Award Data

To mitigate the Dilemma Zone (DZ) problem, Intelligent Automation, Inc. (IAI) team proposes an innovative vehicle specific Detection, Control and Warning System (DCWS). DCWS provides vehicle-specific dilemma zone protection based on travel time to the intersection as opposed to more conventional systems which protect a fixed area on the pavement. Apart from incorporating advanced signal control ...

This research focuses on the development of a real-time signal timing methodology and algorithms that balance safety and efficiency. This research consists of two phases: Phase I was completed in December 2009; it examined the relationships between signal timing and surrogate measures of safety, namely the frequency of rear-end, angle and lane-change conflicts. The FHWA Surrogate Safety Assessm ...

The ability to monitor the integrity of a bridge structure and detect damage or condition changes at early stages is of significant importance for bridge operation safety. Currently, the most widely used damage detection methods rely on subjective, incremental visual assessments or localized testing techniques. In this proposal, we propose to develop and test a low cost and efficient bridge stru ...

City planners and engineers need detailed assessments of public rights-of-way to evaluate existing conditions, determine compliance with draft accessibility guidelines, and plan reconstruction projects. Current assessment methods are inadequate and inefficient due to the time and resources required. This project will develop an automated public rights-of-way assessment process and the measuremen ...

This Phase II proposal develops a novel third rail insulator cleaner called the Vohrtex based.on the successfully completed Phase I project that developed the low water consumption, quick cleaning tool, the “Spin Wedge.” The Vohrtex slides on the third rail and is attached to a service vehicle that rides on the track. The Vohrtex has a pair of arms, which hang down on opposite sides of the t ...

The membrane drying process for ethanol plants should be of great value in increasing capacity and/or reducing energy consumption for existing ethanol plants. We will manufacture modules of the novel membrane with a commercial partner. A pilot demonstration unit will be constructed and deployed at an actual ethanol plant for demonstrating the membrane process capabilities and advantages.

The U.S. poultry industry produces two billion pounds of feathers each year, which are considered waste biomaterials and currently converted into low value protein for use in animal feed. In Europe, feathers are autoclaved or burned and then buried as a waste material due to regulations prohibiting animal by-products in feed. A more appropriate use for feathers is to utilize their unique structura ...

The number of women farmers in the U.S. has been rising over the past several decades, with the rate of growth accelerating between the 2002 and 2007 Censuses of Agriculture, to nearly 1 million female farm operators in 2007. Between 1980 and 2002, the number of women-operated farms had increased by 86%, a rate far surpassing growth in U.S. farms overall. These data underscore the need for agricul ...

Well over 50 % of US land area constitutes low wind-speed sites, yet wind turbines are either not effective or only marginally effective in such low winds. To extract significantly more energy from such DOE Class 1 or Class 2 winds requires substantially increasing turbine blade rotor diameter (wind power is proportional to the square of the blade diameter). However, due to limitations on turbine ...