introduced to approximately determine the dynamic characteristics of a Timoshenko beam. In this approach, the differential equation of motion describing the dynamic behavior of the Timoshenko beam can be transformed into a set of nonlinear algebraic equations. Therefore, the solution process can be simplified significantly for the Timoshenko beam with arbitrary boundaries. Several examples are given …

Aggregate Gradation Optimization -- Literature Search, David Newton Richardson

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Individual Certification As An Engineering Manager?, Rafael Landaeta, Kawintorn Pothanun, William Peterson

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Several of the discipline specific professional societies are offering or planning to offer certification of individuals as engineering managers. Does this have implications for Engineering Management programs at universities? Other stakeholders (faculty, students, employers, and graduates of engineering management programs) are impacted by certification as well. This paper attempts to look at the issue from several points of view. This paper is intended to provoke a dialog on the topic.

Development Of An Artificial Neural Networks Model To Estimate Delay Using Toll Plaza Transaction Data, Aparna Muppidi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In spite of the most up-to-date investigation of the relevant techniques to analyze the traffic characteristics and traffic operations at a toll plaza, there has not been any note worthy explorations evaluating delay from toll transaction data and using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) at a toll plaza. This thesis lays an emphasis on the application of ANN techniques to estimate the total vehicular delay according to the lane type at a toll plaza. This is done to avoid the laborious task of extracting data from the video recordings at a toll plaza. Based on the lane type a general methodology …

Neural Network Trees And Simulation Databases: New Approaches For Signalized Intersection Crash Classification And Prediction, Piyush Nawathe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intersection related crashes form a significant proportion of the crashes occurring on roadways. Many organizations such as the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are considering intersection safety improvement as one of their top priority areas. This study contributes to the area of safety of signalized intersections by identifying the traffic and geometric characteristics that affect the different types of crashes. The first phase of this thesis was to classify the crashes occurring at signalized intersections into rear-end, angle, turn and sideswipe crash types based on the traffic and geometric properties of …