PURPOSES : A pilot experimental study on the formation of fine particulate matter through photochemical reactions using precursor gas species (volatile organic compounds (VOCs), NH3, SO2, and NOx) was conducted to evaluate the large-scale environment chamber for investigating the pathway of aerosol formation and the subsequent assessment techniques used for reducing fine particulate matter. Two small-scale environment chambers (one experimental group and one control group), each with a width, depth, and height of 3 m, 2 m, and 2.3 m, respectively, were constructed using ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) films. METHODS : The initial conditions of the fine particles and precursor gases (NOx and VOCs) for the small-scale environment chamber were set up by injecting diesel vehicle exhaust. NH3 and H2O2 were added to the small-scale environment chamber for the photochemical reaction to form organic and inorganic aerosols. The gas phase of the VOCs and the chemical compositions of aerosols were investigated using a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer and the aerodyne high-resolution time-of-flight aerosol mass spectrometer at 1 and 10 s time resolutions, respectively. Gas phases of NO and NO2 were measured using Serinus 40 NOx at a 20 s time resolution. RESULTS : The small-scale environment chambers built using ETFE films were proved to supply sufficient natural sunlight for the photochemical reaction in the environment chambers at an average of approximately 89% natural sunlight transmission at 300–1000 nm. When the intermediates of NH3 and H2O2 for the atmospheric chemical reaction were injected for the initial condition of the small-scale environment chamber, nitrate and ammonium in the experimental group increased to 4747% and 1837%, respectively, compared to the initial concentrations (5.4 μg/m3 of nitrate and 5.2 μg/m3 of ammonium), indicating the formation of secondary inorganic aerosols of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). This implies that it is necessary to inject intermediates (NH3 and H2O2) for the formation of fine particulate matter when simulating the atmospheric photochemical reaction for assessing the environment chamber. CONCLUSIONS : This study has shown that small-scale environment chambers can simulate the atmospheric photochemical reaction for the reduction of fine particulate matter and the formation of the aerosol pathway. The results of this study can be applied to prevent time and economic losses that may be incurred in a full-scale environment chamber.

PURPOSES : This study analyzes the characteristics of generated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) at roadsides using a statistical method, namely, a generalized linear model (GLM). The study also investigates the applicability and capability of a machine learning methods such as a generalized regression neural network (GRNN) for predicting PM2.5 and NOX generations. METHODS : To analyze the characteristics of PM2.5 and NOX generations at roadsides, data acquisition was conducted in a specific segment of roads, and PM2.5 and NOX prediction models were estimated using GLM. In addition, to investigate the applicability and capability of a machine learning methods, PM2.5 and NOX prediction models were estimated using a GRNN and were compared with models employing previously estimated GLMs using r-square, mean absolute deviation (MAD), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and root mean square error (RMSE) as parameters. RESULTS : Results revealed that relative humidity, wind speed, and traffic volume were significant for both PM2.5 and NOX prediction models based on estimated models from a GLM. In addition, to compare the applicability and capability of the GLM and GRNN models (i.e., PM2.5 and NOX prediction models), the GRNN model of PM2.5 and NOX prediction was found to yield better statistical significance for r-square, MAD, MAPE, and RMSE as compared with the same parameters used in the GLM. CONCLUSIONS : Analytical results indicated that a higher relative humidity and traffic volume could lead to higher PM2.5 and NOX concentrations. By contrast, lower wind speed could affect higher PM2.5 and NOX concentrations at roadsides. In addition, based on a comparison of two statistical methods (i.e., GLM and GRNN models used to estimate PM2.5 and NOX), GRNN model yielded better statistical significance as compared with GLM.

PURPOSES : The objective of this study is to figure out the trend and characteristics of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentration in underpass sections. The effect of traffic and meteorological condition on PM2.5 / NOx concentration was analyzed using field monitoring data. METHODS : Based on the literature review, PM2.5 and NOx concentration data were monitored using DustTrak II aerosol monitoring system and Serinus 40 oxides of nitrogen analyzer, respectively. Meteorological and traffic information was collected using automatic weather system and traffic volume counter, respectively. RESULTS : PM2.5 has a positive and negative correlation with relative humidity and wind speed, respectively. Meanwhile, NOx was found to have no correlation with meteorological conditions. The NO/NO2 ratio tends to change with traffic volume, indicating higher correlation between NO and traffic volume; the observed NO2 is mostly a secondary material produced by NO oxidation. CONCLUSIONS : Our study provides clear characteristics of NOx and PM2.5 and correlations with meteorological and traffic information in the underpass sections. It is found from this study that the increase in wind speed causes reduction in the concentration of PM2.5 owing to the diffusion and dispersion phenomena. On the other hand, the meteorological conditions were found to barely have correlations with NOx concentrations in this study. The traffic volume could significantly affect the NOx concentration and NO / NO2 ratio, which is directly correlated to the emissions from vehicles.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the shear and tensile strength properties of adhesive road studs in asphalt and concrete pavements. METHODS: The 300 mm×300 mm×50 mm rectangular specimens were fabricated using asphalt and concrete mixture for installation of road studs. Four 140-mm-radius circular areas were milled on each specimen with depth of 5 mm to install the adhesive road studs. About 100 g of thermal melting adhesive was applied on the milled area, and then the road stud was bonded onto the surface of the asphalt and concrete mixture. Direct shear testing was conducted at a speed of 5 mm/min on the interface between road stud and asphalt and concrete materials. Tensile strength testing was also conducted on the prepared specimens by applying load with increase of 50 kPa per second. These tests were performed not only in dry condition but also in wet condition to determine the effect of moisture on the shear and tensile strengths. RESULTS : According to the shear testing results, the average shear strength of asphalt samples in dry and wet conditions are 0.509 and 0.234 MPa, respectively. From this testing, the shear strength of wet sample was found to be decreased by 50% with respect to that of the dry sample. Similar trends can be observed on the concrete samples. The average tensile strength of asphalt samples was 0.187 MPa at 1.5 mm of displacement in dry condition. The concrete sample has a 0.222 MPa average tensile strength, which is slightly higher than that of the asphalt sample because of the rough surface characteristics of the concrete sample. CONCLUSIONS: It is determined from this study that the shear and tensile strengths of road stud bonded on the surface of asphalt mixture are slightly lower than those on concrete samples. Regardless of the pavement type, the wet conditioning of the sample can decrease the shear and tensile strength by 50% those of the dry sample. In the future, the quality improvement of adhesive and increase of specific surface area should be considered to improve the bonding property between road stud and pavement surface.

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to analyze characteristics of concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among 3 different types of bus stops, specifically partially closed bus stop with front & back partition, partially closed bus stop with back partition, and bus stop with open space (referred to as bus stop types Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and Ⅲ, respectively) at urban roadside, using the Anderson-Darling test as statistical method. METHODS: For the purpose of this study, first of all, data on concentrations of PM2.5 on the 3 types of bus stops at urban roadside were acquired for certain days, with different levels of air quality index (AQI). Secondly, this study accomplished the data processing of removing outliers from acquired data, and the Anderson-Darling test was conducted to estimate probabilities of occurrence for concentrations of PM2.5 in the 3 types of bus stops. RESULTS : The average concentrations of PM2.5 for AQI‘ Very High’for bus stop types Ⅰ, Ⅱand Ⅲare 46-179㎍/m3, 66-194㎍/m3, 42- 134㎍/m3, respectively, and for AQI ‘High’for bus stop typesⅠ, Ⅱ and Ⅲ are 16-71㎍/m3, 26-84㎍/m3, and 14-69㎍/m3, respectively. Furthermore, probabilities of occurrence for concentration levels of PM2.5 in AQI were estimated for given measurement dates using the Anderson-Darling test as statistical method. As a result, for AQI ‘Very High,’the probabilities of occurrence for concentration levels ‘Very High’and‘ High’were determined more likely to occur regardless of bus stop type. With respect to each type of bus stop, the probabilities of ‘Very High’for bus stop type Ⅱ were 93.37% and 98.92%, higher than for the other bus stop types. For AQI ‘High’the probabilities of occurrence for concentration levels‘ Good’were found to be very low, at 0.00% to 3.07%, and occurred mainly for‘ Moderate’and‘ High’in this study. In particular, the probabilities of occurrence for concentration level‘ High’for bus stop type Ⅱwere analyzed to be greater than 90%, compared to those for the other bus stop types. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the result of this study, when PM2.5 is analyzed on certain days, probabilities of occurrence for concentration levels in AQI should be considered for each type of bus stop.

PURPOSES: In this study, a numerical parametric study was performed to evaluate the effect of angular velocity and weight of wheel, and density of road-bed particles on corrugation development. METHODS : Discrete element method coupled with rigid body dynamics was applied to simulate a wheel-running circular table with variations in independent parameters, such as wheel angular velocity, wheel weight, and particle density. The position profiles for travel distance from origin were compared and analyzed to confirm if the trend from numerical analysis agrees with the analytical solution. RESULTS: The angular velocity of the wheel exhibits a clear inverse relationship with the development of corrugation even though the weight of wheel does not demonstrate clear trends for both long-wave and short-wave corrugation. The density of road-bed particles is observed to have clear proportional effect on corrugation development. The movement of corrugation to the running direction, which was observed in previous research, is also observed for various conditions. CONCLUSIONS : The parametric study using discrete element method with rigid body dynamics clearly exhibits good agreement with analytical solution for initiation of corrugation. The coupled method is confirmed to supply additional information that cannot be delivered by analytical solution only.

PURPOSES: The purpose of this study is to compare the concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) at different types of roadside bus stops in an urban environment, and analyze the tendencies in PM2.5 concentrations according to the air quality index. METHODS : To compare and analyze the characteristics of fine particulate matter at roadside bus stops, we collected data such as PM2.5 concentration, temperature, humidity etc., and performed a comparative analysis of their concentration levels at different types of bus stops (a partially closed bus stop with a front and back partition, a partially closed bus stop with only a back partition, and a bus stop with an open space). In addition, the daily variation in fine particulate matter concentration was analyzed. RESULTS: The average daily concentration levels of fine PM2.5 in the target area for a partially closed bus stop with a front and back partition, a partially closed bus stop with a back partition, and a bus stop with an open space were 18.40㎍/㎥ to 108.27㎍/㎥, 22.81㎍/㎥ to 135.51㎍/㎥, and 16.62㎍/㎥ to 81.52㎍/㎥, respectively. According to air quality index levels during the target measurement period, the bus stop with an open space had the least concentration levels of PM2.5 compared to the other bus stops. Furthermore, this study revealed that the PM2.5 concentration levels usually increased during the peak hour period in the morning and gradually increased after 2 pm until the end of the peak hour period at night, regardless of the bus stop type. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of this study, we demonstrated the effect of PM2.5 concentration levels on the atmospheric, weather, environmental, and transportation conditions in a target area, and the variation in concentration levels depending on the type of bus stop.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the stiffness characteristics and seasonal variation in surface deflections of block and asphalt pavements using the light weight deflectometer (LWD) and falling weight deflectometer (FWD). METHODS: LWD and FWD testing was conducted on block and asphalt pavement sections in a low-impact development facility, to evaluate the structural capacity and seasonal variation in asphalt pavements. To analyze the seasonal variation in stiffness characteristics, this testing was performed in October 2016, January 2017, and March 2017 in the same drop locations. RESULTS : It was found from that the average center deflections in the asphalt and block pavements were 218 ㎛ and 2974 ㎛, respectively. The center deflections measured using FWD testing in block pavement are 15 times those measured in asphalt pavement. It was also observed that LWD deflections in block pavements were decreased by approximately 65-90% as the air temperature dropped from 20 to 4℃. The degree of reduction in block pavement was significantly higher when compared with asphalt pavement, which showed a 25- 50% reduction in deflection. CONCLUSIONS: When using block pavements for roadways, the structural capacity of the pavement system should be considered during the design and construction stages. In block pavements, the use of low-quality material and insufficient compaction in the base and subgrade layers can induce a reduction in structural capacity, which would lead to the need for frequent repair work. A reinforcement underneath the block layer would be an appropriate measure for improving the structural support and extending the service life.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the structural capacity of asphalt pavement in subsurface cavity sections using falling weight deflectometer (FWD) backcalculation method. METHODS: It is necessary to analyze the reduction of structural capacity in asphalt pavements due to the occurrence of subsurface cavities. The FWD testing was conducted on the cavity and intact asphalt pavement in the city of Seoul. The GAPAVE, backcalculation program for FWD deflections, was utilized to determine the layer moduli in asphalt pavements. The remaining life of asphalt pavements in cavity sections were predicted using the pavement performance model for fatigue cracking. The backcalculated layer moduli between cavity and intact sections were compared to determine the reduction of structural capacity due to subsurface cavity. The relationship between the reduction of layer modulus and cavity depth/length was analyzed to estimate the effect of cavity characteristics on the structural capacity degradation. RESULTS: According to the FWD backcalculation results, the modulus of asphalt layer, subbase, and subgrade in cavity sections are generally lower than those in intact sections. In the case of asphalt layers, the backcalculated modulus in cavity section was reduced by 50% compared to intact section. A study for the prediction of remaining life of cavity section shows that the occurrence of subsurface cavity induces the decrease of the pavement life significantly. It is found that there is no close relationship between the backcalculated modulus and cavity length. However, the reduction of asphalt layer modulus is highly correlated with the cavity depth and was found to increase with the decrease of cavity depth. CONCLUSIONS : This reduction of structural capacity due to the occurrence of cavities underneath asphalt pavements was determined using FWD backcalculation analysis. In the future, this approach will be utilized to establish the criteria of road collapse risk and predict the remaining life of cavity sections under numerous varied conditions.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study was to develop an asphalt pavement response model for a subsurface cavity section using the 3D finite element method and a statistical approach. METHODS: It is necessary to analyze the structural behavior of asphalt pavement with a subsurface cavity to evaluate the degree of risk for a road cave-in. A 3D finite element model was developed to simulate the subsurface cavity underneath asphalt pavement and was verified using the ILLIPAVE program. Finite element analysis was conducted for asphalt pavement sections with different asphalt layer thickness/modulus, and cavity depth and length, to generate the artificial pavement response database. The critical pavement response considered in this study was the tensile strain at the bottom of the asphalt layer because fatigue cracking is the main cause of road cave-in. The relationship between the critical pavement response and influencing factors was investigated using the pavement response database. The statistical regression approach was adopted to develop the asphalt pavement response model for predicting the critical pavement response of asphalt pavement with a subsurface cavity. RESULTS : It was found from the sensitivity analysis that the asphalt layer thickness or modulus, and cavity depth or length, are the major factors affecting road cave-in incidents involving asphalt pavement. The asphalt pavement response model showed high accuracy in predicting the tensile strain at the bottom of asphalt layer. It was found from the verification study that the R square value between finite element model and pavement response model were 0.969 and 0.978 in the cavity and intact sections, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The work reported in this paper was intended to figure out the pavement structural behavior and to develop a pavement response model for the occurrence of cavities underneath asphalt pavement using 3D finite element analysis. In the future, critical pavement response will be utilized to establish the criteria of risk of road cave-in based on various different conditions.

PURPOSES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the application of soil stabilization method for soft shoulder construction in the iRoad Project of Sri Lanka. METHODS: Firstly, the quantitative analysis of soil strength improvement due to soil stabilization was done for soil samples collected from iRoad construction sites. Two types of soils were selected from iRoad Project sites and prepared for soil stabilization testing by the Road Development Authority. Secondly, the appropriate stabilizer was selected at given soil type based on test results. Two different stabilizers, ST-1 and ST-2, produced in Korea were used for estimating soil strength improvements. Finally, the optimum stabilizer content was determined for improving shoulder performance. The uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test was conducted to evaluate the strength of stabilized soil samples in accordance with ASTM D 1633. The use of bottom ash as a stabilizer produced from power plant in Sri Lanka was also reviewed in this task. RESULTS: It is found from the UCS testing that a 3% use of soil stabilizer can improve the strength up to 2~5 times in stabilized soft shoulder soils with respect to unstabilized soils. It is also observed from UCS testing that the ST-1 shows high strength improvement in 3% of stabilizer content but the strength improvement rate with increase of stabilizer content is relatively low compared with ST-2. The ST-2 shows a low UCS value at 3% of content but the UCS values increase significantly with increase of stabilizer content. When using the ST-2 as stabilizing agent, the 5% is recommended as minimum content based on UCS testing results. Based on the testing results for bottom ash replacement, the stabilized sample with bottom ash shows the low strength value. CONCLUSIONS: This paper is intended to check the feasibility for use the soil stabilization technique for shoulder construction in Sri Lanka. The use of soil stabilizer enables to improve the durability and strength in soft shoulder materials. When applying the bottom ash as a soil stabilizer, various testings should be conducted to satisfy the specification criteria.