Award Data

Air parameters such as specific surface (SS) and spacing factor (SF) are essential in evaluating Freeze-Thaw (F-T) durability in fresh concrete. Currently there is no method or device that can accurately meet such requirements. We propose to develop an acoustic air void measurement system that can be used in the field to measure in near real time air void distributions in fresh concrete. The propo ...

The service life of the wood ties has been diminishing with increased axle loads with higher rail car speeds and frequencies. The depletion of wood and creosote induced contamination are of great environmental concerns. It is of a substantial interest to develop an effective recycling/remanufacturing methodology for creosote-treated wood ties. A composite wood tie design is proposed here, with use ...

Additional passenger fatalities and injuries can occur during derailments due to interaction with wayside structures, such as catenary poles, bridge abutments, and discontinuities in third rails at highway grade crossings. Resilient wayside structures can reduce these risks, by lessening the amount of intrusion, penetration, and passenger motion. PEC and Arup will work together to develop resilien ...

Highway-rail grade crossings, at which there is an abrupt change in the level of the road surface as it crosses the tracks, present a severe hang-up risk to vehicles with low ground clearance. In Phase I and II, ATR developed a conceptual design for a Low Ground Clearance Vehicle Detection System (LGCVDS) to actively prevent such accidents. The LGCVDS is able to use a priori crossing profile data ...

With this research, we would like to provide new materials joining methods to the DOT. This will be achieved with a pulse energy store that has already demonstrated game changing capability in welding a wide variety of metals and alloys. The process we are proposing is known as Homopolar Welding. The weld is created by a solid state fusion welding process whereby high current is passed through the ...

Highway-rail crossing, at which there is an unusually abrupt change in the level of the road's surface as it crosses the tracks, pose a risk of low ground clearance vehicles becoming stuck on the tracks. Advanced Technology and Research Corporation (ATR) proposes to develop an active detection and advance warning system. The system has three major functional componenets: measurement, decision, ...

The problem of low ground clearance vehicles being stuck at tracks of highway-rail grade crossings (HRGC) poses a severe safety risk. Vehicles with long wheelbases and low ground clearance are more likely to be stuck on high-profile HRGCs. Currently there is no commercially available automated system that detects and computes the necessary critical dimensions of low ground clearance vehicles (LGCV ...

Every asset ages. Pipes, roads, computers, cars, etc. This fact is inevitable. And, as a result of the aging process, every asset suffers a degradation in its intended capability or performance over time. Yet every day, millions of people in the U.S. get up in the morning expecting that they will be able to travel to work, drink clean water, use the Internet, and so on. It usually takes a catastro ...

This is a supplemental Phase II proposal submitted to DOT for additional funding and performance period extension of the on-going DOT Phase II project (contract # DTRT57-10-C-10027). The overall objective of the Supplemental Phase II effort is to complete the development of the sensor system capable of continuously monitoring the integrity of bridge structures, conduct field operation validation ...

Usually the lifetime of a trailer is much longer than tractors; tractors must work with a variety types and ages of trailers over the course of their use. In many scenarios (e.g., roadside inspection, border crossing, smart parking, connected vehicle initiative, etc.), it is necessary to identify trailer(s)' VIN(s) and know their sequences attached to the powered unit. An automated trailer VIN id ...