Civil and Environmental Engineering Commons^™

Structural Vulnerability Of Coastal Bridges Under Extreme Hurricane Conditions, Arturo Montoya, Adolfo Matamoros, Firat Testik, Reza Nasouri, Adnan Shahriar, Arsalan Majlesi

Publications

This work presents the results of a numerical study evaluating the response of coastal bridges due to hurricane-induced waves. The analyses were conducted using the Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) approach, available on the commercial finite element software Abaqus, which allows modeling the interaction between water and the bridge. The work concentrated on (1) establishing an approach for modeling the desired wave characteristics (i.e., wave height, and frequency) within the CEL simulation, (2) conducting simulations using actual bridge dimensions of historically damaged bridges, (3) analyzing a range of foundation flexibilities to determine its effect on the uplift and shear forces acting on …

Pedestrian Bridge In Tanzania, Maja Sagaser, Karina Rosales

Architectural Engineering

This senior project originated to address the need of the community of Same, Tanzania. There is a deep and wide ravine which floods, making the path many adults and children take to the Majevu Primary School increasingly difficult and dangerous. This report encapsulates all of the steps taken to complete an approved final design for a footbridge to be constructed over this ravine. It includes the project overview, the architectural and structural design process, as well as the important considerations. There are also structural drawings that include plans, elevations, and details.

2019 Student Steel Bridge Team, Kourtney Arena, Andrew Biglin, Brett Palmer, Nathaniel Maute, Kenneth Reiser, Jacob Dicks, Paul Kowaleski

STEM Student Research Symposium Posters

Every year AISC runs a regional and national steel bridge competition. The competition offers a chance for civil engineering students to gain valuable experience designing a bridge. In addition to this, mechanical engineering students are provided the opportunity to practice machining steel parts. For the competition, teams from participating schools are given a scenario with certain constraints to design a bridge for. At the competition, the bridges are ranked based on weight, structural efficiency, construction economy, assembly speed, deflection, aesthetics, and overall performance.

The program Risa 3D was used in order to design and perform analysis on the bridge. Using …

Save Our Sound Obx, Inc. V. North Carolina Department Of Transportation, Mitch L. Werbell V

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled in favor of several governmental agencies seeking to construct a new bridge in the Pamlico Sound adjacent to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. For years, state and federal agencies have put forth a massive coordinated effort to address the constant weather damage and erosion which occurs to a section of North Carolina Highway 12. The court found the agencies properly cleared NEPA’s environmental review requirements for the bridge’s construction. Additionally, the opponent-litigants’ efforts to add claims challenging the project, based on new information about a shipwreck in the bridge’s path, were futile.

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bridge Girders For Extremely Aggressive Environments, Abdellah Emad Azeez

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In 2012, the federal government estimated that $17.5 billion was spent on inspection, rehabilitation, maintenance, and replacement of the nation’s bridges. While the average lifespan of steel and reinforced concrete bridges is 50 years, certain bridges subjected to extremely aggressive marine environments may not reach this desired target. This research paper investigates using fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) materials as primary bridge girders in medium span bridges (30 ft. to 75 ft.). The goal of this research is to identify the most efficient and cost-effective alternative for these corrosion-resistant materials and potentially extend the lifespan of these bridges up to 75 years. …

Towards Multiple Model Approach To Bridge Deterioration, Jin A. Collins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) marked the start of a new era in transportation in the United States. ISTEA required transportation agencies to take a proactive approach to planning and management of their assets. This included requirements for managing pavement, bridges, safety, congestion, public transportation, and intermodal systems. For horizontal transportation assets (i.e., bridges and pavement), deterioration modeling is an essential tool (Yanev and Chen 1993). Since ISTEA, Bridge Management Systems (BMS) have been utilized to inform decision-making regarding bridge projects such as maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement (MR&R) under financial limitations (Agrawal, Kawaguchi, and Chen 2010). …

Unmanned Aerial And Traversing Vehicle -- A Mobile Platform For Bridge Inspections, Clayton A. Fritsche

Masters Theses

“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have been rapidly growing in popularity since their creation. This study aimed to create a robotic platform used to assist in the inspection process of the nation’s aging and deteriorating bridges. To this end, a multimodal inspection robot that utilized both flying and driving technologies, was designed, analyzed, and tested for aerial, traversing, and their transitional operability. The design, herein referred to as the “BridgeBot”, was evaluated both computationally and experimentally. A finite element model of the BridgeBot was established and analyzed under static loading scenarios to help determine stress distributions and …

Load Rating Mobility As A Framework For Bridge Owners, Bryan Keith Stephens

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this time of financial economy, bridge owners are faced with the important decision of where to focus financial assets while attempting to determine which structures are in most need. Bridge Engineers and researchers alike agree that a large portion of the United States bridge population are reaching the end of their design life. Researchers are currently investigating various means and methods of lengthening the amount of usefulness of these key pieces of infrastructure. This paper introduces the novel idea of bridge Load Rating Mobility and how it can be leveraged by stake holders to assist in making those financial …

Shear Stress Estimates In The Approach And Bridge Section By Using Various Formula, Jun Seon Lee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shear stress is the resistance force on top of the contact surface caused by moving flow and is one of the important variable in fluid mechanics. Thus, a lot of researches have been conducted to predict accurate value of shear stress. However, calculating shear stress with existing equations has several limitations because only gradually varied flow and/or uniform flow was considered in their studies. Therefore, direct applying those methods into complex flow type, such as around a bridge, to predict shear stress is questionable.

Thus, laboratory experiments were carried out in a laboratory flume to attack the objective of this …

Developing Computer Codes For Analyzing Bridge Response Due To Wim Data Truck Loading, Kenneth Patrick Pasley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite actual truck demographics evolving over the past 30 years, the Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting have not been updated. Custom computer codes were developed.to facilitate comparison between the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge posting and the actual Arkansas truck traffic to ensure that actual reactions are enveloped by the state'. The program, WIMFluence, calculates shear and moment influence lines for a bridge and the resulting shear and moment reactions based on weigh-in-motion data. With supporting scripts, the reactions due to actual Arkansas truck traffic were compared to those due to the current Arkansas legal loads for bridge …

Detection Of Multiple Flaws In Concrete Bridge Decks Using Ultrasonic Wave Propagation, Ece Erdogmus, Eric Garcia, Michael Schuller, Donald Harvey, Kelsey Stithem, Monica Houck

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Coastal Bridges Under Hurricane Stresses Along The Texas And Louisiana Coast, Adolfo Matamoros, Firat Testik

Data

Corresponding data set for Tran-SET Project No. 17STTSA02. Abstract of the final report is stated below for reference:

"The main objective of this study was to develop a high-resolution model capable of simulating the response of bridge structures to hydrodynamic loads for hurricane design conditions (i.e. surge height, wave height, and frequency) expected in the Texas-Louisiana coast. The model relied on Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian techniques (CEL) where solids are simulated with Lagrangian meshes, while fluids are simulated using Eulerian meshes, and was calibrated using historical data from wave impact laboratory tests. Two high resolution models were created, the first of a …

The Live Load Response Of The Open Web Steel Joist Black Slough Bridge, Piero Caputo

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The bridge being studied spans the Black Slough River in the Nucor/Vulcraft facilities near Brigham City, Utah. The bridge is composed of seven heavyweight open web steel joists supporting a concrete deck-slab element and sitting in two concrete cantilever walls serving as bearings. A full-scale live-load test was performed using forklift vehicles at four locations on the deck. During the test, axial strains, deflections, and rotations where measured.

In their provisions, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) included a simplified number of equations and solutions used to calculate GDFs for standardized decks supported by beam systems. …

Coastal Bridges Under Hurricane Stresses Along The Texas And Louisiana Coast, Adolfo Matamoros, Firat Testik

Publications

The main objective of this study is to develop a high-resolution model capable of simulating the response of bridge structures to hydrodynamic loads for hurricane design conditions (i.e., surge height, wave height, and frequency) expected in the Texas-Louisiana coast. The model relied on Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) techniques where solids are simulated with Lagrangian meshes, while fluids are simulated using Eulerian meshes, and was calibrated using historical data from wave impact laboratory tests. Two high resolution models were created, the first of a tsunami wave impact test conducted at Oregon State University and the second of a bridge located in the …

Development Of Iowa Dot Combination Bridge Separation Barrier With Bicycle Railing, Chaz M. Ginger

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Iowa Department of Transportation typically builds separation barriers between vehicle and pedestrian/bicycle facilities when sidewalks or trails are present on vehicular bridges. Currently, Iowa DOT employs a combination bridge rail that utilizes a concrete parapet that previously had been successfully evaluated to National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 350 Test Level 4 (TL-4) criteria for these situations. While the parapet had been successfully evaluated, the combination bridge rail system as a whole had not been evaluated to any crash test standards. Iowa DOT desired that researchers at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) design and test a combination bridge …

Effects Of Short-Term Strains On Concrete Bulb-Tee Bridge Girders And Analysis Of The Practicality Of Using Three-Dimensional Models Based On Drone Imagery To Aid In Bridge Inspections, Justin M. Pace

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The University Transportation Center at Utah State University sponsors research through the Federal Highway Administration’s University Transportation Center Program. The purpose of this research is to advance technology and expertise in transportation-related fields. This includes research pertaining to bridge design, monitoring, and inspection (the focus of this research).

The first focus area of this research monitored short-term strains at the bottom of girders in a concrete bulb-tee girder bridge. The strains were caused by traffic loading and recorded using strain transducers attached to the bottom of each bridge girder. Patterns in the strain loading were monitored to draw conclusions about …

Structural Identification And Assessment Of The Inverted Tee Girder Bridge System, Garrett P. D. Martindale

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Inverted Tee (IT) girder bridge system was originally developed in 1996 by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) engineers. This bridge system currently accounts for over 110 bridges in Nebraska used for both state highways and local county roads. Excessive transverse and longitudinal deck cracking has been observed and noted in numerous bridge inspection reports. Since the IT girder bridge system is relatively new, limited data and knowledge exist on its structural performance and behavior. This study evaluates the IT girder bridge system by conducting twenty field observations as well as recording accelerometer time …

Bio-Inspired Hybrid Vibration Control Methodology For Intelligent Isolated Bridge Structures, Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Inspired by evolutionary game theory, the biological game of replicator dynamics is investigated for vibration control of bridge structures subjected to earthquake excitations. Replicator dynamics can be interpreted economically as a model of imitation of successful individuals. This paper uses replicator dynamics to reduce vibrations while optimally allocating the control device forces. The control algorithm proposed is integrated with a patented neural dynamic optimization algorithm to find optimal growth rate values with the goal of achieving satisfactory structural performance with minimum energy consumption. A model is described for hybrid vibration control of smart highway bridge structures subjected to earthquake loading.

On The Fatigue Of Headed Shear Studs In Steel-Concrete Composite Bridge Girders, Brianna Laurene Ovuoba

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Shear connectors are commonly used in steel bridges to join the concrete deck and steel superstructure, providing a mechanism for shear transfer across the steel-concrete interface. The most common shear connector is the headed shear stud. In the current AASHTO LRFD Bridge Specifications on composite design, shear stud fatigue often governs over static strength, and a large number of shear connectors often result. This dissertation investigates headed shear stud fatigue capacities and demands, and provides insight into conservancies in existing design specifications through examination of existing high-traffic bridge performance.

To investigate stud capacity, a total of six high-cycle fatigue tests …

Bridge Build, Andrew Little

Student Scholarship

Bridge build design that includes not only a building process, but a research paper to make the best build possible as well.

Indiana Local Roads - An Asset Management Guide For Cities, Towns And Counties, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc.

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This Guide is designed to serve as a resource to agencies adopting an asset management philosophy. It presents an asset management process that can be used by any local agency in Indiana. It also introduces common terminology and helpful hints to get you started. The Guide promotes a statewide approach to gather and analyze the information you need to develop an asset management plan. You can use this Guide to: learn more about what asset management is, identify the steps involved with implementing asset management, discover ways to use data to better communicate with elected officials, develop an effective asset …

Cfrp Strengthening Of Ky 583 Over The Bluegrass Parkway Bridge In Hardin Country, Abheetha Peiris, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The report details the planning, design, and construction of the retrofit measure on the KY 583 Bridge (047B00072N), which traverses the Bluegrass Parkway in Hardin County, Kentucky. Reinforced concrete girders within the span over the eastbound Bluegrass Parkway of the bridge had cracks that led to concrete delamination and deterioration of the girders.

To remedy the problem, triaxial carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) fabric sheets were selected to perform a retrofit due to their strength, conformability, and flexibility. The concrete surface, over which the fabric sheets were applied, were first prepared by removing all spalling and deteriorated concrete, which exposed …

Characterization Of Unknown Bridge Foundations, Saman Rashidyan

Civil Engineering ETDs

The National Bridge Inventory (NBI) recognized 86,133 bridges in the United States have no foundation data on record in 2003. It is evident that an unknown percentage of the 86,133 bridges identified by NBI with missing foundation data could also be highly vulnerable to scouring induced by water flow coupled with erodible soils. Conventional excavation, coring and boring excavations to identify unknown bridge foundation depths and types are deemed to be expensive, destructive, and limited in their application to the unknown foundation problem. Many surface and borehole nondestructive testing (NDT) technologies have been developed for this purpose. Three economical proven …

Evaluation Of Adjustable Continuity Joint Variations For Use In The Restore Barrier, Scott Rosenbaugh, Jennifer D. Schmidt, Ronald K. Faller, James C. Holloway

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

During MASH TL-4 full-scale crash testing of the RESTORE barrier, concrete cracking and spalling was observed on the barrier beams that would likely require repairs or replacement. This study sought to evaluate joint design alternatives for use in the RESTORE barrier in order to limit the amount of system damage. Three variations of the Adjustable Continuity Joint (ACJ) were identified as potential modifications: 1) incorporating rubber bearing pads within the ACJ, 2) utilizing normal weight concrete instead of lightweight concrete, and 3) incorporating a steel end cap into the ends of the beam segments.

Four dynamic component tests were conducted …

Economic Impact Analysis Of Bridge Construction, Funda Yavuz

Masters Theses

Traffic disruption due to bridge construction has been reduced to several hours with the development of methods characterized as Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC). Associated risks and additional activities involved with the accelerated construction result in an increased initial project cost. This additional cost is offset by the benefits of reduced mobility impact time such as maintenance of traffic cost, life-cycle cost, and economic impact on surrounding communities and businesses as well as the ability to address seasonal limitations. Traditionally, the savings in user cost from reduced mobility impact time is used to justify the additional cost of accelerated construction implementations. …

Condition Factor Calibration For Load And Resistance Factor Rating Of Steel Girder Bridges, Joshua Steelman, Pranav M. Shakya

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) is a reliability-based rating procedure complementary to Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD). The intent of LRFR is to provide consistent reliability for all bridges regardless of in-situ condition. The primary difference between design and rating is the uncertain severity and location of deterioration, including the potential future loss of strength for an element already evidencing deterioration. Ostensibly, these uncertainties are addressed by applying an additional strength reduction factor: the condition factor, ϕc. Currently, condition factors are nominally correlated to the condition of the member, which can be Good, Fair, or Poor. However, definitions …

Statistical Models Of I-15 Bridge C-846: Changes In Natural Frequencies Due To Temperature, Gilbert Nichols

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Structural Health monitoring is to determine the condition of a bridge based on instrument measurements. The C-846 Bridge in Salt Lake City has such instrumentation. The bridge is located in Salt Lake City at about 2100 South and Interstate 15. This bridge has two kinds of instruments on it: accelerometers and thermocouples. The accelerometers measure the vibrations of the bridge. The accelerometers have been recording data on the bridge since 2001. The thermocouples, which measure temperature, were added as part of this thesis in April 2016.

In light of recent research, damage may be detected from measuring the change in …

Prestress Losses And Temperature Effects On A Deck Bulb Tee Girder Bridge, Phillip Powelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Utah Transportation Center (UTC), in partnership with the Mountain Plains Consortium (MPC), sponsored a study to investigate the differences in prestress losses and temperature gradients in a concrete deck bulb tee girder bridge. The Millville Bridge was built as an access point to the Ridgeline High School in Millville, Utah. The bridge was built in 2016 and presently supports two lanes of traffic.

Changes in prestress were measured with a total of 16 vibrating wire strain gauges located at four cross-sections. Temperature gradients were measured with a total of 50 thermocouples located at five cross-section locations, four of which …

Hillman Composite Beam (Hcb®), Purdue Ect Team

ECT Fact Sheets Archive

The Hillman-Composite Beam (HCB®), is an innovative structural member for use in highway and railroad bridges as well as marine facilities. The HCB is essentially a lightweight reinforced concrete beam strengthened and protected by a corrosion-resistant and resilient Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer (FRP) shell.

The beam is comprised of three main components, a concrete arch (compression reinforcement), an FRP bottom flange encapsulating steel strands tying the ends of the arch together (tension reinforcement) and the FRP shell. Galvanized Rebar “shear connectors” are used to make the beam composite with the concrete deck in the same manner as pre-stressed concrete beams.

The …

Protocol To Evaluate And Load Rate Existing Bridges, Maria Szerszen, Ali Alhajami

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Load tests can be used to verify component and system performance under a known live load and provide an alternative evaluation methodology to analytically computed the load rating of a bridge. Procedures for nondestructive load testing, which involves field observations and measurements of in- service bridges and field testing often can revel additional capacity since analytical bridge rating tend to be fairly conservative. The goal of presented research was to develop a data-driven rating process to assess and rate bridges. This data-driven rating system reduces the subjective judgment of the bridge inspectors through the use of computer models and field …