This paper reports on an Irish study examining first year students' recollections of their concerns, motivations, level of preparedness and perceived skills on entry to university. The study aims to investigate and understand the implications of the attitudes of first year students as they make the transition to university. It also explores students' behaviour during their initial weeks at university. It is important to understand the anxieties of new students, their views on their abilities and their confidence in managing their new role as these factors will have consequences for their experience as first year university students. These findings are explored with a view to enhancing the quality of support for students during this key transition.
This paper presents the physical properties of Recycled Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and its influence on the mechanical performance of a binder course asphalt pavement mix. A series of binder course mixes were designed containing varying percentages of RAP. A mix made from only virgin material was selected as the control mix for the investigation. The effect of introducing RAP into the binder course mix was evaluated through a series of laboratory tests including the Marshall test, the indirect tensile stiffness modulus Test, the indirect tensile fatigue test and the water sensitivity test. A Circular Wheel Track (CWT) was developed in order to study the dynamic effects of a rolling wheel travelling over an asphalt pavement. The CWT was commissioned within a temperature controlled room along with a customised data acquisition system. The system involves the testing of rectangular slabs and allows for the investigation of dynamic tensile strain. The laboratory tests have shown that the introduction of RAP to the binder course mix resulted in an improvement in all mechanical properties. In particular, it was found that the mix containing up to 30% RAP, displayed improved fatigue resistance relative to the control mix manufactured from virgin materials.
Item record/more information http://hdl.handle.net/10197/3190
Publisher's statement þÿ T h i s i s t h e a u t h o r s v e r s i o n o f a w o r k t h a t
Recent increases in traffic volumes in Ireland have led to severe loadings on pavements, which are showing some signs of distress, primarily in the form of rutting and reflective cracking of overlays. The particularly short life of bituminous overlays on concrete pavements has prompted an examination of both the materials currently in use and possible alternative materials. The research program undertaken at University College Dublin to assess the resistance to reflective cracking of a variety of bituminous mixtures currently in use in Ireland is described. Laboratory-prepared slabs were provided with variable support conditions and subjected to loading through a reciprocating wheel. This setup allowed a variety of mixtures and binders, including polymer-modified binders, to be compared under accelerated test conditions that simulated long-term field performance. The setups used to examine the resistance to reflective cracking are detailed, and the results obtained ranking both mixture and binder performance are summarized. In addition, standard wheel-tracking tests were carried out on the mixtures used to determine their resistance to permanent deformation.
There is a need for a method for assessing the results from changes in the potential durability of road materials due to the inclusion of reclaimed and secondary component materials in the manufacture of new road materials. Such changes will have an effect on the cost of the construction maintenance, both financially to the client and environmentally to society in general, and any savings may be transitory. A site trial has been laid of mixtures with and without reclaimed asphalt and work started to assess their durability from early-life properties. The trials are being monitored for their initial performance whilstlaboratory trials are concentrating on the combined effect of ageing and moisture damage on the performance of asphalt mixtures on the trial. All three strands are being used to develop life-cycle analysis models to customise them for the effect of using alternative component materials on the availability of the network and their overall financial and environmental cost, both initial and whole-life. The costs will be identified as being direct (of the construction and maintenance) and indirect (on society in general, such as congestion).Keywords:Recycling, Secondary aggregates, Durability, Whole-life costs.
RésuméIl existe un besoin de trouver une méthode pour évaluer les résultats de la variation de la durée de vie potentielle de matériaux routiers en raison de l'inclusion des matériaux de construction recyclés et secondaires dans la fabrication de nouveaux matériaux routiers. Ces changements auront un effet sur le coût de l'entretien de la construction, à la fois financièrement concernant la clientèle et de l'environnement pour la société et les économies réalisées peuvent être éphémères. Un essai du site a été fait avec des mélanges avec et sans enrobés et des travaux ont été entrepris afin d'évaluer leur durabilité et les propriétés en début de la vie. Les essais sont surveillés pour leur performance alors que les essais en laboratoire se concentrent sur l'effet combiné des dommages causés par le vieillissement et de l'humidité sur la performance des enrobés bitumineux sur le procès. Les trois brins sont utilisés pour développer des modèles d'analyse du cycle de vie pour les adapter à ll'utilisation des matériaux des composants alternatifs sur la disponibilité du réseau et leur coût global financier et environnemental, que se soit pour l'état initial que pour la vie entière. Les coûts seront identifiés comme étant directe (de la construction et de l'entretien) et indirects (sur la société en général, tels que la congestion).
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