Transportation Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Test Level 3 Transition Between Guardrail And Portable Concrete Barriers, Robert W. Bielenberg, David Gutierrez, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Phil Tenhulzen

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Road construction often requires that work zones be created and shielded by portable concrete barriers (PCBs) to protect workers and equipment from errant vehicles as well as to prevent motorists from striking other roadside hazards. For an existing W-beam guardrail system installed adjacent to the roadway and near the work zone, guardrail sections are removed so a PCB system can be placed. A study was done to develop a crashworthy transition between W-beam guardrail and PCB systems. Design concepts were developed and refined through computer simulation with LS-DYNA. Additionally, a study of critical impact points was conducted to determine impact …

Calibrating The Robertson’S Platoon Dispersion Model On A Coordinated Corridor With Advance Warning Flashers, Zhao Li, Laurence Rilett, Ernest Tufuor

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Platoon dispersion (PD) is the foundation of traffic signal coordination in an urban traffic network. PD describes the phenomenon by which vehicles depart from an upstream intersection as a platoon and begin to disperse before they arrive at the downstream intersection. Recently, advance warning flashers (AWFs) have been applied in many high-speed corridors. There is a need to update the traditional PD model to include the effect of AWFs. This paper examines the traffic flow dispersion patterns when an AWF is present and tests the hypothesis that the AWF will affect PD on a coordinated signal corridor. Platoon vehicles, which …

Effectiveness Study Of Unl’S Crack Routing Device (Crd) –Phase Ii, Changbum Ahn, Yong Cho, Hamed N. Rafsanjani, Heath Wiley

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This project evaluated the crack routing device (CRD) for effectiveness in improving current crack-cutting practices and for possible adoption as a standard in the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR). To enact these evaluations of CRD, the research team collaborated with NDOR to conduct surveys and field tests. Given the positive results obtained from this project, improved road-maintenance practices are anticipated when CRD is used, and this research therefore recommends the adoption of CRD in crack-routing work.

Continuous Long-Term Health Monitoring Using Ultrasonic Wave Propagation, Ece Erdogmus

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

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

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

The Load and Resistance Factor Rating (LRFR) is a reliability-based rating procedure complementary to the 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 accounted for by applying an additional strength reduction factor: the condition factor, ϕ_c. Currently, condition factors are nominally correlated to the condition of the member, which can be Good, …

M049 Effects Of Compaction And Soil Moisture On American Burying Beetles, W. Wyatt Hoback

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Silphid beetles in the genus Nicrophorus bury themselves during periods of inactivity, however, the influence of soil characteristics on burial behavior remains unclear. We examined soil preferences of the federally endangered Nicrophorus americanus, as well as of N. carolinus, N. marginatus, N. obscurus, and N. orbicollis, in a series of experiments. Differences in burial depth by sex were found for N. carolinus, N. marginatus, and N. obscurus, which are diurnal species. Both sexes of N. americanus bury to a mean depth of 18 cm. Soil preferences tested included sand versus sandy loam versus sandy loess, degrees of soil moisture, and …

Evaluation Of Dowel Bar Inserter Practices In Pcc Pavements With Magnetic Tomography Technology, Farshad Fallah, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Dowel Bar Inserters (DBI) are automated mechanical equipment that position dowel bars in Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) after concrete is placed. Compared to the alternative approach, which is using dowel baskets, DBIs offer advantages in cost and speed of construction. However, as dowel bars are not anchored to the subgrade similar to dowel baskets, there is a concern about the quality of dowel placement using this equipment. Improper placement of dowel bars can lead to reduced load transfer between slabs, which results in pavement distresses such as faulting and spalling at joints. To determine the accuracy of dowel placement by …

Species Distribution Model For Swift Fox In Nebraska, Lucia Corral Hurtado

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Transition Between An Energy-Absorbing Concrete Barrier And A Rigid Concrete Butress, Tyler L. Schmidt, Ronald K. Faller, Jennifer D. Schmidt, John D. Reid, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott Rosenbaugh

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

From 2010 to 2015, MwRSF researchers developed the RESTORE barrier, which is a restorable MASH TL-4 median barrier with a steel and concrete rail supported by elastomer posts and steel skids. The research effort reported herein describes the initial development of a transition from the RESTORE barrier to a rigid TL-4 concrete buttress.

The previously-developed RESTORE barrier LS-DYNA model was validated against three full-scale vehicle crash tests. Several design concepts were generated through a series of brainstorming efforts. The primary transition concept consisted of a pin and loop connection between the RESTORE barrier and rigid concrete buttress, which was designed …

Performance Of Advance Warning Systems In A Coordinated System, Li Zhao, Laurence R. Rilett, Ernest Tufuor, Waleed Khan, Christopher Lefrois

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Advance Warning System (AWS), developed by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) has proven to be effective at improving traffic safety at isolated signalized intersections. However, the effectiveness of the system has not been analyzed at signalized intersections operating in a coordinated mode. This project analyzed AWS on arterials where the signals operate in a coordinated mode. The test bed consisted of nine sites, which are located at five successive coordinated signalized intersections on Highway 281 in Grand Island, Nebraska. A non-intrusive data collection system was used to collect a continuous traffic stream of data up to 1200 ft …

Research On High-Rap Asphalt Mixtures With Rejuvenators And Wma Additives, Hamzeh Haghshenas, Hesanaddin Nabizadeh, Yong-Rak Kim, Kommidi Santosh

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Improved Methodologies In Modeling And Predicting Failure In Aashto M-180 Guardrail Steel Using Finite Element Analysis – Phase I, Brandt M. Humphrey, Robert W. Bielenberg, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Mehrdad Negahban

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Midwest Guardrail System (Mgs) Placed Adjacent To A 1v:2h Fill Slope With 6-Ft Posts, Austin J. Haase, Justine E. Kohtz, Karla A. Lechtenberg, John D. Reid, Ronald K. Faller

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Identifying And Addressing Soil Property Issues Affecting Roadside Vegetation Establishment, Xu Li, Martha Mamo, Walter H. Schacht, Tala Awada, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Attaining adequate vegetation cover along highways is important for NDOR to comply with EPA’s stormwater regulations. However, low plant cover is a common problem on shoulders (first 16 feet off the pavement) of many highways in Nebraska. The ultimate goal of this study is to identify cost-effective engineering solutions that assure adequate seed beds (i.e., soil conditions) for establishment of selected seeding mixtures. The objectives of this study are to (1) characterize the soil properties along roadsides where vegetation stands have not developed well, and (2) verify the effects of select soil property parameters on plant germination and establishment.

Sampling …

Use Of Recycled Crushed Concrete (Rcc) Fines For Potential Soil Stabilization, Lindeman Mark, Varilek Brandon, Lieska Halsey, Rick Gloe, Maria Olomi

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study evaluated the use of Recycled Crushed Concrete (RCC) Fines for potential soil stabilization. Soil stabilization is the enhancement of subgrade stability to improve the constructability of successive pavement layers. Use of RCC fines may not only provide less costly alternatives for subgrade stabilization, but their use may also alleviate landfill disposal challenges.

Class C Fly Ash In Pavements, Kromel E. Hanna, George Morcous, Maher K. Tadros

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Performance Assessment Of Deteriorated And Retrofitted Steel Hp Piles, Joshua Steelman, Steven Stauffer

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Mash Test Nos. 3-11 And 3-10 On A Non-Proprietary Cable Median Barrier, Justine E. Kohtz, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Ronald K. Faller, Karla A. Lechtenberg, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Midwest States Pooled Fund has been developing a new non-proprietary cable median barrier. This system incorporates four evenly spaced cables, Midwest Weak Posts spaced at 8 to 16 ft (2.4 to 4.9 m) intervals, and a bolted, tabbed bracket to attach the cables to each post. Full-scale crash testing was needed to evaluate the barrier’s safety performance. According to the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) updated/proposed testing matrix for cable barriers installed within a 6H:1V or median ditch, a series of eight full-scale tests are required to evaluate the safety performance of a system. A ninth test is …

Optimizing Chemical & Rheological Properties Of Rejuvenated Bitumen, Dominic Nguyen, Hamzeh Haghshenas Fatmehsari, Santosh Kommidi, Yong-Rak Kim

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

Bitumen has long been a material used in the construction of roadways, yet new pavement only consists of low fractions of recycled materials due to poor compatibility of aged bitumen and new materials. Thus, rejuvenators, chemical additives, have been used in an attempt to re-balance the chemical composition and restore the physical properties of aged bitumen back to its virgin state. A fundamental understanding of how one particular rejuvenator, soybean oil, revitalizes bitumen was investigated using a multi-scale approach.

Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to determine the changes in chemical properties of pure and rejuvenated virgin and aged samples. …

Cable-To-Post Attachments For Use In Non-Proprietary High-Tension Cable Median Barrier – Phase Ii, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Robert W. Bielenberg, Jessica L. Lingenfelter, Ronald K. Faller, John D. Reid, Karla A. Lechtenberg

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The objective of this study was to reevaluate and improve the existing cable-to-post attachment hardware that is utilized in the non-proprietary cable barrier being developed at MwRSF. The study focused on redesigning the bolted, tabbed bracket (V10) to eliminate the bolt, reduce the number of components per bracket, eliminate the need for tools during installation, and reduce the number of small parts. Three attachment concepts were selected for evaluation through dynamic testing: (1) the key plate attachment; (2) the wire lock pin attachment; and (3) the pinned back attachment. Each attachment prototype was subjected to two vertical and two lateral …

Evaluation Of Lightweight Pieces In Aggregates, Mark Lindemann, Doug Macke, Jim Wilken, John Ebito, Mark Hassler, Lieska Halsey, Bob Seger

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) Material and Research (M&R) Division started an evaluation to determined injurious deleterious lightweight pieces of aggregate from a dry pit location, as a result of field observations from a project stock pile. This brief summary presents the field observation and laboratory testing evaluations to determine the percent of lightweight pieces in aggregate.

Evaluation Of Lightweight Pieces In Aggregates, Mark Lindemann, Doug Macke, Jim Wilken, John Ebito, Mark Hassler, Lieska Halsey, Bob Seger

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Active Traffic Management Case Study: Phase 1, Anuj Sharma, Shuo Wang, Aemal Khattak

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

This study developed a systematic approach for using data from multiple sources to provide active traffic management solutions. The feasibility of two active traffic management solutions is analyzed in this report: ramp-metering and real-time crash risk estimation and prediction. Using a combined dataset containing traffic, weather, and crash data, this study assessed crash likelihood on urban freeways and evaluated the economic feasibility of providing a ramp metering solution. A case study of freeway segments in Omaha, Nebraska, was conducted. The impact of rain, snow, congestion, and other factors on crash risk was analyzed using a binary probit model, and one …

Field-Scale Testing And Numerical Investigation Of Soil-Boulder Interaction Under Vehicular Impact Using Fem And Coupled Fem-Sph Formulations, Lynsey Reese, Tong Qiu, Daniel Linzell, Zoltan Rado

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

A computational approach that couples the Finite Element Method and the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method may be advantageous for simulating the response of complex, physical systems involving large deformations. However, comparisons of this modeling technique against field-scale test data are remarkably sparse in literature. This study presents three field-scale tests involving vehicular impact into three landscape vehicular anti-ram barriers. Each barrier consisted of a single boulder embedded in compacted American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials soil and physical testing resulted in one of the following outcomes: minimal boulder/soil movement (Test 1), moderate boulder/soil movement (Test 2), and severe …

Expedient Airfield Runway Repair Using Folded Fiberglass Mat, Christopher Y. Tuan, Willaim C. Dass

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

For expedient airfield runway repair, the US Air Force has developed a folded fiberglass mat to cover craters repaired with a well-compacted granular base material. The objective of this study was to evaluate the adequacy of using polymer plugs to anchor the mat to a repaired asphalt pavement for heavy aircraft operations. The effort consisted of materials testing, field experiments and analytical modeling. An 89,800-kg (198,000-pound) load cart having the footprint of a single C-5 main gear was pulled on a mat with wheels locked to simulate full braking forces. Anchor bushings were instrumented to measure anchor loads. A simplified …

Mitigating Pavement Edge Drop Off, Wayne Jensen, Niles Uerling

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The objective of this research was to investigate and document practices currently being used by the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) districts and other State DOTs to mitigate pavement edge drop off. The NDOR has developed (or borrowed) and is currently incorporating into its standard practices several procedures that significantly decrease the incidence and magnitude of pavement edge-drop off. As these practices become more fully integrated into highway reconstruction projects, pavement edge drop off is expected to decrease dramatically. Localized areas of pavement edge drop off along paved lanes with bare or vegetated shoulders were noted as posing particular problems …

Nebraska Data Collection, Keyvan Zare Rami, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Automated pavement performance data collection is a method that uses advanced technology to collect detailed road surface distress information at traffic speed. Agencies are driven to use automated survey techniques to enhance or replace their current manual distress survey because of the advantages of objective measurements, safety benefits, and reduced measurement time. As agencies move toward the transition to fully automated data collection methods, there are common concerns regarding how the output of the new method will match the current manual survey ratings and how they will be adopted into the existing Pavement Management System (PMS). This study evaluates the …

Development Of A Semicircular Bend (Scb) Test Method For Performance Testing Of Nebraska Asphalt Mixtures, Gabriel Nsengiyumva, Yong-Rak Kim, Taesun You

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Mash Test Nos. 3-17 And 3-11 On A Non-Proprietary Cable Median Barrier, Robert W. Bielenberg, Scott K. Rosenbaugh, Ronald K. Faller, Brandt M. Humphrey, Tyler L. Schmidt, John D. Reid

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Integrated 3d Bridge-Condition Visualization (Bcv) To Facilitate Element-Based Bridge Condition Rating (Ebcr), Zhigang Shen, Wayne Jensen

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Routine inspection and maintenance records are essential for bridges to function well throughout their intended lifespan. Although existing bridge management systems are efficient at data storage, it is difficult to conduct comprehensive data analysis and management due to the lack of data integration mechanism. Engineers have to manually put many pieces of bridge drawings and inspection data together to make maintenance or repair/rehab decisions. Building information modeling (BIM) can be applied in bridge asset management area, including bridge inspection/rating to help to integrate the many data pieces. In this project we developed a 3D bridge inspection data management system, using …