Full-depth reclamation (FDR) in conjunction with cement stabilization is an established practice for rehabilitating deteriorating asphalt roads. Conventionally, FDR uses dry cement powder applied with a pneumatic spreader, creating undesirable fugitive cement dust. The cement dust poses a nuisance and, when inhaled, a health threat. Consequently, FDR in conjunction with conventional cement stabilization cannot generally be used in urban areas. To solve the problem of fugitive cement dust, the use of cement slurry, prepared by combining cement powder and water, has been proposed to allow cement stabilization to be utilized in urban areas. However, using cement slurry introduces several factors not associated with using dry cement that may affect road base strength, dry density (DD), and moisture content (MC). The objectives of this research were to 1) identify construction-related factors that influence the strength of road base treated with cement slurry in conjunction with FDR and quantify the effects of these factors and 2) compare the strength of road base treated with cement slurry with that of road base treated with dry cement. To achieve the research objectives, road base taken from an FDR project was subjected to extensive full-factorial laboratory testing. The 7-day unconfined compressive strength (UCS), DD, and MC were measured as dependent variables, while independent variables included cement content; slurry water batching temperature; cement slurry aging temperature; cement slurry aging time; presence of a set-retarding, water-reducing admixture; and aggregate-slurry mixing time. This research suggests that, when road base is stabilized with cement slurry in conjunction with FDR, the slurry water batching temperature; haul time; environmental temperature; and presence of a set-retarding, water-reducing admixture will not significantly affect the strength of CTB, provided that those factors fall within the limits explored in this research and are applied to a road base with similar properties. Cement content and cement-aggregate mixing time are positively correlated with the strength of CTB regardless of cement form. Additionally, using cement slurry will result in slightly lower strength values than using dry cement.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material worldwide, yet, it presents major sustainability drawbacks due to the CO2 released during the manufacturing of its main constituent, cement. Several approaches are used to improve concrete’s eco-efficiency and reduce the binder intensity index, a metric used to measure the eco-efficiency of concrete, to a value below that of conventional concrete mixtures (i.e., 10 kg/m3.MPa-1 for 25-40 MPa mixtures). Particle Packing Models (PPM) is consequently an approach that can be used to enhance system packing density, reducing cement content while increasing hardened state properties and durability (i.e., reducing porosity). However, packed mixtures normally present issues in the fresh state while their hardened state performance is not fully comprehended. Therefore, this Ph.D. project proposes a new mix-design method called PPM-MP approach to develop eco-efficient mixtures. First, a detailed laboratory investigation was conducted on mixtures developed using the proposed approach in order to understand their fresh and hardened state performance. Concrete samples containing distinct ranges of cement content (320, 250, 200, 150 kg/m3) and slump (180, 90, and 20 +/- 20 mm) were fabricated and a wide range of fresh state tests (pH, temperature, fresh density, air content, slump and rheology over time) and hardened state tests (apparent porosity, surface electrical resistivity, compressive strength, and modulus of elasticity) were performed over time. Then, its performance against the alkali-silica reaction (ASR) induced expansion and deterioration, which is one of the leading and most damaging distress mechanisms issues in durability, was evaluated. In this section of the project, four sustainable concrete mixtures developed with varying cement content (e.g., 325, 250, 200, and 150 kg/m3) were developed and compared to a control mixture containing 420 kg/m3 of cement content. The mixtures were tested over a year under Concrete prism test (CPT) setup, which is the current method used to evaluate concrete ASR and using three different non-boosted test setups (i.e., Wrapped - W, Soaked - S, and Encapsulated - E). Moreover, two distinct types of highly reactive aggregates (e.g., Springhill Greywacke coarse aggregate and Texas Polymictic sand) were selected. Microscopic analysis was used to better understand the impact of ASR on sustainable mixtures, as well as the differences in ASR-damage and crack propagation under different test protocols. The results show the feasibility of producing an eco-efficient mixture in a more efficient manner which may contribute to the Net Zero Concrete targets. The proposed PPM-MP approach improves the sustainability of concrete mixtures and can be used for specific projects requiring 28-day compressive strength ranging from 18 to 45 MPa and slumps (180, 90, and 20 +/- 20 mm).

<p>The physical properties of the coarse fraction of the till (0.4 to 20 cm) and the surface boulders have been studied at two different sites in Sweden. The research work included: development of a new image analysis software for 3D size and shape measurements of particles; lithological analysis on multiple size fractions in till and magnetic susceptibility survey on coarse till clasts, surface boulders and local bedrock.</p><p>The new 3D image analysis method provides an enormous amount of size and shape data for each particle in the coarse fraction (2 to 20 cm) in till. The method is suitable for field study, cost effective and the software is executable in Matlab. The field imaging method together with the image analysis software give non subjective results of size and shape of coarse particles and makes it feasible and easy to study representative sample size, which is one tonne for testing clasts of size up to 20 cm.</p><p>The lithological analysis of the multiple size fraction of the till clasts has been investigated on six different size fractions of the till (0.4 to 20 cm); the result of the different samples from the two sites shows that this method can potentially be used as a stratigraphic tool in the areas where there is no unique indicator lithologies.</p><p>The magnetic susceptibility has been made on the surface boulders, the 6-20 cm till fraction and on insitu bedrock outcrops near to the study sites. The method has good potential for determining stratigraphic relationships between different till units as well as for determining the provenance ofcoarse clasts and surface boulders.</p>

In this study an attempt has been made to explore the role of technology transfer in the economic growth of Iraq, through the change in the technology itself for the period 1960-1978. For this purpose the economy was disaggregated into seven sectors. The experience of developed countries has shown that technical change is one of the most important factors of economic growth alongside, or even overshadowing, such factors as labour and capital. In the light of technology transfer, developing countries have the advantage of introducing high levels of advancement of knowledge which can be used to induce domestic technical change at later stages. Technical change is normally defined as a shift in the production function, and for this reason two forms of production function were estimated and tested, i. e. the constant elasticity of substitution and the Cobb-Douglas function. Also two specifications (constant and variable) were assigned to technical change. To validate the use of these, statistical tests were conducted to establish the optimum fit. Then the selected form was used to simulate output levels for comparison with actual figures. The techniques used for estimation are both linear and non-linear. Data used are time series in real terms of capital stock and output, as well as number of persons employed. Furthermore in order to judge the importance of technical change to the growth of output on aggregate and sectoral levels, as regards economic growth, comparisons were drawn with existing data from other developed and developing countries, including centrally planned economies.

In order to reduce the use of landfilling within waste management great emphasis is being placed on waste reduction and recycling. Each year in the UK approximately 2.5 Mt of waste glass is produced and approximately half of this waste is not recyclable. Therefore alternative ways need to be found for using waste glass and one possibility is to use it within concrete as a replacement for cement and/ or aggregate. In the research programme concrete mixes were tested which had 0%, 25%, 50% and 100% of the fine aggregate replaced by crushed waste glass. All glass was originally in bottle form and was crushed to produce ‘sand’ which had a grading curve more-orless identical to fine aggregate obtained from a commercial supplier. Three colours of glass were studied, i.e. flint (clear), amber and green. Concretes were also made which contained a mixture of colours (in proportion according to the weight of each type of waste glass produced annually within the UK) and also a mixture of unwashed waste glasses. The overall concrete mix adopted for investigation, i.e. 1:2:4, was selected because of its wide use within industry, and all concrete was made with a water:cement content of 0.6 without the addition of plasticiser or ASR-retarding agents. The suite of laboratory tests included; slump, flow, initial and final setting time, ultrasonic pulse velocity, water absorption by immersion and capillarity rise, ASR measurement (volumetric and linear), compression strength at ages from 7 days to 365 days. Techniques of developed digital imaging and processing have been applied to the glass aggregate to quantify various particle shape factors, i.e. aspect ratio, percentage concavity, Riley inscribed sphericity and surface texture index. Statistical analysis has been used to compare the distribution of particle forms present within the fine aggregate materials used in the experimental work. Dimensional changes (in three orthogonal directions) were measured as concrete cubes hardened over a period up to 365 days. The length changes of concrete prisms were also measured over the same period of time. The resultant data indicated that a fine aggregate which comprised 25% glass and 75% sand would be categorised as “non-expansive”, i.e. the same as the sand on its own. As the proportion of glass in the fine aggregate became greater than the aggregate became more expansive but it did not exceed recommended limits.

Nous présentons une contribution à la compréhension de la tension ‘international-multiculturel' dans une équipe, basée sur 4 cas exploratoires de projets de SI de type ERP et une littérature élargie. Nous répondons aux questions de recherche suivantes qui résument les interrogations du Directeur de Projet, seul face au double constat de l'importance du facteur humain pour le succès, et de l'impossibilité d'utiliser les modèles culturels proposés par les chercheurs dans le contexte d'une équipe nombreuse issue de différents métiers, nationalités et entreprises.1. Comment peut-on opérationnaliser les aspects humains des CSF proposés par la littérature pour le management des équipes projets internationales et multiculturelles ?2. Le dépassement des modèles classant les sources d'influence culturelle en couches superposées, par une approche en constellation de sources interactives et dynamiques, permet-il une meilleure compréhension de la tension ‘international-multiculturel' ?3. Les concepts de coopération communautaire et complémentaire, identifiés dans le cadre des projets à structure fonctionnelle (Dameron, 2000), se transposent-ils dans celui des projets heavyweight ?Nous éclairons l'intrication complexe d'une gamme de facteurs favorisant l'établissement d'une collaboration efficace et durable au sein d'une équipe ayant la culture comme milieu et le projet comme attitude, mais qui peut aussi la rendre encore plus difficile à obtenir que dans une équipe opérationnelle standard (telle celles de Barnard, 1938), notamment du fait des germes de conflit portés par le processus d'acculturation inhérent à la mise en présence de tant de cultures différentes (Bastide, 1968). / We propose a contribution to the understanding of the international-multicultural tension operating in a team based on 4 exploratory cases of ERP-type IS projects and an extended literature. We answer the following research questions which sums up the essential questions of the Project Director who is left alone in situation with his own capacity facing both the importance of the human factor for the project success and the impracticality of the cultural models proposed by researchers for the management of international teams bringing together numerous people from various professions, nationalities and companies:1. How can we operationalize the human aspects of the CSF proposed by the literature for the management of international and multicultural project teams?2. To what extent changing the layer-view of cultural influence sources in models, for an approach in constellation of interactive and dynamic sources allows a better understanding of the international-multicultural tension in a team?3. To what extent and how do the concepts of community- and complementary cooperation identified in functional structure projects (Dameron) get applied to heavyweight projects?We highlight the complex entanglement of a wide range of factors that can either favour the existence of an effective and sustainable collaboration within a team having culture as milieu and project as attitude, or hinder it more than in a standard operational team (such as those studied by Barnard, 1938), particularly because of the conflict seeds brought in by the acculturation process inherent to bringing together so many different cultures (Bastide, 1968).

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Walt Fick / Prescribed burning has been a common conservation practice on native prairie dating back to the days of pioneer settlement. Advantages include increased forage quality, reduction of undesirable plants, improved wildlife habitat, removal of accumulated dead plant litter and relatively low costs. While spring is the commonly accepted time to burn, little research has been conducted on late-summer and fall burning for specific objectives that include targeting undesirable plant species and measuring potential effects on soil physical properties. The first part of this study was to evaluate the effect that prescribed burning has on population dynamics of sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata [Dumont] G. Don), rough-leaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii Meyer), and additional woody species. Stem counts and cover estimates were taken from 20, 0.25-m[superscript]2 frames prior to and post-burn. Change in botanical composition, plant density, frequency, and Daubenmire canopy cover estimates were calculated. Sericea lespedeza plant frequency across all clay upland burns decreased 2.27% and increased 4.76% across all loamy/limy upland burns the first growing season post-burn. Dogwood densities increased 3.12 stems m[superscript]-[superscript]2 on spring burns compared to a decrease of 0.30 stems m[superscript]-[superscript]2 on unburned plots the first growing season post-burn. Changes in frequency of other woody species the first growing season post-burn showed significant interactions between burn treatment and ecological site, and between ecological site and year. A significant interaction between burn treatment and ecological site was found on total woody species plant composition changes two growing seasons post-burn for the first year of burn treatments. The secondary part of this study was to evaluate the effect of prescribed burning on soil bulk density and wet-aggregate stability. Soil samples were collected along the same line-transects used for vegetation sampling. Significant differences among mean weight diameters (MWD), percent water-stable aggregates (WSA), and WSA size fractions occurred between burned and unburned soils following burning in the fall of 2011. Monitoring plant and soil response to prescribed burning in different seasons may lead to adjustments being made in management of rangelands where sericea lespedeza, dogwood, and additional woody species occur.

L'introduction de granulats de béton recyclé (i.e. granulats produits à partir des gravats issus de la démolition d'ouvrages en béton obsolètes) dans les formulations de béton impacte de manière significative le comportement structurel des éléments en béton armé. Ce travail est consacré à l'étude de l'influence des granulats de béton recyclé sur l'adhérence armature-béton. Dans un premier temps, un modèle analytique de l'adhérence armature-béton est développé. L'originalité du modèle proposé réside dans le nombre limité de paramètres physiques sur lesquels il est fondé. Ces paramètres physiques sont ensuite déterminés expérimentalement via la réalisation d'une campagne d'essais d'arrachement. Trois types de bétons, dont deux bétons de granulats de béton recyclé, sont étudiés. Le suivi de l'arrachement de l'armature est complété par des mesures acoustiques permettant d'obtenir des informations provenant du coeur de l'échantillon, où l'armature se trouve. / The use of recycled concrete aggregate (i.e. aggregate produced from concrete demolition rubble) has a significant impact on the mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete members. This work focuses on the influence of recycled concrete aggregate on rebar-concrete bond. First, an analytical madel of the rebar-concrete bond is developed. The original feature of this modellies in the limited number of non-free physically-based parameters on which it is based. These parameters are then experimentally determined through a pull out test campaign. Three types of concrete, including two recycled aggregate concretes, are studied. Pull-out test monitoring is completed by acoustic measurements in order to obtain data from inside the concrete bulk, where the reinforcing bar is located.

A presente dissertação de mestrado visa avaliar e comparar o desempenho de um bioligante, obtido por processamento de material de origem vegetal, frente a ligantes asfálticos derivados do refino de petróleo. Nesse sentido, foram realizados ensaios objetivando a caracterização reológica dos ligantes e análise do comportamento mecânico de misturas usinadas destes ligante com agregados. Com auxílio de um reômetro de cisalhamento dinâmico (DSR) foram realizados os seguintes ensaios reológicos: cisalhamento oscilatório (para determinação do módulo complexo e do ângulo de fase); fluência e recuperação sob múltiplas tensões (MSCR); e varredura de amplitude linear (LAS). Uma avaliação do efeito do envelhecimento dos bioligante em comparação com um ligante convencional CAP 30/45 foi realizada com base em características reológicas e químicas. Dentre os ensaios mecânicos realizados nas misturas de ligantes com agregados usinadas a quente, tem-se: deformação permanente e módulo dinâmico. Os resultados reológicos mostram que o bioligante apresenta elevados módulos de cisalhamento dinâmico em altas frequências, mas é semelhante a um asfalto convencional nas baixas frequências. Os ensaios indicam que o bioligante pode vir a apresentar boa resistência à deformação permanente, semelhante à verificada em ligante asfáltico convencional (CAP 30/45). Tal semelhança de comportamento, entre os dois tipos de ligantes, foi igualmente verificada em ensaios mecânicos de determinação do afundamento em trilha de roda, realizados nas misturas usinadas a quente em laboratório. Os resultados reológicos de LAS indicam que o bioligante deve apresentar menor vida de fadiga. A temperatura do ensaio de envelhecimento de curto prazo interferiu significativamente na rigidez do bioligante, assinalando o expressivo efeito da temperatura de ensaio RTFOT na oxidação e na perda de voláteis do bioligante. Os índices de carbonila e de sulfóxido não se mostraram adequados para análise da oxidação e envelhecimento sofrido pelo bioligante envelhecido em diferentes condições. Os ensaios de módulo dinâmico de misturas usinadas de bioligante com agregados tendem a mostrar elevados valores, maiores que as misturas com asfalto convencional. Baseando-se na análise dos resultados reológicos e nas observações de comportamento mecânico das misturas usinadas a quente de bioligante e agregados é possível, portanto, constatar o potencial do emprego deste material inovador em camadas usinadas e compactadas de pavimentos. / This dissertation aims to evaluate and compare the performance of a biobinder obtained by processing plant material against asphalt binders derived from petroleum refining. Thus, tests were performed aiming at the rheological characterization of the binders and at the analysis of the mechanical behavior of hot mixtures processed with such binders and aggregates. With the use of Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), the following rheological tests were carried out: Oscillatory shear (in order to determine the complex modulus and phase angle); the Multiple Stress Creep and Recovery (MSCR); and the Linear Amplitude Sweep (LAS). An evaluation of the biobinder aging effect in comparison to a conventional CAP 30/45 binder was performed based on rheological and chemical features. Among the mechanical tests carried out on binder and aggregate hot mixtures, there were: Rutting, and Dynamic Modulus tests. Rheological results show that the biobinder presents high dynamic shear modulus at high frequencies; however, it is similar to conventional asphalt at low frequencies. Tests indicate that the biobinder may present good resistance to permanent deformation, similar to that observed in conventional (CAP 30/45) asphalt binder. Such similarity in behavior in both types of binders was also verified in mechanical rutting tests performed on the hot mixtures in the laboratory. The LAS rheological results indicate that the biobinder must present a lower fatigue life. The temperature of the short-term aging test significantly interfered with the stiffness of the biobinder, pointing out the meaningful effect of the RTFOT test temperature on the oxidation and on the loss of volatiles from the biobinder. The carbonyl and sulphoxide rates were not adequate for the analysis of the oxidation and aging suffered by the biobinder aged under different conditions. Dynamic modulus assays of biobinder and aggregate hot mixtures tend to show higher values, higher than mixes with conventional asphalt. Based on the analysis of the rheological results, and on the observations of the mechanical behavior of biobinder and aggregate hot mixes, it is possible, therefore, to verify the potential of using this innovative material in hot-mix and compacted pavement layers.

O planejamento tático da produção é importante para as organizações pois permite um correto dimensionamento dos recursos produtivos, para garantir um atendimento adequado da demanda, e influencia nas decisões de produção em médio prazo buscando soluções que colaborem positivamente no resultado operacional. O objetivo deste trabalho é o desenvolvimento de um modelo de planejamento agregado da produção para aplicação na indústria da carne suína que contemple simultaneamente as atividades finais da produção agropecuária e o ambiente de produção da indústria frigorífica. O modelo proposto contempla um sistema produtivo em dois estágios onde o primeiro estágio apresenta um fluxo divergente de produção envolvendo coprodução e o segundo estágio consiste em uma linha de montagem. O sistema apresentado é composto por uma sequência de rotinas de programação, utilizadas para a geração dos dados de entrada e um modelo matemático baseado em programação linear inteira mista cuja função objetivo é maximizar a margem global. As rotinas para geração de dados de entradas foram programadas em Visual Basic For Application e chamadas de Programa de Geração de Padrões. O modelo de programação matemática foi implementado no software LINGO e suas interfaces com as planilhas do Microsoft Excel. A aplicação do modelo para verificação utilizou dados adaptados de uma empresa envolvida no setor e os resultados obtidos permitiram testar a consistência do modelo para a situação específica. A análise dos resultados demonstrou que o modelo gera soluções que estão alinhadas com os objetivos da organização e responde adequadamente a variações nos dados de entrada. / The tactical planning activities are very important for an organization since it allows an anticipated administration of production resources in order to meet the demand and also because it suggests medium term production decisions that can contribute positively to the operational results of the company. This work aims to develop an aggregate production planning model for the pork industry which takes into consideration factors in the meat processing plant as well as in the final step of farming activities. The presented model approaches a two stage production system where the first stage is characterized by a divergent production flow involving coproduction and the second stange is an assemblage line. The entire system is composed by a sequence of routines used to generate some parameters and a mathematical formulation based on mixed integer linear programming in which the objective function aims to maximize the global margin of the organization. The routines used to generate the parameters where implemented in Visual Basic for Application and were called Pattern Generation Program and the mathematic programming were implemented in LINGO and its interfaces with worksheets of Microsoft Excel. The verification of the model used adapted data from a real company in this industry and could test its consistency for this specific situation. The analyzed results demonstrated that the model generates good solution that contribute to the global objective of the company and the model results response to the changes in the parameter as expected.