Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering

ISSN 2095-2430

ISSN 2095-2449(Online)

CN 10-1023/X

Postal Subscription Code 80-968

2018 Impact Factor: 1.272

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, Volume 11 Issue 1

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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Effect of asphalt thin beams mixed with three nominal maximum aggregate sizes in the bending beam rheometer on the prediction of thermal properties of bituminous material
Chun-Hsing HO,María Francisca Martínez GONZÁLEZ,Cristina Pilar Martín LINARES
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 1-7.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0367-5

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The objective of this research is to evaluate an impact of asphalt mixture beams with varying sizes of aggregate in the Bending Beam Rheometer (BBR) for testing/predicting thermal cracking properties of asphalt pavements. The BBR test has following benefits: the equipment is cheaper, it uses smaller specimens, faster conditioning, easier availability for quality control, easier to manage, etc. However some concerns have been raised: some consider that the size of the aggregate may affect the test’s results; the other concern is that such small beams cannot represent the whole properties of the asphalt pavement. To address these criticisms, imaging techniques, statistical analysis, and viscoelastic modeling are used. Asphalt thin beams prepared with three different nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) (12.5mm, 9.5 mm, and 4.75 mm) were tested at three different temperatures (-18°C, -24°C, and -30°C). Based on results from statistical analyses and viscoelasticity, the ratio of asphalt binders and voids and stiffness differences among the three NMAS specimens are not significant, meaning that the impact of asphalt thin beams prepared with the three NMAS on the prediction of thermal cracking is minimal and can be neglected.

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Investigating the role of exiting vehicles and turn indicator usage in gap acceptance at single-lane roundabouts
Nathan P. BELZ
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 8-16.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0365-7

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Roundabouts are becoming a preferred form of intersection control type due to their safety and capacity benefits. Yield control at roundabout entries inherently reduces fuel consumption and emissions when compared to other conventional intersection types. However, these benefits can be limited by poor driver behavior and judgment when entering the roundabout. This research addresses the nature of gap distributions and use of turn indicators by exiting vehicles at three single-lane roundabouts in Vermont, New York, and Alaska. Presented here is a comparison of vehicle headways measured at two different locations in each roundabout. Rejected headways are analyzed in the context of priority abstaining events when entering drivers yield to vehicles exiting on the same leg of the roundabout suggesting that “true” critical gaps are being overestimated. Results indicate that exiting vehicles, particularly those that do not use their turn indicators when departing from the major-stream of traffic have an influence on the entry decision of drivers on the same approach. This behavior is of particular concern for intersection efficiency (i.e., delay) and sustainability (i.e., excess fuel consumption and emissions). Results prompt the consideration of more consistent guidance on and enforcement of turn indicator use during roundabout negotiations.

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Life-cycle cost analysis of optimal timing of pavement preservation
Zilong WANG,Hao WANG
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 17-26.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0369-3

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Optimal application of pavement preservation or preventive maintenance is critical for highway agencies to allocate the limited budget for different treatments. This study developed an integrated life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) model to quantify the impact of pavement preservation on agency cost and vehicle operation cost (VOC) and analyzed the optimal timing of preservation treatments. The international roughness index (IRI) data were extracted from the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) program specific pavement studies 3 (SPS-3) to determine the long-term effectiveness of preservation treatments on IRI deterioration. The traffic loading and the initial IRI value significantly affects life extension and the benefit of agency cost caused by pavement preservation. The benefit in VOC is one to two orders greater in magnitude as compared to the benefit in agency cost. The optimal timing calculated based on VOC is always earlier than the optimal timing calculated based on agency cost. There are considerable differences among the optimal timing of three preservation treatments.

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Laboratory assessment of Alaska aggregates using Micro-Deval test
Jenny LIU, Sheng ZHAO, Anthony MULLIN
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 27-34.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0359-5

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Aggregates suitable for use in asphalt concrete (AC) pavement construction must meet durability criteria. Thus, it is critical to select appropriate tests to properly characterize aggregate durability. In Alaska, durability tests currently being used for aggregates in AC pavement include Los Angeles (LA) abrasion test, sulfate soundness test and Washington degradation test. However, there have long been concerns arising over Washington degradation test used as an acceptance tool, motivating pavement practitioners to seek more suitable alternatives. This paper presents a study to investigate the feasibility of using Micro-Deval test, commonly used in other states, to evaluate the durability of Alaskan aggregates in AC pavement as well as its potential to replace Washington degradation test. Micro-Deval test, Washington degradation test and other tests currently specified in Alaska were conducted on aggregates from 16 batches representing statewide sources. Based on the testing results, it is found that using Micro-Deval test for durability assessment of Alaska aggregates was feasible and reproducible, and a high potential was revealed to use Micro-Deval test to replace Washington degradation test in Alaska. It is recommended that Micro-Deval test be considered as an additional test for a certain period, but in the long run should be used along with current LA abrasion and sulfate soundness tests to provide a more desirable durability assessment of Alaska aggregates used in AC pavement.

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REVIEW
Managing airport stormwater containing deicers: challenges and opportunities
Xianming SHI,Stephen M. QUILTY,Thomas LONG,Anand JAYAKARAN,Laura FAY,Gang XU
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 35-46.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0366-6

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Stormwater runoff at airports is a significant and costly issue, especially for the stormwater laden with deicing contaminants of high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and aquatic toxicity. To reduce the loading of deicing constituents in stormwater and to manage the increasing pressure of tightening regulations, identifying fate and transport and evaluating environmental risks of deicing stormwater are of critical importance. In this review, the regulatory development of airport deicing stormwater management was first discussed, along with the milestone Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 14 publication. The deicer usage and fugitive losses can be reduced and the amount of deicer collected can be increased by having a better understanding of the fate and transport of deicing constituents in stormwater. As such, an overview and evaluation of the constituents of concern in deicers were provided to support the assessment of environmental impacts and mitigation recommendations. The state of knowledge of airport deicing stormwater management was then reviewed, which needs to be synthesized into a national guidance document. A guidebook and a decision tool for airports were proposed to adopt specific practical stormwater management strategies while balancing their priorities in environmental, economic, and social values against operational constraints. These challenges pose great opportunities to improve the current practices of airport deicing stormwater management.

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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Field investigation of intelligent compaction for hot mix asphalt resurfacing
Wei HU,Xiang SHU,Baoshan HUANG,Mark WOODS
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 47-55.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0362-x

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Intelligent compaction (IC) is a relatively new technology for asphalt paving industry. The present study evaluated the effectiveness and potential issues of the IC technology for flexible pavement resurfacing construction using two field projects. In the first project, a geostatistical semivariogram model was established and the parameters derived from it were compared with univariate statistical parameters for the Compaction Meter Value (CMV) data. Further analyses illustrated the effect of temperature on the CMV value and compaction uniformity. In the second project, a multivariate analysis was performed between in situ tests and IC data. The possibility of combining various IC data to predict the asphalt layer density and improve the current quality control and assurance system was discussed.

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Geosynthetics used to stabilize vegetated surfaces for environmental sustainability in civil engineering
Jie HAN,Jun GUO
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 56-65.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0380-8

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Geosynthetics, factory-manufactured polymer materials, have been successfully used to solve many geotechnical problems in civil engineering. Two common applications are earth stabilization and erosion control. Geosynthetics used for earth stabilization include but are not limited to stabilized slopes, walls, embankments, and roads. Geosynthetics used for erosion control are mostly related to slopes, river channels and banks, and pond spillways. To enhance environmental sustainability, vegetation has been increasingly planted on the facing or surfaces of these earth structures. Under such a condition, geosynthetics mainly function as surficial soil stabilization while vegetation provides green appearance and erosion protection of earth surfaces. Recently, geosynthetic or geosynthetic-like material has been used to form green walls outside or inside buildings to enhance sustainability. Geosynthetics and vegetation are often integrated to provide combined benefits. The interaction between geosynthetics and vegetation is important for the sustainability of the earth and building wall surfaces. This paper provides a review of the current practice and research in the geosynthetic stabilization of vegetated earth and building surfaces for environmental sustainability in civil engineering with the emphases on geosynthetic used for erosion protection, geosynthetic-stabilized slopes, geosynthetic-stabilized unpaved shoulders and parking lots, and geosynthetic-stabilized vegetated building surfaces.

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Control efficiency optimization and Sobol’s sensitivity indices of MTMDs design parameters for buffeting and flutter vibrations in a cable stayed bridge
Nazim Abdul NARIMAN
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 66-89.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0356-8

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This paper studies optimization of three design parameters (mass ratio, frequency ratio and damping ratio) of multiple tuned mass dampers MTMDs that are applied in a cable stayed bridge excited by a strong wind using minimax optimization technique. ABAQUS finite element program is utilized to run numerical simulations with the support of MATLAB codes and Fast Fourier Transform FFT technique. The optimum values of these three parameters are validated with two benchmarks from the literature, first with Wang and coauthors and then with Lin and coauthors. The validation procedure detected a good agreement between the results. Box-Behnken experimental method is dedicated to formulate the surrogate models to represent the control efficiency of the vertical and torsional vibrations. Sobol’s sensitivity indices are calculated for the design parameters in addition to their interaction orders. The optimization results revealed better performance of the MTMDs in controlling the vertical and the torsional vibrations for higher mode shapes. Furthermore, the calculated rational effects of each design parameter facilitate to increase the control efficiency of the MTMDs in conjunction with the support of the surrogate models.

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Multiple linear regression, artificial neural network, and fuzzy logic prediction of 28 days compressive strength of concrete
Faeze KHADEMI, Mahmoud AKBARI, Sayed Mohammadmehdi JAMAL, Mehdi NIKOO
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 90-99.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0363-9

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Evaluating the in situ concrete compressive strength by means of cores cut from hardened concrete is acknowledged as the most ordinary method, however, it is very difficult to predict the compressive strength of concrete since it is affected by many factors such as different mix designs, methods of mixing, curing conditions, compaction, etc. In this paper, considering the experimental results, three different models of multiple linear regression model (MLR), artificial neural network (ANN), and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) are established, trained, and tested within the Matlab programming environment for predicting the 28 days compressive strength of concrete with 173 different mix designs. Finally, these three models are compared with each other and resulted in the fact that ANN and ANFIS models enables us to reliably evaluate the compressive strength of concrete with different mix designs, however, multiple linear regression model is not feasible enough in this area because of nonlinear relationship between the concrete mix parameters. Finally, the sensitivity analysis (SA) for two different sets of parameters on the concrete compressive strength prediction are carried out.

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3D finite element analysis of composite noise barrier constructed of polyurethane products
Ben DAEE,Hesham El NAGGAR
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 100-110.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0364-8

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This paper presents a numerical investigation on the structural performance of an innovative noise barrier consisting of poly-block, rigid polyurethane foam (RPF) and polyurea. The mechanical characteristics of RPF as well as the flexural resistance of the proposed wall system (poly-wall) were established and presented in another study. The experimental results are used in the current study to develop, calibrate and verify 3D finite element (FE) models of the wall system. The components of the poly-wall including steel rebars, poly-blocks and RPF cores were simulated and then verified using the results of experiments conducted on the wall components. The results of numerical analysis exhibited a satisfactory agreement with the experimental outcomes for the entire wall system. The verified numerical models were then used to conduct a parametric study on the performance of poly-wall models under uniform wind load and gravity load. The findings of the current study confirmed that the structural performance of poly-wall is satisfactory for noise barrier application. Simulation techniques for improvement of the numerical analysis of multi-martial 3D FE models were discussed.

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Predication of discharge coefficient of cylindrical weir-gate using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS)
Abbas PARSAIE,Amir Hamzeh HAGHIABI,Mojtaba SANEIE,Hasan TORABI
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 111-122.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0354-x

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Settlement of sediments behind weirs and accumulation of materials floating on water behind gates decreases the performance of these structures. Weir-gate is a combination of weir and gate structures which solves them Infirmities. Proposing a circular shape for crest of weirs to improve their performance, investigators have proposed cylindrical shape to improve the performance of weir-gate structure and call it cylindrical weir-gate. In this research, discharge coefficient of weir-gate was predicated using adaptive neuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS). To compare the performance of ANFIS with other types of soft computing techniques, multilayer perceptron neural network (MLP) was prepared as well. Results of MLP and ANFIS showed that both models have high ability for modeling and predicting discharge coefficient; however, ANFIS is a bit more accurate. The sensitivity analysis of MLP and ANFIS showed that Froude number of flow at upstream of weir and ratio of gate opening height to the diameter of weir are the most effective parameters on discharge coefficient.

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Significance of using isolated footing technique for residential construction on expansive soils
Harry FAR,Deacon FLINT
Front. Struct. Civ. Eng.. 2017, 11 (1): 123-129.  
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0372-8

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Expansive soils cause problems with the founding of lightly loaded structures in many parts of the world. Foundation design for expansive soils is one of the most discussed and problematic issues in Australia as expansive soils were responsible for billions of dollars’ worth of damage to man-made structures such as buildings and roads. Several studies and reports indicate that one of the most common and least recognized problems causing severe structural damage to houses lies in expansive soils. In this study, a critical review has been carried out on the current Australian standards for building on expansive soils and they are compared with some techniques that are not included in the current Australian standards for residential slabs and footings. Based on the results of this review, the most effective and economical method has been proposed for construction of footings on all site classifications without restriction to 75mm of characteristic movement. In addition, it has become apparent that as design procedures for footings resting on sites with extreme characteristic movements are not included in the current Australian standards, there is a strong need for well-developed and simplified standard design procedures for characteristic soil movement of greater than 75mm to be included into the Australian Standards.

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12 articles