Joshua Steelman

Joshua Steelman

Contact Information:

City Campus (Lincoln)
362P Prem S. Paul Research Center at Whittier School
(402) 472-1972
joshua.steelman@unl.edu

Associate Professor
Complete Engineer Fellow

Academic Degrees

  • Ph.D., Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013
  • M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006
  • B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2001

Certifications

  • Ph.D., P.E. (NE)

Selected Active Projects

NCHRP 12-119 MASH Railing Load Requirements for Bridge Deck Overhang (PI)

- The objectives of this research are to (1) propose modification to the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications related to loading requirements of the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH)  for bridge deck overhang and (2) develop examples to demonstrate the application of the proposed modifications. The research includes analysis in LS-DYNA and surrogate vehicle impact tests on bridge deck overhangs supporting solid concrete parapets, concrete posts-on-deck, steel posts-on-deck, and steel posts-on-curbs.

NCHRP 22-41 Proposed Modification to AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Section 13 – Railing (Co-PI, subaward lead at UNL)

- AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) criteria reflect higher impact velocities and heavier vehicle weights representative of the modern vehicle fleet.  Bridge railing designers need to work with two AASHTO documents, MASH and the LRFD Bridge Design Specifications (AASHTO LRFD), when developing railing details for bridges and other transportation structures such as retaining walls, wingwalls and pavements. AASHTO LRFD Section 13 – Railings, has not been significantly revised since the initial version of the LRFD Specifications (1994) and therefore it does not fully address railing design needs to meet MASH. This project will modernize AASHTO LRFD Section 13 to align with modern crash testing requirements in MASH, facilitating improved bridge rail safety for the commuting public.

NCHRP 22-55 Implementation of MASH Surrogate Test Vehicles for Sign Supports, Breakaway Poles, and Work Zone Traffic Control Devices (Co-PI)

- Historically, roadside safety features have been subjected to crashworthiness evaluations using a variety of impact test specifications and/or guidelines.  The implementation of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) has left state departments of transportation (DOTs) and manufacturers in a situation where a significant number of breakaway poles, sign supports, and work zone traffic control devices need to be evaluated for MASH compliance. The development of robust surrogate test vehicles, with an ability to largely capture vehicle deformation and penetrations as well as accurate system behavior, would reduce crash-testing costs and promote greater innovation for new products for manufacturers and DOTs.  The objective of this research is to develop a guide for the implementation of surrogate test vehicles, including pendulums and bogie vehicles, for evaluation of Systems for MASH compliance and propose modifications to the AASHTO MASH for sign supports, breakaway poles, and work zone traffic control devices.

MASH Testing of Single-Column Sign Supports for Florida Department of Transportation (PI)

- Single-column pipe sign supports are used by many agencies for a range of commuter information purposes, which include small signs and markers (i.e., reference location signs, tenth-mile delineators, and object markers) as well as larger signs guiding interstate highway traffic. Many of these devices are usually placed within close proximity to the edge of the travelled way and within the clear zone.  Although these types of sign supports are widely used, their crashworthiness has not been evaluated to the current AASHTO MASH safety criteria.  This project includes full-scale crash testing and evaluation of single-column sign post supports for MASH 2016  safety criteria compliance at MASH Test Level 3 (TL-3).

Evaluation of Light Pole Foundation Embedment for Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (PI)

- Run-off-road crashes with light poles generate dynamic loads not well-accounted for in traditional civil structural design or geotechnical design. The state of Alaska currently represents dynamic vehicle impact loads on light poles with a nominally equivalent static load corresponding to the ultimate capacity of frangible couplings. This approach neglects potentially beneficial aspects of dynamic behavior, such as structure and foundation inertia, short duration impulse loading, soil-structure interaction, nonlinear dynamic soil behavior and energy dissipation.  The objective of this research is to evaluate whether common foundation sizes can perform adequately in soft, potentially saturated soil conditions found in southeast Alaska.  The project includes analysis of light pole foundations in soil using LS-DYNA and surrogate vehicle impact tests on light poles to investigate breakaway activation and residual foundation displacement.

Truck Platooning Effects on Girder Bridges – Phase II for Nebraska Department of Transportation (PI)

- Truck platooning – digitally linking two or more trucks to travel in a closely spaced convoy – is increasingly used to save fuel, and reduce driver work and road congestion. Currently, platoon load effects with several constant headways on bridges have been evaluated and compared to AASHTO design and legal loads. However, reliability assessment and a more rigorous investigation of headway spacing assumptions for truck platoons to address a comprehensive suite of limit states are lacking.  Phase I provided a framework for determining how much a platoon permit load might be increased given strict control over the load characteristics and operational tactics, but was limited in scope to address only the Strength I limit state for steel and prestressed concrete I-girder bridges designed with LRFD and LFD. Phase II will extend the work to address Service limit states for steel and prestressed concrete girder bridges, as well as enhance operational guidance for bridge owners through the development of illustrative examples.

Simple for Dead Continuous for Live (SDCL) Steel Girder Bridges with UHPC and GFRP for Nebraska Department of Transportation (PI)

- This research will investigate optimized construction methods for the diaphragm to provide comparable or superior constructability and structural performance, compared to existing Simple for Dead, Continuous for Live (SDCL) for steel girder bridge details, when using ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) at the girder continuity locations. Additionally, the combination of UHPC and GFRP can offer an essentially maintenance-free structural system, with negligible cracking in the UHPC, and non-corrosive glass-reinforced polymer at crossing reinforcing bridging to conventional concrete in decks. The primary objectives of this research are to (1) investigate development behavior for development of GFRP bars in UHPC, (2) analytically develop and experimentally validate details to optimize SDCL steel girder structural design and construction for material and construction efficiency with UHPC, and (3) identify available software tools for SDCL steel girder design and rating to facilitate implementation.

Experience

  • 2002-05: Hodnett Hurst Engineers, Inc., a structural engineering consulting firm in Huntsville, AL
    • Dr. Steelman rendered design services for steel, concrete, masonry, and wood buildings, including structures with specialized requirements such as community shelters to withstand tornadoes and office buildings occupied by government personnel, requiring elevated provisions against terrorist threats and progressive collapse.
  • 2006-09: Collaboration with National Center for Supercomputing Applications
    • Dr. Steelman coordinated with software developers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications to synthesize research performed within the Mid-America Earthquake Center with other sources in the open source GIS-based cyberinfrastructure initiative, MAEViz.
  • 2009-13: Research Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Transportation
    • The experiments investigated the performance of non-seismic bridge bearing configurations commonly employed in the state of Illinois when subjected to simulated seismic demands, and the suitability of such bearings to act as structural fuses and provide an effectively isolated seismic response.

Areas of Research and Professional Interest

  • Roadside Safety and Crashworthiness
  • Bridge Design, Evaluation, and Management
  • Structural risk and reliability at the component, structure, and regional levels
  • Response of structures to extreme events and innovative methods for structural protection
  • Experimental investigation of structural response
  • Performance-based evaluation and design of structures

Research Profiles:

In the News: Powered by the Nebraska Engineering News

Courses Taught

  • CIVE 341: Introduction to Structural Engineering
  • CIVE 441: Steel Design I
  • CIVE 446/846: Steel Design II
  • CIVE 839: Introduction to Bridge Engineering

Selected Publications

  1. Loken, A.2, Steelman, J., Rosenbaugh, S., Faller, R., and Holt, J., Comparison of Modified Yield-Line and Punching Shear Capacities for Concrete Traffic Barriers and Bridge Rails. Transportation Research Record, Vol. 2675, Issue 12, December 2021, pp. 689-701, https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211031222. 
  1. Sofi, F.A.3, and Steelman, J. S., Using Committees of Artificial Neural Networks with Finite Element Modeling for Steel Girder Bridge Load Rating Estimation. Structures, Volume 33, October 2021, pp 533-553, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.04.056. 
  1. Yang, B.3, Steelman, J. S., Puckett, J.A., Linzell, D.G., Safe Platooning Headways on Girder Bridges. Transportation Research Record, International Bridge Conference Collection, September 2021, https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981211036379. 
  1. Loken, A.2, Steelman, J., Rosenbaugh, S., and Faller, R., Establishing Safe Operating Speeds for Autonomous Vehicles on the Automated Skyway Express in Jacksonville, Florida. Transportation Research Record, Vol. 2675, Issue 6, June 2021, pp. 188-199, https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198121991834. 
  1. Rasmussen, J. D., Rosenbaugh, S. K., Faller, R. K., Bielenberg, R. W., Steelman, J. S., Pena, O., and Mauricio, P., Development of a Test Level 4, Side-Mounted, Steel-Tube Bridge Rail. Transportation Research Record. Paper recognized with Roadside Safety Design (AFB20) 2020 Best Paper Award.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0361198120930227. 
  1. Sofi, F.A.3, and Steelman, J. S., Nonlinear Flexural Distribution Behavior and Ultimate System Capacity of Skewed Steel Girder Bridges. Engineering Structures, Vol. 197, 109392, October 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2019.109392.

Recent Presentations

  1. Yang, B., Steelman, J. S., Puckett, J.A., Linzell, D.G., “A reliability-based evaluation of truck platoon-loaded steel bridges for Strength and Service,” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Standing Committee on Steel Bridge Design (AKB20), Washington, D. C., January 10, 2023.
  2. Rosenbaugh, S., Stolle, C., Rasmussen, J., Faller, R., Bielenberg, R., Steelman, J., Loken, A., Fang, C., Vasquez, E., and Whitfield, D., “Development of an Optimized Concrete Barrier to Contain Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware Test Level 6 Tractor-Tank Trailer Vehicles,” Poster presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Poster Session 2046: Research Supporting Advancements in Roadside Safety, Washington, D. C., January 9, 2023.
  3. Loken, A., Steelman, J., Bielenberg, R., Rosenbaugh, S., and Faller, R., “Performance Case Study of Concrete Bridge Rail Post on Deck Overhang,” Lectern presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Lectern Session 4010: Roadside Barrier System Development, Washington, D. C., January 11, 2023.
  4. Yang, B., Steelman, J. S., Puckett, J.A., Linzell, D.G., “A Reliability-Based Service III Evaluation for Prestressed Girder Bridges Under Platoon Loads,” Lectern presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Lectern Session 4007: Truck Platoon Bridge Responses, Damage Assessment, and Reinforcing Bar Texture, Washington, D. C., January 11, 2023.
  5. Fang, C., Steelman, J., Bielenberg, R., Faller, R., and Perry, B., “Analysis and Evaluation of Slip Base Aluminum Single Post Sign Supports under MASH Safety Performance Criteria,” Lectern presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Lectern Session 4045: Roadside Safety Research and Development, Washington, D. C., January 11, 2023.
  6. Steelman, J., Loken, A., “Estimating capacity and predicting damage in bridge deck overhangs supporting post-and-beam railings,” ACI Convention, ACI Committee 343 – Concrete Bridge Design, October 24, 2022.
  7. Steelman, J., Loken, A., “Estimating capacity and predicting damage in bridge deck overhangs subjected to combined edge loading,” ACI Convention, ACI Committee 445 – Shear and Torsion, October 24, 2022.
  8. Steelman, J., Loken, A., “Performance of Concrete Slab Subjected to Impulsive, Combined Loading at Free Edge,” ACI Convention, ACI Committee 370 – Blast and Impact Load Effects, October 23, 2022.
  9. Steelman, J., Loken, A., Faller, R., Bielenberg, B., Rosenbaugh, S. Holt, J.M., Murphy, T., Bloschock, M., “NCHRP 12-119: MASH Railing Load Requirements for Bridge Deck Overhang,” AASHTO Committee on Bridges and Structures Annual Meeting, T-7 Technical Committee, June 21, 2022.
  10. Steelman, J., Loken, A., Faller, R., Bielenberg, B., Rosenbaugh, S. Holt, J.M., Murphy, T., Bloschock, M., “NCHRP 12-119: MASH Railing Load Requirements for Bridge Deck Overhang,” AASHTO Bridges and Structures Virtual Meeting, T-7 Technical Committee, July 15, 2021.
  11. Holt, J.M., Murphy, T., Lopez, M., Faller, R., Steelman, J., Rosenbaugh, S. Loken, A., Galvan, M., Bloschock, M., “NCHRP 22-41: Improvement and Reorganization of Section 13 of AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications to Address MASH Loading,” AASHTO Bridges and Structures Virtual Meeting, T-7 Technical Committee, July 15, 2021.
  12. Khatamifard, S. B., and Steelman, J., “Nebraska DOT SDCL with UHPC,” Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Standing Committee on Steel Bridge Design (AKB20), Washington, D. C., January 11, 2021.
  13. Holt, J.M., Murphy, T., Lopez, M., Faller, R., Steelman, J., Rosenbaugh, S. Loken, A., Galvan, M., Bloschock, M., “NCHRP 22-41: Improvement and Reorganization of Section 13 of AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications to Address MASH Loading,” AASHTO Bridges and Structures Virtual Meeting, T-7 Technical Committee, June 3, 2020.
  14. Garcia, F., Garfias, J. P. P.1, Sofi, F.3, and Steelman, J., “Integration of Artificial Neural Networks in Bridge Load Rating and Case Study Application,” Lectern Presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Lectern Session 1304: Bridge Load Rating, Washington, D. C., January 13, 2020.
  15. Loken, A., Steelman, J., Rosenbaugh, S., and Faller, R., “Establishing Safe Operating Speeds for Autonomous Vehicles on the Automated Skyway Express in Jacksonville, Florida,” Poster presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Poster Session 1354: Modeling, Simulation, Analysis, and Evaluation of Connected and Automated Vehicle Applications, Washington, D. C., January 13, 2020.
  16. Rasmussen, J. D., Rosenbaugh, S. K., Faller, R. K., Bielenberg, R. W., Steelman, J. S., Pena, O., and Mauricio, P., “Development of a Test Level 4, Side-Mounted, Steel-Tube Bridge Rail,” Lectern Presentation at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Lectern Session 1523: Design of Barriers for Containment of Trucks, Washington, D. C., January 14, 2020.
  17. Sofi, F., Lin, X., Steelman, J. S. and Garcia, F.2, “Supporting Bridge Management with Advanced Analysis and Machine Learning,” Poster presented at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Poster Session 1565: Application of Machine Learning Methods for Operation and Maintenance of Transportation Systems (Part 1), Washington, D. C., January 15, 2019.
  18. Sofi, F., and Steelman, J. S., “Structural Evaluation Augmented with Artificial Neural Networks with a Demonstration for Bridge Management,” ASCE/SEI Structures Congress 2018, Fort Worth, Texas, April 19-21, 2018.