Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2019, Civil Engineering

Driver, vehicle, road are main parameters in transportation engineering. In traffic safety, Brake Reaction Time (BRT) is an important parameter. This dissertation implements driving simulation to investigate driver footedness. Driver reacts to visual sign require an emergency brake reaction and reaction time. Participants are classified into two groups based on foot dominant. Brake reaction time tested in two scenarios. First, a normal driving simulation that imitates a normal driving setting specifically gas and brake pedal location. Second, drivers were instructed to use their left foot instead of the right foot and using the same driving sitting except switching the gas and brake pedal location. This dissertation proceeds with an investigation on the relationship between left footed footedness reaction time to their Peers right footed participants. The footedness was founded to be statistically different between groups. The right-footed group tends to have a shorter reaction time when they use the dominant right foot. However, the left-footed group tends to have a shorter reaction time when they use their left foot. This finding highlight that the left-footed population is constrained to use the wrong foot for vehicle acceleration and deceleration.

Committee: Ping Yi (Advisor); Qindan Huang (Committee Member); Richard Einsporn (Committee Member); Yilmaz Sozer (Committee Member); Zhe Luo (Committee Member) Subjects: Civil Engineering

Master of Science in Biological Sciences, Youngstown State University, 2014, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry

Understanding of the interplay between bone loading patterns and bone material properties in mammals has been based primarily on evidence from upright eutherians, which show limb bones that are loaded predominantly in anteroposterior (AP) bending with minimal torsion. However, loading patterns from the femora of marsupial opossums using crouched limb posture, show appreciable torsion while the bone experiences mediolateral (ML) bending. These data indicated greater locomotor loading diversity than was previously recognized, and suggested the possibility that ancestral loading patterns found in sprawling reptiles might have been retained among basal mammals. To further test this hypothesis, in vivo locomotor strains were recorded from the femur of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Orientations of principal strains and magnitudes of shear strains indicate that their femora are exposed to a limited amount of torsion, while loading is dominated by ML bending that places the medial aspect of the femur in compression and the lateral aspect in tension. This orientation of bending is similar to that found in opossums, but planar strain analyses indicate much more of the armadillo femur experiences tension during bending, potentially due to the actions of large muscles attached to the robust third trochanter (T3). Comparisons of peak locomotor loads to evaluations of femoral mechanical properties lead to estimates of limb bone safety factors between 2.3--5.0 in bending, similar to other eutherians, but lower than opossums and most sprawling taxa. Thus, femoral loading patterns in armadillos show a mixture of similarities to both opossums (ML bending) and eutherians (limited torsion and low safety factors), along with unique features (high axial tension) that likely relate to their distinctive hindlimb anatomy.

Committee: Michael Butcher PhD (Advisor); Mark Womble PhD (Committee Member); Thomas Diggins PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Civil Engineering

Evaluating the performance of user safety of an environment against crimes has many challenges. Firstly, safety is not a quantity that can be measured. Although many statistical measurements are used as a reference for safety performance analysis, they do not reflect the real condition of the environment. Secondly, the relationship between crimes and environmental designs need to be clarified so improvements of the design can be justified. Thirdly, an indicator that can be used as a standard of the safety performance of the environment must be established in order to prioritize the improvement. Lastly, a program that demonstrates the evaluation of the safety performance analysis is needed to facilitate the evaluation process. This research focuses on the examinations of factors that affect the safety of users in a constructed environment, specifically a campus parking garage. Two survey data sets were used for statistical analysis. One data set was derived from a study in 2004 that prescribed the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design approach as the primary tool against crimes and as the basis for safety evaluation. The second set of data was from an Internet survey which included 12 parking garages at The Ohio State University. This survey was conducted in 2006 for the compilation of the responses of users and for determining the environmental designs. The result of this study shows that 5 independent environmental factors: completeness of safety components, distance, illumination, environmental isolation, and circulation can be used to explain the variation of safety performance for campus parking garages. A computer program named Safety Performance Analyzer for Constructed Environments was built for the safety evaluation of the environment and demonstration of the optimal solution with intelligence embedded in the program. Functions of this program include database queries for the survey result, demonstration of results of the factor analysis, design of t (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Fabian Hadipriono (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2007, Civil Engineering

An accurate and practical methodology for stability analysis and design of drilled shafts reinforced slopes was developed utilizing limiting equilibrium method of slices. Complex soil stratifications and general failure slip surfaces can be handled in the developed method. The effect of soil arching due to the presence of the drilled shafts was accounted for by using a load transfer factor. The numerical values of the load transfer factor were developed based on 3-D FEM parametric study results. Many of the design variables controlling the slope/shaft systems, such: drilled shafts size, shafts location, shaft fixity (the necessary rock-socket length), and the required spacing between the drilled shafts to prevent soil from flowing around the shafts can be successfully determined from the developed method. The optimum location where the drilled shafts could be placed within the sliding soil mass so that the cost associated with the landslide repair using the drilled shafts is minimized can be searched for and determined from the developed methodology. From geotechnical point of view, the global factor of safety for slope/shaft systems can be determined. From structural point of view, the forces acting on the stabilizing drilled shafts due to the moving ground can be successfully estimated. In addition to the developed design methodology, Real-time instrumentation and monitoring were carried out for three landslide sites in the Southern part of Ohio. Various types of instruments were extensively installed inside the stabilizing shafts and the surrounding soils to monitor and better understand the behavior of slope/shaft systems. The UA Slope program developed by Dr. Robert Liang in corporation with ODOT and FHWA has been used in designing these landslides. The field instrumentation and monitoring processes have provided excellent and unique information on the lateral responses of shafts undergoing slope movements. Also, the results of the instrumented cases have provi (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robert Liang (Advisor) Subjects: Engineering, Civil