This thesis describes part of the work associated with Project 0-6719 sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The primary objective of the project is to examine the feasibility of strengthening older ...

Many older bridges in Texas are constructed with floor systems consisting of a concrete slab over steel girders. A potentially economical means of strengthening these floor systems is to connect the existing concrete slab ...

Asphalt binder is the adhesive that holds together aggregate particles of different sizes of an asphalt mixture. The tensile properties of an asphalt binder can greatly affect the performance of the asphalt mixture under ...

Cross frames are critical for the stability of straight and curved steel bridges. Conventional cross frames are often fabricated from steel angles which are welded to gusset plates through one leg only. Due to this ...

Failures of high mast illumination poles (HMIPs) in recent years have raised concerns on the long-term fatigue performance of the poles by various transportation officials around the US. The thesis documents a study ...

As bridges continue to age and budgets reduce, transportation officials often need quantitative data to distinguish between bridges that can be kept safely in service and those that need to be replaced or retrofitted. One ...

Failures of high mast illumination poles (HMIP) around the US have raised the concerns of officials because of their location close to areas with important human activity. Previous research, conducted at the University of ...

There have been a number of advances in the level of understanding of cross-frame systems for steel I-girder bridges; however, very little work has focused on the proper loading conditions to produce an adequate estimate ...

Low-cycle fatigue tests were performed on high-strength reinforcing bars currently being developed in the United States, to quantify mechanical properties and fatigue life under simulated seismic conditions. Reinforcing ...

A new method of connecting cross-frames to bridge girders had been proposed to alleviate concerns with current design practices. This new, half-pipe detail needs to be examined for fatigue issues that may exist which would ...