MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Engineering and Applied Science: Civil Engineering

Roadway shoulders are critical components of pavement structure as they provide lateral support for the entire pavement structure, an increased width to accommodate oversize trucks and equipment, and an emergency area when a vehicle's wheels leave the pavement. Erosion is one of the main issues encountered in unpaved shoulders and that significantly affect roadway driver safety. Roadway shoulders of unbound granular material can be more susceptible to traffic and environmental conditions. This research intends to investigate the factors that affect the performance of unpaved shoulders and the current construction practices to provide an innovative approach that can be used to improve the performance. The laboratory testing program was conducted to assess the rutting and erosion resistance of different types of materials, including base course material and incorporating recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). To validate the results of the laboratory study, a variety of test sections were constructed at different locations using the best performing materials from the laboratory testing program. In addition, field evaluation of the test sections was regularly performed to validate the results of the lab study. Also, rutting analysis and cost analysis were conducted to evaluate the efficiency and the economic impacts of the suggested different alternatives of the test sections.

Committee: Munir Nazzal Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Sara Khoshnevisan Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jiaqi Ma Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering