TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERING
How do we get material from Point A to Point B? Pipe or rail?
Who decides how long a red light is? Or a green light?
How do you see over the next hill?
What materials do you make a road out of?
DIGGING DEEPER: TRANSPORTATION
A “mode” of transportation is a type of transportation. Common modes include cars, trucks, busses, airplanes, trains, and boats.
PHOTO BY: GARVER
PHOTO BY: CRAFTON TULL
When you are driving, does it sometimes feel the car might go sideways while going around a curve? This means the geometric design of the curve has used a small radius. This can be caused by there not being enough land for a larger curve, or other conflicting structures. Regardless of the reason, it may require a reduction in speed. How we lay out our roads is call the geometric design of roads.
PHOTO BY: GARVER
PHOTO BY: CRAFTON TULL
What is travel demand modeling? Well, if you’ve been stuck in a traffic jam, you’ve experienced it. A traffic jam occurs because the traffic volume (number of cars and trucks) has exceeded the capacity of the existing road (number of lanes). States, cities, and companies use equations to predict how much traffic there will be on a road in the future, this is called travel demand modeling.
PHOTO BY: OLSSON
PHOTO BY: BRAHAM
PHOTO BY: BRAHAM
PHOTO BY: BRAHAM
If you’ve ever driven on mud or dirt, you know that your tires sink and your car can’t move. This is because of a weak pavement structure. The pavement you drive on helps distribute the load of cars across a greater surface of soil, which makes a smother, safer driving surface. In addition, the pavement diverts water away from the pavement structure and increases the friction between the tire and the roadway surface. Asphalt concrete is called a flexible pavement, and looks black. Portland cement concrete is called a rigid pavement, and looks white.
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