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The cost of a road construction over its service life is a function of the design, quality of construction, maintenance strategies and maintenance operations. Unfortunately, designers often neglect a very important aspect which is the possibility to perform future maintenance activities. The focus is mainly on other aspects such as investment costs, traffic safety, aesthetic appearance, regional development and environmental effects. This licentiate thesis is a part of a Ph.D. project entitled “Road Design for lower maintenance costs” that aims to examine how the life-cycle costs can be optimized by selection of appropriate geometrical designs for the roads and their components. The result is expected to give a basis for a new method used in the road planning and design process using life-cycle cost analysis with particular emphasis on road maintenance. The project started with a review of literature with the intention to study conditions causing increased needs for road maintenance, the efforts made by the road authorities to satisfy those needs and the improvement potential by consideration of maintenance aspects during planning and design. An investigation was carried out to identify the problems which obstruct due consideration of maintenance aspects during the road planning and design process. This investigation focused mainly on the road planning and design process at the Swedish Road Administration. However, the road planning and design process in Denmark, Finland and Norway were also roughly evaluated to gain a broader knowledge about the research subject. The investigation was carried out in two phases: data collection and data analysis. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews with expert actors involved in planning, design and maintenance and by a review of design-related documents. Data analyses were carried out using a method called “Change Analysis”. This investigation revealed a complex combination of problems which result in inadequate consideration of maintenance aspects. Several urgent needs for changes to eliminate these problems were identified. Another study was carried out to develop a model for calculation of the repair costs for damages of different road barrier types and to analyse how factors such as road type, speed limits, barrier types, barrier placement, type of road section, alignment and seasonal effects affect the barrier damages and the associated repair costs. This study was carried out using a method called the “Case Study Research Method”. Data was collected from 1087 barrier repairs in two regional offices of the Swedish Road Administration, the Central Region and the Western Region. A table was established for both regions containing the repair cost per vehicle kilometre for different combinations of barrier types, road types and speed limits. This table can be used by the designers in the calculation of the life-cycle costs for different road barrier types. / QC 20101112

Las marcas viales constituyen la única guía óptica que en muchas ocasiones tienen los usuarios de la vía, su correcta aplicación y conservación nos puede llegar a determinar la gravedad de un accidente hasta el punto de poder llegar a evitarlo. Por tanto, el correcto mantenimiento y repintado de la señalización vial horizontal en las carreteras convencionales a nivel mundial y de la red viaria española en particular, la investigación en nuevas combinaciones de materiales y el estudio de su durabilidad dependiendo del posicionamiento que ocupa la marca vial en carretera, nos aportan, sin duda, un apoyo útil para progresar en la lucha contra la accidentalidad vial. Por ese motivo, se ha investigado, no sólo la evolución temporal de las características fundamentales de la señalización vial horizontal como son: la visibilidad diurna, la visibilidad nocturna y la resistencia al deslizamiento de nuevas combinaciones de materiales de post-mezclado y materiales base, como es la pintura fosforescente; sino que, al mismo tiempo, se ha elaborado una relación y un estudio de la vida útil de la marca vial atendiendo a sus características fundamentales según la zona de la calzada que ocupa esa marca vial, estableciendo las pautas de comportamiento de las mismas y cuándo reemplazarlas por no cumplir con los criterios mínimos de aceptación, relacionando la sección de desgaste a cada una de las marcas viales que podemos encontrar en las carreteras convencionales de la red viaria española. Para ello, hemos elaborado un testing ground (TG1), en la carretera CV-904, con un total de 36 samples, teniendo para cada sentido de circulación 18 combinaciones de materiales atendiendo a material base y material de post-mezclado (microesferas de vidrio, cargas antideslizantes no transparentes y grano de vidrio transparente), y a su sistema de aplicación (monolayer o bilayer). Además, hemos ejecutado un segundo testing ground (TG2), en la ronda interna de la propia Universidad de Alicante, donde, partiendo de los conocimientos obtenidos en el primer estudio, se han fabricado nuevas combinaciones de materiales incluyendo el material base, diferentes tipos de microesferas de vidrio y cargas antideslizantes como parte del material de post-mezclado, se ha añadido pintura con pigmentos fosforescentes para mejorar la visibilidad nocturna y barniz de recubrimiento premezclado con agregados antideslizantes para prolongar la vida útil de la marca vial, fabricando un total de 40 samples analizadas en laboratorio. No sólo se han estudiado los resultados de los parámetros fundamentales de cada sample, sino que nos hemos apoyado en la toma de fotografías in situ analizándolas cualitativamente, lo que nos ha ayudado a comprender su evolución y los resultados. Al mismo tiempo hemos tomado muestras de todas ellas para su observación en laboratorio. Tras la comparativa entre la evolución de cada característica principal de las probetas y su análisis, hemos establecido los períodos de la vida útil de cada una de ellas según la zona de afección en la que están ubicadas atendiendo a la Norma 8.2-IC. Cabe destacar que se ha dejado la línea de investigación relacionada con la interconexión entre el vehículo autónomo, la infraestructura viaria y la señalización vial horizontal abierta como principal futura línea de investigación.

Mine haul road maintenance is traditionally done at scheduled intervals or after regular inspection. Both these methods can lead to unwarranted expenditure, either through over-maintaining the road, or failure to recognise significant deterioration, resulting in an increase in vehicle operating costs. Predictive maintenance management models for unpaved roads have been developed in recent years. These methods work well in a trivial environment where variables such as traffic volume can be predicted. However, many mining systems are too complex for such models to be effective. This work investigates the possibility of using haul truck response to aid haul road maintenance management. The approach adopted for the study was twofold: Firstly, can truck response data be used to recognise specific road defects, in terms of location, type and size? This is important since different defect types require different road maintenance strategies. Secondly, can road roughness be measured on a qualitative basis? With the emphasis on road defect reconstruction, a mathematical modelling approach was adopted. The truck was characterised in terms of its suspension and tyre properties. Dynamic truck response data was acquired during field measurements in which the vehicle was driven over defects of known dimensions. With these data sets available, mathematical modelling and simulation was possible. Quarter vehicle and seven degree of freedom vehicle models played a vital role in this work by laying a foundation in the use of haul truck response for the purpose of road defect reconstruction. A modelling methodology that is based on dynamic equilibrium of an independent front unsprung mass of the truck is proposed in which the vertical dynamic tyre force and eventually the road geometry is calculated. It is shown that defects can be reconstructed from measured truck response data with an accuracy sufficient to fulfil the requirements of defect recognition for road maintenance management purposes. Secondly, a preliminary investigation into the qualitative assessment of road condition via truck response measurements was conducted. The inherent response properties of the truck pertaining to road roughness measurement were studied and some correlation between measured suspension motion and road roughness measured with a high speed profilometer was found. / Dissertation (MEng (Mechanical))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng / Unrestricted

Thesis advisor: Rudolph Hon / Over 10 million tons of deicers are applied on impervious surfaces during winter storms in the United States every year to create safer driving and walking conditions. Road salt, or sodium chloride, is the most common deicer due to its low price and wide availability. Increasing concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) over the past decades have been measured in surface waters and groundwater throughout North America and it is projected to continue increasing. As there are no cost effective alternatives available to road salt, its potential role as an environmental and drinking water contaminant needs to be investigated. Field measurements from previous studies reveal the homogenization of NaCl in the subsurface through consistent elevated levels year-round. Through the integration of field and laboratory methods, this thesis aims to investigate the role of subsurface processes in the transport and pathways of deicers from the point of deposition to eventual emergence in surface waters and its potential impact on drinking water supplies. To understand the contamination pathways of NaCl that result in the observed surface water concentrations, experimental simulations were designed that indicate that gravitational/convective processes are the most important initial processes influencing deicer transport, but that other processes such as diffusion, surface tension, and dispersion/advection also play important roles. / Thesis (MS) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Earth and Environmental Sciences.

This study evaluated the temperature variability that existed in refrigerated table grape consignments over a two-day journey from two suppliers in southern Spain, to client managed facilities in England. In order to inhibit senescence, perishable foods are transported in temperature-controlled transport to maximize shelf life. However, thermal dynamics suggests that uniform spatial temperature is not necessarily achieved despite a constant set point. As fruit exposed to suboptimal temperatures is more likely to exhibit undesirable quality issues, knowledge of spatial temperature can direct quality control team members to these potentially problematic pallets within an inbound shipment. Warmer temperatures were identified on the passenger side of both trailers, at the rear of both trailers, and in lower pallet layers. Furthermore, heightened temperature was recorded in lower pallet layers in close proximity to the refrigeration return unit. The Supplier 2 shipment, set at 4oC, exhibited more spatially uniform temperatures compared to the Supplier 1 shipment set at 1oC. This implies that an operational compromise may exist: a higher but more uniform temperature or a lower but more variable temperature. In addition, analysis of airflow distribution suggested that airflow could be improved specifically in lower pallet layers and towards the rear of the trailer. Improved circulation will promote improved temperature uniformity for quality maintenance.

Radar sensors hold excellent capabilities to estimate distance and motion accu- rately, penetrate nonmetallic objects, and remain unaffected by weather conditions. These capabilities make these devices extremely flexible in their applications. Elec- tromagnetic waves centered at frequencies around 24 GHz offer high precision target measurements, compact antenna and circuitry design, and lower atmospheric absorp- tion than higher frequency-based systems. This thesis presents a case study for a 24 GHz frequency modulated continuous wave radar module. We start by addressing the theoretical background necessary for this work and describing the architecture of the module used. We present three classes’ classification accuracy, namely pedes- trians, cyclists, and cars. A set of features for the classification is designed based on theoretical models, and their effectiveness is validated through experiments. The features are extracted from the available geometrical and motion-related information and used to train different classification models to compare the results. Finally, a trade-off between feature number and accuracy is presented.

This thesis outlines the mechanical design and integration of a P0/P4 Parallel Through-the-Road Hybrid Electric Vehicle. The vehicle is McMaster University’s entrant into the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, the current offering of the long running Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition series. The competition challenges students to electrify a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer, while meeting the needs of a car sharing platform. The design of the McMaster vehicle will be explored, starting with a walkthrough of the architecture selection process performed in the first year of competition. The design process of both powertrains will be examined, starting with component selection and working up to assembly integration. Particular attention will be paid to the rear electrified powertrain, which has been designed from the ground up for this purpose, including custom single speed gear reduction. The current integration status of the vehicle will be shown. Timeline delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed, as well as next steps to move towards complete vehicle integration. A vehicle testing plan will be put forward, using the cutting edge systems available at the McMaster Automotive Resource Center. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / As Hybrid Electric Vehicles continue to grow in market share, the Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition series seeks to challenge and train students in this booming industry. The current competition in this series is the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, where students must re-engineer a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer into a hybrid vehicle over four years. The vehicle is to incorporate new autonomous technologies, as well as be targeted at a car sharing application. The McMaster University Engineering EcoCAR team has entered into this competition. This thesis describes the detailed mechanical design of the new vehicle. This begins by examining the selected hybrid layout, or architecture. Then the design process of individual systems is shown, with emphasis on how each system meets the McMaster team goals. Then the current state of the vehicle is shown, and delays due to COVID-19 are discussed. Finally, a testing plan is proposed, to ensure all systems can meet their design goals.

Roads are prominent, contiguous features covering approximately 1% of the United States land mass and have been built for decades with little consideration for ecological effects. Increasingly, the impacts of roads are being recognized and the science of road ecology is emerging as an important area of study for conservation biologists. For wildlife, the impacts of roads are disproportionate to the area of land they occupy. Direct impacts on wildlife include mortality via vehicle collision and restriction or alteration of movement. Road kill exceeds hunting as the leading direct human cause of vertebrate mortality, with approximately one million vertebrates a day killed on roads in the United States. Roadways also affect wildlife through habitat loss and fragmentation, isolation of wildlife populations, disruption of gene flow and metapopulation dynamics. A variety of strategies have been used with mixed success to mitigate the impacts of roads on wildlife. Commonly, underpasses are used to facilitate movement of wildlife across roadways in Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S.. However, the effectiveness of these underpasses to facilitate wildlife movement depends on a number of variables, including: size, proximity to natural wildlife corridors, noise levels, substrate, vegetative cover, moisture, temperature, light, and human disturbance. Further, different species typically have different requirements. Thus if crossing structures are designed for use by a singles species, they may constitute an absolute barrier for other species that have different requirements. Most attempts to evaluate wildlife crossing structures focus exclusively on documenting wildlife use of structures. While tracking beds, cameras, and counters document the species using structures, they provide little information on those species or individuals that fail to use a structure. In contrast, telemetry, trapping and tracking studies are more useful for determining the extent to which roadways inhibit wildlife movements and the degree to which crossing structures mitigate these effects. Thus, to fully assess the effectiveness of wildlife passageways, a combination of monitoring techniques across a variety of taxa is needed to evaluate structure use impacts of transportation systems on animal movements. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of wildlife crossing structures constructed as part of the Bennington Bypass (Highway 279) in southern Vermont. The bypass was completed in October 2004 and includes three wildlife crossing structures, including two extended bridges and a large culvert. This study monitored the effectiveness of these crossing structures and compared rates of wildlife movement across the highway in mitigated and unmitigated sections.

Luke Goebel wrote this collection of fiction in his final year enrolled at the M.F.A. Program for Poets and Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. These stories were wrought after studying with Sam Michel, Noy Holland, as well as other faculty members at UMass Amherst, and after a summer of study with Gordon Lish. The themes that recur throughout these stories are: fathers, America, Bald Eagles, feathers, Native American mythology and legend (obsession with Native Culture), as well as sex and sexual awakening/revulsion, and, of course, the road.