Award Data

An optical, non-contact roof deformation monitoring system will be designed based on an existing multi-point, non-contact, multi-axis optical sensor-based measurement system that is currently used to measure chest deflection in crash-test dummies. The research involves determining suitable components to be used in the optical path, from high-power LED arrays through lenses and optical sensors. T ...

Detection, classification, and characterization are the key to enhancing motorcycle safety, operations and travel estimation. Motorcycle fatalities are currently estimated at 30 times those of auto fatalities per Vehicle Mile Traveled (VMT). Although it has been an active research area for many years, motorcycle detection and classification still remains as a challenging task. The goal of Phase I ...

This project addresses the specific need for an improved method for cleaning insulators that electrically isolate the third rail. Current methods are labor intensive and expensive, but the insulators should be cleaned regularly to avoid even greater expense. This project is to adapt an innovative photolytic paint stripper to cleaning insulators for the third rail. The overall objective is to de ...

The FRA has identified cab car end door kick panels as possible emergency egress panels. They could be used in circumstances where the convential emergency exits are unusable. The industry has operational and maintenance concerns. The objectives of this SBIR are to define the requirements for end door emergency egress panels and identify alternative design approaches and assess their effectiven ...

Railroad freight car safety and maintenance cost is directly related to knowledge of the actual braking force provided by a brake shoe. If the brake force is too low, safety is at risk. If the brake shoe is replaced before the end of it's lifetime to ensure safety, maintenance and thus operating costs are increased. Currently there is no system in place to monitor brake shoe force during train ...

The TEXAS Model for Intersection Traffic is a high-quality single-intersection microscopic traffic simulation model developed at The University of Texas at Austin. It analyzes in sub microscopic detail the behavior of driver-vehicle units as they go through an intersection and intermix with other traffic flows. It has detailed intersection geometry, path following, microscopic car following, lan ...

This proposal describes an innovative approach to non-chemical deicing of aircraft which focuses on new technology which could provide revolutionary improvement in the performance of a relatively mature deicing technique. This combined systems approach could be readily incorporated into existing aircraft and ground support equipment. We propose to develop a permanent anti-icing surface treatment ...

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Passenger safety concerns have prompted the FAA to elicit energy-sensitive neutron detectors which do not rely on the time-of-flight method and are suitable for use in explosive detection systems. Invocon, Inc. proposes to design an inspection system consisting of an energy source and a detector. Designated FERET sytem, (Field Energy Recoid Emission Technology), it would detect substances identi ...

This proposal will investigate the potential of an enhanced version of the Meandering Winding Magnetometer (MWM), called the MWM-Array, to characterize and predict remaining life for components experiencing widespread fatigue damage. The MWM has already demonstrated the potential to characterize fatigue damage in metals priod to the formation of cracks, as well as the ability to detect and charac ...