Reassessing the Risk Assessment
Risk assessments should help an engineer determine cost-effective remedies to environmental pollution. Unfortunately, most don't. Most assessments drastically overestimate...
Landfills: Anatomy of Automated Design
California's 360 acre Bee Canyon landfill (completed last year) sits amid a complicated network of narrow canyons with side slopes 300 ft high. As with most landfill projects,...
The Environment is Good Business in France
The environmental movement is an important political concern in Europe with the Green party gaining ground in several nations. The European Economic Community is developing environmental...
Howdy, Partner
Litigation has long been a nemesis to the construction industry. In recent years, contractors and owners have used innovative alternative dispute resolution (ADR) techniques, such as arbitration,...
Value Engineering at a Superfund Site
The Helen Kramer Landfill ranked fourth on the EPA's National Priorities List and the estimated cost of clean up was about $39 million. By value engineering selected parts...
Collective Excellence
Building Effective Teams
Safeguarding Steel
U.S. bridges are caught in the money squeeze. Painting has become a luxury few public agencies can afford and complying with EPA regulations has escalated costs even more. The paint/coatings...
Life in the Fast Track
Through innovative financing and skillful construction management, Oklahoma is proving that transportation megaprojects are still possible, even during an economic downturn. The result...
Motown Tunneling
When finished in 1993, Wayne County Michigan's $69 million wastewater treatment/sewer project will link outlying areas such as Dearborn with sewage treatment facilities in...
Project Management: Keys to Success
Successful construction projects can be traced to several key factors observed by the owner, the AE and the contractor. They include: 1) Goals and commitment of the managing partners agreed...
Double Diamonds: New Brand for a Texas Bridge
Double diamond towers, distinctive as a cattle brand but tall as a 44 story building, have reached landmark status on the Texas Gulf Coast even though the bridge they will carry won't...
On the Influence of Seismically Induced Residual Forces on Bridge Abutment Design
The seismic design of bridge abutments depend on the anticipated movement of the abutment during the design earthquake. For seat-type abutments in which the backfill resistance can be...
Bayesian Reliability Updating of Existing Steel Girder Bridges
Bayesian statistics is used to update the reliability of existing composite steel girder bridges. A 60 ft. long simply supported superstructure is considered. The reliability for the ultimate...
Design Cable-stayed Bridge for Cost Effectiveness and Safety
Innovative design approach is needed to enhance the prestigious status enjoyed by cable-stayed bridges. The present paper aims at such a goal of cost effectiveness and safety by providing...
Wind Cross-Spectrum Effects on Long-Span Bridges
This paper discusses current analysis for long span bridge response based on wind components. The authors summarize the development of techniques which take such components into account,...
Analytical Studies on the Seismic Response of Lead Rubber Base Isolated Bridges
Highlights of a study related to the response of base isolated bridges are presented. Four different analytical models are developed and used to evaluate the response of base isolated...
Refined Analysis of Load Distribution Factors for Bridges
This paper presents a new approach for calculating the distribution factors for slab-on-girder bridges. This method considers the coupling of longitudinal and transverse effects. The governing...
Evaluating Polymer Concrete Bridge Expansion Joints Using Acoustic Emission
This study is to simulate the acoustic emission (A/E) of polymer concrete bridge expansion joints subjected to controlled representative loads by a rotating test apparatus on a circular...
Anatomy of the Loma Prieta Earthquake Records of Two Steel Buildings Using MIMO System Identification
The Loma Prieta strong-motion records of a 4-story and a 47-story steel building are analyzed using system identification. A time variation study from the 4-story building records reveals...
Shear Resistance Models for Concrete Bridges
Statistical models are developed for the shear resistance of concrete bridge girders. Two structural types are considered: reinforced concrete T-beams and prestressed concrete AASHTO girders....
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