The installation of geogrid as a means of extending the service life of a roadway or reducing the required base course thickness of a pavement structure has become increasingly popular. The realization of these benefits depends largely on the degree to which the geogrid reinforcement leads to an increase in the stiffness of the aggregate base course layer. The objective of this research was to investigate the structural capacity of geogrid-reinforced aggregate base materials in flexible pavements through full-scale testing. The scope involved field testing at two sites in northern Utah that each included five different geogrid-reinforced sections and five accompanying unreinforced control sections. Five different geogrid types were utilized to ensure that the experimentation was representative of the geogrid products available in the industry at the time of the study. At each of the two field sites, 10 test sections were established, and several field tests were conducted during and following construction of the two pavements to characterize the in-situ structural properties of the subgrade, base, and hot mix asphalt layers of each geogrid-reinforced and unreinforced test section. The procedures involved nuclear density gauge, soil stiffness gauge, Clegg impact soil tester, dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP), portable falling-weight deflectometer, and falling-weight deflectometer testing of each test section. Samples of the subgrade and base materials were also obtained from both field sites for laboratory testing, which included dry and washed sieve analyses, Atterberg limits testing, and material classification. An analysis of covariance (ANOCOVA) was conducted on the results of each field test to determine if the structural capacity of the geogrid-reinforced sections was different than that of the accompanying unreinforced control sections.Among the 24 ANOCOVA models developed for the two field sites, only four indicated that geogrid presence was statistically significant. Of these four models, three indicated that the presence of geogrid reinforcement led to higher values of the given measurement of structural capacity compared to the unreinforced condition; however, in none of the cases was the difference practically important as defined in this research and would therefore not result in a different input in the pavement design process. Notably, in all three of these models, the same testing procedure, namely the DCP, was used for the testing. A measurable increase in the structural capacity of the reinforced layer may not be immediately observable using standard pavement testing procedures. Further field research is recommended to investigate the duration of the required conditioning period and also the extent of the zone of influence of geogrid reinforcement in aggregate base courses.

No description available.

O método de injeção de ar é utilizado para a descontaminação de solos e lençóis freáticos contaminados com Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis (VOCs). O ar injetado no solo na zona saturada, ao subir para a zona não saturada, volatiliza os contaminantes. A eficiência da remediação por esse método está diretamente ligada à região de solo em que ocorre o fluxo de ar. Essa região é denominada de zona de influência e é afetada por vários fatores tais como: tipo e estrutura do solo, permeabilidade e pressão de injeção. No presente trabalho foram realizados estudos de fluxo de ar em solos saturados em um modelo físico bidimensional com o objetivo de avaliar a zona de influência formada. Os ensaios bidimensionais têm por finalidade a visualização dessa zona de influência; para isso foi utilizado um tanque transparente feito de placas de acrílico. Para a realização dos ensaios foram utilizados três tipos distintos de solo, uma areia natural denominada de Areia Osasco, uma areia comercial e uniforme (Areia do IPT) e um solo residual utilizado para criar as lentes de baixa permeabilidade. Também foram realizados ensaios de laboratório para a caracterização dos solos em estudo, tais como: curva de retenção, índice de vazios máximo e mínimo, granulometria, permeabilidade a água e ao ar. Os ensaios realizados no modelo (tanque) mostraram, como visto na literatura, que a granulometria e a estrutura do solo são as principais responsáveis pela formação de caminhos preferenciais de ar no solo. A zona de influência formada durante a injeção de ar nos ensaios com a Areia Osasco não foi simétrica devido à heterogeneidade do solo, já a formada nos ensaios com a Areia do IPT foi simétrica por causa da uniformidade do solo. A Areia do IPT apresentou uma zona de influência mais estreita do que a da Areia Osasco, isso ocorreu em função da menor porosidade da Areia Osasco, pois quanto menor a porosidade maior a tortuosidade e maior a expansão lateral. Os ensaios com as lentes de baixa permeabilidade mostraram que pequenas variações na configuração do solo podem influenciar a eficiência do método já que a região logo acima das lentes não foi atingida pelo ar. O aumento da pressão de injeção durante os ensaios fez com que mais canais de ar fossem formados causando um aumento do tamanho da zona de influência. / The method of air sparging is used for remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In this process the air is injected into the soil in the saturated zone to ascend to the vadose zone and volatilizes the contaminants. The efficiency of air flow remediation is directly linked with the region of soil in which the flow occurs. This region is called as zone of influence and is affected by several factors such as: type and structure of the soil, permeability and pressure of injection. In the present work the air flow in saturated soils was investigated using a bidimensional physical model to evaluate the zone of influence formed. The objective of the tests was to obtain informations about zone of influence. A transparent tank made by acrylic plates was used. For these tests it was used three different types of soil: natural sand, called Osasco sand, a commercial and uniform sand called IPT sand and a residual soil used to create the lenses with low permeability. Laboratory tests such as water retention, minimum and maximum voids ratio, water and air permeability were performed to characterize the soils used in this study. Tests performed in the model (tank) showed, like those in the literature, that the particle size and soil structure are mainly responsible to create the preferential paths of air in soil. The zone of influence formed during the injection of air in the tests with Osasco sand was not symmetrical due to the heterogeneity of the soil; on the other hand the test performed with IPT sand was symmetrical due to its uniformity. The IPT sand showed a narrower zone of influence than Osasco sand, this was due to the lower porosity of the Osasco sand. Lower porosity imply in higher tortuosity and greater lateral expansion. Testes performed with low permeability lenses within the sand showed that small variations in the structure of the soil can affect the efficiency of the method because the region immediately above the lens is not reached by the air. The increase in the pressure of injection during the experiments induced the formation of more air channels causing an increase in the size of the zone of influence.

O método de injeção de ar é utilizado para a descontaminação de solos e lençóis freáticos contaminados com Compostos Orgânicos Voláteis (VOCs). O ar injetado no solo na zona saturada, ao subir para a zona não saturada, volatiliza os contaminantes. A eficiência da remediação por esse método está diretamente ligada à região de solo em que ocorre o fluxo de ar. Essa região é denominada de zona de influência e é afetada por vários fatores tais como: tipo e estrutura do solo, permeabilidade e pressão de injeção. No presente trabalho foram realizados estudos de fluxo de ar em solos saturados em um modelo físico bidimensional com o objetivo de avaliar a zona de influência formada. Os ensaios bidimensionais têm por finalidade a visualização dessa zona de influência; para isso foi utilizado um tanque transparente feito de placas de acrílico. Para a realização dos ensaios foram utilizados três tipos distintos de solo, uma areia natural denominada de Areia Osasco, uma areia comercial e uniforme (Areia do IPT) e um solo residual utilizado para criar as lentes de baixa permeabilidade. Também foram realizados ensaios de laboratório para a caracterização dos solos em estudo, tais como: curva de retenção, índice de vazios máximo e mínimo, granulometria, permeabilidade a água e ao ar. Os ensaios realizados no modelo (tanque) mostraram, como visto na literatura, que a granulometria e a estrutura do solo são as principais responsáveis pela formação de caminhos preferenciais de ar no solo. A zona de influência formada durante a injeção de ar nos ensaios com a Areia Osasco não foi simétrica devido à heterogeneidade do solo, já a formada nos ensaios com a Areia do IPT foi simétrica por causa da uniformidade do solo. A Areia do IPT apresentou uma zona de influência mais estreita do que a da Areia Osasco, isso ocorreu em função da menor porosidade da Areia Osasco, pois quanto menor a porosidade maior a tortuosidade e maior a expansão lateral. Os ensaios com as lentes de baixa permeabilidade mostraram que pequenas variações na configuração do solo podem influenciar a eficiência do método já que a região logo acima das lentes não foi atingida pelo ar. O aumento da pressão de injeção durante os ensaios fez com que mais canais de ar fossem formados causando um aumento do tamanho da zona de influência. / The method of air sparging is used for remediation of soil and groundwater contaminated with Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In this process the air is injected into the soil in the saturated zone to ascend to the vadose zone and volatilizes the contaminants. The efficiency of air flow remediation is directly linked with the region of soil in which the flow occurs. This region is called as zone of influence and is affected by several factors such as: type and structure of the soil, permeability and pressure of injection. In the present work the air flow in saturated soils was investigated using a bidimensional physical model to evaluate the zone of influence formed. The objective of the tests was to obtain informations about zone of influence. A transparent tank made by acrylic plates was used. For these tests it was used three different types of soil: natural sand, called Osasco sand, a commercial and uniform sand called IPT sand and a residual soil used to create the lenses with low permeability. Laboratory tests such as water retention, minimum and maximum voids ratio, water and air permeability were performed to characterize the soils used in this study. Tests performed in the model (tank) showed, like those in the literature, that the particle size and soil structure are mainly responsible to create the preferential paths of air in soil. The zone of influence formed during the injection of air in the tests with Osasco sand was not symmetrical due to the heterogeneity of the soil; on the other hand the test performed with IPT sand was symmetrical due to its uniformity. The IPT sand showed a narrower zone of influence than Osasco sand, this was due to the lower porosity of the Osasco sand. Lower porosity imply in higher tortuosity and greater lateral expansion. Testes performed with low permeability lenses within the sand showed that small variations in the structure of the soil can affect the efficiency of the method because the region immediately above the lens is not reached by the air. The increase in the pressure of injection during the experiments induced the formation of more air channels causing an increase in the size of the zone of influence.

The first portion of this thesis assesses the structural application of a bracing design inspired by the deep-sea sponge, Euplectella Aspergillum. Many studies have investigated the natural strength found in the unique skeletal structure of this species. The braced design inspired by the sponge features square frames with two sets of cross-braces that are offset from the corners of each frame, creating a pattern of open and closed cells. This study reports the results of multiple Finite Element Analysis (FEA) computations that compare the described bracing pattern to a more common bracing design used in structural design. The designs are compared in two configurations; the first is a simplified tall building design, and the second is a slender plate design. Results indicate that the sponge’s natural pattern produces considerable mechanical benefit when only considering elastic behavior. However, the same was not true when considering plastic material properties. In conclusion to these observations, the sponge-inspired lattice design is determined to be an efficient alternative to slender-solid plates but not for lateral-resisting systems intended for tall building design. The second topic of discussion in this thesis concerns the stability of thin cylindrical shells with imperfections. The structural stability of these members is highly sensitive to the size and shape of an imperfection. An accurate prediction of the capacity of an imperfect cylindrical shell can be determined using non-destructive testing techniques. This method does require previous knowledge of the characteristics of the imperfection, which realistically is unknown. In the hope of creating a technique to find the location of an imperfection, this study analyzes the trends in the stability landscapes of the surrounding area of an imperfection. The imperfection of interest in this study has an amplitude equivalent to the thickness of the shell. Using FEA to simulate non-destructive probing tests, it is established that there is a distinct area surrounding the imperfection where the axial load and peak probe force curves show the influence of the imperfection. This area is referred to as the zone of influence and can be used to create an efficient process to locate an imperfection on a thin cylindrical shell.

With the increasing demand and interest in wind power worldwide, it is interesting to study the effects of running windfarms on the activity of reindeers and estimate the associated Zone of Influence (ZOI) relative to these disturbances. Through simulation, Hierarchical Likelihood (HL) and adaptive Lasso methods are used to estimate the ZOI of windfarms and catching the correct threshold at which the negative effect of the disturbances on the reindeer behaviour disappears. The results found some merit to the explanation that the negative effect may not disappear abruptly and more merit to the fact that a linear model was still a better choice than the smooth polynomial models used. A real-life data related to reindeer faecal pellet counts from an area in northern Sweden were windfarms were running were analyzed. The yearly time series data was divided into three periods : before construction, during construction and during operation of the windfarms. Logistic regression, segmented model, and HL methods were implemented for data analysis by using covariates as distance from wind turbine, vegetation type, the interaction between distance to wind turbine and time period. A significant breakpoint could be estimated using the segmented model at a distance of 2.8 km from running windfarm, after which the negative effects of the windfarm on the reindeer activity disappeared. However, further work is needed for estimation of ZOI using HL method and considering other possible factors causing disturbances to the reindeer habitat and behaviour.