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Thesis (M.A.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains v, 65 p. : col. ill. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.d.) - Swinburne University of Technology, 2001. / Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Swinburne University of Technology, 2001. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-169).

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, November, 1993. / Title from PDF t.p.

Within the next decade an inter provincial trail, called the Trans Canada Trail, will be developed to accommodate non-motorized traffic such as hikers, skiers, horsemen, and cyclists. Anticipating the need for rest stop facilities, this thesis seeks to explore the design potential of two isolated facilities. The focus of this exploration is the impact of landscape on the development of architectural form. While existing conditions found in each site were recorded and considered throughout the design process, a conscious effort was also made to build a site rather than site plan This position, first articulated by William Rees Morrish in his book Civilizing Terrain. acknowledges that not every piece of land can become an urban place. Instead, placemaking often requires willful acts of change in order to enhance or more effectively reveal its existing qualities. This position opposes the current attitude fostered by the environmental movement that all landscapes should remain untouched. The two sites selected were both located in western Canada: one on the eastern shore of Lake in southern British Columbia and the other in a farmer's field near Milk River in southern Alberta. This thesis traces the discoveries and attempts made to locate a center, develop an arrival sequence and insert an architectural form into the experience of the landscape. Both sites were explored simultaneously, reaching a similar level of resolution, at which point the British Columbia site was dropped and the prairie site was developed further. The Alberta site then became the developed body of the thesis. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

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Bacteria from dry and wet roadside environments were examined for the ability to degrade hydrocarbons. The kinds and numbers of bacteria observed were similar to those reported in other petroleum contaminated environments. Surface soils (top 2.5 cm) immediately adjacent to the highway pavement and the sediments of shallow drainage ditches contained the highest concentrations of petroleum degrading bacteria (9.8 x 107 CFU/g). Concentration and species diversity of petroleum degrading bacteria decreased with distance from the highway pavement. Chromatographic analysis of highway stormwater runoff and the soil in close proximity to the highway indicated the presence of complex hydrocarbon mixtures of vehicular origin. The concentrations of chloroform extractable hydrocarbons decreased with distance from the highway pavement. Hydrocarbon degradation rates in the roadside environment were determined by the oxidation of radiolabeled [1-14C] hexadecane. Roadside soil and water samples were incubated under nutrient enriched and in situ environmental conditions. Biodegradation rates in environmental samples enriched with inorganic nutrients were 25-126 fold higher than the in situ rates. The highest in situ rates (92 µg hexadecane g-1 solid h-1) occurred in wet surface solid (top 2.5 cm) immediately adjacent to the highway pavement. The findings of the investigation indicate that the roadside environment under study was a petroleum contaminated ecosystem in which biodegradation of hydrocarbon pollutants was greatly influenced by the design of the roadside drainage systems. Furthermore, petroleum degradation in roadside environments can be enhanced by construction of shallow drainage ditches which support aerobic microbial biodegradation.

Guardrails were designed to deter vehicle access to off-road areas and consequently prevent hitting rigid fixed object alongside the road (e.g., trees, utility poles, traffic barriers, etc.). However, guardrails cause 10% of deaths of vehicle-to-fixed object crashes which has attracted attention in the highway safety community on the vehicle-based injury criteria used in guardrail regulations. The objectives of this study were 1) to develop and validate a Finite Element (FE) model of the ET-Plus, a commonly used energy-absorbing guardrail end terminal; 2) to examine the conditions of in-service end terminals, and to evaluate the performance of the damaged relative to undamaged end terminals in simulated impacts; 3) to investigate both full-body and body region driver injury probabilities during car-to-end terminal crashes using dummy and human body FE models; to analyze the relationship between the vehicle-based crash severity metrics used currently in regulations and the injury probabilities assessed using biomechanics injury criteria; and 4) to quantify the influence of pre-impact conditions on injury probabilities. In this dissertation, an ET-Plus FE model was developed based on publicly available data on ET-Plus dimensions and material properties. The model was validated against the NCHRP-350 crash tests. The developed ET-Plus model was used to develop to five damaged ET-Plus whose damage patterns were identified based on an investigation of in-service end terminals mounted along U.S. roads. It was observed that damaged end terminals usually increase collision severity compared to undamaged end terminals. Meanwhile, a total of 40 FE impact simulations between a car with a dummy/human body model in the driver seat and an end terminal model were performed in various configurations. The vehicle-based severity metrics were observed to be correlated to full-body and certain body-region injury risks while no head injury risk could be predicted. The results pointed out that more advanced vehicle-based metrics should be proposed and investigated to improve the predictability in terms of occupant injury risks in the crash tests. The simulation models could also supplement crash compliance tests of new hardware designs, by investigating their safety performance for a large variety of pre-impact conditions, observed in traffic accidents, but not included the compliance tests. / Doctor of Philosophy / Guardrails were designed to deter vehicle access to off-road areas and consequently prevent hitting rigid fixed object alongside the road (e.g., trees, utility poles, traffic barriers, etc.). However, guardrails cause 10% of deaths of vehicle-to-fixed object crashes which has attracted attention in the highway safety community on the vehicle-based injury criteria used in guardrail regulations. The objectives of this study were 1) to develop and validate a Finite Element (FE) model of the ET-Plus, a commonly used energy-absorbing guardrail end terminal; 2) to examine the conditions of in-service end terminals, and to evaluate the performance of the damaged relative to undamaged end terminals in simulated impacts; 3) to investigate both full-body and body region driver injury probabilities during car-to-end terminal crashes using dummy and human body FE models; to analyze the relationship between the vehicle-based crash severity metrics used currently in regulations and the injury probabilities assessed using biomechanics injury criteria; and 4) to quantify the influence of pre-impact conditions on injury probabilities. In this dissertation, an ET-Plus FE model was developed based on publicly available data on ET-Plus dimensions and material properties. The model was validated against the NCHRP-350 crash tests. The developed ET-Plus model was used to develop to five damaged ET-Plus whose damage patterns were identified based on an investigation of in-service end terminals mounted along U.S. roads. It was observed that damaged end terminals usually increase collision severity compared to undamaged end terminals. Meanwhile, a total of 40 FE impact simulations between a car with a dummy/human body model in the driver seat and an end terminal model were performed in various configurations. The vehicle-based severity metrics were observed to be correlated to full-body and certain body-region injury risks while no head injury risk could be predicted. The results pointed out that more advanced vehicle-based metrics should be proposed and investigated to improve the predictability in terms of occupant injury risks in the crash tests. The simulation models could also supplement crash compliance tests of new hardware designs, by investigating their safety performance for a large variety of pre-impact conditions, observed in traffic accidents, but not included the compliance tests.

This thesis presents the design and analysis of a vest-worn alerting system with the purpose of warning those who wear it. The goal of this thesis has been shaped around roadside construction workers, people who endeavor to build and maintain the roadways in highly noisy and dangerous environments. Our goal is to determine what type of alerting method best interrupts the worker, allowing him or her to know that danger approaches. Multiple alerting methods will be compared via reaction time and user data derived through critical incidents from the Critical Incident Technique (CIT) and notification-focused questionnaires. All testing is done in a simulated noisy environment. Each of these alerting methods involve combinations of auditory, visual, or haptic components. At the end of this thesis, the different alerting methods will be compared and a mode will be suggested for wearable notification activities. The work proposed in this thesis focuses mostly on vest design and alert testing for construction-based scenarios, but the work can be extended to police and highway worker scenarios. / Master of Science