Civil Engineering Commons^™

Applicability Of Mepdg For India Based On Texas Pavement And Environmental Conditions, Vamsi Krishna Pinnamaneni

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Indian pavement design guide uses empirical models which were adopted and modified from US design guides. As with any empirical model, the prediction capabilities are limited to the conditions for which it was developed. In USA, Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) has been recently developed to account for increase in truck traffic and minimize premature failure of pavements. Since the new design uses mechanistic approach, it is expected that the design guide can better predict performance of pavements. In addition, mechanistic approach allows use of design guide for different pavement and environmental conditions by calibrating model parameters for …

A Risk Analysis Framework For Toll Road Revenue Forecasts, Gabriel Alejandro Valdez Ceniceros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, the shortage for traditional public sector funding sources for a safer and more effective highway infrastructure has made it more increasingly difficult for transportation agencies to keep up with the increasing demand. As a consequence, transportation agencies are considering a number of alternatives to raise funds such as charging tolls or cooperating with the private sector. One of the most important steps when analyzing the feasibility of a toll road is the traffic forecast process. However, the uncertainty of the traffic forecast has become apparent across the U.S. as evident in the common overestimation of traffic …

Importance Of The Tail In Truck Weight Modeling For Bridge Assessment, Eugene J. Obrien, Bernard Enright, Abraham Getachew

Articles

To predict characteristic extreme traffic load effects, simulations are sometimes performed of bridge loading events. To generalize the truck weight data, statistical distributions are fitted to histograms of weight measurements. This paper is based on extensive WIM measurements from two European sites and shows the sensitivity of the characteristic traffic load effects to the fitting process. A semi-parametric fitting procedure is proposed: direct use of the measured histogram where there are sufficient data for this to be reliable and parametric fitting to a statistical distribution in the tail region where there are less data. Calculated characteristic load effects are shown …

Bridge Lessons Learned From The Wenchuan China, Earthquake, W. Phillip Yen, Genda Chen, Mark Yashinski, Youssef M. A. Hashash, Curtis J. Holub, Kehai Wang, Xiaodong Guo

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A strong earthquake of M7.9 occurred in Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province, China, on May 12, 2008. This paper presents the field observations on various types of bridge damages, including unseating of girders, longitudinal and transverse offset of decks, pounding at expansion joints, shear key failure, bearing displacement, column shear, and flexible cracks. Plausible causes of damages and collapses are discussed and the lessons learned from this event are briefly summarized. Some of the postearthquake temporary constructions are also reported.

Integration Of The Regression-Based Land Use Model And The Combined Trip Distribution-Assignment Transportation Model, Meiwu An

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Regional growth caused the emergence of traffic congestion and pollution in the past few decades, which have started to affect small urban areas. These problems are not only related to transportation system design but also to land use planning. There has been growing recognition that the relationship between land use and transportation needs to be understood and analyzed in a consistent and systematic way. Integrated urban models have recently been introduced and implemented in several metropolitan areas to systematically examine the relationship between land use and transportation. The general consensus in the field of integrated urban models is that each …

The Relationship Between Information Technology And Construction Productivity, Dong Zhai

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Over the past decades, information technology has been impacting industries, economics, the way of life and even the culture throughout the world. Productivity has been attracting much attention as an important indicator of economics, and numerous researchers have investigated the relationship between information technology and productivity. Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, but little research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between information technology and construction productivity.

The major objective of this dissertation is to determine the degree (if any) to which information technology usage, specifically the use of information technology to automate and …

Stability Of Streambanks Subjected To Highly Variable Streamflows: The Osage River Downstream Of Bagnell Dam, Kathryn Nicole Heinley

Masters Theses

"Streambank erosion of the Osage River downstream of Bagnell Dam is naturally-occurring; however, it may be significantly worsened due to releases made from the dam to generate hydropower. In this study, six typical outflow release patterns from Bagnell Dam were evaluated to determine their effects, if any, on the stability and the rate and amount of erosion of the banks of the Osage River.

The Bank Stability and Toe Erosion Model (BSTEM), version 5.2, was used to carry out the erosion and stability calculations. The model was validated by using data from another study and comparing the results from BSTEM …

Evaluation Of Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spreading In The Midwest, Kermit Nathanial Applegate

Masters Theses

"The Central United States is home to several seismically active regions: the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, the South Central Illinois Seismic Zone, and the New Madrid Seismic Zone. All three of these regions are capable of inducing large ground motion throughout the Mississippi Valley and along the eastern border of Missouri. This has been supported by many paleoseismic studies conducted throughout the region, which have identified numerous instances of liquefaction phenomena. The fluvial deposition process associated with the Mississippi river valley makes it a prime location for possible liquefaction and lateral spreading effects. However, there are few studies pertaining to …

B S News January/February

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Developments In Monitoring Techniques For Durability Assessment Of Cover-Zone Concrete, W.J. Mccarter, T. M. Chrisp, G. Starrs, Niall Holmes, L. Basheer, M. Basheer, S. V. Nanukuttan

Conference papers

This paper outlines developments in the use of an embedded multi-electrode sensor to study the response of the cover-zone (surface 50mm) to the changing ambient environment. The sensor enables the measurement of the spatial and temporal distribution of the electrical properties of concrete and temperature within the cover-zone thereby allowing an integrated assessment of cover-zone concrete performance. Both laboratory and field results are presented to highlight the information that can be obtained from embedded sensors. When exposed to the natural environment, the temperature dependence of the electrical response is highlighted and standardization protocols are developed to account for this effect. …

The Use Of Novel Non-Destructive Methods For Quality Control And Performance Evaluation Of Concrete Structures, Sree Nanukuttan, Niall Holmes, Sudarsan Srininvasan, Lulu Basheer, Muhammed Basheer, John Mccarter, Gerry Starrs

Conference papers

Concrete cover provides the first line of defense against the ingress of many deleterious substances into the concrete. Therefore, a measure of its transport properties is vital in assessing its long term performance in a given exposure condition. In new structures the rate of ingress of the deleterious substances could be monitored using array of electrical sensors that are embedded in the cover concrete. For structures that are currently in service, tests can be performed by removing cores from the structure (lab based tests) or by using tests that can be performed on the surface (in situ tests). Results relating …

A New Congested Traffic Load Model For Highway Bridges, Colin C. Caprani, Colm Carey, Bernard Enright

Conference papers

Long span highway bridges are critical components of any nation’s infrastructure. Therefore accurate assessment of highway bridge loading is essential, and it is well known that congested traffic governs load effect for such bridges. Current congestion models use conservative assumptions about traffic and inter-vehicle gaps. This research investigates congested traffic flow through the use of traffic microsimulation which has the ability to reproduce complex traffic phenomena based on driver interactions. A time series model has been developed to produce a speed time-series similar to the results of the microsimulation. The speed time-series from the new model, combined with the established …

Innovative Concrete Bridging Systems For Pedestrian Bridges: Implementation And Monitoring, Kurt Edward Bloch

Masters Theses

"Two precast, prestressed pedestrian bridges were designed for rapid construction in Rolla, MO, utilizing high-strength concrete (HSC) and high-strength self-consolidating concrete (HS-SCC) with a target 28 day compressive strength of 68.9 MPa (10,000 psi) and release compressive strength of 24.1 MPa (3,500 psi). In addition, a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar reinforced deck panel system was utilized in one of the two deck panels on each bridge.

Material properties were tested for compression, elastic modulus, modulus of rupture, splitting tensile strength, creep, and shrinkage following ASTM standards. Instrumentation systems within the spandrel beams and precast deck panels were implemented …

Indiana Pavement Preservation Program, Ghim Ping (Raymond) Ong, Tommy E. Nantung, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

State highway agencies are facing immense pressure to maintain roads at acceptable levels amidst the challenging financial and economic situations. In recent years, pavement preservation has been sought as a potential alternative for managing the pavement assets, believing that it would provide a cost-effective solution in maintaining infrastructural conditions and meeting user expectations. This study explores the potential of pavement preservation concepts in managing the agency‘s pavement assets by attempting to integrate pavement preservation considerations within the network-level pavement management system. Several elements are studied in the report: (i) determining triggers for pavement preservation treatments for use in a PMS, …

Treatment Guidelines For Pavement Preservation, Jusang Lee, Todd Shields

JTRP Technical Reports

This project presents pavement treatment practice guidelines and a distress identification manual for the purpose of improving the INDOT pavement preservation practices. The treatment guidelines consist of 10 treatment types for asphalt pavements and composite pavements and 8 treatment types for Portland cement concrete pavement (PCCP). The treatment guidelines include treatment descriptions, benefits, applicable pavement conditions, treatment materials, and treatment procedures. The guidelines are based on information obtained mainly from the INDOT Standard Specification, the INDOT Design Manual, and the INDOT Field Operations Handbook for Crew Leaders. The treatments are covered in the guidelines. The distress identification manual presents the …

An Assessment Of Delivery Risks In Transportation Projects, Velvet Fitzpatrick, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

A large number of uncertainties exist in the delivery of highway projects, and it is important to describe the extent so that budgeting and programming can be carried out in a manner that duly accounts for such uncertainties. The study investigates the sources of delivery variability (risk factors) that occur in the period between project proposed date and the letting date. Data on 366 highway projects were collected from the Indiana Department of Transportation Management Information Portal. Using statistical and econometric techniques, the data was analyzed to identify the potential risk factors and to determine the magnitude and direction of …

Automated Pavement Condition Data Collection Quality Control, Quality Assurance, And Reliability, Ghim Ping (Raymond) Ong, Samy Noureldin, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

In recent years, state highway agencies have come to understand the need for high quality pavement condition data at both the project and network levels. At the same time, agencies also realize that they have become too dependent on contractors to ensure the quality of the delivered data without any means to independently assure the quality of these delivered data. This research study therefore aims to investigate the inherent variability of the automated data collection processes and proposes guidelines for an automated data collection quality management program in Indiana. In particular, pavement roughness data (in terms of IRI) and pavement …

Estimating Dilemma Zone Hazard Function At High Speed Isolated Intersection, Anuj Sharma, Darcy Bullock, Srinivas Peeta

Anuj Sharma Publications

The traditional surrogate measures of safety (like number of vehicles in dilemma zone) fail to quantify the risk of crash. Traffic conflict has been proposed as an improved surrogate measure of safety for operations at isolated intersections to quantify the risk. This paper develops a dilemma zone hazard function estimating procedure to obtain the probability of traffic conflict occurring. This approach is an extension of the current approach of dilemma zone boundaries to determine the risk of traffic conflict for an individual vehicle in the case of a dilemma zone incursion. Field data collected from the intersection of SR37 and …

Quantitative Comparison And Modeling Of Urban Storm Water Mass Loadings In The City Of Lincoln, Nebraska, Patrick R. Hartman

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

The main goal of this study is to monitor, and then compare results related to the water quality and mass loadings of several constituents at two sites in Lincoln, Nebraska. Differences in water quality were assessed using matched-pair t-tests. Mass loadings were examined using cumulative mass plots, and a predictive model for total suspended solids (TSS) was developed at both sites using real-time data obtained from a USGS data probe. Statistical comparison tests were conducted on the collected water quality data to detect differences based on sample type (auto vs. grab) and sample location (Taylor Park vs. Colonial Hills) for …

Arsenite Oxidation By Pure Cultures Of Thiomonas Arsenivorans Strain B6 In Bioreactor Systems, Aniruddha Dastidar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The removal of arsenic toxicity from water is accomplished by a preliminary preoxidative step transforming the most toxic form, arsenite (As (III)), to the least toxic form, arsenate (As (V)). The potential of As (III) oxidation to As (V) was initially investigated in batch reactors using the chemoautotrophic Thiomonas arsenivorans strain b6 under varying initial As (III) and cell concentrations and at optimal pH and temperature conditions (pH 6.0 and temperature 30°C). The strain b6 completely oxidized As (III) to As (V) during exponential growth phase for lower levels of As (III) concentrations (≤ 100 mg/L) but continued into stationary …

Casing Pipe Damage Detection With Optical Fiber Sensors: A Case Study In Oil Well Constructions, Zhi Zhou, Jianping He, Minghua Huang, Jun He, Genda Chen

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Casing pipes in oil well constructions may suddenly buckle inward as their inside and outside hydrostatic pressure difference increases. For the safety of construction workers and the steady development of oil industries, it is critically important to measure the stress state of a casing pipe. This study develops a rugged, real-time monitoring, and warning system that combines the distributed Brillouin Scattering Time Domain Reflectometry (BOTDR) and the discrete fiber Bragg grating (FBG) measurement. The BOTDR optical fiber sensors were embedded with no optical fiber splice joints in a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebar and the FBG sensors were wrapped in epoxy …

Variability In Resilient Modulus Of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement As Base Layer And Its Impact On Flexible Pavement Performance, Mohamed Attia, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as a base layer is gaining popularity, but there are gaps in the literature about its material performance. One problem not well investigated is the variability in the resilient modulus (M_R) of RAP as a base layer, as compared with typical granular material, and the impact of this variability on pavement performance. Selection of one M_R value has its own variability, beyond the expected variability in the base layer _R that results from the use of aggregates with different qualities. This paper investigates the effect of three sources of variability …

Behavior Of Externally Bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymer Systems For Strengthening Concrete Girders In Shear, Michael Shawn Murphy

Doctoral Dissertations

"Deficiencies in shear resistance are a primary concern in concrete members due to the sudden and unpredictable nature of shear failures. Shear deficiencies in concrete structures can arise due to improper design, long-term deterioration, man-made damages, increases in loads, or as a result of over strengthening in flexure. A number of shear strengthening techniques offer a cost effective means for restoring or enhancing the shear capacity of a concrete member. The use of externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) is one such technique that has gained recent recognition for its high strength-to-weight ratio and simplicity of application. The development of …

Improvised Explosive Device Crater Repair For Enduring Route Remediation, Daniel Roman Kienitz

Doctoral Dissertations

"Recent road repairs performed on main supply routes (MSRs) and alternative supply routes (ASRs) in Iraq and Afghanistan revealed several deficiencies in current repair techniques. Temporary solutions such as aggregate backfill, asphalt, and traditional concrete repairs were unacceptable due to the ease of emplacement of additional improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In addition to the threat of IED placement, the threat from exposure of the repair teams to enemy attack during placement and curing was substantial. In order to address these problems, this project investigated rapid hardening materials for improvised explosive device crater repair. A laboratory test program along with performance …

Theory Of Breakup Of Core Fluids Surrounded By A Wetting Annulus In Sinusoidally Constricted Capillary Channels, Igor A. Beresnev, Wen Deng

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Analysis of core-annular dynamics in the presence of base flow for arbitrary fluid viscosities leads to an equation describing the temporal evolution of the fluid/fluid interface. The equation follows from the conservation of mass in the "small-slope" approximation. Its useful applications occur, for example, in chemical engineering and petroleum recovery. The nonlinear equation allows inexpensive numerical analysis. For sinusoidally constricted pores, a purely geometric criterion exists that enables or prohibits the core-fluid breakup in the necks of the constrictions. The geometrically favoring condition sets up capillary-pressure gradients that ensure a continuous outflow of the core fluid from the necks into …

Integration Of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide Distresses With Local Performance Indices, Scott Schram, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The pavement management system (PMS) is the organizational entity within a state highway agency responsible for the condition of the pavement network. Visual distress surveys are typically combined into an index to provide an overall measure of performance. Decision makers use these familiar indices in a number of facets. A recent survey suggests every state highway agency has implemented or plans to implement the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG). As they do so, maintaining the role these local indices play is critical for upholding the system's continuity. However, using the MEPDG output directly in calculating performance indices becomes problematic because …

Modeling The Effect Of Moisture On Resilient Modulus Of Untreated Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Mohamed Attia, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) as a base layer is increasing as quality aggregate becomes scarcer and more expensive. Moisture content is known to have a great impact on the resilient modulus (M_R) of granular materials, and several researchers have devoted effort to develop and verify analytical models to describe that impact. Limited work has been done to quantify the effect of moisture content on RAP as a base layer. It has not been determined whether the existence of aged binder will allow designers to use the same analytical models developed for granular materials. This study …

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyurea Strengthening Of Reinforced Concrete, Courtney Elizabeth Greene

Masters Theses

"Wide varieties of concrete repair-retrofit and strengthening methods have been developed and are being widely implemented. In recent years, the need for such strengthening systems has become apparent with increasing demands on aging infrastructure. These strengthening systems need to be increasingly more adaptable, providing ease of construction as well as withstanding a variety of loading conditions and hazards. Exterior-applied fiber-reinforced polymer systems are increasingly being used to meet these demands. The research contained herein investigates the strengthening benefits and characteristics from a specific glass fiber-reinforced polyurea coating system applied externally to structures by means of spraying. This coating would allow …

Analysis Of Nationwide Intercity Travel Demand On The Us Transportation Network, Tao Li

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, three issues about the intercity travel demand on the US transportation network are addressed. The final one is the estimation of the domestic passengers' delay cost. A scheme is designed by assuming that costs incurred by flight delays relative to the original flight schedules are imposed at passengers' final destination airports. It is applied to estimate the total domestic delay cost of year 2007 and reasonable results arc obtained. The second one is the air travel demand estimation. Two route-based optimization models are proposed to estimate the travel demand based on available data. It is shown that …

Bayesian Approaches On Observational Before-After Highway Safety Analysis, Daxiao Liu

Masters Theses

"Observational before-after evaluation of roadway safety treatments effect is a necessary and challenging study area for traffic safety engineers. In decades, empirical Bayesian approach has been widely adopted among researchers in this area. In this approach, the researcher combined before period observation data with a safety performance function estimated from similar groups to estimate the expected number of crashes that would have occurred in the after period without the treatment. Comparing this estimate with the number of crashes observed in the after period, the researcher evaluated the effectiveness of the treatment. This approach accounts for well-known regression-to-the-mean effects. However, as …