The first edition of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) provides a quantitative
approach to predict the safety of transportation facilities based on the recently
developed scientific methods. This approach, known as the predictive method, was
developed for several states in the United States. Due to differences in driver
population, weather...
Carbonation of Carbon is of concern for reinforced concrete bridges. While long-term environmental deterioration of structures is unavoidable, protective design allows a structure to fulfill its service life without any significant serviceability or strength loss due to deterioration. Understanding the process of concrete carbonation and the effect it has on...
Soil instability from tsunami hazards causes substantial damage to coastal infrastructure (e.g., the damage caused by the 2011 Great East Japan Tsunami, or the Heisei Tsunami). Tsunamis are unpredictable, so it is difficult to obtain field-scale measurements. Simulating tsunamis in a laboratory setting is therefore important to further understanding of...
Hyporheic Exchange Flow (HEF) is driven by head gradients defined by the hydro-topography of the stream surface, which is controlled by the particular geomorphology of the stream. We quantified the impact of large wood, which typically exerts a strong control on stream morphology, on HEF in a second order, low...
The Melnikov method is applied to a model of parametrically generated cross-waves in a long rectangular channel in order to determine if these cross-waves are chaotic. A great deal of preparation is involved in order to obtain a suitable form for the application of the Melnikov method. The Lagrangian for...
This investigation deals with the chaotic rocking response and overturning
stability of offshore equipment subjected to base excitations due to wave-induced
motions of the supporting compliant offshore structural system. The equipment
compliant structural system is modelled as a free-standing rigid object subjected
to horizontal and vertical base accelerations. Three of...
In many geotechnical design situations involving tight right-of-way constraints, Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls are often the most cost-effective and reliable earth retention technology among available alternatives. However, few well-documented case histories with detailed material testing, instrumentation programs and construction observation of performance are available in the literature. Despite the...
In the last few decades, a lot of studies have been conducted to study about the quality of stormwater runoff from various sites and conditions. Highways, residential areas, and commercial sites are the focus of most of these studies while limited studies have done examination of stormwater from Maintenance and...
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...
More than 65,000 organic chemicals are currently in commercial production with
approximately 1000 added each year. Many chemicals are released into the environment as organic mixtures derived from complex hazardous or solid wastes. Of these, more than 1000 chemicals are of environmental concern because of their production quantities, toxicity, persistence,...
This dissertation presents the findings of a literature review and information
regarding selection, implementation and development of a chemical composition
procedure for asphalt cements. The chemical composition analysis selected was
the Corbett-Swarbrick procedure standarized as ASTM D4124. The procedure is
a selective adsorption / desorption (solid / liquid) chromatography which...
The production of cement and concrete results in the production of large amounts of CO₂ emissions which can have significant negative environmental impacts. Using supplementary cementing materials (SCMs) as a cement replacement is an effective solution to reduce these negative environmental impacts, as most SCMs are waste by-products from other...
The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the
interrelationships between fresh and salt water Circulation, tidal transport
and flushing patterns in the Chetco River estuary and its boat
basins.
Field work and water quality measurements were conducted at the
entrance of the Chetco River during 1975...
Chloride binding in Portland limestone cements (PLC) can be attributed to the chemical reaction between chloride ions and carboaluminate phases to form Friedel’s salt and the physical interaction between chloride ions and calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H). This thesis examines the chloride binding of mortar samples containing varying amounts of limestone, fly ash,...
Chromium spills on soils are causing severe groundwater contamination
problems. To increase the performance of cleanup methods, the chemical behavior
of chromium in soils and its transport through soils have to be understood. The
objectives of this research were to investigate the sorption characteristics of
chromium(VI) in soil and to...
The purpose of this thesis is to explore civil engineering students’ and professional civil engineers' understanding of concepts within statics and fluid mechanics. The studies described herein begin to examine theories of situated cognition utilizing concept inventories, which are sets of multiple-choice questions where the incorrect answers are based on...
Coastal communities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) are rapidly engaging with the idea that hazards and environmental pressures are changing and may be characteristically different in the near future. This has led to a need for scientific knowledge and tools that can help coastal communities prepare and build resilience...
Coastal multi-hazards, i.e., earthquakes followed by tsunamis, induce severe damage to coastal infrastructure. The multi-hazards can cause soil liquefaction, which is one of the major concerns for evaluating sediments transport potential and structure failure mechanisms. The objectives for this work is threefold. First, to build and validate a soil numerical...
Daily evaporative flux and meteorological data from three sites were
collected and analyzed. Analysis included evaluation of several
reference evapotranspiration estimating methods which were theoretically
based on distinct physical laws. The estimating methods included pan
evaporation, energy-based Priestly-Taylor, and combination methods with
and without biological adjustments. The data set represented...
Cometabolic biodegradation processes are potentially useful for the
bioremediation of hazardous waste sites. In this study the potential application of phenol-oxidizing
and nitrifying bacteria as "priming biocatalysts" was examined in the
degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aryl ethers, and aromatic
ethers. We observed that a phenol-oxidizing Pseudomonas strain cometabolically...
In ¬¬¬¬2009 the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted the “Safety Belt Usage by Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Survey” for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The survey found that, nationally, 74% of commercial truck drivers wear their safety belts at all times. In the western region of...
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...
A wide variety of hydrodynamic theories are utilized to approximate a Wave Energy Converter’s (WEC) equation of motion. Numerous theories have been refined in order to improve numerical approximations of WEC dynamics. When incorporating refined hydrodynamic theories into numerical models, there are distinct impacts on WEC rigid body motions, cable...
Temperature is one of the most important factors
affecting microbial activity and consequently is of great
importance in a biological waste treatment system. Extensive
research has been carried out to determine the
effects of temperature on biological reactions in the temperature
range of 20° to 35° Centigrade. It is generally...
Many publications, documents, codes and guidelines exist related to the seismic evaluation and rehabilitation design of existing buildings. This report discusses the assumptions and methods employed for investigation of two wood structures using four references: FEMA 154, FEMA 356, ASCEI per SEI 31, and 1997 UBC. The screening performed using...
Land use planning, zoning, and subdivisions are integrally tied
to the land resource. The need for a land surveyor and for statutes
which govern his operation when working in these areas is stressed.
A brief history of Vermont and Oregon, illustrating the role of land
surveys on settlement, is given....
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....
Mass transfer from single rising gas bubbles is generally studied
by taking motion pictures of the rising bubbles and analyzing the film
for the instantaneous mass transfer coefficient. In this study, a
different approach was taken for the analysis of mass transfer. This
analysis solved the simultaneous differential equations describing...
Many of the analytical techniques that are currently available are not capable of
analyzing the offtracking of truck and trailer combinations or the path of load overhangs
through a set of curves that are commonly found on forest roads. Advances in the
processing speed of microcomputers have made it possible...
Evaluation of the safety hazards along a highway is usually
performed at specific locations and on known hazards. But, it is also
important to find any unrecognized hazards and their locations. Many
factors contribute to accident potential, and the combined effect of
several of them could produce a hazard that...
Situated cognition theory emphasizes the role that social and material contexts have on learning and knowledge application. Several studies of engineering workplace environments have noted differences between the social and material contexts of the workplace and those of undergraduate engineering education. No existing research has studied the social and material...
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...
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...
Calcareous sediments containing a large percentage of foraminiferal
microskeletal tests were taken from sites in the Panama Basin
and subjected to an investigation to determine the consolidation characteristics
of this type of soil. The consolidation-stress curves and
the time rate of consolidation curves in particular were investigated
in this study....
Combinations of cohesive and cohesionless soils are often encountered
when evaluating the engineering properties of soils. The
stress-volume characteristics of the mixed soil are found to vary according
to the proportion of each component. If the cohesive soil
composes more than a certain fraction of the material, the magnitude
of...
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 consumptive water use of six cities in the Willamette
Basin of northwestern Oregon was evaluated for the period 1960-66.
Consumptive use ratios were obtained by analyzing data from monthly
water supply and sewage flow records. The average annual consumptive
use for the six cities was found to be 26...
Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is a very interesting and challenging multi-disciplinary field involving interaction of a movable or deformable structure with an internal or surrounding fluid flow. FSI plays a pivotal role in many different types of real-world situations and practical engineering applications involving large structural deformation and material or geometric...
Three deep experimental filters were used to evaluate the influence
of the physical factors of media size, depth of filter, and organic and hydraulic loading on contact time and the rate of removal
of organic material by the biological growth on the filters. A
further correlation was made between contact...
Continuous-flow and batch experiments were conducted with a column reactor
system containing Hanford aquifer material in order to evaluate the potential of in-situ
bioremediation of carbon tetrachloride (CT) at Hanford. The effectiveness of benzoate
and acetate as primary substrates was considered. Nitrate and sulfate were potential
electron acceptors. Transport experiments...
The goal of this thesis is to ease the adoption of energy-efficient (EE) building strategies for affordable homes in the United States (US). Low-wage earning households spend nearly three times the proportion of their gross annual income on home energy bills resulting in higher energy burden for them when compared...
Time-domain models were developed to predict the response of a tethered buoy
subject to hydrodynamic loadings. A coupled analysis of the interaction of a buoy and
its mooring is included and three-dimensional response is assumed. External loadings
include hydrodynamic forces, tethers tensions, wind loadings and the weight of both
cable...
The impact of tsunamis on coastal structures gained great a new impetus following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. While several experimental programs have been performed to gain a fundamental understanding, numerical models are needed to study additional features that cannot all be tested...
A three dimensional finite element analysis is developed which
is capable of simulating the coupled static and dynamic behavior of
compliant ocean structures. Nonlinearities which result from large-deflection,
reduced or zero stiffness in compression, and the nonconservative
fluid loading are considered. The spatial variation of
fluid loading is also addressed....
Estuaries represent the confluence of land and ocean environments and encompass a number of complex interactions amongst tides, winds, offshore waves and the riverine contributions, all of which contribute to total water levels (TWLs). The study of TWLs and the relative weight of its components can assist local communities in...
The constituent materials of concrete often contain chlorides. The presence of chlorides in sufficient amounts can disrupt the passive layer, also known as the passive film, that protects the reinforcing steel in concrete. This disruption can lead to premature corrosion of the reinforcing steel in concrete. To minimize the risk...
The critical buckling load for round tapered columns with variable
end fixity is presented. The theory used is presented together
with the general solution for the resulting differential equation. This
general solution is solved by use of a computer. The computer program
written specifically for this thesis, the flow chart,...
The development of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel technology has opened up new opportunities for wood in tall buildings. Several characteristics including seismic performance and speed of construction have raised interest among designers. As CLT gains acceptance in the industry, alternative structural solutions need to be investigated to improve performance of...
Timber engineering is currently in the midst of a significant evolution due to the rise of mass timber products, like cross-laminated timber (CLT). Increasing numbers of structural engineers are facing the challenge of designing lateral-force-resisting systems (LFRS) for multistory CLT structures. LFRS solutions such as steel frames, concrete cores, or...
With growing interest in mass timber, especially mass timber panels (MTP), there has been a need to better understand their structural properties. One of the most versatile uses for MTP are as floor systems. Under new code provisions, these floors can be utilized in new and taller building types, but...
The rural two-lane highway in the southeastern United States is frequently associated with a disproportionate number of serious and fatal crashes. The major research objectives are to investigate the relations between probabilities of fatal crash type occurrence and potential contributing factors from road geometric design characteristics and roadside, environmental features....
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,...
The dynamic philosophy of education as applied to the undergraduate Civil Engineering program has been influenced by such factors
as the introduction of new theories, the demands
and needs of our society and the personnel responsible for teaching.
These changes
are reflected in the curriculum as witnessed
by a historical...
One of the recent additions to the panoply of engineered wood products is cross-laminated timber (CLT). CLT is a prefabricated, large-scale, solid wood panel that consists of multiple layers of lumbers stacked together, with each layer arranged perpendicular to the next layer, glued with structural grade adhesives, and pressed. The...
This project report presents a laboratory investigation of the dynamic behavior of saturated alluvial silty soils from sites in Oregon and Washington. The focus of the study was to document the liquefaction susceptibility, post cyclic strength, and volumetric strain behavior of the silt soils based on cyclic, undrained triaxial compression...
The author of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Part B developed a predictive method for safety management. A software tool for highway safety system analysis called the SafetyAnalyst is developed basing on HSM Part B. The author describes an effort to evaluate the feasibility of SafetyAnalyst in Oregon. Seven sample...
Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) imagery can provide wavenumber and frequency data to generate bathymetry estimates for locations where limited access or extreme ocean conditions can make standard bathymetry survey techniques difficult or impossible. The availability of SAR data could allow for regular bathymetry estimates of navigational channels providing insight into dredging...
In 2017, the cost of congestion in the United States was around 305 billion dollars, and city-dwellers, on average, lost 1400 dollars while sitting 42 hours in traffic jams. Aiming for better mobility and more efficient utilization of the transportation network, emerging connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technologies and their...
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...
The safety of workers in the construction industry is a big concern because of the high number of fatalities and injuries that occur in the industry. Selecting contractors based on safety performance can improve safety and reduce the risks of injuries. However, owners commonly choose contractors based on competitive bidding...
This paper offers a practical solution of the complicated equations
for the deflections of nonorthotropic plates; in this discussion
plywood plates made of Douglas fir are considered. The intricate
partial differential equations are expressed in terms of finite differences.
The simultaneous algebraic linear equations thus obtained
are easily solved.
The...
Recent experience demonstrates that waterfront structures are vulnerable to
earthquake damage. The poor seismic performance of these facilities has been
primarily due to liquefaction of backfill and/or foundation soils and the lack of
seismic design standards for waterfront structures. The seismic performance of
waterfront structures is a key issue in...
With all of the efforts that have been conducted over the past 100 years since the first accident causation theory was published, the Accident Proneness theory by Vernon (1918), the construction still trails among different industries in terms of fatal and nonfatal work injuries. Theories and models that have been...
A pilot scale demonstration of a biological permeable barrier was conducted in a pentachlorophenol-contaminated aquifer at a wood preserving facility. A permeable reactor was constructed to fit within a
large diameter well. Arranged in series, a cylindrical reactor 24" x 36" (0.61 x 0.91m) (diameter x height)
was partitioned to...
Deposition of the Middle Devonian part of the Denay Limestone
and Bay State Dolomite in the northern Antelope Range and Fish
Creek Range, respectively, took place on and in front of a carbonate
platform with a lime sand shoal at the shelf edge. In the Givetian part
of the Denay...
This dissertation focuses on two core aspects of remote sensing: (a) interpretation of the remotely sensed data to identify and characterize sea surface features of interest, and (b) the quantitative analysis of previously characterized features to produce robust estimates of geophysical variables. Specifically, these aspects are addressed in the context...
Surf zone eddies (f < 0.01 Hz) are important in nearshore mixing, shoreline erosion, the distribution of pollutants, and ecological processes, such as offshore transport of larvae. Surf zone eddies have traditionally been treated as two-dimensional features with horizontal length scales larger than the local water depth. Studies by Lippmann...
During the interstate expansion of the 1950s, many conventionally reinforced concrete
deck girder bridges were built throughout the country. These now vintage bridges
commonly exhibit diagonal cracking and rate inadequately for shear, thus they are
candidates for shear strengthening to extend their useful life. Near-surface mounted
(NSM) retrofitting is a...
Model testing has proven to be an effective tool in the study of
soil-structure systems. While primarily used in research work, this
method of evaluation is also applicable to the solution of many types
of complex design problems. Because of its workability and relatively
simple characteristics, sand is the most...
Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) materials are emerging as an effective means of strengthening and rehabilitating bridges. Near surface mounting (NSM) is a newer technique for application of CFRP for retrofitting of bridge members that provides advantages over conventional strengthening techniques. The technique is still new and uncertainties remain regarding...
Waste water lagoons have been used as a satisfactory means of
treating domestic and certain industrial wastes in many parts of the
country. Many of the parameters that govern the applicability of this
type of treatment process are climatic in nature, and critical evaluation
of local climatic conditions, as well...
The author and compiler of Design Data for Field Engineers has
included in his volume short cuts in design, and miscellaneous data
and information used on general civil engineering projects from inception
to completion.
The book is intended for the engineer who may be stationed in
isolated areas and who...
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,...
As oriented strand board (OSB) increases in use as an engineered wood product, improving the in-plane shear properties will allow more efficient use of the material as well as open up other opportunities for OSB to be used in engineered wood products with high shear stresses. Based on classical laminated...
A laboratory study of anaerobically digested sewage
sludge was performed to measure equilibrium constants for
ammonia in the sludge. Measured constants describing the
solution and dissociation of ammonia in sludge were compared
to theoretical constants obtained from thermodynamic data.
No significant difference was found between these two sets
of constants....
This study involved the determination of the structural layer properties of
aggregate and asphalt surfaced pavements for use in the evaluation of pavement load
carrying capacity and the seasonal effects of moisture. This was achieved by the use
of Nondestructive Testing Methods (NDT) and backcalculation techniques. Pavement
surface deflection measurements...
The (nonlinear) response behavior of a piecewise-linear system is investigated under
both deterministic and stochastic excitations in this study. A semi-analytical procedure is
developed to predict the system behavior by evaluating the joint probability density functions
of the Fokker-Planck equations of the stochastic piecewise-linear system under random
excitations via a...
Complex oscillations including chaotic motions have been identified in off-shore and submerged mooring systems characterized by nonlinear fluid-structure interactions and restoring forces. In this paper, a means of controlling these nonlinear oscillations is addressed. When applied, the controller is able to drive the system to periodic oscillations of arbitrary periodicity....
This thesis develops a framework for analyzing the application of commuter rail and
bus services between several small urban centers to enhance overall connectivity. The
study includes analyzing specific performance criteria for commuter rail service and
express bus service based on data from existing systems around the U.S. The study...
Asphalt concrete fatigue cracking is recognized as a major distress mode in the U.S. The widespread nature of this distress and the data from agency Pavement Management Systems (PMS) suggest that it is an issue with asphalt mixture design and production processes and is not a problem specific to certain...
Roundabouts have become an alternative for traditional intersections due to the safer operational performance. Previous research has provided crash modification factors (CMFs) as a criterion based on before-after studies as to evaluate the safety performance of roundabouts. One drawback of assessment based on crash modification factors, however, is that a...
Over the last decade the world has seen three major tsunamis strike the coasts of
Indonesia, Samoa, and Chile. These tsunamis have caused significant losses of life and
property on the coastal cities of these and nearby countries. The NEES (Network for
Earthquake Engineering Simulation) Housesmash project was created to...
The modeling and analysis of laboratory-generated nonlinear intermediate- to deep-water wave fields, using existing wavemaker theories and analysis tools, is one of the most challenging tasks in ocean science and engineering. On one hand, harmonics function (sine and cosine) -based wavemaker theories result in an inherent (linear) instability of the...
Infrastructures along the Oregon Coast are vulnerable to seismic events in the Cascadia Subduction Zone that could generate large tsunamis. Bridges along the coast are an important part of the transportation and lifeline system in the area. The major damages on these bridges due to earthquake and/or tsunami would result...
The evaluation of pavement condition is an important part of pavement
management. To evaluate a pavement, a distress survey has been performed mainly by
manual field inspections. Several automatic pavement evaluation systems have been
developed to overcome the drawbacks of field inspections. Automated evaluation
systems, however, imply their own limitations...
This dissertation describes the development of a mechanistic
overlay design procedure. The mechanistic analysis represents a new
trend in both new pavement and overlay design. The greatest advantage
of the mechanistic pavement analysis is that it considers the
fundamental characteristics of materials to be used, is capable of
considering changes...