Julie M. Vandenbossche, PhD, PE

William Kepler Whiteford Professor Associate Chair of Research

Director, Impact Resilient Infrastructure Science and Engineering (IRISE)

705 Benedum Hall | 3700 O’Hara Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15261 P: 412-624-9879

jmv7@pitt.edu

Dr. Vandenbossche’s research group focuses on the characterization of concrete and cementitious materials both in the lab as well as numerically. A large portion of their research is related to the design, analysis and performance prediction of concrete pavements. They also are providing insight into the fundamental characteristics of the cement hydration process as it relates to gas migration through the cement annulus of a wellbore. Some of the recent projects include:

Wellbore Simulation Chamber

Gas migration into and along cemented wellbore annuli has been recognized as both a safety and environmental risk for the oil and gas industries. This becomes most severe when formation gas is able to enter the wellbore annulus and travel vertically, potentially migrating to nearby freshwater aquifers. A novel laboratoryscale wellbore simulation device was developed to simulate this migration for a wide range of borehole conditions. The purpose of the study is to establish a correlation between the vulnerability of a cemented annulus to gas migration and the fundamental properties of the hydrating cement.

Dowel Performance in Concrete Pavements

Dowels are an integral part of many concrete pavements, decreasing the load borne by each slab. Dowels are particularly important to reduce faulting. However, dowel performance is poorly characterized, with little understanding of the temporal effects on field performance. In this study, a laboratory setup was developed to simulate dowel performance. This was combined with computational modeling to develop new mechanistic models that can be used for performance prediction and will lead to a more optimal design of pavements.

Effect of Superloads on Pavements

Vehicles that exceed statutory load limits (200,000 lbs) and occupy more than one lane are called superloads, and are often used to transport very large manufactured components on highways. Superloads require special permitting, but the basis for issuing permits tends to be nonscientific, with little consideration for the effect of the vehicle configuration and environmental conditions on the resulting damage to the roadway. In this project, tools were developed for assessing damage imposed by superloads commonly encountered in Pennsylvania so that a scientific basis for assessing future permits and protecting the roadway is now possible.

Bonded Concrete Overlays of Asphalt

Agencies are in need of efficient and reliable rehabilitation techniques to extend the service life of flexible pavements. Bonded Concrete Overlays of Asphalt (BCOA) pavements have gained increasing popularity, with Pitt’s BCOA-ME design tool being the leading method to design them across the country, as well as being used around the world. However, the prediction of faulting in BCOA pavements remained a gap in the tool. In this study, a first of its kind faulting model for BCOA was developed, incorporating computational analysis, machine learning, and field data. The tool is available online for users at:

https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/ bcoa-me

Figure 1: Research projects a) Accelerated Load Frame (ALF) for large-scale accelerated testing of slabs under typical and overloaded axle loads b) lab setup to test the performance of dowel bars under repeated loading c) accelerated beam fatigue test to evaluate the effect of superload vehicles and d) wellbore simulation chamber test setup for simulating gas migration in cemented annuli