Due to age, original design that is deficient by modern standards, inadequate maintenance, environmental conditions, and increasing loads, large numbers of bridges in United States and elsewhere are classified as deficient and in need of rehabilitation or replacement. According to a national bridge inventory established by the Federal Highway Administration,...
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) standard specifications require a minimum density for the construction of dense-graded hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavements. Currently, the standard specifications call for density measurements for quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) testing to be made using nuclear density gauges that are calibrated using...
Numerous research efforts have proven the safety benefits of access management. There are several access management techniques, including unsignalized access spacing, signalized intersection spacing, left-turn lanes, right-turn lanes, Two-Way Left-Turn lanes (TWLTLs), nontraversable median, U-turns, interchange access separation distances and so on.
This project explores the correlation between access density...
A new set of data from a large-scale sand bar migration experiment is presented. During this experiment, two sandbars were generated. One of the bar was generated by the action of undertow, and sediment moved offshore. The other bar was generated by the shoreward movement of sediment coming from the...
The intent of this thesi s is to prove whether or not simple moving averages can be
used to predict the future price performance of stocks and outperform the buy-and-hold
method of investing in the stock market. The importance of this research is that if moving
averages can predict future...
Cob is an earthen building material composed of sand, clay and straw. Though cob homes
are presently being built in the Pacific Northwest, there is no applicable building code for this
material. The purpose of this study is to establish estimates for the major engineering parameters,
including both average values...
Aesthetics should be emphasized as much as possible in a design project without
exceeding scope, budget, or schedule to satisfy the stakeholders involved. There
is a rising trend of increased emphasis on aesthetics. This trend of using various
techniques to help structures blend in or contribute to the surrounding
environment...
Ponding of water on roof systems leading to collapse causes expensive damage and jeopardizes the life safety of building occupants. Current building codes and design specifications for flat roof systems offer minimal guidance in designing for ponding loads. The present research investigated ponding load effects on a long span, lightweight...
Recently, the concept of performance based design has become popular for many types of structures, including port facilities under seismic loading. For the case of pile-supported wharves, the level of performance is generally estimated using the displacement capacity of the structure. Therefore, understanding soil-pile interaction is one of the most...
The City of Salem, Oregon has an active sewer main chemical grouting
program for the control of groundwater infiltration into the sewer collection
system. The effectiveness of this chemical grouting program is evaluated
by a comparison to other effective chemical grouting programs for control
of inflow/infiltration (I/I). The importance of...
This study was undertaken to evaluate the spatial and temporal characteristics
of riparian groundwater tables adjacent to beaver ponds. The research was
conducted in two parts; in the first portion a two-dimensional, finite-difference
computer model was developed and utilized to simulate groundwater elevations
through time in pond-adjacent aquifers. Two types...
Some basaltic rocks common in Oregon when incorporated into a pavement structure as the base course aggregate or in the surfacing layer degrade and disintegrate owing to the minerals contained within the rock and the environment in which it is placed. To simulate the chemical degradation of basaltic rocks an...
The Horsetail Creek (HC) bridge is an example of an Oregon bridge that was classified as structurally deficient and was not designed to withstand earthquake (EQ) excitations. A fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) rehabilitation was performed on the HC bridge to increase flexural and shear capacities for traffic loads. However, a seismic...
Many conventionally reinforced concrete deck girder bridges (RCDG) and their intermediate supporting bent caps were designed during the Eisenhower interstate era of the 1950’s with the AASHO design equations at the time, which subsequently place higher demand on the concrete. The referenced components may exhibit diagonal cracking due to the...
Hydrodynamic models are used as a diagnostic tool to understand the temporal variability of shallow-water processes that are difficult to completely resolve with traditional field measurements. For all simulations, modeled quantities are qualitatively or quantitatively compared with available measurements to gain confidence in conclusions derived from the modeled results. In...
This research analyzes the effects of islands on river process and the effects river processes have on island formation. A fluvial island is defined herein as a land mass within a river channel that is separated from the floodplain by water on all sides, exhibits some stability, and remains exposed...
A methodology was developed to permit rectification and metrification of digital images of steel truss gusset plate connections. The approach will enable rapid and accurate collection of field measurements as compared to traditional methods to enable structural evaluation of gusset plate connections. The program enables the operator to quickly create...
Long-term durability of surface-bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) for shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge members remains uncertain due to the limited field experience with these materials. This paper provides experimental results from the testing of full-scale RC bridge girder specimens after exposure to prolonged environmental exposure and combined...
In recent years, log structures have been marketed as an alternative
to conventional light-frame wood structures. Log structures are constructed
using round timbers (or manufactured timbers) that are stacked vertically
and have interlocking corners. Thru-rods and lag screws are used to
provide inter-log connections. This project was conducted to evaluate...
The gasoline tax, the main source of highway revenue is no longer a viable source of
funding to maintain the existing highways. Many states in the United States are
already using revenues from other sources such as sales tax and income tax to fund
new highways. Oregon along with many...
This research focused on anaerobic transformation of trichloroethene (TCE), a
groundwater contaminant. The mixed anaerobic Evanite culture (EV) was studied to determine community behavior and composition responses to different electron donors and chloroethene electron acceptors. The potential toxicity from high concentrations of TCE and its daughter product cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cDCE) was...
Wave breaking in the surf zone is an important forcing
mechanism on the generation of nearshore currents and in the driving
of sediment transport. At the same time, wave breaking can have
significant spatial and temporal variability that needs to be
accounted for in the description of nearshore processes. Remote...
Oregon's forestry industry has and will continue to be a vital component of Oregon's economy, with twenty-two percent of Oregon's 1986 gross state product and thirty-nine percent of Oregon's 1986 gross manufacturing product related the forestry goods. An integral component to proper management of Oregon's forestry lands is Sustaining the...
Initially, a small experimental study was undertaken to examine the influence of incline on the frequency of taut cables. The experiments consisted of exciting a short cable at angles of incline from zero to 90 degrees and at various tensions. The results from these experiments shows a small effect due...
The Steamboat Creek basin drains 227 mi² (588 km²) of steep forested terrain into the North Umpqua River of Southwest Oregon, 39
mi (63 km) northeast of Roseburg. Summer base flows for Steamboat Creek average 83 cfs (2.35 m³/sec). Steamboat Creek and its
tributaries are considered important to the production...
The Lookout Creek Earthflow is located in the Cascade Mountain
Range in western Oregon. The Cascade Mountains are mainly volcanic
in origin, and deposits in and around the slide have a complex geomorphic
history,, affected by glacial, mass movement, and fluvial
processes. The currently moving land mass is about 1600...
Studies were undertaken of the adsorption of chlorinated phenols from aqueous solution on granular activated carbon (Filtrasorb-400, 30x40 mesh). Single-component equilibrium adsorption data on the eight compounds in two concentration ranges at pH 7.0 fit the Langmuir equation better than the Freundlich equation. The adsorptive capacities at pH 7.0 increase...
This thesis explores the factors limiting the alkene substrate range of the vinyl chloride (VC)-utilizing bacteria, and describes a method for measuring VC transformation in situ. Vinyl fluoride (VF) was evaluated as a surrogate for monitoring aerobic VC-transformation utilizing three isolates, Mycobacterium EE13a, Mycobacterium JS60 and Nocardioides JS614. JS614 grew...
This study presents a rational process with supporting data to establish
appropriate road design controls, criteria, and standards for low volume
recreation and resource development. Much of the information presented can
be used to supplement design data presented in a National road design policy
published by the American Association of...
The goal of this study was to develop an understanding of the nature of surge wave loading on
wood framed residential structures for a variety of building configurations and test conditions.
The objectives of the study were: (1) to measure forces on a 1/6th scale wood framed
residential structure, (2)...
As part of a long term study to evaluate the dynamic properties of naturally frozen soils, resonant frequency and cyclic triaxial
tests were conducted on Fairbanks silt samples from the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Permafrost Tunnel, Fox, Alaska. The test methods subject right cylindrical test
specimens...
Chromium and its compounds are widely used by modern industries, resulting in large quantities of this element being discharged into the environment. To remove chromium from contaminated soils and ground water, it is necessary to predict chemical and physical processes that control the rate of reactions and transport of chromium...
Two hilislope sites in the central Oregon Coast Range were instrumented and monitored for winter precipitation and saturated and unsaturated subsurface conditions. The study sites were near-ridge depressions typically known as headwalls. Based on results of the monitoring, two existing mathematical models
were adapted to predict piezometric levels in headwalls...
Sediment transport in a gravel-bottomed stream located in the Oregon Coast Range was studied to determine the effects of a single
layer of large particles (the armour layer) located at the surface of the bed material. The bed load transport system was studied jointly with suspended sediment transport to understand...
Structural design codes have evolved continuously since modern codes were established. The allowable stress design format has been widely used since the late 191h century. During the past two decades, probability-based limit states design concepts have evolved and are increasingly being used for various material and structural types. Limit state...
As the traffic demand increases at a faster rate than the upgrade and maintenance of
transportation facilities through the traditional public financing methods in the United
States, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is becoming an important supplement to
the public transportation infrastructure investment. There are already several existing
PPP toll road...
Turkey is an agricultural country where exchange and shipping of goods has been gravely hampered in the past by lack of highways. The railroads have large expanses of land between them, and highway construction in the past has been limited to strategic roads and connections of cities to railways. Unless...
Long-term durability of surface-bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) U-wraps for shear strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge members remains uncertain due to the limited field experience with these materials. This paper provides experimental results from the testing of full-scale RC bridge girder specimens after exposure to prolonged freeze-thaw cycling. CFRP...
Many conventionally reinforced concrete deck girder (RCDG) bridges were built in the US during the 1950s, throughout the expansion of the Interstate System. Designs followed the AASHO standard of the time, which permitted higher shear stress in concrete and reduced detailing requirements than permitted by current specifications. Many of these...
The overall goal of this study was to evaluate an alternative to
traditional wood framed shear wall construction. This study introduced the
innovative idea of using a water and seismic damage resistant, wood-concrete-
composite (WCC) construction instead of an all-wood design. The
WCC design consisted of a thin shell of...
River regulation imposes changes in the supply of sediment and the frequency of competent flows. As a result, impounded rivers often exhibit downstream changes in channel processes, particle size, and morphology. The magnitude of change in competent flow frequency and sediment load together can be used to predict the pattern...
As part of a roof framing system, light-frame wood trusses often require lateral bracing to reduce the effective length for flexural buckling of compression web members. This observational research investigates the design requirements for discrete compression web bracing intended to provide such lateral support. Four simple brace analysis methods based...
Current ACI design provisions for shear in reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened
with externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) U-wraps may not adequately account for the effect of scale. This paper describes tests of 6 geometrically scaled beams to identify possible scale effects of such beams. Results indicated that effective...
While damages due to ponding are common and expensive, provisions for design and
construction of flat roof systems lack guidance regarding these loads. The goal of this research is
to present methods of designing or building flat roofs that are less vulnerable to this condition. An
investigation of the literature,...
The educational environment is filled with different types of students, all with diverse learning styles. The Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator and Kolb’s Theory of Experiential Learning are generally accepted methods for determining and assessing a person’s preferred method of information processing. There has been research that suggests learning styles are specific...
Despite recent efforts to improve site safety, construction still accounts for a disproportionate injury and illness rate. According to the 2007 injury and illness data released by the National Safety Council, the construction industry has a fatality and disabling injury rate that is approximately three times higher than the all-industry...
This thesis evaluates pre-construction auditing procedures used in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand in order to help create post-construction auditing procedures for the state of Oregon. It was funded as part of the development of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Safety Investigation Manual, and also evaluates content...
Crash rates are said to be nearly three times higher on curved sections than those on straight sections of rural roadways. As a result, advisory curve/speed signs are standard practice to mitigate these risks on sharp horizontal curves. The industry standard for determining appropriate and uniform speeds for such signs...