Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an attractive building material because it is renewable, promotes fast installation, and possesses a high strength-to-weight ratio. The use of CLT in seismic applications has become increasingly common with the development of post-tensioned CLT rocking wall lateral force resisting systems (LFRS). The CLT pier-and-spandrel system designed,...
The growing contamination of surface water by stormwater runoff parallels increasing urban development. Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are discharged from point sources and washed from impervious surfaces into surface waters, impacting the ecology of these systems, food supplies,...
Unlike other industries, overall efficiency of construction projects has been growing minimally which directly causes cost overruns of projects. Though reducing idle time and increasing operational efficiency of construction equipment could result in significant cost saving, there is lack of practical knowledge of adjusting operational efficiency and integrating cost and...
The goal of the first part of this project was to investigate the influence of aggregate source and entrained air on the transport properties of concrete. Currently, there are several ASTM standards available that provide systematic procedures to evaluate mass transport properties of concrete. ASTM C642-13 (ASTM 2013), often referred...
The Large Wave Flume at the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory houses a piston wavemaker with a built-in active absorption system designed by MTS Systems Corporation. The performance of the active absorption system has not been properly assessed yet. This thesis evaluates the performance of the MTS active absorption system...
Bridges are a vital component of transportation infrastructure in the United States, and the continual maintenance and preservation of bridges is critical to maintaining their structural capacity and maximizing service life. One of the most significant issues faced by concrete bridges is the infiltration of moisture from the roadway surface...
This study evaluates the productivity and accuracy of surveys completed with single-base real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) using four different GNSS constellation combinations: (1) GPS-only, (2) GPS+GLONASS, (3) GPS+Galileo+BeiDou, and (4) GPS+GLONASS+Galileo+BeiDou. For this comparison, we set up a test site consisting of 20 stations ranging with...
Strong ground motions from earthquakes can result in the reduction of the shear modulus and wave propagation characteristics of soils, and can produce liquefaction and cyclic softening during shaking and for some time following the seismic event. While the ground motions produced from controlled blasting are different than those in...
A series of laboratory experiments were conducted to study the wave field in the inner lagoon excited by ‘long’ incident waves. Three cases were considered: Cases A, B and C presenting incident waves of wavelength with factors of 1, 2 and 2.5 times the width of the reef respectively. The...
Bioretention facilities are emerging as a popular way to deal with stormwater runoff in urban environments and address its concerns. Real-time sensors installed in bioretention facilities aid in understanding the performance and feasibility of such facilities over time. A bioretention facility in Corvallis, Oregon was monitored for a study period...
Planning and management methods in construction need to constantly evolve to keep pace with the growing demand and complexity of work in increasingly competitive environments. This need for innovation and process improvement has attracted lean construction philosophy in industry management practice. Lean has been used in the construction industry to...
The two primary considerations for highway work-zones are its effect on commuter mobility and worker safety which are often spoken of together. However, it must be noted that they often conflict with each other. For example, traffic control plans that reduce travel speed in work-zones improve both commuter and worker...
Engineering practitioners solve problems in various ways; it is plausible that they often rely on graphs, figures, formulas and other representations to reach a solution. How and why engineering practitioners use representations to solve problems can characterize certain problem-solving behaviors, which can be used to determine particular types of problem...
High early strength (HES) concrete is becoming increasingly used to repair damaged concrete pavement sections. The use of HES concrete enables the repaired pavement to be opened to traffic within hours of placing the concrete. A common approach used for the rapid repair of concrete pavement consists of closing a...
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones, are an increasingly popular method of collecting surveying and mapping data. Two common drone-based mapping techniques are lidar and structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry, and a frequently-heard (yet nearly impossible to answer) question is: “which is better?” The most common metric for...
Tack coat emulsion, comprised of asphalt binder, water and emulsifying agents, is an interlayer membrane applied before asphalt pavement construction, which helps pavement layers bond together and permeate stresses and strains induced by heavy wheel loads through the entire thickness of the pavement structure. Proper interlayer bonding aids in preventing...
The use of high strength steel reinforcement has the potential to provide economic and constructability benefits when used in reinforced concrete structures. However, more research is needed to justify and confidently allow its use. Current design provisions limit the nominal yield strength of reinforcing steel bars to 60 ksi (420...
In the presence of strong winds, ocean surface waves dissipate significant amounts of energy by breaking. Here, breaking rates and wave-following turbulent dissipation rate measurements are compared with numerical WAVEWATCH III estimates of bulk energy dissipation. At high winds, the measurements suggest that turbulent dissipation becomes saturated, however the modeled...
Boulder transport models have been used to develop a historical record of hydrodynamic events. This is done by evaluating the size, location, and composition of boulders that have been removed from their region of formation. Boulder transport is difficult to predict, even under laboratory conditions.
Experiments were conducted to evaluate...
The logarithmic-spiral (log-spiral) limit equilibrium procedure for slope stability analysis rigorously satisfies both force and moment equilibrium with a failure surface geometry formulated as a function of the soil’s angle of internal friction. Within the framework of limit equilibrium, this procedure has, in the past, been primarily limited to homogeneous...
Bridge inspection is a critical task needed to monitor bridge quality and serviceability. In the U.S., 40% of bridges are more than 50 years old while most bridges are typically designed for a lifespan of 50 years. 9.1% of the 614,387 bridges across the U.S are considered structurally deficient. These...
Fire hazards threaten human life and property safety. Since it is unrealistic to study human behavior during a real fire hazard, computational tools are a better choice to computational tools are a better choice to simulate fire growth and human behavior for predicting evacuation performance in chaotic emergency situations. Although...
As ecoroofs have become more widespread throughout the U.S., it has become increasingly important to understand their structural behavior. The purpose of this research was to investigate the load effects exerted on a roof structure with an ecoroof during rain events and the subsequent drainage period, with the intention of...
Decreases in pavement program funding levels have encouraged paving agencies to adopt higher levels of recycled materials into their asphalt mixes. In order to fully evaluate the effects of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) mixes, the level of blending between the RAP and virgin binders in...
The construction industry is infamously recognized for having jobsites identified as hazardous working environments due to workers-on-foot commonly functioning at dangerous heights and in close proximity to other construction entities, among other reasons. These hazardous operations result in an increased risk of worker injuries and fatalities caused by fall hazards...
Aggregate piers have been used for centuries, with increasing occurrence in the last few decades. Their usage has been driven by land development demand and enabled through equipment and engineering improvements. Understanding the principles controlling bearing capacities and serviceability performance has been an ongoing area of interest for structures supported...
Left turn movements are considered to be the highest risk movements through an intersection, and can result in head on, angle, or side impact crashes. The flashing yellow arrow (FYA) for use as a permissive left turn phasing indication is relatively recent, first appearing in the 2009 edition Manual on...
Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may have the potential to mitigate a significant proportion of serious crashes which are due to human error or poor decision making behind the wheel. However, there are still many concerns associated with SAE Level 3 AVs that require intervention by a human driver after a take-over...
Distracted driving is an adverse driving behavior that is widely known to impair the safety of all roadway users and traffic flow. Despite the extensive research efforts on the prevalence and effects of distracted driving on roadway safety and performance, the number of vehicular crashes and fatalities resulting from distracted...
Chloride-induced corrosion is one of the primary causes of the degradation of reinforced steel in concrete structures. Currently, the rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT) is the most specified method to determine the concrete’s resistivity to chloride ingress, thus a determining factor in assessing the durability of concrete. While it is...
Total emissions from the US contribute 15% to the global emissions. The construction industry is a major source of the exhaust emissions produced. Use of light-duty vehicles and heavy-duty trucks for various construction activities contributes 83% to the total greenhouse gases produced. Construction equipment comprises of on-road and non-road equipment,...
Due to a general reduction in pavement program funding levels over the past decade, the current budget is not sufficient to maintain roadways at a high level of service with acceptable roughness levels. Rough roadways with poor ride quality increase drivers’ vehicle operating costs (fuel consumption, vehicle maintenance, and tire-wear)...
The first goal of this master’s thesis was to investigate the linkage between a non-destructive testing method, surface resistivity, and premature concrete deterioration brought on by chloride ingress and or freeze-thaw cycling. The experimental method for this project consists of taking surface resistivity measurements of reinforced concrete slabs after they...
Bicyclists are one of the highest and most vulnerable road users. This is due to the higher likelihood of being seriously injured when involved in a crash. This research seeks to understand two different behavioral interactions of an implemented facility user: the motorist (secondary user) and bicyclist (primary user). The...
Student engagement is key for learning in the classroom, and different levels of engagement have led to greater learning. The ICAP framework distinguishes these different levels of engagement by different overt behaviors, but little is known about how to measure different forms of engagement in the classroom. This article will...
The Construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries in the US.Construction workers, on a daily basis, are exposed to numerous risks while performing arange of activities involving construction, alteration, and or repair. Dust and diesel exhaustemissions from construction equipment are considered harmful to the workers in the longrun....
This study uses an existing database of dynamic loading tests of driven piles installed in the Puget Sound Lowlands to improve the reliability of axial performance. First, the unit shaft resistances developed from stress wave signal matching to dynamic records of pile installation are used to develop an effective stress-based...
Internal curing is a term used to describe a process in which curing water is provided to a concrete mixture from inside the mixture. Internal curing water has typically been provided in North America mixtures by using prewetted porous materials, like fine lightweight aggregate (FLWA). Alternative materials, such as superabsorbent...
This thesis provides a comparison of advanced econometric frameworks to account for unobserved factors in crash reported data (also referred to as unobserved heterogeneity) while identifying contributing factors by roadway classification for heavy vehicle injury severity and crash rates. The presented thesis provides two manuscripts that expand the literature regarding...
Ecoroofs have become more prominent in recent years. However, there is currently no enforceable standard or building code for the design and construction of ecoroofs across the United States (Kraupa, 2014). Further research is needed to determine how ecoroofs respond to roof motion and to develop an appropriate design standard.The...
Every year thousands of people are killed or injured in work zone crashes in the US due to excessive speed, distraction, inattentiveness, low visibility, and other factors. Roadway construction and maintenance operations often occur at night when the traffic volume is low, creating less congestion and delay to the traffic....
State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are the primary owners of roadway infrastructure in the United States. Many of the employees of state DOTs work on roadway work sites, putting them at disproportionately higher risks of injury or fatality. A review of the literature determined that a combination of policies, standards,...
Use of high-strength steel (HSS) reinforcing bars could provide constructability and economic benefits for the construction of structures, reducing the initial and ultimately the life-cycle cost of bridge and building structural elements. This thesis summarizes work performed in a research project on the use of HSS reinforcing bars for concrete...
Increasingly congested surface transportation network in urban areas and grow-ing land values make underground transportation systems more attractive for high-ways (i.e., tunnels) and metro system compared to other options [1]. An underground transportation system can preserve the land above for recreational parks, commer-cial buildings, residential homes, or other purposes while...
This project determines the short term and long term effective stiffness values for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) with a reinforced concrete topping. The reinforced concrete was attached to the CLT panels with interface connections, and different types of interface connections were tested. Throughout this project, there are 31 tests with...
In the light of the changing climate, the importance of designing effective watershed management plans that are likely to be implemented is becoming ever more important. This research introduces a new concept, consensus, for incorporation into stakeholder-guided interactive optimization of watershed management plans. User preferences were mathematically simulated based upon...
Bicyclists are one of the highest and most vulnerable road users. This is due to the higher likelihood of being seriously injured when involved in a crash. This research seeks to understand two different behavioral interactions of an implemented facility user: the motorist (secondary user) and bicyclist (primary user). The...
In this study, the effects of implementing different wind input or physics packages in a numerical wave model to recreate large wave conditions are explored. Three large wave events are simulated with WaveWatch III. The wind inputs which are compared are NCEP's Global Forecasting System (GFS) with 0.5 degree resolution...
The near-surface region of a coastal sediment bed is complex and dynamic. At some sites, near-surface sediment deposits are susceptible to extreme events, such as tsunamis or other large overflows, which induce high shear stresses on the sediment bed. The specific properties of sediment beds subjected to such extreme loading...
While riding bicycles has been promoted for its health, economic, and environmental benefits, it also complements other modes to complete a safe, efficient, and reliable transportation system. However, the dramatic increase of bicycle usage in the U.S. is accompanied by a growth of bicycle crashes. The U.S. Department of Transportation,...
Students in undergraduate engineering programs typically do not synthesize content learned from disparate course work until the end of their final terms of college. As an example, in undergraduate civil engineering programs, transportation engineering concepts (e.g., geometric alignment, asphalt design procedures) and geotechnical engineering concepts (e.g., shear strength of soils,...
To derive ellipsoid heights on passive marks with cm-level accuracy, many current specifications require the collection and adjustment of long-duration, static Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) sessions. To increase efficiency, a survey procedure that includes real-time kinematic vectors from a real-time GNSS network (RTN) was evaluated. Thirty different “hybrid” networks...
A significant number of historically existing wetlands that naturally stored rainwater and attenuated flood peaks have now been drained and employed as new farming areas. Beyond the water quality and flow problem, this has resulted in loss of natural habitats of diverse ecological species. Restoring wetlands have hence been proposed...
Real time networks (RTNs) have become popular for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveys because highly accurate positions can be derived in seconds to minutes compared to hours as required with static sessions. To evaluate the accuracy of these shorter-duration, RTN GNSS observations and their potential for use as a...
The Steel Plate Shear Wall (SPSW) system, is an innovative seismic lateral force resistant system, which has experienced increased use over the last three decades. The SPSW system is composed of boundary elements which anchor web plates that develop diagonal tension fields. A number of SPSW buildings have been built...
Student engagement in a course plays a vital role in a student’s ability to process and construct knowledge. Student engagement research has investigated how students engage in and out of the classroom on a macro scale, through observation and survey data collection of large student populations, which lack focus on...
Bridge inspections are vital for monitoring the health and serviceability of transportation infrastructure throughout the world. However, inspections can be logistically-challenging, expensive, and dangerous. For example, inspections may require climbing, as well as the use of scaffolding, ladders, rescue boats, bucket trucks, and/or under-bridge inspection vehicles. Small, multirotor unmanned aircraft...
A wave-by-wave forecasting system is desired for optimization of wave energy conversion devices and for improving safety of vessel-based marine operations. This study outlines the first validation attempts of a recently developed forecasting system called Wavecast. The forecasting approach uses X-Band marine radar images for data assimilation, then reconstructs and...
Large numbers of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges were built in the past that are now considered seismically deficient. The structural members most likely to be considered deficient are the supporting columns. Typical deficient columns contain inadequate transverse reinforcement and poorly detailed lap splice lengths above the foundation. Insufficient lap splice...
Structurally efficient and cost-effective solutions are needed to extend the service-life of deficient and aging highway infrastructure around the world. One critical need is to increase the flexural strength of older reinforced concrete (RC) structures to carry heavier and more frequent loads. Titanium alloy bars (TiAB) offer a new opportunity...
The Cascadia Subduction Zone has recently been identified as a source for an impending great earthquake. The potential of a large earthquake has created widespread interest into the resiliency of lifelines within the potentially affected areas. One critical lifeline is the electrical distribution and transmission systems which relies on legacy...
Improving safety education could contribute to the preparation of better professional engineers. Safety topics are not holistically embedded in transportation course curricula. This thesis explores the current state in which safety is being incorporated in transportation course curricula in terms of design and compares the uses of safety data in...
Evaluation of teaching is used to examine and improve teaching quality in higher education. The literature consists of best teaching evaluation practices that have been developed, yet there is little research that has been conducted which investigates teaching evaluation practices in engineering programs. This thesis represents two manuscripts that explore...
Flexible pavements consist of multilayers, which form the pavement structures. Since the strength of the bond at interface between layers plays a significant role in improving the structural integri-ty and the performance of pavement structures, tack coat materials and methods used for their application during construction are important in providing...
CSS-1H is the most commonly used slow-setting emulsion grade in Oregon. “New” engineered emulsions were recently developed in Oregon to reduce tracking, the pick-up of tack coats by construction vehicle tires during construction activities, and increase interlayer shear strength (ISS), the amount of adhesive bond present between layers of asphalt...
In this thesis, the effectiveness of the 100 percent + XX percent seismic response directional combination rule available in codes and standards is evaluated using simulated nonlinear seismic response of two existing multi-story reinforced concrete plan-irregular buildings. The 5-story and 8-story buildings were designed according to the 1975 seismic codes...
The Pacific Northwest is at risk for significant seismic and tsunami events, which are capable of severely damaging lifeline transportation infrastructure, particularly bridges. As the bridges in the United States age and begin to show signs of fatigue, the risk for severe damage increases. Proper monitoring and inspection of bridges...
Aging and deficient infrastructure has become a major problem throughout the world. This is particularly evident in the case of reinforced concrete (RC) bridges. The cost of replacing these bridges is often prohibitive, thus engineers must find ways to strengthen them. Many older RC bridges predate the modern understanding of...
High water temperatures in rivers have detrimental effects on riverine water quality and ecology. In this study, two river temperature models, within the agricultural watershed model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), were investigated for their ability to simulate water temperatures accurately throughout the year. The original temperature model within...
A Geyser in a stormwater (SW) and combined sewer system (CSS) is an oscillatory and violent release of a mixture of air and water through vertical shafts. Violent geysers are highly destructive. In the case of combined sewer systems, many municipalities operate their systems at a fraction of their maximum...
The aim of this research is to understand and quantify the modeling differences between CSiBridge and OpenSees, and to determine sensitive model parameters. When designing bridges for the high seismic region of California, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) performs nonlinear time history analysis of their bridge models. For three-dimensional...
This study presents the theoretical background necessary to model the bearing capacity of shallow and deep foundations in partially saturated soils. The conventional bearing capacity equations for shallow and deep foundations and the 𝛽-method for deep foundation side resistance have been modified to include the effects of matric suction and...
Shallow landslides are a prevalent concern in mountainous regions that can result in severe societal, economic, and environmental impacts. The challenge is further compounded as the size and location of a potential slide is often unknown. This study presents a generalized approach for the evaluation of shallow landslide susceptibility using...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites construction as the most hazardous industry within the United States. The construction industry was responsible for 20% of all fatal occupational injuries in 2014. Approximately 20% of the construction injuries occur within Heavy Civil Engineering, in which there are 950,000 workers employed annually. This...
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. When constructing large concrete structures, concrete may have to be placed in multiple lifts. In these cases, fresh concrete is placed on hardened concrete. The interface that is formed between these two lifts of concrete is known as a...
Natural disasters could result in unnecessary loss of life and disproportionate suffering to families and communities if evacuation plans are not in place or understood by the public. In the Pacific Northwest, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami from the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) represents one of the most pressing...
The fluid impact forces on a bridge superstructure in horizontal and vertical directions due to tsunamis represented by solitary waves are investigated through a large-scale laboratory experiment and numerical simulations. The experiment is conducted in a two-dimensional wave basin using a 1:5 scaled reinforced concrete bridge deck model tested under...
Wheeled mobility devices (WhMD) pose unique safety risks to users while riding public transportation. Unsecured or improperly secured WhMDs create safety concerns for other transit riders and operators. Tests using accelerometers and visual observations were conducted to understand how WhMD orientation and securement in articulated buses, streetcars, and light rail...
Lateral spread is a pervasive type of liquefaction-induced ground failure that occurs on gentle slopes or near free-faces, such as river channels. Resulting horizontal displacements can reach up to several meters, and can be considerably damaging to foundations, bridges, roadways, pipelines, etc. In the 1990s, Bartlett and Youd (1992a, 1995)...
While there have been several efforts to understand large-truck crashes, the relationship between crash factors, crash severity and collision type is not clearly understood. Past studies have utilized different statistical or econometric models to predict the manner of collision at intersections, yet not much attention has been paid to the...
Red Light Running (RLR) is a safety hazard at signalized intersections in Oregon and throughout the United States. Various methods of mitigating factors contributing to RLR have been implemented but few protect against a conflict when a vehicles runs a red light. Additionally, current prediction algorithms are complicated; there is...
Forecasting of ocean waves over a short duration on the order of tens of seconds was approached with the optimization of wave energy conversion in mind. This study outlines the development of an artificial neural network model, specifically the Nonlinear Autoregressive Network with Exogenous Input (NARX), to predict a wave-by-wave...
Alkali silica reaction (ASR) and corrosion of reinforcement are two deterioration mechanisms in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. These deterioration mechanisms can significantly damage a RC structure and reduce its service life. Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are commonly used to improve the durability of RC systems containing reactive aggregate that are...
Performing bridge inspections can be a very daunting task for every department of transportation (DOT) in the country. Because the leading cause of deterioration in reinforced concrete bridge decks is corrosion of the steel reinforcement, the ability to detect the concentration of corrosion-causing chlorides in the concrete, using a non-destructive...
The finite element software framework, OpenSees, has been used by researchers
to simulate the response of structural and geotechnical systems to earthquake loading. Implementation of the Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) has made it possible to simulate hydrodynamic forces through fluid-structure interaction (FSI) in OpenSees. To validate the FSI implementation...
Transportation agencies need efficient methods to determine how to improve bicycle facilities in order to improve connectivity and safety. Many studies have used standalone methods such as level of traffic stress (LTS) and bicycle level of service (BLOS) to better understand bicycle mode share and network connectivity for a region...
Highway capacity has traditionally been treated as deterministic. In reality, however, capacity can vary from time to time and location to location due to inclement weather, various driving behavior, traffic incident, bottleneck and workzone. This thesis aims to characterize the stochastic variations of highway capacity, and explore its applications.
The...
Rip currents pose a serious danger to visitors of bathing beaches; they are also an important process in surf zone circulation. Haller et al. [2014] demonstrated that shore-based X-band radar can be used to compliment in situ measurements of rip currents. However, little is known of the underlying radar imaging...
The overarching objective of this study is to examine and compare the vulnerabilities of bridges combining effects of earthquake-induced ground shaking, ground failure (e.g., landslides and lateral spreading), and tsunami inundation. A parametric study is performed to understand the sensitivity of economic loss and traffic capacity with respect to the...
This thesis presents an analytical, experimental and numerical study of the initiation of flows in a siphon for rapid and gradual openings of a downstream valve. Three initial water levels in the upstream tank and four final positions for the downstream valve were investigated. Two opening times of the downstream...
Determining accurate elevations is important for many engineering and scientific applications, and finding these heights via GNSS increases efficiency and significantly reduces the costs as compared to precise geodetic leveling. The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has published guidelines for determining both ellipsoidal and orthometric heights with GPS to within 2...
Cast-in-drilled-hole (CIDH) piles are often constructed to depths that are inaccessible to internal vibration of the concrete. Internal vibration is necessary to consolidate the concrete and, if not performed, then typically inspection pipes are necessary to detect the presence of voids in CIDH piles. Void detection is critical to assessing...
Seismically-induced liquefaction represents a major cause of damage to civil infrastructure and can result in significant damage following major earthquakes. Liquefaction can occur when earthquake ground motions raise pore-water pressures in loose, sandy soil, resulting in a substantial decrease of soil strength. Owing to the potential for instability following liquefaction,...
A right-hook crash is a bicycle-motor vehicle crash between a right-turning motor vehicle and an adjacent through-moving bicycle. This study focuses on right-hook crashes that occur during the latter stage of the circular green indication at signalized intersections with shared right-turn and through lanes. The overall objective was to evaluate...
This study presents a methodology for power take off (PTO) forecasting for an array of heave wave energy converters (WECs). Based on spectral data obtained directly from the National Data Buoy Center, representative realistic sea states are generated at the location of the WECs, and by using two wave-structure interaction...
Recent tsunami field surveys from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami have recorded numerous examples of tsunami-induced soil instability: significant scour around foundations, foundation failure of piles, and other damage caused by liquefaction. From the observations of soil instability leading to the failure of critical coastal structures, it...
The effects of steel reinforcement, chloride-induced corrosion initiation, cracking and delamination on the electrical resistivity measurements using the Wenner probe technique were studied experimentally on custom-designed reinforced concrete slabs. Investigation parameters included (1) probe configurations with respect to rebar mesh, (2) rebar density, (3) epoxy coating on the rebar, (4)...
Over the years, the performance of construction projects has been a main source of concern given the percentage of a project cost associated with poor project performance. As a result of the growing clamor to improve the output of the built industry, comprehensive studies have been conducted to examine the...
As people learn new concepts, they experience a process termed conceptual change. There are several theories that attempt to explain conceptual change, and this paper uses the framework theory to explain how students learn mechanics of materials. Semi-structured interviews with ninety students were qualitatively analyzed for this research in an...
Background
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded multiple research projects dedicated to the development of research and evidence based instructional strategies in an effort to improve the state of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in the US. These efforts have led to an abundance of research based...