Am. Society of Civil Engineers
Asphalt material characterization, accelerated testing, and construction management; proceedings.
In one of many topic-specific volumes of selected and peer-reviewed papers from the conference, the 25 papers here explore pavement engineering from such perspectives as materials, design, testing, and highway construction. The sections cover asphalt binder and mixture characterization, recycling asphalt materials and pavements, accelerated testing of pavement structures and materials, the economics and management of highway construction, and embankment stabilization and tunneling. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Belowground pipeline networks for utility cables.
The manual provides a general overview of methods for placing utility cables below ground, including formal underground conduit systems and relatively low-cost direct-buried facilities. The emphasis is on a below-ground cable network that represents a cost-effective and space-efficient installation. For both kinds of systems, it reports on operation and maintenance as well as design and construction requirements. Chapters also describe designing, constructing, managing, and evaluating the status of hybrid systems — called below-ground cable networks — that combine the advantages of conduit and direct-bury systems. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Buried flexible steel pipe; design and structural analysis.
Prepared by an ASCE task committee, this manual reviews the principles of pipe mechanics and soil mechanics, and analyzes the relationship between pipe and soil that leads to successful buried steel water and wastewater pipe installations. The last two chapters provide six design examples complete with calculations and address the special challenges posed by parallel pipes, poor soil, longitudinal forces, and bent support. The appendices explain proper application of the Iowa Formula, soil slip analysis, finite element design, and external fluid pressure. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Characterization, modeling, and performance of geomaterials; proceedings.
Unsaturated soil, seepage, and environmental geotechnics; geosynthetics; geo-environmental engineering; non-destructive testing of infrastructure materials; and bridge-approach embankment are addressed by the 27 selected and peer-reviewed papers. Among specific topics are the probabilistic analysis of finite strain consolidation with a stochastic soil compression index and hydraulic conductivity, large physical modeling to optimize the geometrical conditions of geotextile in reinforced loose sand, the ant colony optimization algorithm for the vertical alignment of highways, the non-destructive impedance spectroscopy measurement for soil characteristics, and solving the problems of differential settlement of pavement structures in the Bangkok area. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Circles in the sky; the life and times of George Ferris.
In the summer of 1893, an engineering marvel was unveiled at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Several stories taller than any existing American building, the Ferris Wheel carried adventure-seeking passengers to the dizzying height of 264 feet. This first full-length biography of Ferris, illustrated with b&w historical photos, chronicles the life of the man responsible for designing and building the Ferris Wheel, the only structure of its time to rival the Eiffel Tower. Appendices offer a chronology, a family tree, and the conclusion section from Ferris's thesis. Weingardt is a structural engineer. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Cold regions engineering 2009; cold regions impact on research, design, and construction; proceedings.
This proceedings contains 62 peer-reviewed papers presented at the fall 2009 Cold Regions Engineering 2009 conference, examining a variety of issues associated with cold regions engineering in countries including the US, Canada, Russia, China, Denmark, Japan, and Iran. Material is grouped in sections on climate change, construction, frost action, green engineering, hydrology and hydraulics, infrastructure, materials, pavement, railroads, retaining structures, roads, sewage processes, sewage treatment facilities, and structures. Specific subjects examined include prevention of rails seat abrasion in North America, dust measurement to determine the effectiveness of rural dust control strategies on roads, foundation design for frost heave, performance of stress-laminated timber highway bridges in cold climates, and mechanical properties of the active layer for pavement design in permafrost conditions. B&w photos of real projects are included. The information will be valuable to engineers and practitioners involved in geotechnical engineering in cold regions. Information on the editors is not provided. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Computing in civil engineering; proceedings.
This proceedings contains 67 peer-reviewed papers presented at the 2009 ASCE International Workshop on Computing in Civil Engineering, held in Austin, Texas, in June 2009. Illustrated with b&w photos, images, and screenshots, the papers are organized in five categories of sensing, mobile and wearable computing, life-cycle assessment, and sustainable infrastructure, design, and development. Specific topics covered include real-time monitoring models for temporary structures in construction, using genetic algorithms to improve crew allocation crew allocation processes in labor-intensive industries, data collection and analysis of critical infrastructure interdependency relationships, and design coordination in building information modeling (BIM) using ontological consistency checking. Information on the editors is not given (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Guiding principles for the nation's critical infrastructure.
This book presents a set of interdependent guiding principles, developed by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Critical Infrastructure Guidance Task Committee, to inform the planning, funding, design, construction, and operation of critical infrastructure systems. The guiding principles provide a strategy to address public safety, health, and welfare throughout the life cycle of critical infrastructure systems. They can be used for self-assessments and external evaluations, and can be applied to both existing and new projects. Chapters give background and recommendations on quantifying, communicating, and managing risk; employing an integrated systems approach; exercising sound leadership, management, and stewardship in the decision making process; and adapting critical infrastructure in response to dynamic conditions and practice. Color and b&w photos are included. The guiding principles were validated by a group of about 65 infrastructure experts and stakeholders at the ASCE Summit on Guiding Principles for Critical Infrastructure in December 2008. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Inspecting pipeline installation.
This manual for field personnel, constructors, and inspectors describes procedures for installing common types of pipes used to transport fluids. Non-technical personnel needing basic information regarding the pipeline installation process will also find the book useful. Recommendations are made for pipeline earthwork, and descriptions are given of the proper installation practices for ten different types of common pipes: steel, corrugated steel, ductile iron, prestressed concrete, reinforced concrete, bar-wrapped concrete, vitrified clay, polyvinyl chloride, high-density polyethylene, and fiberglass-reinforced pipes. Appendices provide checklists, formulas, and a list of industry organizations. B&w photos are also included. Information on the editors is not given. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Manhole inspection and rehabilitation, 2d ed.
This work for sewer system professionals provides step-by-step technical guidance on implementing a manhole inspection and rehabilitation program, touching on safety, evaluation, rehabilitation methods and method selection, cost-effectiveness analysis, construction inspection, and quality control. The guide includes flowcharts, checklists, data tables, and a few b&w photos, plus an appendix of color photos of manhole defects. Hughes consults on lining systems. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Material, design, construction, maintenance, and testing of pavement; proceedings.
Twenty-eight papers from the August 2009 conference document the first warm mix asphalt field trial placed by the Texas Department of Transportation, an ANFIS methodology for the backcalculation of airport flexible pavement moduli, and the rehabilitation of asphalt concrete pavements. Other topics include correlating APA to field permanent deformation for HMA mixes, predicting pavement deterioration for the Saudi interurban network, designing asphalt pavement for orthotropic steel bridge decks, and evaluating damage for super heavy load moves. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
New technologies in construction and rehabilitation of Portland cement concrete pavement and bridge deck pavement; proceedings.
The 21 papers reflect recent developments in design and construction methodologies for concrete structures, recent attention being paid to durability in concrete pavements, and efforts to correct the sloppiness many have noticed in defining design input variables. They also look to the near future when much of the infrastructure in the industrialized world will be coming to the end of its projected life cycle and will need to be replaced. They take on bridge deck pavement first, discussing an innovative rehabilitation approach, the mechanics of an overlay of the tied arch deck, a new composite pavement system for orthotropic steel bridge decks, and other topics. Then the focus turns to Portland concrete pavement, and such aspects as physical properties of rapid-setting concrete using ultra-fine fly ash, repairing longitudinal joints and cracks, and estimating the compression strength of concrete using shear wave velocity. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Performance modeling and evaluation of pavement systems and materials; proceedings.
Twenty-four papers from the August 2009 conference investigate methods for analyzing pavement materials and systems and their performance. The researchers report on the relationship between the loading surface and conductivity of smart asphalt concrete, a cohesive crack model based on a bounding surface concept for asphalt concrete, a mix design of pervious recycled concrete, and the development of a large algebraic solver for structural mechanics. The analysis approaches include 3D finite element modeling, matter element modeling, neural networks, Grey theory, and similarity theory. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Recent advancement in soil behavior, in situ test methods, pile foundations, and tunneling; proceedings.
The overarching themes are soil behavior and laboratory testing, in-situ test methods for characterizing sites, the design and quality control of earth structures and subgrades, pile foundations in subgrade, and tunnel engineering. The 44 papers themselves consider such topics as the discrete element modeling of aggregate behavior in fouled railroad ballast, logging for diametric variation of stone columns using crosshole seismic tests, the nonlinear response of passively loaded piles founded in soft Bangkok clay, failure mechanisms and corresponding stability charts of homogeneous rock slopes, and mechanic characteristics of waterproof membrane for highway tunnels. Each paper has been reviewed and approved by at least two professional geotechnical engineers specializing in the subject area discussed. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Road pavement material characterization and rehabilitation; proceedings.
The 26 papers selected for the August 2009 conference present advances in characterizing pavement materials, rebuilding roadways, and maintaining pavement. The three papers on road widening report on foundation treatments, in situ dynamic compaction tests on subgrade for reconstruction, and 3D finite element analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported widening of an embankment over soft soil. Other topics include forensic study of a reinforced soil slope failure, mixing and compaction temperatures for modified asphalt mixtures, the effect of de-icing chemicals on crack sealant performance, and recycled aggregate concrete for pavement construction. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Slope stability, retaining walls, and foundations; proceedings.
Collects 35 papers presented during the two sessions of the August 2009 conference on soil stabilization and the dynamics behavior of soils and foundations, and earth retaining walls and slope stability. The Chinese researchers analyze long-term settlement of a chimney foundation on silty clay, design ballasted railway track foundations under cyclic loading, evaluate the extraction resistance of grouted soil nail, and develop a treatment plan for preventing landslides on the Changtan New River. Other topics include deep drain stability in high steep slopes, a pendular element model for contact grouting, and the geotechnical properties of controlled low-strength materials. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Soils and rock instrumentation, behavior, and modeling; proceedings.
The 15 papers are from one of the sessions at the conference, and the volume is named after it. Among the topics are modeling resilient modulus of unbound granular materials under repeated loading, measuring soil air suction change during the freezing-thawing process, the pumping test data analyses of andesite rock blocks aquifer with varied hydraulic boundaries by generalized radial flow model, and the numerical simulation of soil-pile interaction in expansive soil foundations. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Transportation Engineering; proceedings; 5v.
From ICTE 2009 (July 2009, Chengdu, China), the second annual conference sponsored by the China Communications and Transportation Association, the American Society of Engineers, and the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Fund, 740 peer-reviewed papers address an extraordinary range of topics relevant to transportation, including new technologies in planning, design, construction, operation, and management. A sampling of topics: characteristics of railway noise in urban areas; traffic congestion pricing; reactive powder concrete in highway barriers; group behaviors in a pedestrian traffic simulation model; deformation of asphalt mixture based on dissipation energy; optimal scheduling for a public transport corridor; and ultimate capacity analysis of concrete-filled steel tubular structure under eccentric compression. The presentation is in five volumes, and although the papers are not arranged according to theme, a subject index in each volume gives access by topic in a general sort of way. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Transportation, land use, planning, and air quality; proceedings.
The purpose of the conference was to report on how some combination of the four fields might address the disjuncture between increasing travel demand and growing concerns about air quality. The 14 selected papers discuss environmental impacts of freight, pricing and its impacts, land use and air quality, climate change and air quality, and transportation and land use. Specific topics include a strategic-level modeling tool for evaluating air quality and greenhouse gas mitigation strategies for urban road freight in Sydney, state approaches to reducing transportation sector greenhouse gas emission, and whether there is a relationship between transportation and land use. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Women in engineering; professional life.
This anthology collects profiles of pioneering women engineers and analyses of the status and prospects for women in engineering at different times during the 20th century. Material was first published in many different formats, from popular magazines to scholarly journals, and illuminates the professional lives of women engineers through articles, lectures, reports, and essays dating back to the 1920s. The book includes reports from the Women's Bureau of the US Department of Labor encouraging women to pursue engineering careers during and after World War II, career advice from pioneer Elsie Eaves, and a retrospective of the Society of Women Engineers' guidance activities. Lane is project director of a program created at Virginia Tech to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Women in engineering; pioneers and trailblazers.
Trailblazing women in engineering, such as Emily Roebling, Kate Gleason, and Edith Clarke, are profiled in this anthology of essays, articles, lectures, and reports. A section on historical perspectives surveys gender and engineering in the US from 1870 to 1945, and looks at the history of women's US engineering education. A section on trailblazers contains profiles of women engineers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, culminating in a group portrait of female engineering society presidents at the beginning of the 21st century. There is also an analysis of the contribution of women to the development of the first electronic computer, ENIAC. The chapters in this section draw from a variety of sources, including women's magazines, professional society publications, a college alumni magazine, and scholarly journals dating from the 1920s to the early 21st century. B&w historical photos and portraits are included. The book will be of interest to historians, engineers, educators, and students. Layne is project director of a program created at Virginia Tech to increase the participation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers. (Annotation ©2009 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
