Iowa State Fair Campgrounds: Country Comfort, Big City Style, 2007

This brochure describes the campground and facilities on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. It also includes a map and contact information.

Measurement of Pavement Surface Variations, July 1974

The measurement of pavement roughness has been the concern of highway engineers for more than 70 years. This roughness is referred to as "riding quality" by the traveling public. Pavement roughness evaluating devices have attempted to place either a graphical or numerical value on the public's riding comfort or discomfort. Early graphical roughness recorders had many different designs. In 1900 an instrument called the "Viagraph" was developed by an Irish engineer.' The "Viagraph" consisted of a twelve foot board with graphical recorder drawn over the pavement. The "Profilometer" built in Illinois in 1922 was much more impressive. ' The instrument's recorder was mounted on a frame supported by 32 bicycle wheels mounted in tandem. Many other variations of profilometers with recorders were built but most were difficult to handle and could not secure uniformly reproducible results. The Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) Road Roughness Indicator b u i l t in 1941 is the most widely used numerical roughness recorder.' The BPR Road Roughness Indicator consists of a trailer unit with carefully selected springs, means of dampening, and balanced wheel.

Water Heating, 2011

Although there are many ways to cut you water heating bills, the all fall into two broad categories: reducing the amount of hot water you use and making your water heating system more efficient. Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help you consume less energy and save money - and still meet you hot water needs without sacrificing comfort or practicality. The booklet was designed to answer common questions about hot water systems and to provide you with the information necessary to make informed decision about a wide variety of topics, ranging from repairing hot water faucet leaks an insulation water supply pipes to installing low-flow shower heads and tuning you your existing water heather. You'll also find details on what to consider when it's time to go comparison shopping for a new water heater-including an evaluation of the alternatives to the common gas or electric storage tank unit that's found in the majority of homes in Iowa and across the country.

Iowa Motorcycle Ride Meter, HR-1019, 1980

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) through the Highway Division is responsible for the design, construction and maintenance of roadways that will provide a high level of serviceability to the motorist. First, the motorist expects to be able to get where he wants to go, but now he also demands a minimum level of comfort. In the construction of new roadways, the public is quick to express dissatisfaction with rough pavements. The Highway Division of the Iowa DOT (formerly Iowa State Highway Commission) has a specification which requires a "smooth-riding surface". For over 40 years, new portland cement concrete (pcc) pavement has been checked with a 10-foot rolling straightedge. The contractor is required to grind, saw or mill off all high spots that deviate more than 1/8" from the 10-foot straight line. Unfortunately, there are instances where a roadway that will meet the above criteria does not provide a "smooth-riding surface". The roadway may have monger undulations (swales) that result in an undesirable ride. The objective of this project was to develop a repeatable, reliable time stable, lightweight test unit to measure the riding quality of pcc pavement at normal highway speed the day after construction.

Ralumac Latex Modified Asphalt, HR-2041, 1994

Some asphalt roadways tend to develop wheelpath ruts over time when exposed to heavy traffic. As the rutting increases in depth, the travel comfort and levels of safety decrease. A variety of remedies involving major or minor operations can be applied to eliminate ruts and renew the roadway surface. One of the simple remedies, called Ralumac microsurfacing, involves only a longitudinal band over the rut. For better coverage, ruts are filled initially and followed by a complete thin surface wearing cover over the roadway.