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...
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,...
Due to its availability, versatility, structural capability, and economic advantages, concrete is the most widely used material in building sewer networks and other wastewater structures such as treatment stations, wastewater digesters, septic tanks, pumping stations, hydraulic risers, utility risers and covers, etc. Concrete structures exposed to sewer environments can experience...
The continuous improvement of construction operations requires a systematic approach of monitoring and making appropriate control actions. However, the lack of real-time information hinders this workflow and eventually compromises timely and effective decision-making. Project managers spend a great deal of time and effort to solve problems emerging from lack of...
Open grid steel bridge decks have been in use for nearly a century. These open grid decks provide an economical and lightweight alternative to traditional reinforced concrete decks. As the transportation infrastructure continues to deteriorate, open grid decks can be used as a cost effective way to rehabilitate structurally deficient...
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...
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....
It has been suggested that projects in the construction industry are subject to risks more than other industries. However, there is often little parity in allocation of risks in the construction industry. Usually, project participants allocate risks by aversion where owners tend to shift risks to the primary contractor, who...
The two primary considerations for construction project management are budget and time management. Modular construction has the potential to improve construction productivity by minimizing time and costs while improving safety and quality. Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) panels are beneficial for modular construction due to the high level of prefabrication, adequate dimensional...
Pile supported bridges are typically constructed near or in a natural or man-made
slope and are subjected to lateral loading. The current design method for laterally loaded
piles involves the use of Winkler's spring concept with the standard nonlinear p-y curves.
The available p-y curves were developed based on results...