Analysis of Nighttime Driver Behavior and Pavement Marking Effects Using Fuzzy Inference System

Nighttime driving behavior differs from that during the day because of differences in the driver’s field of view. At night, drivers must rely on their vehicle headlamps to illuminate the roadway. It is essential then that the roadway delineation system provide the appropriate lane guidance to motorists when navigating a roadway, particularly one that is curvilinear. A nighttime driving experiment was conducted to collect user perception data of various pavement markings and markers applied to horizontal curves. The effectiveness of each pavement marking was rated using a subjective scale. A fuzzy inference system was used to analyze the subjective pavement marking and marker evaluation ratings provided by the research participants. Pavement marking effectiveness, horizontal curve sharpness, and driver age were used to develop a fuzzy index for nighttime driving condition (FIND). Based on the FIND, the results indicate that drivers prefer that a combination of treatments be applied to horizontal curves rather than only a single treatment. A bright centerline, bright edgeline, and bright retroreflective raised pavement maker combination treatment, and a bright centerline and bright edgeline combination treatment, resulted in the highest FIND score. A bright, 8-in. (20.3 cm) edgeline, applied alone to a horizontal curve, scored the lowest FIND.     

Seasonal Variation Pattern of Monthly Wastewater Influent

This study investigates the seasonal variation pattern of monthly wastewater influent data collected from the active treatment plants in Kuwait from 1999 to 2009. An attempt to examine the relationship with the population connected to the sanitary network is achieved indirectly by correlating monthly totaled influent data with climatological parameters of monthly averaged temperature and totaled rainfall. The periodograms of the influent, temperature, and rainfall data are also determined. The results reveal two significant periods in influent data of 12 and 6?months. The 12-month period is found in the two climatological data but the 6-month period exists only in rainfall data. The source of the 6-month period in the influent data has been related here to the illegal connection of storm sewers into the sanitary networks in many residential houses and to the typical variation of four seasons of the year during which the mode of people for watering activities or travel plans may change on average. The existing connection between residential stormwater and the sanitary networks may constitute a possible rainfall-harvesting system for arid countries as long as the wastewater plants have the capacity to handle the treatment process. The study concludes with the possibility of employing readily available climatological data to analyze the relationship between the seasonal wastewater influent and the population. The study also considers the detected periodicities to develop a time-series model that can be used to set a management plan for securing a nonconventional water supply for the country.     

Seasonally Frozen Soil Effects on the Seismic Site Response

Several large-magnitude earthquakes, including the Prince William Sound earthquake of March 1964 and the Denali earthquake of November 2002, occurred in the state of Alaska and caused considerable damages to its transportation system, including damage to several highway bridges and related infrastructure. Some of these damages are related to frozen soil effects. However, only limited research has been carried out to investigate the effects of frozen soils on seismic site responses. A systematic investigation of seasonally frozen soil effects on the seismic site response has been conducted and is presented in this paper. One bridge site in Anchorage, Alaska, was selected to represent typical sites with seasonally frozen soils. A set of input ground motions was selected from available strong-motion databases and scaled to generate an ensemble of hazard-consistent input motions. One-dimensional equivalent linear analysis was adopted to analyze the seismic site response for three seismic hazard levels, i.e., maximum considered earthquake (MCE), AASHTO design, and service design level hazards. Parametric studies were conducted to assess the sensitivity of the results to uncertainties associated with the thickness and shear-wave velocity of seasonally frozen soils. The results show that the spectral response of ground motions decreases as the thickness of seasonally frozen soil increases, and the results are insensitive to the shear-wave velocity of seasonally frozen soils. In conclusion, it is generally conservative to ignore the effects of seasonally frozen soils on seismic site response in the design of highway bridges.     

Effects of Train Characteristics on the Rate of Deterioration of Track Roughness

Track roughness describes in part the up and down waves in the longitudinal geometry of a railway track. A train passing over rough track experiences a degree of bouncing that generates oscillations in the forces exerted by the train’s wheels on the top of the rail, which in turn cause this roughness to worsen. The rate at which the track roughness deteriorates depends on the response of the track to the weight of the train and to the dynamic oscillations in wheel/rail forces, which in turn are affected by the properties of the train vehicles’ components and the speed of the train. The paper develops relationships between the severity of track roughness and the dynamic wheel/rail forces generated by a moving train using field data, and between those forces and the specific vehicle characteristics of speed, total mass, unsprung mass, suspension stiffness, and damping, using NUCARS simulations. These two relationships in turn are combined to show how the speed of the train and the design of the train vehicle’s bogie suspension can worsen or improve the rate of deterioration of track roughness. The relationships also provide a firm basis for the owner of track to set more representative charges levied on the train operator for using the track.     

Probabilistic Forecasting of Project Duration Using Bayesian Inference and the Beta Distribution

Reliable forecasting is instrumental in successful project management. In order to ensure the successful completion of a project, the project manager constantly monitors actual performance and updates the current predictions of project duration and cost at completion. This study introduces a new probabilistic forecasting method for schedule performance control and risk management of on-going projects. The Bayesian betaS-curve method (BBM) is based on Bayesian inference and the beta distribution. The BBM provides confidence bounds on predictions, which can be used to determine the range of potential outcomes and the probability of success. Furthermore, it can be applied from the outset of a project by integrating prior performance information (i.e., the original estimate of project duration) with observations of new actual performance. A comparative study reveals that the BBM provides, early in the project, much more accurate forecasts than the earned value method or the earned schedule method and as accurate forecasts as the critical path method without analyzing activity-level technical data.     

Highway Construction Data Collection and Treatment in Preparation for Statistical Regression Analysis

Currently, there is not an understanding of the project factors having a statistically significant relationship with highway construction duration. Other industry sectors have successfully used statistical regression analysis to identify and model the project parameters related to construction duration. While the need is seen for such work in highway construction, there are very few studies which attempt to identify duration-influential parameters and their relationship with the highway construction duration. The purpose of this work is to describe the highway construction data needed for such a study, identify a data source, collect early-design project data, and prepare the data for statistical regression analysis. The Virginia Department of Transportation is identified as the optimal data source. The data collected include historical contract and project level parameters. To prepare for statistical regression analysis, the contract duration collected is converted to construction duration by a seasonal adjustment process which removes historically typical nonworking days.     

Effect of Biofilm Formation on Roughness Coefficient and Solids Deposition in Small-Diameter PVC Sewer Pipes

The purpose of a sanitary sewer is to carry the peak discharge at the end of the design period, and to transport suspended materials under all flow conditions to prevent deposition of solids, and hence, sewer blockages. To accomplish the latter, the liquid must provide for sufficient shear stress to suspend and transport the particles along the sewer. Published design criteria for critical shear stress in sanitary sewers vary significantly. However, the effect of biological film development on the internal pipe surface has been neglected. Experiments conducted utilizing a pilot-scale sanitary sewer installed in the Hydraulics Laboratory at the University of New Orleans, La., provide evidence that the shear stress to move particles of a given size is independent of slope and pipe diameter, but does depend on the effect of biological film on increasing the roughness coefficient. This critical shear stress, to achieve self-cleansing in sanitary sewers, was found to be in the range of 1.1–1.4?N/m2, depending on the integrity of the biofilm. Based on this principle, a design procedure applicable to small-diameter PVC pipes with slopes between 0.1 and 0.5% was developed.     

Three-Dimensional Nonlinear Seismic Analysis of Single Piles Using Finite Element Model: Effects of Plasticity of Soil

Much of the reported research on the dynamic analysis of pile foundations assumes linear behavior of soil that may not be valid for strong excitations. In this paper, material nonlinearity of the soil caused by plasticity and work hardening is considered in the dynamic analysis of pile foundations. An advanced plasticity based soil model, HiSS, is incorporated in a finite element technique. To simulate radiation effects, proper boundary conditions are used. The model and algorithm are verified with analytical results that are available for elastic and elastoplastic soil models. Analyses are carried out for free-field response and pile head response of end-bearing single piles. Both harmonic and transient excitations are considered in the analyses. Effects of frequency of excitation and stiffness of soil are investigated. It was found that the nonlinearity of soil has significant effects on the pile response for lower and moderate frequencies of excitations (a0<0.6) while at higher frequencies its effects are not as significant.     

Effect of Soil Type on Electrokinetic Removal of Phenanthrene Using Surfactants and Cosolvents

Numerous sites have been contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and these sites pose a significant risk to public health and the environment because PAHs are often toxic, mutagenic, and/or carcinogenic. Furthermore, these sites are often difficult or costly to remediate because PAHs are hydrophobic and highly resistant to degradation. The in situ flushing process using surfactants and/or cosolvents has shown great promise for sites possessing uniform and high-permeability soils, but it is generally ineffective for sites containing heterogeneous and/or low-permeability soils. Thus, for difficult soil conditions, electrokinetics can be integrated with the in situ flushing process to improve soil-solution-contaminant interaction. This investigation was conducted to evaluate the effects of two different low-permeability soils, kaolin and glacial till, on electrokinetically enhanced flushing. Each soil type was used in three bench-scale electrokinetic experiments, where each test employed a different flushing solution, deionized water, a surfactant, or a cosolvent. The results indicated that the contaminant was more strongly bound to the glacial till than the kaolin, and this was attributed to its higher-organic content. The glacial till also generated a greater electrical current and electro-osmotic flow, and this was probably a result of its higher-carbonate content and more diverse mineralogy. Based on the contaminant mass remaining in the soil, it was apparent that the surfactant or cosolvent solution caused contaminant desorption, solubilization, and/or migration in both soils, but additional research is required to improve PAH removal efficiency.     

Identification of the Soil–Structure Interaction System Using Earthquake Response Data

This paper demonstrates how system identification techniques can be successfully applied to a soil–structure interaction system using the earthquake response data. The parameters identified are the shear moduli of several near-field soil regions and Young’s moduli of the shell sections of the structure. The soil–structure interaction system is modeled by the finite element method combined with the infinite element formulation for the unbounded layered soil medium. The simulated earthquake responses using the identified parameters are shown to be in excellent agreement with the observed response data. Prediction of the responses is also carried out for a larger earthquake event using the identified parameters as the initial properties in the equivalent linearization procedure. It has been found that the predicted responses are also compared very well with the measured responses.     

Effects of Electroosmosis on Soil Temperature and Hydraulic Head. II: Numerical Simulation

A numerical model to simulate the distributions of the voltage, soil temperature, and hydraulic head during a field test of electroosmosis was developed. The two-dimensional governing equations for the distributions of the voltage, soil temperature, and hydraulic head within a cylindrical domain are derived based on the principles of charge, energy, and mass conservations, Darcy’s law, Ohm’s law, and Fourier’s law of heat conduction. We assumed that the voltage distribution was at steady state, whereas the soil temperature and hydraulic head were at transient states during the test. The simulated domain was segmented with a block-centered finite-difference scheme and the resulting equations were solved numerically with the successive overrelaxation method. The parameters (such as electrical, thermal, hydraulic, and electroosmotic properties of the soil, graphite, and sand) that were required by the model were measured either using core samples or slug tests. The model is able to predict the pattern as well as the magnitude of the voltage profiles observed. The simulated temperatures are similar in pattern and are within 3°C of the values observed in the four casings during 4 weeks of electroosmosis. The changes in the rates of temperature with an increase in energy input predicted by the model are in agreement with the observed changes. The output from the hydraulic head simulations showed that the model could predict patterns of hydraulic head changes in the vicinity of mesh and graphite electrodes. The model, however, underestimated the magnitude of the changes close to the anode. The simulated electroosmotic flow rate of 0.9 L/h is also consistent with the observation of 0.6–0.8 L/h.     

Effects of Electroosmosis on Soil Temperature and Hydraulic Head. I: Field Observations

A field test to quantify the changes in soil temperature and the hydraulic head during electroosmosis was conducted. The anode (3.1?m×3.4?m) was created by laying pieces of titanium mesh coated with mixed metal oxides on top of a 3 cm thick sand layer to a depth of 0.4 m. The cathode (2.5 m in radius) was a hydraulic fracture filled with granular graphite to a depth of 2.2 m. A constant voltage of 47 V was applied for 4 weeks, resulting a nearly constant current of 42 A between the electrodes. The electrical potentials and soil temperatures were monitored at 7.5 cm depth intervals at distances 0.6, 1.2, 2.1, and 3.0 m from the cathode well. Arrays of piezometers were installed at various depths and at radial distances from the cathode well to monitor the hydraulic head distribution. The initial soil temperature decreased by 2–3°C/m of depth with a minor radial gradient. After the power was turned on, the temperature of soil in the vicinity of the graphite increased significantly. The increased temperature propagated outward as a contour in the radial direction of the graphite well causing the vertical temperature gradient to disappear. The propagating speed of the temperature contours decreased with the energy input. In addition, the temperature contours close to the edges of both the mesh and the graphite electrodes increased and propagated outward vertically. In the regions where these three propagating fronts met, the soil temperature profiles were distorted and formed “S” shaped contours. The hydraulic head close to the anode decreased between 0 and 10 cm, whereas it increased between 2 and 6 cm close to the cathode. The results show that electroosmosis caused a hydraulic gradient that was opposite to the electroosmotic flow.     

Development of Downdrag on Piles and Pile Groups in Consolidating Soil

Development of pile settlement (downdrag) of piles constructed in consolidating soil may lead to serious pile foundation design problems. The investigation of downdrag has attracted far less attention than the study of dragload over the years. In this paper, several series of two-dimensional axisymmetric and three-dimensional numerical parametric analyses were conducted to study the behavior of single piles and piles in 3×3 and 5×5 pile groups in consolidating soil. Both elastic no-slip and elasto-plastic slip at the pile–soil interface were considered. For a single pile, the downdrag computed from the no-slip elastic analysis and from the analytical elastic solution was about 8–14 times larger than that computed from the elasto-plastic slip analysis. The softer the consolidating clay, the greater the difference between the no-slip elastic and the elasto-plastic slip analyses. For the 5×5 pile group at 2.5 diameter spacing, the maximum downdrag of the center, inner, and corner piles was, respectively, 63, 68, and 79% of the maximum downdrag of the single pile. The reduction of downdrag inside the pile group is attributed to the shielding effects on the inner piles by the outer piles. The relative reduction in downdrag (Wr) in the 5×5 pile group increases with an increase in the relative bearing stiffness ratio (Eb/Ec), depending on the pile location in the group. Compared with the relative reduction in dragload (Pr), Wr at the corner pile is less affected by the group interaction for a given surcharge load. This suggests that the use of sacrificing piles outside the pile group will be more effective on Pr than on Wr. Based on the three cases studied, the larger the number of piles in a group, the greater the shielding effects on Wr. Relatively speaking, Wr is more sensitive to the total number of piles than to the pile spacing within a pile group.     

Influence of Grouting Pressure and Overburden Stress on the Interface Resistance of a Soil Nail

Grouted soil nails are widely used in slope stabilization. The influence of both grouting pressure and overburden stress on the soil-nail pullout interface shear resistance is still not well understood due to the complex of soil-grout interactions. A series of laboratory soil-nail pullout tests have been carried out on a completely decomposed granite soil in nearly saturated condition under a combination of different grouting pressures and overburden stresses. The pullout tests simulate the real construction process of a soil nail, including establishment of initial soil stresses in a soil slope, drilling a hole with stress release, grouting, and soil-nail pullout when the slope is sliding. The pullout box is well instrumented. Test data are collected automatically by a data logger. Typical test results are presented, explained, and discussed in this paper. The soil-nail interface shear resistance data from all tests are analyzed and interpreted. The study shows that the grouting pressure and overburden stress have interactional influence on the soil-nail pullout resistance. Based on the test results, a new empirical liner equation with two grouting pressure dependent parameters is proposed for calculation of soil-nail pullout resistance considering both grouting pressure and overburden stress. New understandings and findings from the study are presented.     

Exploring the Relationship between Soil Properties and Deterioration of Metallic Pipes Using Predictive Data Mining Methods

Soil corrosivity is considered to be a major factor for the deterioration of metallic water mains. Using a 10-point scoring method as suggested by the American Water Works Association, soil corrosivity potential can be estimated by five soil properties: (1) resistivity; (2) pH value; (3) redox potential; (4) sulfide; and (5) percentage of clay fines. However, the relationship between soil corrosivity and pipe deterioration is often ambiguous and not well-defined. In order to identify the direct relationship between soil properties and pipe deterioration, which is defined as the ratio of the maximum pit depth to pipe age, predictive data mining approaches are investigated in this study. Both single- and multipredictor based approaches are employed to model such relationship. The advantage of combining multiple predictors is also demonstrated. Among all approaches, rotation forest achieves the best result in terms of the prediction error to estimate pipe deterioration rate. Compared to the random forest method, which is next to the best, the normalized mean square error decreased 50%. With the proposed approaches, the assessment of pipe condition can be achieved by analyzing soil properties. This study also highlights the importance for collecting more reliable soil properties data.     

ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management: Review of the Years 1983–2000

This study considers the contents of the papers published by the ASCE Journal of Construction Engineering and Management which has witnessed a growth in terms of number and length of papers and breadth of participation, particularly of international origin, during the 1983–2000 period. The content is analyzed according to two main dimensions: the type of subject and its composing topics, and the institutional sources of the papers. The analysis shows the evolution of the construction engineering and management discipline as it is represented in the journal. Over the years traditional construction engineering topics have been complemented by an increasing interest in construction management topics, such as management of the firm, project delivery systems (Build–Operate–Transfer and Design/Build), project performance evaluation and project quality planning. This paper, in addition, identifies 30 institutional sources of the published papers and the extent of specialization of these institutions in terms of subjects relating the construction engineering and management discipline.     

Effects of Lime Amendment on the pH of Engineered Soil Mix for the Purposes of Bioretention

Storm-water management strategies increasingly focus on the implementation of infiltration-based best management practices (BMPs) such as swales, bioretention basins, and rain gardens. The surface vegetation and underlying soil in these BMPs remove a variety of pollutants including heavy metals and nutrients from urban storm-water runoff. The successful attenuation of these storm-water stressors is largely influenced by the physical and chemical properties of the soils used in these systems. Controlled-condition research is being conducted using pilot-scale swales and rain gardens at U.S. EPA’s Urban Watershed Research Facility in Edison, N.J. to evaluate their performance and collect data that would help in understanding the engineering design. The first phase of this research was to evaluate and select the most appropriate soil media for use in infiltration-based BMPs for the efficient removal of heavy metals and nutrients. The objective of this laboratory incubation study was to determine how the acidic pH of an engineered infield soil media could be improved to the target pH range (5.5–7.0) suitable for heavy metals adsorption using dolomitic limestone amendments (CaCO3.MgCO3). Lime additions to the acidic infield mix resulted in neutral or slightly basic soil conditions after only 48?h of incubation. The soil response to various lime additions appeared to stabilize after more than 100?h of incubation. These results could potentially be applied to bioretention facilities to improve the sorption characteristics of the soil media.     

Identification of Rheological Parameters on the Basis of Various Types of Compression and Tension Tests

The objective of the project was to determine flow stress on the basis of various plastometric tests. The experiments used uniaxial compression, ring compression, and plane strain compression for two sizes of samples and tensile tests. The material was carbon‐manganese steel, and all the tests were performed at three temperatures (900, 1000, and 1100°C) and at three strain rates for each temperature (0.1, 1, and 10 s^?1). Inverse analysis was applied to the interpretation of the results of all compression tests. The flow stresses obtained from various compression tests were compared resulting in the following observations: consistent results between the tests were observed for low values of the Zener‐Hollomon parameter, but some discrepancies appeared for larger values of this parameter. The sensitivity of the results of inverse analysis with respect to the friction factor was investigated next, and it was concluded that the flow stress determined from ring compression showed the largest sensitivity to friction. This sensitivity was lower for uniaxial compression and plane strain compression of small samples, and no sensitivity was observed for plane strain compression of large samples. Finally, the simulations of the tensile tests were performed using the rheological models determined in compression, and reasonably good results were obtained.     

Characterization of Laser Scanners and Algorithms for Detecting Flatness Defects on Concrete Surfaces

In many construction and infrastructure management projects, it is important to ensure the flatness of concrete surfaces. Inspectors assess the quality of flat surface construction by checking whether a surface deviates from perfectly flat by more than a specified tolerance. Current flatness assessment methods, such as using a straightedge or shape profiler, are limited in the speed or density of their measurements. Laser scanners are general-purpose instruments for densely and accurately measuring three-dimensional shapes. In this paper, we show how laser scanners can be effectively used to assess surface flatness. Specifically, we formalize, implement, and validate three algorithms for processing laser-scanned data to detect surface flatness deviations. Since different scanners and algorithms can perform differently, we define an evaluation framework for objectively evaluating the performance of different algorithms and scanners. Using this framework, we analyze and compare the performance of the three algorithms using data from three laser scanners. The results show that it is possible to detect surface flatness defects as small as 3 cm across and 1 mm thick from a distance of 20 m.