Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Sign Retroreflectivity: Fiscal Impact Of Proposed Minimum Retroreflectivity Values On Local Governments In Indiana And Investigation Of Accuracy Of Nighttime Inspections, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

To remain effective, traffic signs need to be clearly legible to all motorists. Their retroreflectivity is an important factor in their legibility. Recently, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has proposed a set of minimum retroreflectivity values to which all signs shall conform. The purpose of this study was two fold; to investigate the fiscal impact of these proposed minimums on roadways managed by counties, cities, and towns within in the State of Indiana and compare the accuracy of a simple nighttime inspection method to the more labor intensive measured retroreflectivity method.

Estimates performed on the collected data suggest that the …

2006 Statewide Bridge Sufficiency Rating Report, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

The main purpose of this report is to provide bridge sufficiency rating information for the bridges in each county. This information results from the data generated by the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) program authorized by the 1968 Federal Aid Highway Act.

Uncertainty Quantification Of Satellite Precipitation Estimation And Monte Carlo Assessment Of The Error Propagation Into Hydrologic Response, Hamid Moradkhani, Yang Hong, Soroosh Sorooshian

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this paper is to foster the development of an end-to-end uncertainty analysis framework that can quantify satellite-based precipitation estimation error characteristics and to assess the influence of the error propagation into hydrological simulation. First, the error associated with the satellite-based precipitation estimates is assumed as a nonlinear function of rainfall space-time integration scale, rain intensity, and sampling frequency. Parameters of this function are determined by using high-resolution satellite-based precipitation estimates and gauge-corrected radar rainfall data over the southwestern United States. Parameter sensitivity analysis at 16 selected 5ø ? 5ø latitude-longitude grids shows about 12?16% of variance of …

Investigation Of The Performance Of The New Orleans Flood Protection System In Hurricane Katrina On August 29, 2005: Volume 1, Raymond B. Seed, Robert G. Bea, Remon I. Abdelmalak, Adda G. Athanasopoulos, Gordon P. Boutwell, Jr., Jonathan D. Bray, Jean-Louis Briaud, Carmen Cheung, Diego Cobos-Roa, Julien Cohen-Waeber, Brian D. Collins, Luke Ehrensing, Dan A. Farber, W. Michael Hanneman, Leslie F. Harder, Kofi S. Inkabi, Anne M. Kammerer, Deniz Karadeniz, Robert E. Kayen, Robb E.S. Moss, Jennifer Nicks, Seshu Nimala, Juan M. Pestana, Jim Porter, Keunyong Rhee, Michael F. Riemer, Karlene Roberts, J. David Rogers, Rune Storesund, Anand V. Govindasamy, Xavier Vera-Grunauer, Joseph E. Wartman, Conor M. Watkins, Ed Wenk, Jr., Solomon C. Yim

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report presents the results of an investigation of the performance of the New Orleans regional flood protection system during and after Hurricane Katrina, which struck the New Orleans region on August 29, 2005. This event resulted in the single most costly catastrophic failure of an engineered system in history. Current damage estimates at the time of this writing are on the order of $100 to $200 billion in the greater New Orleans area, and the official death count in New Orleans and southern Louisiana at the time of this writing stands at 1,293, with an additional 306 deaths in …

Investigation Of The Performance Of The New Orleans Flood Protection System In Hurricane Katrina On August 29, 2005: Volume 2, Raymond B. Seed, Robert G. Bea, Remon I. Abdelmalak, Adda G. Athanasopoulos, Gordon P. Boutwell, Jr., Jonathan D. Bray, Jean-Louis Briaud, Carmen Cheung, Diego Cobos-Roa, Julien Cohen-Waeber, Brian D. Collins, Luke Ehrensing, Dan A. Farber, W. Michael Hanneman, Leslie F. Harder, Kofi S. Inkabi, Anne M. Kammerer, Deniz Karadeniz, Robert E. Kayen, Robb E.S. Moss, Jennifer Nicks, Seshu Nimala, Juan M. Pestana, Jim Porter, Keunyong Rhee, Michael F. Riemer, Karlene Roberts, J. David Rogers, Rune Storesund, Anand V. Govindasamy, Xavier Vera-Grunauer, Joseph E. Wartman, Conor M. Watkins, Ed Wenk, Jr., Solomon C. Yim

Civil and Environmental Engineering

No abstract provided.

Numerical Modeling Of Concrete Masonry Walls Strengthened By Fiber Reinforced Polymers Under Lateral Loads, Mohamed Salama

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The use of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) for the seismic retrofit of masonry walls is on the rise. Design formulae are available to estimate the lateral load capacity of the strengthened walls. However, recent experimental data from tests conducted on full scale concrete masonry walls under cyclic lateral loads have shown that these design capacities have not been reached because of the occurrence of other failure modes not accounted for in the design formulae. The limiting failure mode in all test samples referred to in this work was due to premature compression failure of the masonry units at the wall …

Effects Of Placement Conditions On Decomposition Of Municipal Solid Wastes In Cold Regions, James Hanson, Nazli Yeşiller, K. A. Howard, Wei-Lien Liu, S. P. Cooper

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The effects of placement practices on decomposition of wastes were investigated at Anchorage Regional Landfill (Anchorage, Alaska) since 2002. Temperatures and gas concentrations of wastes placed at various seasons were monitored. Wastes were placed at sub-freezing temperatures during cold seasons. Waste temperatures generally increased upon placement. High variation was observed in waste temperatures near the surface whereas steady temperatures were obtained at depth. High maximum stable temperatures resulted from warm placement conditions. Steady temperatures between approximately –1 to +35°C were observed. The central portion of a frozen waste band (with a total initial thickness of 7 m at placement, currently …

Determining The Value Of A Master's Degree In Construction Management, Benjamin K. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine the value of a master's degree in construction management in southern Idaho. A telephone and Internet survey was employed to determine the value that members of the construction industry in southern Idaho place on construction management (CM) degrees, both graduate and undergraduate. The survey included 27 self-described general contractors who are members of The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) in regions 3 and 4 in the state of Idaho. Regions three and four include Twin Falls, Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Ketchum, Burley and surrounding communities. Following the compilation of surveys, it was …

Comparing Time And Accuracy Of Building Information Modeling To On-Screen Takeoff For A Quantity Takeoff Of A Conceptual Estimate, Morgan A. Alder

Theses and Dissertations

Estimating is a critical aspect of every construction project. The most tedious component of an estimate is the quantity takeoff. Different tools are available to improve an estimator's productivity for a quantity takeoff. Faster quantity takeoffs enable estimator to bid more jobs. This study analyzed the time and accuracy of performing quantity takeoffs when using building information modeling (BIM) through a comparison study using Revit (BIM software) and On-Center's OST. In preparation for the study the researcher conducted a pilot study. Participants of the study were asked to perform a quantity takeoff using both Revit and OST. Their resulting data …

Contractor Variability In Construction Of Cement Treated Base Layers, Maile Anne Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purposes of this research were to identify construction factors most correlated to specific mechanical properties of cement-treated base (CTB) layers and to determine which construction factors exhibit comparatively high variability within individual construction sections of the two pavement reconstruction projects included in this study. In addition, differences between construction sections tested in this research were evaluated. The research focused on the construction of CTB layers in two pavement reconstruction projects in northern Utah, one along Interstate 84 (I-84) near Morgan and one along U.S. Highway 91 (US-91) near Richmond. The significant predictor variables associated with California bearing ratio …

Incorporating Wireless Power Transfer In An Led Lighting Application, Jonathan S. Shipley

Theses and Dissertations

There are various situations in which electrical energy is desired but cannot by conveniently supplied. Since the days of Hienrich Hertz and Nikola Tesla, scientists have tried to solve this problem using different methods of wireless power transfer. Today, wireless power transfer has only been commercially demonstrated at small distances through use of induction. This thesis demonstrated the transfer of wireless power at relatively large distances through radio frequencies in the development of a prototype for a commercial product - a wireless household lamp.

A Solution For Commodity Field Hauling With Self-Unloading Semi-Trailers, Lee Pagens Wilkerson

Theses and Dissertations

Commodity hauling of bulk goods is a growing enterprise that has expanded from hauling agricultural products to hauling many other bulk products. Commodity trailers are used to haul agricultural products from storage facilities to processing plants. These trailers are designed for highway use but are frequently required to work in field conditions as well. In many cases this environment overstresses these trailers and results in permanent irreparable damage. In addition to the structural problems of these trailers, the current systems for unloading the bulk produce from these trailers have serious inadequacies. While functional, the currently used chain and non-chain driven …

Development Of An Index For Concrete Bridge Deck Management In Utah, Ellen T. White

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a new index for concrete bridge deck management in Utah. Data were collected in the summer of 2005 from 15 concrete bridge decks in the vicinity of Salt Lake City. The decks ranged from 2 to 21 years in age and were all constructed using epoxy-coated rebar. Visual inspection, sounding, Schmidt hammer testing, half-cell potential testing, and chloride concentration testing were performed on six 6-ft by 6-ft test areas randomly distributed within the single lane closed to traffic on each deck, and testing protocols followed American Society for Testing and Materials standards …

Numerical Modeling Of Blast-Induced Liquefaction, Wayne Yeung Lee

Theses and Dissertations

A research study has been conducted to simulate liquefaction in saturated sandy soil induced by nearby controlled blasts. The purpose of the study is to help quantify soil characteristics under multiple and consecutive high-magnitude shock environments similar to those produced by large earthquakes. The simulation procedure involved the modeling of a three-dimensional half-space soil region with pre-defined, embedded, and strategically located explosive charges to be detonated at specific time intervals. LS-DYNA, a commercially available finite element hydrocode, was the solver used to simulate the event. A new geo-material model developed under the direction of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration was …

A Study Of Home Builder Advertising For Smart Home Technologies, Jared Don Bingham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to discover if home builders along the Wasatch Front in Utah are advertising smart home technologies. Research was conducted by a review of the display advertisements placed in the Saturday and Sunday editions of The Deseret Morning News/Salt Lake Tribune from March 4, 2006 through April 1, 2006. An internet search for smart home terminology was performed on the web sites of home builders advertising in The Deseret Morning News/Salt Lake Tribune. A review of the display advertisements for the Deseret Morning News/Salt Lake Tribune revealed that home builders are not using that medium …

Hillsborough Filter Pilot Project (2006), Stormwater Academy

BMP Trains Research and Publications

A zeolite filter pilot plant was operated over a 216 day period to evaluate its ability to enhance nitrogen removal from stormwater. When operated at a steady filtration rate of 192 gal/ft2 -day, the zeolite filter was highly effective at removing ammonia, producing an effluent ammonia nitrogen concentration of 0.07 mg/L, and removing 93% of ammonia and 32% of total inorganic nitrogen. A variety of non-steady state experiments demonstrated that the zeolite filter performance was superior to a parallel sand filter under the varying conditions that are common to stormwater management systems. A storm event was simulated by applying a …

Study Of Same-Lane And Inter-Lane Gvw Correlation, Colin C. Caprani, Bernard Enright, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

Extensive work has been done over the last two decades on the simulation of traffic loading on bridges. The methodology used is to generate a number of years of simulated traffic and to use extreme value statistics to predict more accurately the characteristic loading for a given bridge. The parameters and probability distributions used in the Monte Carlo simulation must be based on observed sample traffic data. Some previous studies have made unsubstantiated assumptions regarding correlation between the Gross Vehicle Weights (GVW) of trucks in the same lane, or between trucks in adjacent, same direction lanes. For this paper, an …

Rubble Pile Characterization Model, William P. Schonberg, Jason Baird, Paul Nicholas Worsey, Abdeldjelil Belarbi, Roger A. Laboube, Braden Lusk, R. Flanagan, H. Burleson, Robert S. Woodley, Warren Noll

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Rubble piles created following the collapse of a building in a combat situation can significantly impact mission accomplishment, particularly in the area of movement and maneuver. Rubble characteristics must be known, for example, in order to predict the ability of a vehicle to override the collateral damage from weapon effects in urban areas. Two types of models are developed: a first-order model and a first-principles-based model. In both models, we assume complete rubblization of the building and develop a rubble profile model using the size and composition of the collapsed structure to predict the rubble volume. In both cases, this …

Comparison Of Aisi Specification Methods For Members With Single Intermediate Longitudinal Stiffeners, B. W. Schafer, Heejae Yang

American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Specifications, Standards, Manuals and Research Reports (1946 - present)

In the current AISI specification, there are two different methods for calculating the effective widths of longitudinally stiffened elements. The first method “B4.1” applies solely to the element with only one intermediate stiffener, whereas the second method “B5.1” works only for those elements with more than one intermediate stiffener. Both methods are accurate in finding the design moments if used appropriately. Although two methods are developed to handle different cases, for some sections with one intermediate stiffener, the second method also works accurately, giving the same result as the first method does for calculating design moments. For some other sections …

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Nonlinear Finite Element-Based Investigation Of The Effect Of Bedding Thickness On Underground Pipe, Anupong Kararam

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The pipe-soil interaction is studied by using the finite element software, ABAQUS/CAE Version 6.5-1 as a symmetric model of embankment installation to study the effect of bedding property and thickness on pipe-soil interaction with increase in the height of fill. A three-dimensional finite element model (FEM) of the concrete pipe and surrounding soil is developed. The FEM is capable of simulating material, geometric, and contact nonlinearities which employs a nonlinear incremental solution algorithm. Several different element types and mesh size were tested to obtain the optimum converged mesh. These elements were eight-noded linear brick (C3D8R) and six-noded linear triangular prism …

Finding The Distribution Of Bridge Lifetime Load Effect By Predictive Likelihood, Colin C. Caprani, E. J. O'Brien

Conference papers

To assess the safety of an existing bridge, the loads to which it may be subject in its lifetime are required. Statistical analysis is used to extrapolate a sample of load effect values from the simulation period to the required design period. Complex statistical methods are often used and the end result is usually a single value of characteristic load effect. Such a deterministic result is at odds with the underlying stochastic nature of the problem. In this paper, predictive likelihood is shown to be a method by which the distribution of the lifetime extreme load effect may be determined. …

Quantification Of The Benefits Of Access Management For Kentucky, Adam Kirk, Jerry G. Pigman, Barry House

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report describes the benefits quantification performed for the proposed access management plan for Kentucky. This study evaluates the capacity, safety and economic impacts associated with access management programs. The proposed Kentucky access management program will seek to standardize driveway and traffic signal spacing on all state maintained roadways in the state. The TRB Access Impact Calculator developed as a part of by NCHRP Report 420, was used to evaluate the potential benefits of the proposed plan on a sample of Kentucky roadways. The results of this analysis were then extrapolated to the statewide system to estimate total annual savings …

Cooper Drive Pedestrian Study, Adam Kirk, Nikiforos Stamatiadis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to summarize the findings of the pedestrian study conducted for Cooper Drive from Nicholasville Road to Sports Center Drive on the University of Kentucky Campus in Lexington, KY. This study was initiated by the University of Kentucky Parking and Transportation Services in response to high pedestrian crossing volumes on Cooper Drive. Cooper Drive is crossed daily by a large number of pedestrians to access the main campus from the stadium parking lot and Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC). This study examines several roadway alternatives that have potential to improve these pedestrian movements in …

Evaluation Of Kentucky’S “Buckle Up Kentucky: It’S The Law And It’S Enforced” 2006 Campaign, Kenneth R. Agent, Eric R. Green, Ronald E. Langley

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this report was to document the results of the “Buckle Up Kentucky: It’s the Law & It’s Enforced” 2006 campaign in Kentucky. The campaign involved a combination of earned media, paid media, and enforcement. The earned media started about five weeks prior to Memorial Day 2006 and continued through the enforcement periods. Two separate paid media campaigns and enforcement periods were conducted. One dealt specifically with pickups while the other was a general campaign for all drivers. The pickup media campaign started four weeks prior to Memorial Day and lasted two weeks followed by a one-week enforcement …

Development Of A Traffic Sign Inventory System (Sign Click), Eric R. Green

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

A system is not currently in place to inventory traffic signs in Kentucky. A sign inventory database would be beneficial for those responsible for maintenance and management of signs. The overall safety provided the driving public could benefit from an efficient inventory system that increases an agency’s knowledge of existing signs. In addition, a comprehensive inventory and mechanisms for updating the inventory could reduce the potential for liability associated with outdated, inappropriately placed, or missing signs. Software is available for this kind of inventory; however it can be expensive and would lack the specific features that could be developed in-house. …

The Reflective Mariner An Approach For Ecdis Training And Operational Usage, Scott W. Muller

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The emergence of the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) on the bridge of modem vessels offers the possibility of improving the safety and efficiency of maritime operations. Despite its benefits, improper use of ECDIS relegates the watch officer to passive monitoring, which in tum places the mariner "out of the control loop" in the assessment of vessel control functions and equipment malfunctions. It is therefore vital to train mariners to be active in their ECDIS monitoring. This thesis presents a training strategy aimed at developing the "Reflective Mariner": an approach to help mariners maintain their active use of …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Wildlife Reflectors In Reducing Vehicle-Deer Collisions On Indiana Interstate 80/90, Sedat Gulen, George P. Mccabe, Ira Rosenthal, Samuel E. Wolfe, Virgil L. Anderson

JTRP Technical Reports

The Indiana Department of Transportation is committed to reducing vehicle-deer collision incidents on the Indiana Interstate I-80/90 as well as on the other roads. Very few of the studies to reduce vehicle-deer collisions incorporated any sound and complete statistical design. Some states (California, Colorado, Maine, Ontario-Canada, Washington State and Wyoming) have found that the use of wildlife reflectors did not reduce vehicle-deer collisions. However, some other states (British Columbia-Canada, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington State and Wisconsin) found that the use of wildlife reflectors did reduce vehicle-deer collisions.

The main objective of this experimental study is to evaluate the effectiveness of …

Relationships Between Pacific And Atlantic Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures And U.S. Streamflow Variability, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

An evaluation of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and continental U.S. streamflow was performed to identify coupled regions of SST and continental U.S. streamflow variability. Both SSTs and streamflow displayed temporal variability when applying the singular value decomposition (SVD) statistical method. Initially, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using the entire period of record (i.e., all years from 1951 to 2002). This was followed by an interdecadal-temporal evaluation for the Pacific (Atlantic) Ocean based on the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)). Finally, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using detrended SST …