Fundamental differences exist in soil types formed under temperate and tropical climatic conditions. Consequently, their use for road pavement design will require different approaches and standards. The absence of a systematic approach in addressing tropical pavement design requirements and the use of temperate design standards for tropical countries has led to early failure of road pavements in Ghana and other tropical countries. However, few studies have been carried out on developing standards based on field studies to determine key design parameters to address challenges of tropical pavement design. The aim of this research is to evolve a rational approach using mechanistic-empirical principles to design pavements for tropical laterite soils. The main objectives were therefore to determine the key pavement design parameters for Ghana through empirical studies as well as carry out technical and economic analysis to establish optimum designs for the various climatic zones of Ghana.

Entre os projetos mais importantes da Ditadura Militar Brasileira está a abertura da Rodovia Transamazônica (BR-230). Com a justificativa de promover o desenvolvimento regional, o Governo interferiu na organização territorial de diversos povos indígenas da região Norte do país. Esse é o caso dos Parakanã que vivem na Terra Indígena (TI) Parakanã, território tangenciado pela BR-230. O objetivo principal desta dissertação é o processo de transformação da territorialidade indígena Parakanã a partir da consolidação da Rodovia Transamazônica. Para o desenvolvimento do trabalho foi necessário realizar atividades iniciais de gabinete como a compilação de dados bibliográficos, cartográficos e acervo fotográfico, além de atividades de campo no entorno da TI. A organização dos resultados foi realizada através da técnica de pesquisa conhecida como análise de conteúdo. Os Parakanã foram capazes de administrar o contato com os demais atores que chegavam a região do médio Tocantins durante vários anos. No entanto, através das Frentes de Atração da Fundação Nacional do Índio, o Estado aldeou os indígenas que habitavam as proximidades da rodovia. É neste ponto que recai a desterritorialização sobre os Parakanã, eles foram privados dos elementos fundamentais da sua territorialidade, desarticulando os vínculos e as práticas territoriais que haviam construído. A territorialidade Parakanã foi se modificando com a dinâmica da Amazônia brasileira, as reinvindicações para demarcação da TI Parakanã ajudaram na reestruturação territorial dos indígenas no período pós-rodovia. Os povos indígenas têm vínculos diferenciados com a terra, o que permite a flexibilidade no momento de conceber o território. Não existe uma necessidade de posse, é a presença de inimigos, a mobilidade, as roças coletivas, os rituais e etc., que se constituem nos elementos essenciais do território e, consequentemente, da territorialidade. / Among the most important projects of the Brazilian Military Dictatorship is the building of the Transamazônica Highway (BR-230). With the justification of promoting regional development, the Government interfered in the territorial organization of several indigenous people of the North region of the country. This is the case of the Parakanã living in the Indigenous Land Parakanã, territory borderer by the BR-230. The main objective of this essay is the transformation process of the indigenous Parakanã people territoriality from the consolidation of the Transamazônica highway. Therefore, it was necessary to carry out initial cabinet activities, such as the compilation of bibliographic, cartographic, photographic data, as well as the field activities around the Indigenous Land. The organization of the results was carried out through the researching technique known as content analysis. The Parakanã people were able to manage the contact with the other actors that arrived at the region of the middle Tocantins for several years. However, through the Frontiers of Attraction of the Fundação Nacional do Índio, the state has settled down the indigenous people who lived near the highway. At this point the deterritorialization falls on the Parakanã, they were deprived of the fundamental elements of their territoriality, dismantling the territorial ties and practices they had built. The Parakanã territoriality has been changing by the dynamics of the Brazilian Amazon, the claims for demarcation of the indigenous land Parakanã helped the territorial restructuring of the natives in the post-highway period. Indigenous peoples have a differentiated link with land, which allows for flexibility when designing the territory. There is no need for possession; it is the presence of enemies, mobility, collective plantations, rituals, etc., which constitute the essential elements of the territory and, consequently, territoriality.

Soil stabilisation is one of the most common techniques used to mitigate the undesirable properties of soft soils such as low compressive strength and high compressibility. Cement is the most commonly used binder for soil improvement applications in the UK and worldwide due to its high strength performance. However, its manufacture is energy intensive and expensive, contributing approximately 7% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Therefore, the search for alternative raw materials, such as waste and by-products, is becoming critical in order to develop cost effective and more environmentally friendly binders to replace cement and reduce its negative environmental impact. Blended waste material fly ashes have been identified as promising alternatives to traditional binders (cement CEM-I) in different construction industries including ground improvement. The reuse of waste material fly ashes such as waste paper sludge ash (WPSA), palm oil fuel ash (POFA) and rice husk ash (RHA) has many advantages, specifically in terms of eliminating the cost of their transportation and eventual landfill, their continuous supply and the negligible, or zero, cost of production. This research project details the process of the development of a new cementitious binder, produced by blending cement-free WPSA, POFA and RHA under physico-chemical activation using flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) gypsum, for use in soft soil stabilisation. The effects of different binders produced from unary (WPSA), binary (WPSA and POFA) and ternary (WPSA, POFA and RHA) blended mixtures, along with ground and FGD gypsum activated ternary mixtures, on the geotechnical properties of soft soils, were extensively investigated. Comparisons of Atterberg limits, strength (unconfined compressive strength (UCS)), compressibility characteristics and durability (wetting-drying cycles effect) of untreated soil and soil stabilised with the optimum unary, binary, ternary and activated ternary mixtures and a reference cement treated soil, have been carried out. An investigation of the microstructural and mineralogical composition of the newly developed binder, in comparison to those of the reference cement, was also carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy analysis. The results indicate that the soil stabilised with the ternary mixture activated by FGD gypsum (T+FGD), had the greatest compressive strength, compressibility and durability improvement; the performance of the newly developed cementitious binder was comparable to that of the reference cement. This binder comprises 8% WPSA + 2% POFA + 2% RHA activated with 5% of FGD, by the total mass of binder. The addition of FGD gypsum has been observed to enhance the pozzolanic reaction, leading to improved geotechnical properties; mainly UCS which increased over time of curing and exceeded that for the soil treated with reference cement, after 180 days. The results obtained from XRD analysis, SEM testing and EDX analysis revealed the formation of hydrated cementitious products represented by calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H), Portlandite (CH) and ettringite. The formation of these hydrates reveals the developments gained in the geotechnical properties of the treated soil. A solid, coherent and compacted soil structure was achieved after using T+FGD, as confirmed by the formation of C-S-H, CH and ettringite. Therefore, a new, Cost effect, eco-friendly and sustainable cementitious binder has been successfully developed and can be used with confidence for soft soil stabilisation, as a 100% replacement of conventional cement.

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Sunanda Dissanayake / Kansas experienced about 60,000 crashes annually from 2013 to 2016, 25% of which occurred at urban intersections. Hence, urban intersections in Kansas are one of the most critical locations in terms of frequency of crashes. Therefore, an accurate prediction of crashes at these locations would help identify critical intersections with a higher probability of an occurrence of crash, which would help in selecting appropriate countermeasures to reduce those crashes. The crash prediction models provided in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) predict crashes using traffic and geometric data for various roadway facilities, which are incorporated through Safety Performance Functions (SPFs) and Crash Modification Factors. The primary objective of this study was to estimate calibration factors for different types of urban intersection in Kansas. This study followed the crash prediction method and calibration procedure provided in the HSM to estimate calibration factors for four different urban intersection types in Kansas: 3-leg unsignalized intersections with stop control on the minor approach (3ST), 3-leg signalized intersections (3SG), 4-leg unsignalized intersections with stop control on the minor approach (4ST), and 4-leg signalized intersections (4SG). Following the HSM methodology, the required data elements were collected from various sources. The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) data were extracted from Kansas Crash Analysis & Reporting System (KCARS) database and GIS Shapefiles downloaded from Federal Highway Administration website. For some of 3ST and 3SG intersections, minor-street AADT was not available. Hence, multiple linear regression models were developed for the estimation of minor-street AADT. Crash data were extracted from the Kansas Crash Analysis and Reporting System database, and other geometric data were extracted using Google Earth. The HSM requirement for sample size is 30 to 50 sites, with at least 100 crashes per year for the study period for the combined set of sites. In this study, the study period for 3ST, 3SG, and 4SG intersections were taken as 2013 to 2015, and 2014 to 2016 for 4ST, based on the availability of recent crash data at the beginning of the calibration procedure for each facility type. The sample size considered for calibration was 234 for 3ST, 89 for 3SG, 167 for 4ST, and 198 for 4SG intersections. Out of the 234 3ST intersections, minor-street AADT was estimated using multiple linear regression models for 106 intersections. For 3SG intersections, minor-street AADT was estimated for 21 out of the 89 intersections. The calibration factors for these facility types were estimated to be 0.64 for 3SG, 0.51 for 3ST, 1.17 for 4SG, and 0.61 for 4ST when considering crashes of all severities. Considering only the fatal and injury crashes, the calibration factors were estimated as 0.52 for 3SG, 0.40 for 3ST, 2.00 for 4SG, and 0.73 for 4ST. The calibration factors show that the HSM methodology underpredicted crashes for 4SG, and overpredicted crashes for other three intersection types. The reliability of the calibration factors was assessed with the help of Cumulative Residual plots and coefficient of variation. The results from the goodness-of-fit tests showed that the calibration factors were not reliable and showed bias in the prediction of crashes. Hence, calibration functions were developed, and their reliability were examined. The results showed that calibration functions had better reliability as compared to calibration factors, with more accuracy in crash prediction. The findings from this study can be used to identify intersections with a higher probability of having crashes in the future. Suitable countermeasures can be applied at critical locations which would help reduce the number of crashes at urban intersections in Kansas; thus increasing the safety.

Society has gripped the concept of road transport and has utilised it for social, personal and economic gain. Amidst the apparent benefits, a number of concerns exist around the dangers, congestion, and monetary loss associated with vehicular transport. To counteract this, the introduction of driverless vehicles is being discussed by manufacturers and the Government. Whilst there are a number of apparent benefits, there is an overwhelming need to consider public perception and acceptance of autonomous vehicles. This research study therefore investigates the aforementioned, analysing and presenting the major issues and concerns related to their uptake. An interview and focus group based approach was adopted for this research, using the Charmaz (2006) constructivist grounded theory methodology. Interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders and the results of the study detailed that the environment the vehicle and user operate in presents associated issues influencing perceptions, and that technology acceptance is strongly influenced by levels of Motivation in Intention, Acceptance/Usage and Control. Furthermore, acceptance is perceived differently by various stakeholder groups, each with their individual concerns and speculations. The discussion of the study considers the gathered perception to ascertain how best to introduce autonomous vehicles to the public market, highlighting and satisfying the current implications of doing so. This study highlights the need for further research in this discipline, based on the identification of many knowledge gaps. Further work is discussed and recommended in order to combat the limitations and opportunities identified within this thesis.

Diversas pesquisas realizadas no Brasil e no exterior nos últimos anos permitem inferir que existe uma relação causal entre a geometria das rodovias e a incidência de acidentes em determinadas locais. Uma da s principais dificuldades nesses estudos tem sido a representação gráfica da ge ometria da via na forma em que foi efetivamente construída. O advento da tecnologia do GPS associada a modernas técnicas de CAD abre novas possibilidades em termos de se propor um método expedito de criar uma base geográfica de informação à qual poderá associar-se posteriormente dados de acidentes, sinalização da via, condições do pavimento, etc. A proposta da dissertação de mestrado é desenvolver o método de representação geométrica da estrada usando a técnica cinemática do GPS. Para avaliar o desempenho do método proposto foi realizado o levantamento de um trecho de 30 km da rodovia SP-127 Fausto Santo Mauro conectando Rio Claro a Piracicaba. Através do arquivo de dados resultante do levantamento foi possível desenhar a rodovia em planta e em perfil com um nível de precisão suficiente para a construção de uma base geográfica de um SIG. Relatam-se algumas dificuldades de representação gráfica no TRANSCAD, no LISCAD e no AUTOCAD. / Several studies in Brasil and abroad in the n ear past lead to the conclusion that there is a causal relationship between highway ge ometry and accident incidence at certain locations on the road. One of the major diffi culties described in these studies is the grafic representation of the road geometry as built.The advent of the GPS technology, associated with modern CAD techniques, opens new possibilities in terms of an expedite method to criate a geographic information base that can be associated to accident data, traffic sign data, pavement conditions data, etc. A method to graphically represent the roadway geometry using the kinematic GPS techique is proposed at the level of a MSc thesis. In order to evaluate the proposed methods performance, a 30 km segment of SP-127 Fausto Santo Mauro Highway connecting Rio Claro to Piracicaba was surveyed. The graphical representation of the horizontal and vertical profile of the road that resulted from the surveying method is shown. Some of the difficulties in graphically representing the road with TRANSCAD, LISCAD and AUTOCAD are described.

Este trabalho visa localizar os pontos de proibição de ultrapassagem em uma rodovia, buscando conhecer e avaliar de forma prática e precisa os locais das marcações das faixas de sinalização horizontal, analisando-se um método moderno baseado nas informações dos satélites artificiais do Sistema de Posicionamento Global - GPS, e os métodos clássicos de levantamentos topográficos utilizados. Apresenta-se uma revisão dos principais conceitos relacionados ao perfil longitudinal, à distância de visibilidade nas curvas verticais e aos métodos utilizados para levantamento. Os resultados gráficos permitiram uma avaliação dos perfis e das marcações, obtendo-se um resultado satisfatório na avaliação do método moderno. / This work has the objective to locate the points of no passing lanes on a road, trying to know and evaluate in a practical and accurate way the places of horizontal signalization, analyzing a modern method based in collected information from the artificial satellites of the Global Positioning System - GPS, and classic methods of surveying. A review of the main concepts related to the longitudinal profile, of the sight distance in vertical turns, and to the methods used to surveying the graphic results permitted the evolution of profiles and marking, obtaining a satisfactory result in the evolution of the modern method.

Este trabalho visa localizar os pontos de proibição de ultrapassagem em uma rodovia, buscando conhecer e avaliar de forma prática e precisa os locais das marcações das faixas de sinalização horizontal, analisando-se um método moderno baseado nas informações dos satélites artificiais do Sistema de Posicionamento Global - GPS, e os métodos clássicos de levantamentos topográficos utilizados. Apresenta-se uma revisão dos principais conceitos relacionados ao perfil longitudinal, à distância de visibilidade nas curvas verticais e aos métodos utilizados para levantamento. Os resultados gráficos permitiram uma avaliação dos perfis e das marcações, obtendo-se um resultado satisfatório na avaliação do método moderno. / This work has the objective to locate the points of no passing lanes on a road, trying to know and evaluate in a practical and accurate way the places of horizontal signalization, analyzing a modern method based in collected information from the artificial satellites of the Global Positioning System - GPS, and classic methods of surveying. A review of the main concepts related to the longitudinal profile, of the sight distance in vertical turns, and to the methods used to surveying the graphic results permitted the evolution of profiles and marking, obtaining a satisfactory result in the evolution of the modern method.

Automated vehicles are getting closer each day to large-scale deployment. It is expected that self-driving cars will be able to alleviate traffic congestion by safely operating at distances closer than human drivers are capable of and will overall improve traffic throughput. In these conditions, passenger safety and security is of utmost importance. When multiple autonomous cars follow each other on a highway, they will form what is known as a cyber-physical system. In a general setting, there are tools to assess the level of influence a possible attacker can have on such a system, which then describes the level of safety and security. An attacker might attempt to counter the benefits of automation by causing collisions and/or decreasing highway throughput. These strings (platoons) of automated vehicles will rely on control algorithms to maintain required distances from other cars and objects around them. The vehicle dynamics themselves and the controllers used will form the cyber-physical system and its response to an attacker can be assessed in the context of multiple interacting vehicles. While the vehicle dynamics play a pivotal role in the security of this system, the choice of controller can also be leveraged to enhance the safety of such a system. After knowledge of some attacker capabilities, adversarial-aware controllers can be designed to react to the presence of an attacker, adding an extra level of security. This work will attempt to address these issues in vehicular platooning. Firstly, a general analysis concerning the capabilities of possible attacks in terms of control system theory will be presented. Secondly, mitigation strategies to some of these attacks will be discussed. Finally, the results of an experimental validation of these mitigation strategies and their implications will be shown.

This study had two goals: first, to establish a need to use native plant materials for planting and revegetation of highway right of ways in Utah; and secondly, to develop a list of potential native plants sui table for hi.ghway planting in Utah. To accomplish these two goals, three steps were completed. Correspondence was exchanged with officials of other state highway departments to determine their attitudes concerning the use of native plants for highway planting. Second, a case study was completed on two sections of the Interstate Highway system in the Weber-Davis area of Utah. This was done to document the present planting practices of the Utah Department of Transportation. The survival rate of the plants planted by Utah Department of Transportation was determined to be moderate to low, while native species have revegetated and were surviving without special maintenance. It was determined that there was a need to utilize native plants for highway planting in Utah. Third, a list of native plants was developed to provide a potential list of species suitable for highway planting and revegetation.