Masters Thesis Finished
I’m all finished with my master’s thesis. All that is left is make 4 copies on expensive paper, and take them to the ASU bookstore and spend too much to get them bound. Of course Murphy has had a hand in my life the last couple days, our nice color duplex laser printer needs a new drum and transfer belt. $300 is too much to pay right now, and I need them today, not in a couple weeks or whenever UPS delivers them, so we have to buy a new printer, which will be cheaper than printing it at Kinko’s.
You can download my thesis following this link:
http://media.amosfamily.net/doc/Pavement_Design_on_Exapansive_Subgrade-A_Comparison.pdf
My abstract:
Using a pavement design model presented by Hong et. al. the pavement structural number was computed in a 0.1 degree grid pattern for the entire state of Arizona. This model takes into account the expansion potential and suction envelope within the subgrade soil using a model nearly identical to that used in post-tensioned slab design. The pavement structural number for each of the points on the grid was also obtained using the pavement design model currently endorsed by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). It was determined by comparing these two models that the method proposed by Hong et al., referred to as the “Texas method,” determines the structural number to be larger than that obtained using the ADOT model. In locations with soils with high expansion potential, the structural number estimated by the Texas Method was three to four times the structural number provided by the Arizona Method. Pavement performance data is needed to determine which method provides a more accurate design.
In order to properly model the Texas method, data was collected from various sources and analyzed. Climatic information was collected and maps generated. Soil property maps were also generated. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the mean principal stress compression index and on the wetting and drying cycle frequency. The latter parameter was analyzed for wetting and drying cycle frequencies of one day, one week, one month, and one year. It was found that the frequency contributed greatly to the depth of suction equilibrium and had a large effect on the structural number estimated by the Texas method.
Thesis Defense
Wish me luck, on Wednesday morning I will defend my thesis. If you’d like to read the draft you can download it here.
http://media.amosfamily.net/doc/Brian Amos – Thesis.pdf
I’ll put the final up here after I turn it in for binding.
Broken Computer
If when opening your laptop you hear a popping noise, and it’s not opening as easily as it usually does, I’m sorry. Sunday night at about 10 I sat down to check my email before going to bed. As I lifted up the monitor the case started popping open, and I couldn’t lift it all the way up. That’s odd, I thought. I set about taking the cover off to figure out what was wrong. After getting the cover off I could see that the hinge had snapped on one side.
After the initial frustration I realized how lucky I am to have a tablet PC. Once I got the damaged portion out I was able to flip the screen and use it as a tablet. The monitor won’t move, but at least I can still use it. How aweful it would have been if I had a regular laptop and couldn’t use it at all. Being about 95% finished with the second draft of my Masters Thesis, it would have been very difficult to get that done.
I’m grateful that I’m not afraid to tear things apart and try to fix them. At about 11:30 Sunday night Laurie looked over to see what I was up to and said I was weird. Most people wouldn’t tear their computer apart.
On Monday morning after finding a parts supplier and ordering a new hinge assembly I was looking around to see how much it would have cost me to get it fixed. The parts dealer/authorized repair facility for Toshiba would have charged me $290 in labor. That, the shipping, and the part would have come close to $500 dollars. I could buy a new computer for little more than half that.
While I may be “weird”, and not “most people,” being weird saved me $400, and the inside part of the screen that was so dusty and dirty is now clean. Perhaps the best part is I don’t have to be without a computer while it’s getting fixed.
When the hinge gets here I’ll take pictures, computer guts are pretty neat.
Weather
I think the last few days there have been more clouds than all the days in June combined for all of history. It hasn’t been hotter than 95 since last friday, and isn’t supposed to be until saturday. Even then it isn’t supposed to be above 100 until next week. Isn’t June the month of 115 degree weather?? If there is such a thing as global warming there must also be local cooling. I can take it. I can take 90’s in June anyday. Apparently we may even see rain tomorrow, rain in June, imagine that. I looked outside and I haven’t seen any flying pigs. Maybe tomorrow…
North Korea’s Nuclear Test
Umm… Shouldn’t we do something about this already? If they can make a 4.7 magnitude earthquake with a bomb, we probably don’t want this thing going off over inhabited places. Don’t they have an ICBM too?? Is the cold war going to start up again? The world against North Korea?
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009hbaf.php#details
