• Computers and Concrete
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.445-469
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• 2024

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recommended the use of AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical Design (PMED) software for Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) pavement design, but specific calibration for RCC is missing. This study investigates the software's capacity to predict the long-term performance of RCC roadways within the framework of conventional concrete pavement calibration. By reanalyzing existing RCC projects in several U.S. states: Colorado, Arkansas, South Carolina, Texas, and Illinois, the study highlights the need for specific calibration tailored to the unique characteristics of RCC. Field observations have emphasized occurrence of early distresses in RCC pavements, particularly transverse-cracking and joint-related issues. Despite data challenges, the AASHTOWare PMED software exhibits notable correlation between its long-term predictions and actual field performance in RCC roadways. This study stresses that RCC applications with insufficient joint spacing and thickness are prone to premature cracking. To enhance the accuracy of RCC pavement design, it is essential to discuss the inclusion of RCC as a dedicated rigid pavement option in AASHTOWare PMED. This becomes particularly crucial when the rising popularity of RCC roadways in the U.S. and Canada is considered. Such an inclusion would solidify RCC as a viable third option alongside Jointed Plain Concrete Pavements (JPCP) and Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements (CRCP) for design and deployment of rigid pavements. The research presents a roadmap for future calibration endeavors and advocates for the integration of RCC pavement as a distinct pavement type within the software. This approach holds promise for achieving more precise RCC pavement design and performance predictions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.859-869
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• 2016

Component-scale modeling of boiling is predominantly based on the Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid approach. Within this framework, wall boiling is accounted for via the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) model and, within this model, the bubble is characterized using three main parameters: departure diameter (D), nucleation site density (N), and departure frequency (f). Typically, the magnitudes of these three parameters are obtained from empirical correlations. However, in recent years, efforts have been directed toward mechanistic modeling of the boiling process. Of the three parameters mentioned above, the departure diameter (D) is least affected by the intrinsic uncertainties of the nucleate boiling process. This feature, along with its prominence within the RPI boiling model, has made it the primary candidate for mechanistic modeling ventures. Mechanistic modeling of D is mostly carried out through solving of force balance equations on the bubble. Forces incorporated in these equations are formulated as functions of the radius of the bubble and have been developed for, and applied to, low-pressure conditions only. Conversely, for high-pressure conditions, no mechanistic information is available regarding the growth rates of bubbles and the forces acting on them. In this study, we use direct numerical simulation coupled with an interface tracking method to simulate bubble growth under high (up to 45 bar) pressure, to obtain the kind of mechanistic information required for an RPI-type approach. In this study, we compare the resulting bubble growth rate curves with predictions made with existing experimental data.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.4 no.3 s.13
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• pp.1-13
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• 2002

Design methods for new flexible pavements and overlays are in the transition from empirical to mechanistic approach, and many state highway agencies trend to move toward the adoption and use of mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design in new constructions and rehabilitations of flexible pavements. Hence, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) decided to develop a M-E flexible pavement design procedure, in which major pavement distresses such as fatigue cracking and rutting are employed as indicators of the serviceability of a flexible pavement. The main concept of the developed design procedure is that a designed pavement that is supposed to carry a certain number of traffic must satisfy designated thresholds of rut depths and fatigue lives during a service period. For the M-E design procedure, transfer functions were developed to predict rut-depths and fatigue lives. These functions related the pavement responses to pavement performance. For validation, three current new flexible pavement design cases were obtained from the MDOT. In these cases, asphalt concrete (AC) layer thicknesses determined by the suggested M-E procedure compare favorably with those determined by the current MDOT design practice that is based on AASHTO design guide. This finding implies that the suggested Michigan M-E flexible pavement design procedure can provide a good opportunity to improve the current design practice.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.218-219
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• 2002

In the past, the development of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) models for quantitating the time course of drug responses was mainly based on two types of models, the empirical effect compartment model that simply accounts for the delay between effect and plasma concentration (hysteresis) and the mechanism-based so-called indirect response model. The first approach traces back to a paper by Segre (1) and its application was popularized by Holford and Sheiner (2); indirect response models were introduced by Jusko's group (3). (omitted)

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.2771-2782
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• 2022

When assessing the radiological consequences of postulated accident scenarios, it is of primary interest to determine the amount of radioactive fission gas accumulated in the fuel rod free volume. The state-of-the-art semi-empirical approach (ANS 5.4-2010) is reviewed and compared with a mechanistic approach to evaluate the release of radioactive fission gases. At the intra-granular level, the diffusion-decay equation is handled by a spectral diffusion algorithm. At the inter-granular level, a mechanistic description of the grain boundary is considered: bubble growth and coalescence are treated as interrelated phenomena, resulting in the grain-boundary venting as the onset for the release from the fuel pellets. The outcome is a kinetic description of the release of radioactive fission gases, of interest when assessing normal and off-normal conditions. We implement the model in SCIANTIX and reproduce the release of short-lived fission gases, during the CONTACT 1 experiments. The results show a satisfactory agreement with the measurement and with the state-of-the-art methodology, demonstrating the model soundness. A second work will follow, providing integral fuel rod analysis by coupling the code SCIANTIX with the thermo-mechanical code TRANSURANUS.

• CELLMED
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.20.1-20.4
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• 2015

Ayurveda is often criticized for having empirical and non-evidence based approach to treat the patients. At the same time, modern medicine is also being criticized for having a non-holistic, reductionist and mechanistic approach of treating the patients which do not help in many real clinical situations. An open minded deduction of treatment approaches in both of these systems for a common patient however makes us to rethink that ideally both systems are similar with a common objective of offering a cure although in a manner which is better understood through their own methods of learning. The differences therefore, are more superficial rather than being deeply rooted in the understanding. A more tolerant viewpoint towards the competitive medical systems may therefore be a better approach to offer optimal health care to our people through a genuine amalgamation of these two health care sciences through an integrated approach. Once this tolerance is developed, it will give us an opportunity to think for a focused selection of type of health care depending upon the type of the disease and strength of the particular system in that area.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.30 no.5D
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• pp.505-512
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• 2010

Generally, the repeated traffic loading condition should be considered to predict the long-term deformation on road foundations or foundation systems. However, it is not easy to estimate long-term deformation on multi-layered system like roads and railways. For more quantitative analysis, mechanistic-empirical approach requires proper analytical tool, material's model, and material properties of foundation geomaterials under both traffic and environmental loadings. In this study, therefore, laboratory data from the long-term repeated load triaxial tests were used to predict accumulated deformation on pavement foundations and the results were analyzed based on the nonlinear models and stress state considered. All these results are presented and verified on laboratory based scale using the finite element analysis with the deformation characteristics of foundation geomaterials at various stress states.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.49-58
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• 2017

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to develop a simple regression model in designing the asphalt concrete (AC) overlay thickness using the Mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) program. METHODS : To establish the AC overlay design equation, multiple regression analyses were performed based on the synthetic database for AC thickness design, which was generated using the MEPDG program. The climate in Seoul city, a modified Hirsh model for determining dynamic modulus of asphalt material, and a new damaged master curve approach were used in this study. Meanwhile, the proposed rutting model developed in Seoul city was then used to calibrate the rutting model in the MEPDG program. The AC overlay design equation is a function of the total AC thickness, the ratio of AC overlay thickness and existing AC thickness, the ratio of existing AC modulus and AC overlay modulus, the subgrade condition, and the annual average daily truck traffic (AADTT). RESULTS : The regression model was verified by comparing the predicted AC thickness, the AADTT from the model and the MEPDG. The regression model shows a correlation coefficient of 0.98 in determining the AC thickness and 0.97 in determining AADTT. In addition, the data in Seoul city was used to validate the regression model. The result shows that correlation coefficient between the predicted and measured AADTT is 0.64. This indicates that the current model is more accuracy than the previous study which showed a correlation coefficient of 0.427. CONCLUSIONS:The high correlation coefficient values indicate that the regression equations can predict the AC thickness accurately.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.182-191
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• 1999

The sorption of UO$_{2}$$^{2+}$ onto goethite and kaolinite under various experimental conditions was successfully interpreted using surface complexation modeling (SCM). The SCM approach used in this work is the triple-layer model (TLM) in which weakly bonded ions are modeled as outer-sphere (ion-pair) complexes and strongly bonded ions as inner-sphere (surface coordination) complexes. The change of ionic strength did not affect the U(VI) sorption onto goethite, thus the formation of inner-sphere surface complexes, (FeO)$_2$UO$_2$ and (FeO)$_2$(UO$_2$)$_3$OH$_{5}$ was assumed to simulate the effects of ionic strength and goethite concentration. On the other hand, the U(VI) sorption onto kaolinite showed ionic strength dependence, thus the formation of AlO-UO$_{2}$$^{2+}$(outer-sphere complex) and SiO(UO$_2$)$_3$OH$_{5}$ (inner-sphere complex) was assumed to simulate the experimental data. In the presence of carbonates, the sorption of U(VI) onto kaolinite decreased in the weakly alkaline pH range. This was well simulated assuming the formation of a outer-sphere surface complex, A1OH$^{2+}$- (UO$_2$)$_2$CO$_3$OH$_3$. Since SCM approach uses thermodynamic data such as surface complexation constants, it is more predictive than empirical modeling approach in which conditional values such as partition coefficient are used. used.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.7 no.4 s.26
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• pp.1-8
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• 2005

Permanent Deformation is one of the most important load-related pavement distresses in asphalt pavements. The Korean Pavement Design Guide currently being developed adopted the mechanistic-empirical approach and needed the pavement distress prediction models. This study intends to develop the model for prediction of permanent deformation in the asphalt layer and estimate the pavement performance. The objectives of this paper are to figure out the factors affecting the permanent deformation and then develop the permanent deformation prediction model for asphalt mixtures. The repeated triaxial load test was Performed on the 19mm dense graded asphalt mixture with variation of temperature and air void. Results from the laboratory tests showed that temperature and air void in asphalt mixtures have significantly influenced on the factors in prediction model. The permanent deformation prediction model for 19m dense grade asphalt mixtures has been developed using the multiple regression approach and validated the proposed permanent deformation prediction model.