Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Performance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Engineered Cementitious Composites (Ecc) Produced From Region 6 Local Materials, Gabriel Andres Arce Amador, Tyson Rupnow, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The project objective is to develop cost-effective Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with locally available ingredients in Region 6 to address the deficiencies observed in ordinary concrete materials. The study explored the utilization of two types of river sands (coarse and fine), two types of PVA fibers (long and short), four levels of cement replacement with Class F fly ash, and the implementation of recycled crumb rubber in the performance of ECC materials. A total of 24 mix designs were prepared and evaluated in compression, tension, and bending to assess its mechanical properties. Furthermore, the cracking characteristics of the materials produced …

Use Of Rice Hull Ash (Rha) As A Sustainable Source Of Construction Material, Zahid Hossain, Ashraf Elsayed

Publications

With the imminent shortage of natural resources, the need to find sustainable development is the highest in recent history. Therefore, this study examines the potential uses of Rice Hull Ash (RHA) as a sustainable cementitious material (SCM) in preparation of concrete. This study also assesses the use of RHA as an alternative of commonly used polymers in preparing high-grade asphalt binders. RHA is a potential sustainable solution because it is currently being treated as an agricultural waste material, yet its high silica content makes it a potential construction material. Three different sizes of RHA (600 µm, 150 µm, and 44 …

Development Of A Self-Healing And Rejuvenating Mechanisms For Asphalt Mixtures Containing Recycled Asphalt Shingle, Marwa Hassan

Publications

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that hollow-fibers encapsulating a rejuvenator product could improve both self-healing, rejuvenation, and mechanical properties of asphalt mixtures. Hollow-fibers containing a rejuvenating product were synthesized via a wet spinning procedure with sodium-alginate polymer as the encapsulating material. An optimization of the production parameters for the synthesis of fibers was performed to develop fibers suitable for high-temperature and shear stress environment typical of asphalt mixture production. A self-healing experiment was conducted to evaluate the healing/rejuvenation capabilities of sodium-alginate fibers in asphalt mixtures with varying types of binders and recycled materials. Based on …

Bridge Deck Overlays Using Ultra-High Performance Concrete, Craig Newtson, Brad Weldon

Publications

This study investigated the use of a locally produced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) as an alternative to typical overlay materials. Several bond strength tests including slant-shear, splitting tension, and direct tension tests were performed to assess the bond strength between UHPC and normal strength concrete (NSC) substrate with varying surface textures. Tests were also conducted to assess the early-age and longer-term shrinkage behavior and coefficient of thermal expansion of the UHPC as well as rapid chloride permeability testing. Good bond between UHPC and NSC substrate was observed even with inadequate surface texture. Combined shrinkage and thermal effects were investigated for …

Experimental Tests And Numerical Simulations For Failure Investigation On Corrugated Boxes Used On Household Appliance Packaging, Diego Fernandes Rodrigues, José Carlos Pereira

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Packages made of corrugated paper are fundamental to the protection, transportation and handling of the appliance product market. During the storage and sales stages of a product, the package must resist compressive loads in different directions beyond moderate impacts. In this context, the objective of this work is to develop and implement a post-processor that allows the simultaneous analysis of two of the most common failure modes of packages made of corrugated paper: failure due to tensile or compressive stress limit, and failure due to local buckling, when the buckling of the faces of the corrugated paper between two peaks …

Characterization And Modeling Of Asphalt Concrete For Dynamic Properties And Performances, A S M A. Rahman

Civil Engineering ETDs

The recently developed mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG, also known as Pavement M-E design method) uses the nationally calibrated, binder viscosity-based dynamic modulus predictive model for the design and analysis of asphalt pavements. In this study, this model is assessed for its appropriateness for asphalt-aggregate mixtures typically used in New Mexico. In essence, this study investigates the predictability issue of complex modulus of New Mexico mixes. A total of 54 Superpave mixes with different aggregate gradations, air voids, and binder grades were collected from the mixing plants and from the pavement construction sites. The loose asphalt mixtures were then compacted, …

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.

Mitigation And Evaluation Of Alkali-Silica Reaction (Asr) And Freezing And Thawing In Concrete Transportation Structures, Richard Albert Deschenes Jr.

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An evaluation of alkali-silica reaction (ASR) and freezing and thawing (F/T) in concrete transportation structures is presented along with mitigation methods for slowing the rate of deterioration in concrete. A combination of field and laboratory testing confirms ASR deterioration is exacerbated by exposure to F/T. Laboratory testing indicates an aggregate previously deemed inert to ASR, caused ASR deterioration in several concrete pavement and transportation structures. Existing standard test methods deem this aggregate safe for use in concrete. A modified test method shows the concrete can deteriorate rapidly when subjected to cycles of conditions promoting ASR and F/T. Several structures containing …

Optimization Of Concrete Mixtures For Use In Structural Elements, Waleed Almutairi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Portland cement is an essential ingredient in concrete. The use of cement is to enhance the strength as well as other hardened properties of concrete mixtures. Determining the accurate amount of cement is important because the required strength may not be achieved if not enough cement is used. By contrast, when using too much cement, concrete cracking may occur that leads to reducing durability. Researchers at the University of Arkansas (UA) have shown that many bridge decks achieve their 28 day design strength of 4000 psi by 7 days of age. Bridge decks having high strength may experience cracking, which …

An Evaluation Of The Efficiency Of Compartmented Alginate Fibres Encapsulating Rejuvenator As Asphalt Pavement Healing System, Amir Tabakovic, Luke Schuyffel, Aleksandar Karac, Erik Schlangen

Articles

This paper explores the potential methods for evaluating a healing system for asphalt pavements. The healing system under investigation involves compartmented calcium-alginate fibres encapsulating an asphalt binder healing agent (rejuvenator). This system presents a novel method of incorporating rejuvenators into asphalt pavement mixtures. The compartmented fibres are used to distribute the rejuvenator throughout the pavement mixture, thereby overcoming some of the problems associated with alternate asphalt pavement healing methods, i.e., spherical capsules and hollow fibres. The asphalt healing efficiency methods to be evaluated in this paper include: (i) standard test methods for asphalt pavements, such as the Indirect Tensile Strength …

Polyvinyl Alcohol (Pva) Fiber-Reinforced Rubber Concrete And Rubberized Self-Compacting Concrete, Jiaqing Wang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This study experimentally investigates the mechanical performance and durability of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) fiber-reinforced rubber concrete and the rubberized self-compacting concrete. The waste rubber particles were introduced as a partial replacement of fine aggregate in the plain concrete. In addition, the waste tire rubbers were pre-treated with alkali surface treatment method to enhance the performance. The PVA fibers were added to the concrete mixes to enhance the post-failure resistance and thus fracture energy. Rubberized fiber concrete samples were prepared with different fine aggregate replacement ratios and the optimum fiber content. At the same time, the rubber particles had been used …

Thin Film Concrete Coatings, Bobby W. Meade, Danny Wells, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Sudhir Palle

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

KTC researchers obtained eight types of concrete coatings to assess their performance and resistance to chloride penetration. Researchers evaluated eight of the systems in the field and seven in the laboratory. In the field, coatings were applied to a bridge pier that had suffered degradation and chloride contamination. This site will undergo long term monitoring in order to thoroughly evaluate the coating systems. Adhesion of all products in both field and laboratory application was sufficient to provide a durable coating, and ranged from approximately 500 psi to 1,600 psi. Researchers also tested color and gloss changes, which are early indicators …

Miss Lonesome: Old Boats Past Their Prime, Garth Woodruff

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Measuring Relative Humidity In Concrete Pavements As A Method To Assess Asr Mitigation Measures, Remington G. Reed

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete is partly facilitated by available moisture within the concrete. In order to better understand this facilitation and to develop processes for ASR mitigation methods, it is necessary to establish a means of monitoring internal relative humidity (RH) within the concrete. Current procedures for measuring RH are time consuming; requiring several hours of equilibration time and specific external conditions to yield accurate results. In order to better understand RH monitoring, laboratory tests were conducted using commercially available RH probes and different controlled environments. Probes were carefully monitored and calibrated in controlled environments, and laboratory tests on …

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. …

State-Of-The-Art Review Of Cathodic Protection For Reinforced Concrete Structures, Aimee Byrne, Niall Holmes, Brian Norton

Articles

Cathodic protection (CP) limits the corrosion of a metal surface by making it the cathode of an electrochemical cell. This can be achieved either by using a more active sacrificial anode to create a driving current, or by using inert anodes and impressing a current onto the cathode surface using an external direct current (DC) source. Impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) is preferred where widespread protection is required, particularly in reinforced concrete structures. ICCP needs a constant DC power supply that is usually provided through a grid connection or independent generators. This paper presents the currently available CP systems for …

Influence Of Warping On Stress For Restrained Concrete Slabs: For Application To Crcp, Corey M. Beck, W. Jason Weiss, Nathan T. Todd

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Continuously-reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) is widely used in transportation system because of its low maintenance requirement. However, the need for large volumes of steel creates a high cost for new construction. The Illinois Tollway is preparing to substantially renovate highways in and around Chicago and this work seeks to understand how concretes of varying mixture designs can be made thinner by reducing the amount of built-in stress. The experiment examines warping in beams subjected to various degrees of restraint, in an effort to assess effectiveness at reducing warping in continuously reinforced concrete pavements. Value added methodologies such as internal curing …

Influence Of Spatial Variations Of Railroad Track Stiffness And Material Inclusions On Fatigue Life, Celestin Nkundineza

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Railroad transportation is very important for economic growth and effective maintenance is one critical factor for its economic sustainability. The high repetitive forces from a moving railcar induce cyclic stresses that lead to rail bending and potential deterioration due to fatigue crack initiation and propagation. Previous research for prediction of fatigue life has been done under the assumptions of a uniform track bed and a homogeneous rail. However the spatial variation of the track stiffness is expected to increase the maximum stresses in the rail and, therefore, accelerate the fatigue process. The research described in this dissertation is focused on …

Structural Reliability Analysis Of Corroded Steel Girder Bridge, Mohammed Shaalan Al Badran

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

The natural aging, environmental impact, and appropriate design are certainly playing a serious role in safety of the bridges function. The functional safety of bridge constitutes a prime element of the transportation system serving commuters, passengers and freight. According to Federal Highway Administration, the steel bridges share represents a large amount of the United States’ bridges. In last century, the collapse of both the Silver Bridge at Point Pleasant, West Virginia over the Ohio River on December 15, 1967 and over the Mianus River Bridge in Connecticut on June 28, 1983 showed that steel corrosion has been the leading reason …

Detection Of Voids In Prestressed Concrete Bridges Using Thermal Imaging And Ground-Penetrating Radar, David G. Pollock, Kenneth J. Dupuis, Benjamin Lacour, Karl R. Olsen

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Thermal imaging and ground-penetrating radar was conducted on concrete specimens with simulated air voids. For the thermal imaging inspections, six concrete specimens were constructed during the month of June 2007 to simulate the walls of post-tensioned box girder bridges. The objective was to detect simulated air voids within grouted post-tensioning ducts, thus locating areas where the post-tensioning steel strands are vulnerable to corrosion. The most important deduction taken from these inspections was that PT-ducts and simulated voids were more detectable in the 20 cm (8 in.) thick specimens than in the 30 cm (12 in.) thick specimens. While inspections of …

Application Of Vibrational Techniques In Determination Of Dynamic Properties Of Agricultural Products-State Of The Arton Of Vibrational Techniques In Determination Of Dynamic Properties Of Agricultural Products-State Of The Art, Silas Kajuna

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Vibration is one of the techniques employed in the determination of dynamic properties of fruits and vegetables. It entails generation of a mechanical or acoustic vibrational signal which is propagated through the flesh of the agricultural material. A transducer is either attached or held close to the specimen to monitor the propagation of the signal through the specimen. The manner in which the signal is transmitted through the material is analyzed, and the dynamic properties of the specimen which relate to its firmness or its internal being are derived. The technique has been around for the past 30 years or …