Back Injury Interventions for Small Contractors
L. E. Bernold
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
9/96 to 8/00
This collaborative project brought together experts in the field of occupational
medicine from Duke University, ergonomics, and construction technology.
With the cost of back injuries skyrocketing, this three-year study attempted
to first search for critical cause-and-effect relationships in the building
industry. Field studies and experimental work in the laboratory, as well
as surveys, were used to better understand the underlying problems. In
a second phase, managerial and technological interventions were tested in the
field.
Experimental Assessment of Site Integrated Planning and Information Technologies
for Residential Construction
L. E. Bernold
National Science Foundation
7/00 to 6/02
The proposed research should lead to the fundamental basis for providing the
ability to solve the goals of Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing
(PATH), namely 1) reduce waste and improve recycling at a residential construction
site, 2) maximize the safety of the worksite, and 3) shorten the delay time
in the product approval process of new residential construction.
Pipeline Detection Research and Development
L. E. Bernold
Office of Pipeline Safety
5/00 to 1/01
The goal of the work was to develop and test a “stop-light” feature that would
be added to the Buried Utility Detection System. This feature is
similar to a traffic light in that green means continue digging safely; yellow
means caution; and red means stop. For example, the machinery operator
would know to stop digging if the light turned red, which ultimately could prevent
damage to underground utilities.
Remotely Controlled Drilled Shaft Inspection System
L. E. Bernold
NC Department of Transportation
5/98 to 9/00
The basic objective of this project is to eliminate the need to have a human
inspector at the bottom of a drilled shaft. At the same time, the desired
new method should be able to collect a comprehensive set of sample data.
The work includes the design and testing of a remotely controlled sub-marine
capsule capable of deploying a video camera and soil testing tools inside a
shaft filled with slurry or ground water.
Acquisition of Constructed Infrastructure Testing System
D. W. Johnston, S. H. Ahmad, N. P. Khosla, R. H. Borden, and L. E. Bernold
National Science Foundation and NC State University
1/95 to 12/00
The nation's constructed infrastructure has accumulated a large backlog of needs.
Anticipating the increased national awareness of the deteriorated state of the
nation's constructed infrastructure, the Civil Engineering faculty has developed
the Constructed Facilities Laboratory (CFL) as a part of the new Engineering
Graduate Research Center at NC State. The CFL contains integrated spaces
for research/development in Performance of Large Structural Systems, Fabrication
and Characterization of Cementitious Composites, Evaluation of Construction
Systems, and Geotechnical Techniques and Soil Improvement. This grant
allowed the faculty investigators to acquire state-of-the-art testing equipment
for critical constructed infrastructure research and assessment.
Bridge Management System Update
D. W. Johnston
Institute for Transportation Research and Education
1/01 to 12/01
In previous research efforts, NC State University has developed and the NC Department
of Transportation (NCDOT) has implemented a bridge management system as a decision
support tool for maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of the 17,000
bridges in North Carolina. One of the system’s programs, OPBRIDGE, involves
a bridge-by-bridge simulation in which decisions are based upon economic evaluation
of agency and user costs and optimized under constrained budgets using a large
scale 0-1 Integer-Linear Programming algorithm. For the analysis of needs
produced by OPBRIDGE to remain accurate when the program is used, it is necessary
to periodically update the cost, deterioration, and other parameters utilized
in the program. In addition, NCDOT personnel need to be trained in this
process and methodologies previously developed for this purpose.
Effects of Concrete Properties on Formwork Pressures
M. L. Leming
Carolinas Chapter of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and Department of
Civil Engineering at NC State University
2000 to 2001
This is a one-year study funded jointly by the Carolinas Chapter of the American
Concrete Institute and the Department of Civil Engineering, NC State University.
The Carolinas ACI provided a $14,000 student support grant to investigate the
concrete material characteristics which most affect formwork pressures.
Past research has attempted to correlate form pressures with conventional concrete
measures such as slump rather than fundamental material properties. This
study will examine which fundamental properties directly affect form pressures
and the relative strength of those effects.
Properties of Porous (Permeable) Concrete
M. L. Leming and R. A. Nunez
Funded commercially
2001 to 2002
This one-year study examined the mechanical properties and water permeability
of a cast-in-place concrete product used in driveways and parking areas to reduce
stormwater runoff by increasing infiltration into the soil. This type
of product is receiving national attention because of its potential to significantly
reduce the increases in non-point source water pollution and urban flooding
associated with runoff from impermeable structures.
Determination of the Modulus of Elasticity of Concrete from Dynamic Tests
J. Nau and M. L. Leming
1998, ongoing
The objective of this project is to evaluate the modulus of elasticity of concrete
from dynamic tests on thick cylindrical samples. This study formed the basis
of the independent study project for one MCE student. One journal article
has been published. Work continues to relate the modulus of elasticity
and other dynamic properties including damping to permeability and other measures
of deterioration.
Performance of Coped and Uncoped Framed Beam Connections
J. Nau and D. W. Johnston
6/99 to 6/01
The possibility of using extended clip angles in framed steel beam connections
is investigated experimentally and the results analyzed. Use of extended
clip angles reduces the cost of coping beam flanges. However, the performance
of extended double and single angle connections in comparison to conventional
coped framed beam connections with shorter angle legs has not been previously
investigated. The test fixture and 48 specimens were fabricated and donated
by Steel-Fab, a structural steel fabricator in Charlotte, NC.
Return to the Department of Civil Engineering Home Page