http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/6488 http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/7963 Estimating The Relationship Between Cost And Condition For Routine Highway Operations And Maintenance Sokolowski, David When transportation agencies prepare design for new highway construction or major improvements to existing highways, the agency and user lifecycle costs are considered in project design decisions. Yet when highway projects are completed, maintenance budgets are rarely adjusted to accommodate the routine maintenance of new lane miles. This problem is worsened by the fact that each year the number of vehicle miles traveled per highway mile increases. Maintenance budgets do not keep pace or remain constant. The growing disparity between maintenance budgets and maintenance requirements causes agencies to make tough choices about maintenance priorities. Aside from concerns about preserving capital investment; highway operations and maintenance bureaus have concerns about safety and loss of operational efficiency due to deteriorating condition of roadways. Under the supervision of Professor Teresa Adams; Pages: 126. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/6583 The effects of aggregate coatings on the performance of Portland cement concrete Gullerud, Karl J. Specifications which limit the amount of fine material that adheres to coarse aggregates tend to be vague. For example, the Wisconsin state specifications require coarse aggregates used in portland cement concrete to be free of deleterious substances and adherent coatings; however, neither the washing procedure nor the desired end result of aggregate washing is specified. The purpose of this research was to identify which aggregate coatings in Wisconsin are deleterious and to determine what degree they affect concrete durability and strength. To this end, coarse aggregates containing surface coatings were collected throughout the state and characterized with the California cleanness test, methylene blue adsorption test, and x-ray diffraction. Based on the results of these tests, a subset of the sampled aggregates was selected to further study the effects of the coatings on concrete performance. It was hypothesized that coatings containing clay material are more deleterious than coatings containing either dust or carbonate material. The 10-batch mixing plan tested coarse aggregates fiom three different sources and in the following three conditions: (1) coated aggregates that were sampled in the field, (2) washed aggregates that were washed in the laboratory to remove the existing coating, and (3) coated aggregates that were manufactured with dust and clay fines to increase the extent of the coating. The effect of each aggregate coating on concrete performance was assessed by comparing the relative changes in compressive strength, tensile strength, drying shrinkage, freeze-thaw durability, and chloride ion penetrability between batches containing the washed and coated aggregates. The test results confirmed that coatings with high clay contents are more deleterious to concrete strength and durability than coatings that consist largely of dust or carbonate material. While the carbonate coatings appeared to slightly improve performance, the clay coatings appeared to significantly decrease strength and durability. Although current washing procedures do not need to be changed, it was recommended that the WisDOT require the California cleanness test whenever aggregate coatings are suspected of influencing strength or durability during concrete construction. Under the supervision of Professor Steven Cramer; Pages: 168. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/6581 Assembly Effects on Trussed Roof Systems -- Tests and Preliminary Analysis La Bissoniere, Timothy G. Adapting wood structural design to more reliability based methods can be accomplished with reliable test data and accurate computer modeling techniques. This report covers the testing and analysis of 3 wood truss roof assemblies and the component trusses used in their construction. Areas covered are load distribution, failure modes & tendencies and the correlation between truss stiffness and strength. It also contains results covering the use of computer models to explore and define such behavior as the reduction in stiffness variability as members are placed in trusses, load distribution in roof assemblies based on relative truss stiffness and the effect of load sharing on the ultimate capacity of a roof assembly. Under the supervision of Professor Steven Cramer; Pages: 138. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/6579 The effects of waste glass aggregate on the strength and durability of Portland Cement Concrete Polley, Craig Waste glass has been heavily targeted for recycling efforts by various municipalities. Not all waste glass can be recycled into new glass, however, and alternative methods must be found for utilization of this waste glass; one possible use for this glass is as aggregate in portland cement concrete. An experimental research program was conducted to identlfy characteristics of waste glass that produce satisfactory concrete for pavement applications, to document the alkah-silica reactivity (ASR) of waste glass aggregate and determine means of mitigating this ASR, and to determine the effects of waste glass aggregate and powdered waste glass on the strength and durability of concrete. The performance of waste glass/fly ash concrete was evaluated, and experimental work conducted by the author, results of others at the University of Wisconsin, and other researchers' pubhhed results were used to synthesize conclusions about the processes and mecbms of ASR and strength development in waste glass/fly ash concrete. The research was conducted in several distinct phases: a study of the interaction of coarse and fine glass with fly ash and their effect on strength and durability, a field trial to study several of the most promising mixes under field conditions, a laboratory test of the possible use of finely ground glass as a cement supplement, and a series of accelerated ASR expansion mortar bar tests. Evaluation of the experimental mixes included consideration of compressive strength, fr-eezdthaw resistance, and resistance to ASR deterioration at ages fiom one month to three years. Some study of the interactions between the experimental materials and air-entraining admixtures, water-reducing admixtures, fly ash and fine powdered waste glass was included to aid application of the conclusions to pavement trials. It w& determined that the effects of glass aggregate on strength may be divided into three separate effects: (1) water demand of glass aggregate; (2) interaction with strength developmnt by fly ash;and (3) intrinsic effects of glass aggregate, including particle strength and paste-aggregate. bond. The combined effect may range between an 80% loss in strength and a slight (=I% - 5%) gain in strength as compared to the control, dependmg on the form and gradation of the glass and the type of cemnt used. Freeze-thaw durability was found to be promising; ASR is demonstrated, mitigation can be provided by judicious use of fly ash. Under the supervision of Associate Professor Steven M. Cramer; Pages: 174. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/6577 Engineering properties of wood-plastic composite panels Vos, Daniel J. Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in the development of consumer and industrial products composed of wood fillers combined with thermoplastic resins. The use of wood flour as a reinforcing filler for thermoplastics has several benefits. Wood fillers have the advantage of being renewable, inexpensive, lightweight, and non- abrasive to processing equipment. Both materials can be obtained from post-consumer or post-industrial recycling sources. Little information is available concerning the engineering characteristics of wood- plastic composite panels. Recently. there has been an increasing interest in using this type of material for a variety of structural applications. To quantify the material performance, several different wood-flour thermoplastic formulations ranging from 0% to 60% wood filler content by weight were produced and tested according to the ASTM D 1037 standard for wood-based panels. A matched set of specimens underwent the accelerated aging process outlined in the standard. It was found that by increasing the ratio of wood filler, the material performance properties were altered. The modulus of elasticity and water absorption increased, while the coefficient of thermal expansion and ultimate stress values decreased. The aging process had very little effect on the 0% wood filler content samples and decreased the material performance in some properties for the higher wood percentage panels. The results were compared with conventional wood-based panel products. Included were particleboard, hardboard, plywood, medium density fiberboard, and oriented . strandboard. Though the stiffness of wood-plastic composite panels were generally less than conventional wood-based products, many other material properties were similar. Under the supervision of Professor Steven Cramer; Pages: 149.