In this research study, a strategy was used for assigning stiffness values to various layers of the pavement system so that there are negligible tensile stresses in the subgrade and base layers. The stiffnesses of the aggregate base layers were assigned double the values of the corresponding subgrade materials. The layer thicknesses were designed to achieve surface deflection values within the acceptable limit. An innovative design procedure was developed for designing pavement sections covering various layer thicknesses, material and environmental variables. The designed sections were compared with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) procedure and the differences were critiqued. Porous asphalt layer was used as the surface course for all pavement sections. The calculations validated the general principle of pavement design, as the subgrade stiffness decreased the base thickness increased for the same surface course thickness and traffic. Structural design of 63 pavements sections was accomplished representing various temperature and materials including additives. Low Density Polyethylene, performance graded asphalt, different soils, aggregates, lime and cement were the component materials utilized in this research study. An explanation on the mechanics of the mixtures is given in the results and discussion section. / Civil Engineering

Optical membranes are currently pursued for their ability to replace the conventional mirrors that are used to correct wave front aberration and space-based telescopes. Among some of the many benefits of using optical membranes, is their ability to considerably reduce the weight of the structure. As a secondary effect, the cost of transportation, which is of great interest in space applications, is reduced as well. Given the low density of these thin-film membranes, the lower end dynamics play a greater significant role than their rigid plate-like counterparts in achieving functional mirrors. Space-based mirrors are subjected to a series of disturbances. Among those encountered are thermal radiation, debris impact, and slewing maneuvers. Thus, dynamic control is essential for the adequate performance of thin-film membrane mirrors. With this in mind, the work described herein aims to improve the performance of optical membranes with an innovative, acoustical control approach to suppress vibration of optical membranes backed by an air cavity. This is achieved by using a centralized acoustic source in the cavity as the method of actuation. The acoustic actuation is of great interest since it does not mass load the membrane in the conventional way, as most methods of actuation would. To achieve this end goal, two structural-acoustic coupled models are developed to describe the dynamics of a pressurized optical membrane system. This is done through an impedance based modeling approach where the subsystems are modeled individually, and then coupled at the interface. The control of the membrane is implemented using a positive position feedback approach. The theory is also extended to positive velocity and positive acceleration feedback. Three experiments are carried out to validate the models previously mentioned. Successful implementation of a control experiment is also accomplished leading to considerable attenuations in the coupled membrane's dynamics. / Ph. D.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is one of the oldest prestressed concrete structures in the United States. The 3.5 mile long twin structure includes the world's first underwater tunnel between two man-made islands. Throughout its 60 years in service, the harsh environment along the Virginia coast has taken its toll on the main load carrying girders. Concrete spalling has exposed prestressing strands within the girders allowing corrosion to spread. Some of the more damaged girders have prestressing strands that have completely severed due to the extensive corrosion. The deterioration has caused select girders to fail the necessary load ratings. The structure acts as an evacuation route for the coast and is a main link for the local Norfolk Naval Base and surrounding industry. Because of these constraints, load posting is not a viable option. Live load testing of five spans was performed to investigate the behavior of the damaged spans. Innovative techniques were used during the load test including a wireless system to measure strains. Two different deflection systems were implemented on the spans, which were located about one mile offshore. The deflection data was later compared head to head. From the load test results, live load distribution factors were developed for both damaged and undamaged girders. The data was also used by the local Department of Transportation to validate computer models in an effort to help pass the load rating. Overall, this research was at the forefront of the residual strength of prestressed concrete girders and the testing of in-service bridges. / Master of Science

Yes / This paper reports the testing of 11 reinforced concrete (RC) two-span beams strengthened in flexure with externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets. The beams were classified into two groups according to the arrangement of the internal steel reinforcement. Each group included one unstrengthened control beam. The main parameters studied were the position, length, and number of CFRP layers. External strengthening using CFRP sheets was found to increase the beam load capacity. All strengthened beams exhibited less ductility compared with the unstrengthened control beams, however, and showed undesirable sudden failure modes. There was an optimum number of CFRP layers beyond which there was no further enhancement in the beam capacity. Extending the CFRP sheet length to cover the entire hogging or sagging zones did not prevent peeling failure of the CFRP sheets, which was the dominant failure mode of beams tested.

Lower back pain is a widespread problem affecting millions worldwide, because understanding its development and effective treatment remains challenging. Current treatment success is often evaluated using patient-reported outcomes, which tend to be qualitative and subjective in nature, making objective success measurement difficult. Wearable sensors can provide quantitative measurements, thereby helping physicians improve care for countless individuals around the world. These sensors also have the potential to provide longitudinal data on daily motion patterns, aiding in monitoring the progress of treatment plans for lower back pain. In this work it was hypothesized that a new wearable sensor garment that makes use of high-deflection strain gauge technology--called the Z-SPINE System--will be capable of collecting biomechanical information capable of detecting characteristics of motion associated with chronic lower back pain from subjects as compared to skin-adhered wearable sensor systems. The initial prototyping development of the Z-SPINE System focused on optimizing the device's conformity to the skin, as well as the ease of use and comfortability of the design. Preliminary motion capture tests concluded that a waist belt made of an elastic four way stretch material with silicone patches and no ribbing had the highest skin conformity of the garment types tested, and further design decisions were made utilizing this knowledge. A human subject study was conducted with 30 subjects who performed 14 functional movements with both the Z-SPINE System, and the SPINE Sense System--a pre-existing wearable sensor system that utilizes the same high-deflection strain gauge technology and is adhered directly to the back. Multiple features were extracted from the strain sensor datasets for use in machine learning modeling, where the model was trained to distinguish the different movements from each other. The accuracy of the model was assessed using 4 different category number variations--two 4 category, one 7 category, and one 13 category variation. Four different machine learning models were used, with the random forest classifier generally performing the best, yielding prediction accuracies of 85.95% for the SPINE Sense System data, and 71.23% for the Z-SPINE System data in the 4 category tests. As an additional part of the human subject study, the usability of the Z-SPINE System was also assessed. Each participant filled out a system usability scale questionnaire in regards to their opinion and experience with the system after having used it; the average score given by participants was 83.4, with general feedback consisting of positive remarks about the comfort and ease of use of the current design and suggestions for improving the battery placement and fit of the Z-SPINE system. It is concluded that a machine learning model of the data from the Z-SPINE System can identify biomechanical motion with reasonable accuracy as compared to a skin-adhered wearable sensor system when the number of categories is limited. It is also concluded that the system is simple and intuitive to use.

Abstract: Recently, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials have been used in the field of civil engineering constructions especially in corrosive environments. They can be used as internal reinforcement for beams, slabs, and pavements, or as external reinforcement for rehabilitation and strengthening different structures. One of their innovative applications is the concrete-filled FRP tubes (CFFTs) which are becoming an alternative for different structural members such as piles, columns, bridge girders, and bridge piers due to their high performance and durability. In such integrated systems, the FRP tubes act as stay-in-place forms, protective jackets for the embedded concrete and steel, and as external reinforcement in the primary and secondary direction of the structural member. Extensive research was developed on CFFTs as columns, but comparatively limited research was carried out on CFFTs as beams especially those with rectangular sections. The circular sections exhibit magnificent confinement efficiency in case of columns. However, the rectangular sections have higher moment of inertia and flexural stiffness to resist the applied loads and deformations in case of beams. Moreover, the construction and architectural requirements prefer the rectangular section of beams, rather than the circular beams, due to its stability during installation and its workability during connecting to other structural members like slabs and columns. Also, CFFTs that are completely filled with concrete are not optimal for applications governed by pure bending, because the excess weight of the cracked concrete below the neutral axis may increase the transportation and installation cost. This dissertation presents experimental and theoretical investigations on the flexural behaviour of rectangular CFFT beams with steel rebar. These hybrid FRP-concrete-steel tubular rectangular beams contain outer rectangular filament-wound glass-FRP (GFRP) tubes to increase the sectional moment of inertia, to provide flexural and shear reinforcement, and to protect the inner structural elements (concrete and steel) against corrosion. The outer tubes were fully-or-partially filled with concrete and were reinforced with steel rebar at the tension side only. Inner hollow circular or square filament-wound GFRP tubes, shifted toward the tension zone, were provided inside the CFFT beam to eliminate the excess weight of the cracked concrete at the tension side, to confine actively the concrete at the compression side and to act as reinforcement at the tension side. The surfaces of tubes adjacent to concrete were roughened by sand coating to fulfill the full composite action of such hybrid section. Several test variables were chosen to investigate the effect of the outer and inner tubes thickness, fibers laminates, and shape on the flexural behaviour of such hybrid CFFT beams. To fulfil the objectives of the study, twenty-four full-scale beam specimens, 3200 mm long and 305×406 mm2 cross section, were tested under a four-point bending load. These specimens include eight fully-CFFT beams with wide range of tube thickness of 3.4 mm to 14.2 mm, fourteen partially-CFFT beams with different outer and inner tubes configurations, and two conventional steel-reinforced concrete (RC) beams as control specimens. The results indicate outstanding performance of the rectangular fully and partially-CFFT beams in terms of strength-to-weight ratio and ductility compared to the RC beams. The fully-CFFT beams with small tube thickness failed in tension by axial rupture of fibers at the tension side. While, the fully-CFFT beams with big tube thickness failed in compression by outward buckling of the outer tube compression flange with warning signs. The results indicate also that the flexural strength of the fully-CFFT beams was ascending nonlinearly with increasing the tubes thickness until a certain optimum limit. This limit was evaluated to define under-and-over-reinforced CFFT sections, and consequently to define the tension and compression failure of fully-CFFT beams, respectively. The inner hollow tubes act positively in reinforcing the partially-CFFT beams and confining the concrete core at the compression side. The strength-to-weight ratio of the partially-CFFT beams attained higher values than that of the corresponding fully-CFFT beams. Generally, the partially-CFFT beams failed gradually in compression due to outward buckling of the outer tube compression flange with signs of confining the concrete core at the compression side. The inner circular voids pronounced better performance than the square inner voids, however they have the same cross sectional area and fiber laminates. Theoretical section analysis based on strain compatibility/equilibrium has been developed to predict the moment-curvature response of the fully-CFFT section addressing the confinement and tension stiffening of concrete. The analytical results match well the experimental results in terms of moment, deflection, strains, and neutral axis responses. In addition, analytical investigation was conducted to examine the validity of the North American design codes provisions for predicting the deflection response of fully and partially-CFFT beams. Based on these investigations, a new power and assumptions were proposed to Branson’s equation to predict well the effective moment of inertia of the CFFT section. These assumptions consider the effect of the GFRP tube strength, thickness and configuration, in addition to the steel reinforcement ratio. The proposed equations predict well the deflection in the pre-yielding and post-yielding stages of the hybrid FRP-concrete-steel CFFT rectangular beams. / Résumé: Les matériaux composites en polymère renforcé de fibres (PRF) ont récemment été utilisés dans le domaine des constructions de génie civil, en particulier dans les environnements corrosifs. Elles peuvent être utilisées comme une armature interne pour des poutres, dalles et les trottoirs, ou comme une armature externe pour la réhabilitation et le renforcement de différentes structures. L'une de leurs applications novatrices est les tubes de polymères renforcés de fibres remplis de béton (TPFRB ) qui sont en train de devenir une alternative pour divers éléments structuraux tels que les pieux, les colonnes, les poutres et les piliers de ponts en raison de leur haute performance et durabilité. Dans de tels systèmes intégrés, les tubes PRF agissent comme un coffrage permanent, une chemise protectrice pour le béton et l'acier encastrés, et comme une armature externe dans les directions longitudinale et transversale de l'élément structural. La recherche a été concentrée sur les TPRFB comme des colonnes, mais très peu de recherche a été effectué les TPRFB comme des poutres particulièrement celles à section rectangulaire. La section circulaire présente une efficacité de confinement efficace en cas de colonnes. Toutefois, la section rectangulaire a un moment d'inertie plus élevé et une rigidité flexionnelle plus efficace pour résister les charges appliquées et les déformations dans le cas des poutres. Par ailleurs, les travaux de construction et les exigences architecturales préfèrent la section rectangulaire des poutres, plutôt que les poutres circulaires, en raison de sa stabilité pendant l'installation et sa maniabilité lors de la connexion à d'autres membres structuraux comme les dalles et les colonnes. En outre, les poutres TPRFB qui sont complètement remplis de béton ne sont pas optimales pour les applications contrôlées par la flexion pure, puisque le béton fissuré en dessous de l'axe neutre ne contribue pas à la résistance et augmente le poids propre et les coûts de transport et d'installation. Cette thèse présente des études théoriques et expérimentales sur le comportement en flexion de poutres rectangulaires (TPRFB) en béton armé. Ces poutres rectangulaires tubulaires hybrides en PRF-béton-acier sont composées de tubes rectangulaires externes fabriquées par enroulement filamentaire. Ces tubes fournissent un renforcement de flexion et de cisaillement; et protègent le béton armé contre la corrosion. Les poutres peuvent être soient entièrement ou partiellement remplies de béton. Des tubes intérieurs ( de section circulaires ou carrés) en polymères renforcés de fibres de verre (PRFV) sont positionnés dans la zone tendue de la poutre afin de réduire le poids et d’éliminer le béton fissuré en traction. Pour augmenter l'action composite de la section hybride, les surfaces des tubes adjacents au béton ont été rendues rugueuses par enrobage de sable. Plusieurs variables ont été choisis pour étudier l'effet de l’épaisseur des tubes extérieurs et intérieurs, les laminés de fibres, et la forme sur le comportement en flexion de ces poutres hybrides (TPRFB). Pour atteindre les objectifs de l’étude, vingt-quatre échantillons de poutre pleine grandeur, ayant une longueur de 3200 mm et une section transversale de 305×406 mm2, ont été testés sous une flexion à quatre points. Ces échantillons comprennent huit poutres de TPRFB entièrement remplis avec une large gamme d'épaisseur du tube externe de 3.4 mm à 14.2 mm, quatorze poutres de TPRFB partiellement remplis avec différentes configurations de tubes extérieurs et intérieurs, et deux poutres en béton armé conventionnel, comme échantillons de référence. Les résultats indiquent une performance exceptionnelle des poutres rectangulaires de TPRFB entièrement et partiellement remplies en termes du rapport de la résistance sur la masse et de la ductilité par rapport aux poutres en béton armé conventionnel. Les poutres de TPRFB entièrement remplies avec un tube de petite épaisseur ont rompu de façon moins ductile en tension par rupture axiale des fibres. Les poutres de TPRFB entièrement remplies et ayant une grande épaisseur ont rompu de façon ductile en compression par flambage local vers l’extérieur des parois en compression du tube externe. Les résultats indiquent également que la résistance à la flexion des poutres de TPRFB entièrement remplies augmente d’une façon non linéaire avec l'augmentation de l'épaisseur des tubes jusqu'à une certaine limite optimale. Cette limite a été évaluée pour définir les sections TPRFB sous-armées et surarmées et, par conséquent, pour définir la rupture en tension et en compression des poutres de TPRFB entièrement remplies, respectivement. Les tubes creux intérieurs agissent positivement dans le renforcement des poutres de TPRFB partiellement remplies et en confinant le noyau de béton du côté en compression. En général, les poutres de TPRFB partiellement remplies ont rompu en compression par flambage local vers l'extérieur des parois en compression du tube externe. Les vides circulaires intérieurs ont montré une meilleure performance que les vides carrés intérieurs, bien qu’ils aient la même superficie de la section transversale et le même taux de PRF. Une analyse théorique basée sur la compatibilité des déformations d’une section en flexion a été développée pour prédire la réponse moment-courbure de la poutre TPRFB en tenant compte des pourcentages de confinement externe et interne. Les résultats analytiques et les résultats expérimentaux s’accordent en termes de moment, flèche, déformations, et positions de l'axe neutre. En outre, une étude analytique a été menée afin d'examiner la validité des codes de conception nord-américains pour prédire la réponse en flexion des poutres TPRFB. En se basant sur les résultats de ces études, de nouvelles équations ont été proposées pour mieux prédire le moment effectif d'inertie de la section et une nouvelle procédure de conception pour prédire les capacités ultimes. Ces équations considèrent l'effet de la résistance des tubes en PRFV externe et interne que le taux d’armature en acier. En outre, ils prédisent bien la flèche dans les phases avant et après la limite élastique des poutres rectangulaires hybrides à haute performance.

Vid beräkning av grundkonstruktioner tillämpas ofta Winkler-modellen där jorden ersätts med en fjäderbädd som motsvarar jordens styvhet, en så kallad bäddmodul. Samverkanseffekter försummas ofta i dagens sätt att ansätta bäddmoduler och konsekvensen av detta blir att oförutsedda dragspänningar uppstår. Syftet med undersökningen är att ge konstruktörer ett underlag så de kan välja en beräkningsmodell som ger beräkningsförutsättningar vid dimensionering av grundkonstruktioner som tar hänsyn till samverkanseffekter. Målet är att påvisa hur samverkanseffekter och ansättning av bäddmodul påverkar delar av grundkonstruktionen med hänsyn till moment. Tre olika metoder för att beräkna bäddmoduler och två olika sätt att ansätta dessa har studerats med avseende på hur moment uppträder i grundkonstruktionen. Sex modeller har analyserats i datorprogrammet FEM-Design genom fyra valda sektioner i grundkonstruktionen. Resultatet visar att val av bäddmodul inte påverkar formen på momentkurvan men att det maximala momentet kan variera stort. Resultatet påvisar även att det uppstår zoner med dragspänning i konstruktionens överkant som en effekt av samverkan. / The Winkler-model is often applied when calculating foundation slabs. The model intend to replace the subgrade with a bedding of vertical springs that corresponds with the stiffness of the soil. The integration of the foundation slab is often neglected in todays approved methods of implementing subgrade modulus. The consequence of this overlook may cause unforeseen tensile stress in the foundation. The purpose of this study is to support engineers in their decision of choosing a model and provide proper conditions designing slabs taking into account for interplay of the whole foundation structure. The aim is to demonstrate how the interplay in the construction and the application of the subgrade modulus affects parts of the foundation regarding bending moment. Three different methods of calculating subgrade modulus and two ways of application have been studied with purpose to illustrate how bending moment appear in the structure. Four sections have been selected to represent the structural behavior to analyze six model cases in the FEM-Design program. The result indicates the choosing of subgrade modulus affect maximum value of bending moment although the appearance of the momentum curve are not affected. Results also show that zones of tensile stress occur at the top of the foundation as an effect of integration effects of the whole structure.

The point with this exam-essay is to study how the strength in glulam beams reinforced with carbon fiber will differentiate with an increased relative humidity (RH). The literature study brings up older work and science in the field that focuses on different reinforcement that can improve the strength in glulam beams.Glulam has higher strength than regular wood, this is due to how glulam is being constructed. When the usage limit condition is being determined the length of the beam will be a factor in deciding highest allowed bending on the beam. Carbon fiber, that has a greater strength than glulam can be used as a reinforcement on the glulam to give it higher strength. When the relative humidity is increased the glulam’s strength will decrease, the goal was to study how great the strength of the reinforced glulam beams would be when the relative humidity in the beams was being increased.In this essay a total of 26 glulam-samples was bent until they reached breaking point, out of these 26 samples half of them will be reinforced with carbon fiber underneath the beam. Half of the samples will be submerged in water, both reinforced and regular beams, where they will stay in two weeks until they are brought up again for bending-tests.The reinforced beams did not show an increase in torque capacity when compared to the non-reinforced beams when analyzing the average force. When analyzing the calculated 95 % -fractile the reinforced beams did show an increase in torque capacity. The dry reinforced glulam-beams showed an increase with 4,8 % and the wet reinforced glulam-beams showed an increase with 13,3 %.

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é apresentar um modelo de análise probabilística do comportamento ao longo do tempo de estruturas de concreto. Para isso, é realizada a análise probabilística em conjunto com análise numérica. A análise numérica é realizada através de um programa computacional, baseado no método dos elementos finitos, que considera o comportamento não-linear e dependente do tempo dos materiais, assim como o processo evolutivo da construção. Para determinar o efeito das incertezas dos parâmetros é realizada uma análise probabilística, utilizando o método de amostragem por hipercubo latino. O modelo apresentado pode ser aplicado para a análise probabilística do comportamento ao longo do tempo das estruturas de concreto em geral. No entanto, foi aplicado na análise das flechas diferidas de lajes pré-moldadas formadas por vigotas com armação treliçada. Com esta análise, pôde-se propor um coeficiente multiplicador das flechas imediatas para a avaliação das flechas diferidas no tempo. O coeficiente multiplicador obtido para as lajes pré-moldadas formadas por vigotas com armação treliçada pode alcançar valores muito superiores ao fator 'alfa'f recomendado pela NBR 6118 (2003) para o caso de vigas de concreto armado. / The goal of this research is to present a probabilistic analysis model of the long-term behavior of concrete structures. For that, the probabilistic analysis is carried out together with numerical analysis. The numerical analysis is carried out using a software based on the finite element method that takes into account the nonlinear and time dependent behavior of the materials, as well as the evolutionary construction process. A probabilistic analysis is carried out in order to determine the effects of the uncertainties of the parameters, using latin hypercube sampling method. The presented model can be applied in the probabilistic analysis of the long-term behavior of concrete structures in general. However, it was applied in the analysis of the long-term deflections of precast slabs made by joist with lattice reinforcement. By this analysis, a multiplier coefficient of immediate deflections to evaluate long-term deflections could be proposed. The multiplier coefficient obtained for precast slabs made by joist with lattice reinforcement can reach values much higher than the factor 'alfa'f recommended by NBR 6118 (2003) for the case of reinforced concrete beams.

Este trabalho apresenta um procedimento para auxiliar na determinação da vida útil de pavimentos flexíveis através da determinação de tensões e deformações causadas pela solicitação de um eixo padrão na estrutura de pavimentos flexíveis utilizando Redes Neurais Artificiais. Para treinamento e validação das redes foram utilizadas bacias de deflexões hipotéticas geradas com o auxílio do programa ELSYM5, simulando o carregamento com falling weight deflectometer. Foram criados quatro conjuntos de bacias hipotéticas, dois para pavimentos de três camadas e dois para pavimentos de quatro camadas. As redes neurais artificiais foram treinadas e validadas utilizando-se o simulador EasyNN-plus, que utiliza redes multilayer perceptron com algoritmo de aprendizagem backpropagation. Os dados de entrada das redes são as espessuras das camadas do pavimento e a bacia de deflexão. Como saída, têm-se as tensões e deformações na face inferior do revestimento e no topo do subleito e os módulos de resiliência das camadas do pavimento. Foram determinadas retas de regressão, coeficientes de regressão e histogramas de erros entre os valores reais (ELSYM5) e os valores previstos (RNA). Os resultados obtidos pelas redes neurais artificiais apresentaram boa correlação com os valores reais, demonstrando a capacidade das redes neurais para auxiliar na determinação da vida útil de pavimentos flexíveis, ao estimar diretamente as tensões e deformações em pontos específicos da estrutura. / This paper presents a procedure to assist the evaluation of the remaining life of flexible pavements by means of the determination of stresses and strains caused by a standard load in flexible pavements structures using artificial neural networks. Hypothetical deflections basins, generated by the ELSYM5 program, simulating the load applied by a falling weight deflectometer, were used to train and to validate the networks. Four sets of hypothetical basins were created, two for pavements with three layers and two for pavements with four layers. The artificial neural networks were trained and validated using the EasyNN-plus simulator, which uses multilayer perceptron networks with back-propagation learning algorithm. The networks input data are the pavements layers thickness and the deflection basin. The networks outputs are the stresses and strains in the bottom of the asphalt layer and at the top of the subgrade and resilience modulus of the pavement layers. The results obtained by the artificial neural networks showed good correlation with the real values, demonstrating that neural networks have capacity to assist in the evaluation of the remaining life of flexible pavements, estimating directly the stresses and strains of specific points of the pavement structure.