coxrebe/utc proposal draft 10-10-1… · web viewthe nation’s current spending level of $70.3...

BACKGROUNDAmerica’s highway infrastructure is crumbling. The American Society of Structural Engineers gave highways a grade of D- in its 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, yet our nation’s economy and quality of life require a highway and roadway system that is safe, reliable, efficient and comfortable. The nation’s current spending level of $70.3 billion for highway capital improvements1 however, is well below the estimated $186 billion needed annually to substantially improve the nation's highways.2

Auburn University and its partners will create a University Transportation Center to produce targeted, useful research to help solve real problems. New, innovative approaches must address problems posed by deteriorating highway infrastructure. Band-Aid approaches will no longer work; in the future UTCs must be innovative, effective, efficient and accountable.

The tightly focused theme of this Tier 1 University Transportation Center is “Rapid Technology Deployment for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure.” The consortium’s focuses are research, education and technology transfer in connection with Pavement, Bridges and Erosion Control. As the cost of building roads and bridges increases, revenues into the federal Highway Trust Fund stagnate. State Departments of Transportation can save billions in taxpayer dollars by building faster, maintaining better and figuring out how to make infrastructure last longer.

Facilities are already in place. Auburn researchers are able to compress 10 to 20 years of normal road use into just two years by utilizing the one-of-a-kind National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) test track. The NCAT site is so unique that other universities send researchers to use the facility, and representatives from China, Australia, Europe and Malaysia have visited Auburn in hopes of emulating the outdoor laboratory.

Finding better, cheaper, faster ways to build roadways saves taxpayers money, but bridges and erosion control are also important. Most of the nearly 600,000 bridges in the U.S. have been designed for a 50-year lifespan, and the average age is now 43 years. Replacing them all is an impossible dream; methods of rehabilitation and repair are being pushed to the forefront of bridge research. Virginia Tech presently has three bridges in the eastern U.S. instrumented for remote monitoring with web-based access, and the 300-acre NCAT test track site includes a deep foundation testing facility for evaluating different foundations for bridges and buildings as well as a section for erosion control testing built for Auburn’s Highway Research Center.

Consortium members need to be familiar enough with the industry to know what research is really needed, and need to be able to provide better methods and better science for the transportation industry to make decisions. All consortium universities enjoy extremely close relationships with the Federal Highway Administration, numerous state Departments of Transportation and industry, and channels are in place to transfer results of research to those who will benefit. As one of 10 original Local Technical Assistance Programs in the nation, Auburn has more than 20 years experience in training the transportation workforce. Today, two consortium partners—Texas A&M and University of Nevada-Reno—are also home to their state’s LTAP centers. In addition, three consortium members—Auburn, TAMU and UNR—are home to three of the nation’s five Superpave Centers.

Finally, consortium members are quite comfortable with the role and purpose of University Transportation Centers. Auburn has been a member of the Council of University Transportation Centers for several years, and Texas A&M is already home to a UTC.

1 The Road Information Project (TRIP), Key Facts About America's Road and Bridge Conditions and Federal Funding, updated August 20082 Report of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission -- Transportation for Tomorrow, December 2007. Volume II

Rapid Technology Deployment for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure1

A. APPLICANT INFORMATION If there is room we can include small pix of each university

Auburn University, located in Auburn, Al., is the lead institution in the consortium. Auburn is joined by Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.; and the University of Nevada at Reno, Reno, Nev. Auburn’s partners bring significant but complementary strengths to the consortium.

Auburn, through NCAT, has a notable program in asphalt technology with strengths in laboratory testing, accelerated loading on the test track and materials and construction. The University of Nevada, Reno, has extensive experience with asphalt pavement preservation, and Texas A&M has a strong concrete pavements program in addition to its asphalt program. Texas A&M has been a leader in implementing X-ray computed tomography, ground penetrating radar and surface energy measurements to improvement pavements. Texas A&M and Auburn both have very strong programs in use of recycled materials and warm mix asphalt.

Auburn University and the other institutions involved already have extremely active education, workforce development and technology transfer programs in place. As land-grant institutions, all share a focus on teaching practical science and engineering and disseminating practical information learned from research. Auburn and Texas A&M are also sea-grant and space-grant institutions, reflecting their broad range of research. Ongoing research at consortium universities is funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation.

None of the consortium members is a specifically minority-serving institution, but all have active diversity programs and this UTC is designed to incorporate faculty and students from minority-serving institutions.

i. Auburn University

Auburn University, located in Auburn, Al., is a co-educational, public research institution with more than 25,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It is one of the largest public universities in the state.

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering: Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, established in 1872, is a leader in the Southeast in engineering education, workforce development and research. The new Shelby Center for Engineering Technology is designed to move Auburn to the forefront in transportation research in the 21st century. The Department of Civil Engineering is the largest Civil Engineering program in Alabama, graduating almost half of the state’s civil engineers each year. In fiscal year 2010, research awards in Civil Engineering totaled $7.5 million.

National Center for Asphalt Technology: The 1.8-mile NCAT track is divided into more than 40 sections. Limestone, granite and other materials are trucked in from other states to build sections; issues vary from region to region because soil conditions vary and states use materials available at home to save money.

ii. Texas A&M University

Texas A&M, located in College Station, Tx., is a co-educational, public research institution with more than 50,000 students. The flagship institution of the Texas A&M System, it is the sixth largest university in the country.

Texas Transportation Institute: The world’s largest university-based transportation research and education instsitute, TTI is dedicated to applying research findings as rapidly as possible. Much of TTI’s woprk stresses implementation of findings. TTI also plays a key role in training and educating students;

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since 1950, more than 4,000 transportation professionals have been trained at TTI. More than 50 TTI researchers hold joint academic positions at Texas A&M. The institute maintains close ties with Texas A&M’s College of Engineering.

Dwight Look College of Engineering: Texas A&M’s civil engineering department is ranked eighth (undergraduate) and eighth (graduate) among all civil engineering programs at public institutions. The College of Engineering currently enrolls more than 7,600 undergraduates (including more than 1,400 women) and more than 2,700 graduate students. With more than 70 faculty members, 1,100 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students, the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M is the largest CE program in the country.

iii. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, known as Virginia Tech, is a co-educational, public research institution located in Blacksburg, Va. With more than 28,000 students, Virginia Tech is the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and leading research institution.

Cooperative Center for Bridge Engineering (VaTech): The Virginia Cooperative Center for Bridge Engineering seeks to advance the state of bridge engineering in the U.S. Jointly administered by Virginia Tech and the Virginia Transportation Council, the center seeks to transfer new bridge engineering technologies to transportation officials and work cooperatively with VTRC and VDOT to address bridge engineering issues of immediate importance to the Commonwealth. Research focuses on reducing bridge structure costs, rapidly installing and rehabilitating structures, maintaining existing bridges and enhancing durability and life of new and existing structures.

Virginia Tech College of Engineering: Virginia Tech’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, ranked in the top 10 accredited civil and environmental engineering departments by U.S. News and World Report, is one of the largest programs in the United States. The department has 46 full-time faculty, 657 undergraduates and 400 graduate students.

iv University of Nevada, Reno

University of Nevada, Reno, a co-educational, public university, is Nevada’s flagship institution and educates more than 17,000 students.

College of Engineering: The College of Engineering’s purpose is to expand the boundaries of knowledge, advance and create new information and technology, develop students’ skills, abilities and understanding, transfer technology to industry, positively impact the regional economy and advance engineering as a discipline and a professions. Research and outreach grants and contracts were expected to exceed $25 million in fiscal year 2011. In the 2010 academic year, the college graduated 181 BS degree students, 61 MS degree students and 12 Ph.D. students.

A.ELIGIBILITYAs the lead institution, Auburn University far exceeds all eligibility criteria to become a Tier 1 University Transportation Center. Transportation research and education are a key focus area at Auburn. Auburn has consistently committed significant sums to support ongoing transportation research and education programs. Table 1 illustrates that Auburn has committed well in excess of $400,000 in regularly budgeted institutional amounts to support ongoing research and education programs in each of the preceding five years.

Table 1. Auburn University base budget allocations.

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FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 FY2010

Civil Eng. $2,329,350 $2,477,812 $2,539,168 $1,974,569 $1,923,571

HRC $ 369,515 $ 383,088 $ 403,151 $ 406,455 $ 399,806

75% CE+HRC $2,116,528 $2,241,447 $2,307,527 $1,887,381 $1,842,484

The table shows the hard funds allocated by Auburn to the Department of Civil Engineering and the Highway Research Center each year. All HRC funds directly support the transportation research and education program. In addition, 17 of the 22 civil engineering faculty members (approximately 75 percent) are directly involved in education, research and outreach programs related to transportation and transportation infrastructure. The other five faculty members are in the area of environmental engineering and occasionally are involved in work directly related to transportation. The total of 75 percent of the Civil Engineering Department budget plus the HRC budget far exceeds $400,000 each year.

NCAT transportation research expenditures for the five fiscal years from 2006 to 2010 totaled more than $27 million, averaging more than $5 million each year (see Table 1). Likewise, Highway Research Center transportation-related expenditures totaled more than $5 million, averaging more than $1 million annually, and the Civil Engineering Department’s transportation-related expenditures totaled nearly $3 million, with an average of nearly $590,000 annually.

Table 2. Research and Total Funds related to Transportation spent by CE, HRC and NCAT

AU DEPARTMENT FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 FY2010

NCAT (funds spent) 4,013,600

7,853,600 5,629,200

7,985,300 6,098,000

NCAT (Transportation-related funds spent)

2,996,200

6,256,600 4,888,000

7,359,500 5,555,200

HRC (funds spent) 1,025,271

1,147,378 1,076,163

1,080,519 1,436,148

HRC (Transportation-related funds spent)

922,740

1,032,640 968,547

972,467 1,292,533

CE (budgeted funds spent) 889,950

1,270,025 1,155,865

1,286,204 1,277,545

CE (Transportation-related funds spent)

444,975

635,012 577,932

643,102 638,772

Total funds spent 5,928,821

10,271,003 7,861,228

10,352,023 8,811,693

Transportation-related funds spent 4,363,915

7,924,252 6,434,479

8,975,069 7,486,505

Auburn far exceeds the requirement of at least five graduate degrees each year for five years in transportation-related fields. Currently, 587 students are studying to achieve bachelor’s degrees in engineering. In addition, there are currently 75 master’s level students and 34 doctoral students. Since, 2006, a total of 136 graduate degrees have been awarded in Civil Engineering, with almost all being transportation-related. That total includes:


32 master’s degrees and five doctorates awarded in 2006, 29 master’s and five doctorates awarded in 2007, 19 master’s and four doctorates awarded in 2008, 18 master’s and two doctorates awarded in 2009 19 master’s and three doctorates awarded in 2010. In addition to undergraduates, Texas A&M is currently educating some 50 graduate students in materials and pavements. The University of Nevada-Reno graduate degree in pavements and materials engineering is currently educating 28 master’s level students and six doctoral students. Appendix ? lists the names, degree awarded and graduation year of five students for each of five years who received graduate degrees from the Auburn University Department of Civil Engineering.

Auburn’s College of Engineering has 142 tenure-track faculty, with 22 tenured or tenure-track faculty and four research faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering. As a group, they have published – articles on transportation-related topics in refereed journals during the previous five years. These include ----. (See Appendix A)

C. POTENTIAL SOURCES OF MATCHING FUNDS The primary source of matching funds for this UTC will be the National Center for Asphalt Technology test track. Most all of the work there is performed with funding using State Planning and Research (SPR) funds from 12 states in addition to Alabama, as well as industry funds. Funds provided by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) Research and Education Foundation also can be used as matching funds. In addition, NCAT provides training, and most of these funds can be used for matching funds as well. Faculty members’ state-supported salaries are also available for the match. (We need to finalize the match funds amounts etc.)

Auburn University will provide matching funds for all amounts allocated to the Diversity and Operations categories. Partner universities will be responsible for providing matching funds equal to all research funds received. Among consortium partners, Virginia Tech funds will come from the Virginia Transportation Research & Innovation Center, which is funded by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

a. RESEARCH CAPABILITY• Well-maintained roads are safe roads. Roadway conditions are a significant factor in about one-third of traffic fatalities.

• Good repair and a strong, viable infrastructure promote economic competitiveness; the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that by 2020 the nation’s deteriorating surface transportation infrastructure will cost the American economy more than 876,000 jobs and suppress the growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product by $897 billion.

• Good, safe roadways and bridges are a crucial component of livable communities. Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic at a cost of more than $78 billion a year, and 36 percent of the nation’s major urban highways are congested.

Planned research activities focus particularly on the DOT’s strategic goals of State of Good Repair and environmental sustainability, but actually touch on every goal. The proposed projects:

SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE

1. Performance-Based Specifications for Self-Consolidating Concrete PIs: Anton K. Schindler (P.I.) and Robert W. Barnes (co-P.I.)Institution: Auburn University

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Background

Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an emerging material that can save money and improve durability in transportation applications, especially Accelerated Bridge Construction. SCC is preferable to conventional concrete because SCC is placed rapidly without mechanical consolidation.

The most critical performance requirement for SCC is that it remain stable (i.e. resist segregation) during transportation and placement. The Visual Stability Index (VSI) is the most commonly used measure of stability, but the measure is subjective because it is based on a visual assessment. This subjectivity makes determining mixture acceptance or rejection based on a limiting VSI value problematic.

As an alternative to the VSI, the surface settlement test was recommended in NCHRP Report 628 (Khayat and Mitchell 2009) as the primary stability test for SCC. This test involves precisely measuring the surface settlement of a sample of fresh concrete as it sets. The test has been shown to give a good measurement of the development of bleeding segregation, but the required measurement precision and sensitivity to external stimuli make the test impractical for on-site quality assurance during SCC production.

The sieve stability test for SCC stability is commonly used in Europe (EPG 2005). This test involves placing fresh SCC in a bucket for 15 minutes, then pouring a sample from the bucket onto a sieve and allowing the SCC sample to rest on the sieve for two minutes. The percentage (by weight) of the SCC sample that passes through the sieve is a quantitative outcome that correlates well with the degree of segregation as well as the resulting performance of the hardened concrete. This test is practical for on-site use (Keske, Schindler, and Barnes 2011).

Neither the surface settlement test nor the sieve stability test is currently standardized in the United States. Standardization is necessary to provide an on-site quantitative and rapid assessment of the stability of SCC. Criteria also need to be specified and assessed to establish the appropriate degree of stability. With this information, unified requirements for performance-based specifications for SCC can be developed for implementation in variety of cost-efficient DOT applications.

Objective and Work Description

The objectives are the identification and evaluation of the method best suited for rapid on-site stability testing of SCC as well as the development of an AASHTO/ASTM specification for this test method. Criteria will be established based on correlation, with the segregation measured in various full-scale hardened concrete specimens, as well as the degradation of structural performance resulting from this segregation. Guide performance-based specifications will be developed for DOT implementation in ready-mixed and precast/prestressed concrete applications. The resulting SCC will result in more rapidly built—and more durable—transportation infrastructure components.

Why is your team best for this project?

Dr. Anton Schindler and Dr. Robert Barnes have led four DOT-sponsored studies of SCC properties, behavior and performance in precast, prestressed and cast-in-place concrete infrastructure components. They edited a 2007 book of peer-reviewed papers titled Self-Consolidating Concrete for Precast Prestressed Applications and have authored several SCC-related, peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Schindler has taught FHWA-sponsored SCC workshops in 15 states to more than 900 engineers and contractors. He is currently the secretary of ACI Committee 237 (SCC) and has served as panel member on NCHRP 18-12 (SCC for Precast, Prestressed Concrete Bridge Elements).

PAVEMENTS

2. Pavement PreservationPI: Peter E Sebaaly Institution: University of Nevada, Reno


Background

In today’s economy it is prudent for the road paving industry to “do-more for-less,” which translates into paving more road miles with a limited budget. This can only be accomplished by implementing an effective preventive maintenance program, which is essential to the life of a pavement. Pavements that are left to deteriorate are likely to require major rehabilitation and reconstruction much sooner than properly maintained pavements. Typically, the cost of maintenance is 10-15 percent of the expected cost to repair pavement failure; national data indicate that every $1 spent on maintaining the pavement surface saves $5 on the major rehabilitation required without maintenance.

The most difficult part of implementing a preventive maintenance program is estimation of the long-term performance of various maintenance treatments. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that the long-term performance of preventive maintenance treatments is heavily dependent on the time of application, the materials used and the construction technique.


This project seeks to identify the most effective preventive maintenance treatments of asphalt pavements based on an extensive review of the national experience. In addition, the project seeks to identify the most effective timing of application of the selected preventive maintenance treatments of asphalt pavements as well as the most effective materials and application methods. Finally, we will develop guidelines for the selection of the most effective timing, materials and construction technique for road agencies to use in implementing pavement preventive maintenance programs.


3. Design and Construction of Thin Overlays for Improving Pavement Surfaces at Low CostsPIs: Nam Tran and Don WatsonInstitution: Auburn/NCAT

Background

Thin overlays have been used to provide a new pavement surface at lower total cost, but performance has been an issue because of difficulty in designing a suitable mix to be placed in thin layers and then being able to adequately compact this thin layer. Some state DOTs have developed and begun to use mixes they believe are suitable for placing in thin overlays, but guidance in mixture requirements and construction is needed to ensure optimum performance. Also, use of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) is increasing, but WMA performance when placed and compacted in thin layers is not known. It is believed that compaction time will increase, making it much easier to obtain adequate compaction and ensure good performance. However, the performance of thin overlays using WMA needs to be observed on actual paving projects.


The objective is to develop improved specifications for mixture and construction requirements for the construction of thin overlays and then document performance of thin layers subjected to traffic and environment. We will also document construction issues with placing and compacting thin layers andevaluate the use of WMA in thin layers. This study will provide state DOTs with specifications for thin overlays along with recommendations about the use of these thin overlays, giving DOTs another maintenance/rehabilitation option.


4. Recycled Asphalt Shingles and Reclaimed Asphalt

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Pavement in HMA/WMA MixturesPI: Jon Epps Institution: Texas A&M University

Background

The use of Recycled Asphalt Shingles (RAS) and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) and Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) mixtures has increased dramatically over the last three years (some 700,000 tons in 2009 compared to 1.2 million tons in 2010). More than 15 states currently allow the use of RAS in HMA and WMA paving materials. This increased use is largely a result of paving industry economics and the desire to recycle and has been advanced by the materials supplier and contracting industries.

States have accepted the use of RAS with limited engineering and performance data. The amount of RAS used in paving mixtures typically ranges from 3 to 5 percent by weight of HMA or WMA mixture, but recycled mixtures with RAS and with RAS/RAP may be prone to fatigue cracking, reflection cracking, low temperature cracking, aging and raveling, which will reduce their service life. In addition, the use of high RAS and RAP mixtures may cause workability and compaction problems during construction. Engineering and performance data needs to be obtained on a nation-wide basis to develop specifications for the use of RAS and RAS/RAP combinations.


The objective is to define the engineering properties of HMA and WMA mixtures containing RAS and RAS/RAP combinations. We will characterize the asphalt binders extracted and recovered from RAS and RAP as well as HMA or WMA mixtures containing virgin materials and RAP/RAS combinations (representing 100 percent blending) and compare to predicted blending, based on measured mixture properties and predictive equations such as the Hirch Model. We will also characterize the engineering properties of HMA and WMA mixtures containing RAS and RAS/RAP combinations and seek to predict performance. We will also establish NCAT field test sections to study the short-term performance of HMA and WMA mixtures containing RAS and RAS/RAP combinations and evaluate their short-term performance.

Finally, we will update and propose revisions as necessary to AASHT provisional standards MP 15-09, “Use of Reclaimed asphalt Shingles as an Additive in Hot Mix Asphalt” and PP 53-09, “Design Considerations When Using Reclaimed Asphalt Shingles (RAS) in New Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA).” The revisions should include the use of RAS and RAS/RAP combinations in HMA and WMA. We will also develop training and workshop materials, including recommended practices based on results.

The use of RAS, RAP and WMA reduces the consumption of energy, reduces emissions, reduces green house gases and conserves or natural resources as well as reduces the cost of HMA. The proper design and utilization of these material combinations needs attention in the immediate future.


Dr. Epps has more than 45 years working with pavements and pavement materials in government, universities and the private sector. He has been a Principal Investigator on more than 100 research projects dealing with theoretical as well as practical topics of interest to state DOTs. He has served on the NCAT board of directors since its inception. A former dean of engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno, he now holds academic and managerial positions at Texas A&M. In the past he was responsible for quality control and new technology development at a multibillion-dollar transportation construction company.

5. Automation and Real Time QC/QA TestingPIs: Mike Heitzman and Richard Willis


Institution: Auburn/NCAT

Background

During pavement construction, an extensive testing program is required to ensure a quality product, but conducting these tests is time-consuming, expensive and requires some level of technician experience. There are also some safety issues in taking samples around construction equipment. DOT work is performed during normal working hours but also at night to ensure less disruption to traffic. There are limited personnel with expertise to oversee these projects, and it becomes even more difficult to control when performing construction work 24 hours per day.

This study will develop some test procedures that can be automatically conducted during construction to collect data needed to evaluate material quality. This will help to ensure full time monitoring of construction quality even during times when the number of personnel may be limited. During the last 10 years NCAT has studied the use of automation in conducting control tests, but more work is needed to finalize the equipment and many of the test procedures.


We will identify tests that have potential for automation during production of paving mixtures and work with a contractor to install equipment and conduct tests during operation. We will analyze data and make recommendations to DOTs about steps that can be taken to automate testing procedures.

6. Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Portland Cement Concrete PavementsPI: Jon Epps Institution: Texas A&M University

Background

Portland cement concrete pavements are utilized on a substantial portion of our interstate and urban highway network. Rehabilitation and maintenance of these pavements under heavy traffic remains a problem. Longer lasting repair techniques that require minimal disruption to traffic are needed.

Concrete pavements will continue to need slab replacement and joint and crack repairs. While progress has been made to reduce these types of repairs from a design point of view, existing concrete pavements and some new pavements will require a significant expenditure of funds for these types of repairs.

Slab repair techniques have improved over the years with the use of rapid setting concretes, pre-cast slab use and other techniques. Partial depth slab repairs are becoming more popular on continuously reinforced concrete pavements. Joint and crack repair of jointed concrete pavements using dowel bar retrofits, joint replacement and grinding have proven successful. More rapid techniques are needed.


The objective is to improve portland cement concrete repair and maintenance alternatives by selecting new materials, utilizing new equipment and/or processes. Additional goals are to reduce the time required for repair of portland cement concrete pavements and implement the findings in a minimum of three states.


See description under Project 4.

7. State of the Practice DocumentsPI: Jon Epps

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Institution: Texas A&M University

Background

“State of the Practice” documents are prepared periodically by professional organizations, trade associations, universities and public agencies, but funding for these documents has been limited over the last decade. This is occurring at a time when it is important to utilize the latest technology to reduce cost and the environmental impact associated with the construction, rehabilitation, maintenance and operations of our transportation systems. Implementing/deploying of existing technology is a cost-effective use of available funds to improve infrastructure.


We will develop and market a series of UTC-Infrastructure publications defining the current “state of the practice” in particular areas of infrastructure construction, rehabilitation, reconstruction or maintenance, with an emphasis on reducing time required for operation under traffic. These publications will be developed for practitioners in specific areas addressed by this center. The publications will be utilized as references for UTC training programs that will be developed and delivered. These documents will be expected to “bridge the gap” between research and practice and thereby provide transportation professionals with the latest technology and techniques. Sufficient detail will be included in the publication to allow the engineers and other professions to accomplish a specific task, and the documents and training will be deployed in a minimum of three states.



8. Reducing Project Delivery TimePI: Jon Epps Institution: Texas A&M University

Background

One of the great challenges facing transportation is providing operating physical facilities without disrupting the movement of goods and freight, because the cost for these delays and disruption of traffic is substantial. Providing operating physical transportation facilities involves the construction of new facilities, expanding the capacity of existing facilities and rehabilating and maintaining existing facilities.


This project will concentrate on contractor, material supplier, equipment manufacturer and project staging related opportunities. The objective is to reduce project delivery time associated with construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation and maintenance activities. The project will involve contractors, material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, contracting agencies, researchers and other stakeholders, with results implement in three or more states. As a result, transportation facilities will be supplied to the driving public and freight haulers more quickly, resulting in reduced user and non-user costs.



BRIDGES9. Advancing Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) Concepts PIs: John Mander and Mary Beth HuesteInstitution: Texas A&M University

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[Type the document title]

Background

Bridges today are normally constructed using a mix of cast-in-place (CIP) and precast (or prefabricated) construction techniques. Much of the site occupation time is consumed with the CIP construction activities, specifically formwork and falsework placement, reinforcing steel placement and pouring concrete. Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) offers alternative design solutions that save time and money by minimizing significant delays, speed restrictions and detours. The time-cost-of-money can be minimized when the construction period is shortened. Another advantage is that precast, prestressed concrete (PSC) structural elements are more durable because they are fabricated under plant-controlled conditions and can be designed for uncracked sections under service loads. Using PSC elements in advanced ABC methods minimizes disruption to the public during both the bridge construction stage and over the longer service life of the structure.

Objectives and Work Description

Most ABC solutions use some site casting of concrete. These are classified as “wet” connections. Precast decks have a reinforced concrete (RC) topping; hollow precast pier segments are reinforced and infilled with site-cast concrete. The objective of this research is to advance ABC by minimizing the amount of concrete cast on site—in fact, where possible, to eliminate CIP-RC and replace concreting with limited volumes of grouting. To achieve this, piers can be fully precast with “dry-joints” and post-tensioned, while decks can be full-depth RC/PSC with a thin (unreinforced) wearing course topping.

The proposed work consists of developing several ABC approaches and trial designs with all bridge components precast and units connected by either dry or wet concrete connections. Comparative standard designs will also be made. The project will develop a complete precast concrete substructure system for bridges with short to medium spans up to 200 feet. The pier bent columns will be dry-jointed and connected to the pile and pier caps via post-tensioned prestress. A deck system will also be developed that does not require rebar placement but uses wet joints to connect panels and provide the final riding surface.

Construction schedules and cost estimates of the various ABC and CIP designs would then be compared. Promising ABC design solutions would serve as a basis for future testing of components and subassemblies before developing a demonstration project for implementation within one of the states that hosts the UTC.


Dr. John Mander has more than 30 years experience in bridge design, analysis and structural testing. Dr. Mary Beth Hueste has significant experience in the design, analysis and laboratory testing of reinforced and prestressed concrete bridge members, including several projects with TxDOT. Dr. Hueste and Dr. Mander currently are engaged in two somewhat related research projects with TxDOT dealing with splicing technology developments for prestressed girder bridges (TxDOT 0-6651), and a new type of modular precast slab-beam bridge system (TxDOT 0-6722). The intent is to capitalize upon and leverage this knowledge and these current efforts to enhance the outcomes of the present proposed research.

10. UHPC Closure Joints in Pre-fabricated Bridge Deck Systems PIs: Carin Roberts-Wollman and Tommy CousinsInstitution: Virginia Tech

Background

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Full-depth precast, prestressed bridge deck systems are a rapidly constructed, durable alternative to cast-in-place reinforced concrete bridge decks. The systems usually consist of panels between 7 inches and 10 inches thick, approximately 10 feet long and as wide as the roadway (up to ~40 ft). The panels are precast and pretensioned in the direction transverse to traffic and cast with block-outs above the supporting girders to allow for shear connectors to extend from the girders into the slab.

The panel-to-panel connection is typically a female-female keyed joint, which has routinely been filled with grout. Typically, the panels are post-tensioned longitudinally to improve durability and structural performance. A new development in concrete technology and an alternative to grouted joints is Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC). UHPC has been shown to improve workability, reduce labor for installation, provide superior durability and yield long-term cost savings over traditional concretes and grouts.

The system has many advantages over conventional cast-in-place concrete bridge decks. Panels are high quality, since concrete quality and fabrication tolerances are significantly better in a precasting yard than in the field. The decks can be prestressed in both directions, which can make them stiffer under service loads and more impervious to the ingress of corrosion-inducing chlorides and water. Also, the precast decks can be more rapidly constructed than conventional decks, which reduces construction time and user costs related to traffic slow-downs and detours. Combining these advantages with the improved durability of UHPC should provide an excellent alternative to conventional bridge deck systems.


The project objective is to investigate the behavior of UHPC concrete in the closure pours in panel-to-panel connections in the above-described bridge deck system. Of critical importance is the behavior of a UHPC joint in positive bending (which puts the joint in compression) and negative bending (tension in the joint) under cyclic loadings and long-term effects. Full-depth deck panel systems simulating actual bridge conditions will be tested under repeated loadings under positive and negative bending. The test panels will be compositely connected to the supporting girders. Both longitudinally post-tensioned and mildly reinforced UHPC panel-to-panel joints will be tested. Degradation of the joint over time will be measured during testing.


Dr. Carin Roberts-Wollmann and Dr. Tommy Cousins have more than 40 years of combined experience in bridge design, analysis and structural testing, and have been working with UHPC for the past four years. The specialized equipment needed for mixing and curing UHPC is in place at the Structural Engineering and Materials Laboratory at Virginia Tech. Dr. Wollmann and Dr. Cousins are currently co-advising a PhD student who is investigating the use of UPHC panels as a replacement to cast-in-place reinforced concrete decks, and Dr. Wollmann has particular expertise in the long-term behavior of concrete bridge structures. Dr. Wollmann and Dr. Cousins are currently completing a multi-year project that will culminate in the construction of a bridge containing full-depth prestressed concrete panels.

11. Extending the Length of Jointless Bridges PIs: Carin Roberts-Wollman and Tommy CousinsInstitution: Virginia Tech

Background

It is generally understood in the bridge engineering community that “the best joint is no joint.” Joints cost money to buy, install, maintain and replace. They are also a path for salt-laden water to enter and attack the bridge super- and sub-structure. Reducing or illuminating the expansion joints greatly extends the service life of a bridge as well as reducing maintenance costs.

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Integral abutment and jointless bridges have been used in many states, proving that the number of bridge joints can be reduced. There is not uniform acceptance of the maximum unit lengths achievable in a jointless bridge, however. Tennessee DOT routinely builds jointless bridges up to 400 feet long with steel girder super-structures and up to 800 feet long with concrete super-structures. To date, the longest jointless Tennessee DOT bridge is the Happy Hollow bridge, which is about 1200 feet in length with nine spans. Many state DOTs have been more conservative in implementation of integral abutment and jointless bridges. For example, VDOT currently uses a limit of 300 feet for integral abutment and jointless bridges. Based on Tennessee practices, it seems advisable to investigate the shorter limits on integral abutment and jointless bridges that many state DOTs use.


The objective is to investigate the present state of practice in the U.S. with regards to integral abutment and jointless bridges and make recommendations about the potential for increasing span lengths. Part of the project will be literature review and design code review encompassing AASHTO and international bridge design codes, as well as a survey of practices by state DOTs. These reviews will be followed by a field investigation of bridge movements stresses resulting from continuity in jointless bridges. This field investigation will primarily focus on validating and/or modifying present design practice for both steel girder and concrete girder bridges. A set of design examples typical of the most common bridge types will be produced and circulated to state DOT’s.


As noted earlier, Dr. Wollmann and Dr. Cousins share more than 40 years of combined experience in bridge design, analysis and structural testing, and Dr. Wollmann has particular expertise in the long-term behavior of concrete bridge structures. Through the Virginia Cooperative Center for Bridge Engineering, Dr. Wollmann and Dr. Cousins have easy access to the bridges within the VDOT inventory for long term, non-destructive evaluation.

12. Development of a Lightweight Steel Bridge Deck System Suitable for Rapid ConstructionPIs: Bill Wright, Tommy Cousins, Carin Roberts-Wollmann, and Mike StallingsInstitution: Virginia Tech and Auburn University

Background

This project will develop a steel sandwich panel bridge deck system suitable for rapid deck replacement and rapid construction of new bridges. The concept utilizes prefabricated modular panels that can be easily transported and erected using modest-capacity lifting equipment. The basic panels consist of a top and bottom steel plate separated by rectangular HSS steel tubes as core elements. This results in a non-proprietary system involving standard off-the-shelf components that can be fabricated at conventional bridge fabrication facilities. The system utilizes the newly developed hybrid laser arc welding (HLAW) technology to produce "stake" welds to connect the plates to the HSS core elements.

It is estimated that the steel deck panel system can be installed and made ready for traffic in approximately one week. The system weight is about half that for a conventional concrete deck, allowing increased live load capacity for bridge rehabilitation projects. An added benefit is that panels provide lateral bracing to the beams as they are placed, eliminating the need for cross frames between beams. Early projections indicate significant project cost savings are possible because of substantial reductions in construction time. The system is suitable for mass production in a factory-type environment using robotic welding equipment potentially resulting in large savings.


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The objective is to prepare the steel sandwich panel bridge deck system for implementation. Preliminary results indicate that the system has sufficient strength and can be designed for infinite fatigue life under truckloads, but several barriers remain to implementation. To address the most significant barriers, we will perform an optimization study to determine the best combination of plate thickness and HSS sections for a typical girder bridge application. We will also fabricate and test full-scale deck panels in the laboratory. This includes both cyclic tests under simulated wheel loads and strength overload tests. Finally, we will develop and fatigue test the panel-to-panel field connections for rapid construction. Other barriers to implementation to be addressed in future research are the need for a girder-to-deck connection that will result in composite action, a durable wearing surface for application to the top deck surface, and a crash tested barrier rail system.


The project team brings a wealth of experience in the steel bridge arena. All of the PIs have been active in the bridge research community since the 1980s. Dr. William Wright is the inventor of this sandwich panel concept and has already performed an initial feasibility study including fatigue testing of the proposed HLAW-welded connections used to form the panels. Virginia Tech and Auburn both have extensive experience evaluating the performance of innovative deck systems and have facilitated numerous installations of deck systems on actual bridges. In addition, both institutions have compatible structural and fatigue testing capabilities, which will aid in timely completion of this project.

Profs. Wollmann and Cousins are co-PIs on a federally funded project primarily focused on the long-term instrumentation of various types of bridges. Through this project they have gained valuable expertise in the area of remote, long term monitoring of bridges.

EROSION CONTROL13. Improving the Design and Performance of Cuts and Retaining Structures in the Piedmont Physiographic ProvincePI: Brian J. AndersonInstitution: Auburn University

Background

A large portion of the nation’s infrastructure is underlain by residual soils. The I-85 corridor in the Eastern U.S. generally follows the southern Piedmont, a physiographic province consisting of residual soils. In this zone, there is much transportation infrastructure that will be refurbished, upgraded and renovated as the global economy recovers.

Cuts, slopes and retaining structures are necessary to provide grade changes where real estate boundaries and geometric limitations exist. Design of these cuts using traditional soil mechanics theories is almost always conservative and wasteful. Current data demonstrate the influence of suction on excavations in residual soils results in significant measureable impacts that may be integrated into design infrastructure in these soils. Widespread application of these findings hinges on the ability to measure soil strength properties reliably, using laboratory and field methods, and maintain or monitor suction during and after construction. Updating analysis and design methods for these structures to reflect the actual behavior of residual soils will result in significant cost savings and construction efficiencies while maintaining safety. Retaining structures and cuts can be delivered in a manner that is more cost effective, safe, and thus sustainable.

Central to delivery of this project is the National Geotechnical Experimentation Site at Auburn University, an internationally recognized residual soil research site (see section on Program Efficacy for site description).

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Research conducted by the PI and others over the past decade demonstrates the impacts of factors such as residual soil fabrics and unsaturated soil behavior on the performance of excavations and slopes in residual soils. The objective of this study is to integrate these behaviors into design and performance predictions through a program of enhanced soil testing and instrumentation of facilities at full scale. The scope of work includes instrumenting and monitoring sacrificial walls and cuts at a well-characterized research site along with similar infrastructure constructed by ALDOT, NCDOT or other research partners. The expected deliverable of this project is an engineering-ready application guide for cuts, slopes and retaining structures constructed in residual soils.

Why is our team best for this project?

Dr. J. Brian Anderson and his research team have developed effective techniques for measuring strength and suction properties of residual soils. In a research project for the North Carolina Department of Transportation, it was shown that the theoretical earth pressure was never mobilized, and consideration of the impacts of residual soil fabrics on the estimation of earth pressures was essential for rational design. This study was extended by an investment from the FHWA through an Eisenhower Fellowship to study the stability of cuts and slopes in residual soils with a focus on the impact of soil suction. The team has extensive experience with instrumentation of all types of construction projects.

14. Sediment Basin ControlPIs: Dr. Wesley Zech, Dr. Xing FangInstitution: Auburn University

Background

Effectively controlling sediment-laden effluent discharge from active construction sites, such as highway construction sites, is a growing concern because of the discharge’s damaging effects on the environment. Even though the Environmental Protection Agency recently stayed its proposed effluent limitation of 280 NTU, the need still exists to reduce the turbidity of effluent discharged from highway construction sites. One way to control discharge is using properly designed and constructed sediment basins. Sediment basins are being used on highway construction sites to control effluent discharge, but their overall performance has not been determined.


To gain a better understanding of sediment basin performance characteristics, we propose constructing a sediment basin (approx. 60 feet in length by 20 feet in width) at the Auburn University Erosion and Sediment Control Testing Facility (see Program Efficacy). The sediment basic will be dedicated to evaluating and testing various baffle designs (i.e., configurations, type of baffle material, use of polyacrylamide) along with various types of de-watering devices such as floating skimmers.

We plan to use ISCO 6712 portable samplers with a 24-bottle configuration and ISCO 730 and 750 flow modules to collect water samples near the inlet, the outlet and inside of the sediment basin. ISCO 730 and 750 flow modules will be used to monitor inflow and outflow rates during the experiments. This allows us to determine the detention time of the basin and quantity of sediments flowing into and out of the basin. We will measure turbidity, total suspended solids concentration and particle size distribution of water samples to determine the sediment-trapping efficiency of various basin configurations.

Sediment-laden water will be used to simulate construction site runoff, while various configurations and dewatering devices are tested to identify the practices that are most effective in retaining suspended soil particles and reducing turbidity.

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This project can generate valuable information about sediment control on construction sites for state highway agencies, and the sediment basin can be used in the future for workshops and demonstrations to communicate the results of research.


Wesley C. Zech has conducted research in collaboration with ALDOT that led to the development of AU-ESCTF. Several research projects have focused on silt fence tieback practices, the use of polyacrylamide as an erosion and sediment control measure, the performance evaluation of various hydromulches, performance evaluation of wattle ditch checks and assessing the in-field performance characteristics of sediment basins constructed in Alabama. Dr. Xing Fang has conducted various research projects funded by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and ALDOT, including determining regional characteristics of storm hyetographs, regional characteristics of unit hydrographs and rainfall loss analysis, estimating time parameters of direct runoff and unit hydrographs for Texas watersheds, evaluating scour potential of cohesive soils and assessing performance characteristics of sediment basins. His areas of expertise include hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and modeling, environmental hydrodynamics, water quality modeling and fluid flow simulations.

15. Evaluating the Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Single-Application of Polyacrylamide (PAM) for Both Erosion and Sediment Control PIs: Beverly Storey and Jett McFallsInstitution: Texas A&M

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has proven to be effective for erosion and sediment control. When applied on the soil surface, PAM reduces erosion of fine particles by binding them together, which reduces detachment. This process also improves sediment control, as PAM-bound soil particles become heavier and settle more rapidly which allows for release of cleaner water downstream. Typically, use of PAM for erosion or sediment control requires a separate application method for each type of control, resulting in multiple applications.


We will examine the feasibility and effectiveness of PAM as both erosion and sediment control in a single application. PAM will be applied directly to the surface of soil test beds as recommended for erosion control. Test beds will be placed under artificial rainfall simulators at a rainfall rate to be determined, and the resulting sediment laden water will be collected. Grab samples will be taken to determine the amount of PAM in the runoff, and the turbidity of samples will be analyzed to determine if the PAM is effective at binding soil particles, resulting in the rapid settling of suspended solids. If a single application of PAM proves to be effective at both erosion and sediment control, the benefit will be realized in the time and cost savings of an effective one-application treatment.


Table 3 shows how UTC projects will address the DOT’s strategic goals.

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b. LEADERSHIP Virginia Tech and Texas A&M are both among the top five civil engineering programs in the U.S., and Auburn University is in the top 40. Faculty at all schools are involved at the national level with organizations such as the Transportation Research Board (TRB), the American Concrete Institute, the Deep Foundations Institute and the Society for Civil Engineering. Research expenditures in engineering for fiscal year 2010 topped $167 million at Texas A&M, $134 million at Virginia Tech, $55 million at Auburn and $15 million at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Auburn: The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) is a unique facility with an unrivaled leadership role in pavements research. Auburn’s Highway Research Center (HRC) brings together

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Project Safety State of Good Repair

Economic Competitiveness

Livable Communities

Environmental Sustainability

SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETEPerformance-based Specs for SCC

x xPAVEMENTS

Pavement Preservation

Thin Overlays

RAS and RAP in HMA and WMAAutomation and Real Time QC/QA TestingPortland Cement Concrete Pavements

x x xState of the Practice DocumentsReducing Project Delivery TimeBRIDGES

Advancing Accelerate Bridge Construction (ABC) Concepts

UHPC Closure Joints in Pre-fabricated Bridge Deck SystemsExtending the Length of Jointless Bridges Development of a Lightweight Steel Bridge Deck System Suitable for Rapid ConstructionEROSION CONTROLImproving Design and Performance of Cuts and Retaining Structures

x x

Sediment Basin Control xFeasibility and Effectiveness of PAM

researchers from various civil engineering disciplines to do applied and basic research to solve problems in the planning, design, construction, maintenance, management, and operation of transportation systems. HRC staff helped with the construction of the first self-consolidating concrete (SCC) drilled shaft project in the United States, which led to its use on the foundations of the new I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, MN.

Virginia Tech: Dr. Thomas Cousins is founding director of the Virginia Cooperative Center for Bridge Engineering, a focal point for bridge research in Virginia. He is also a member of the TRB’s committee on Dynamics and Field Testing of bridges. Dr. Karin Roberts-Wollman is the chair of the TRB committee on concrete bridges. She is an active member of the American Concrete Institute, serving on committees having to do with pre-stressed concrete, pre-stress loss and pre-stressed/precast. She also serves on the Bridge Technical Committee of the Pre-stressed/Precast Concrete Institute. Dr. William J. Wright is the inventor of lightweight steel sandwich panels for bridge construction (see Research section). Dr. Cousins has authored of 34 refereed journal articles and 24 project reports as well as numerous conference proceedings. Dr. Wollman is the author of 44 journal and proceedings papers and 26 project reports.

Texas A&M: The Texas Transportation Institute, part of the Texas A&M University System, works on more than 600 research projects with more than 200 sponsors annually at all levels of government and the private sector. TTI has saved the state and nation billions of dollars through strategies and products developed through its research program. TTI’s Dr. John Mander has been involved in developing two technologies for improving bridge construction (see Research section). Dr. Mander is the author of 47 peer-reviewed journal papers, 24 reviewed research reports, seven book chapters and 38 peer-reviewed conference papers. Dr. Hueste has authored 12 peer-reviewed transportation-related journal articles, eight conference and workshop publications and 10 reviewed research reports.

University of Nevada-Reno: Dr. Peter Sebaaly is director of the Western Regional Superpave Center and the Nevada Technology Transfer Center. He has published 93 transportation-related articles in publications such as the Journal of the Transportation Research Board, the International Journal of Pavements and the Journal of the Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN SOLVING TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS

Auburn, through NCAT, is the acknowledged world leader in solving problems involving flexible pavements. Industry-changing improvements from NCAT research include:

• Asphalt Content Test by Ignition: Asphalt construction requires quality control. Before NCAT developed this test, a hazardous solvent extraction test was utilized. Because the ignition test is quicker, more accurate and much safer, it has been adopted throughout the world.

• Superpave: Superpave is a superior, standardized asphalt paving process that creates roads with predictable and significantly better durability and longevity. When the FHWA sought to implement Superpave in the 1990s, Auburn was one of five universities selected as home to Superpave Centers, and two of the other consortium members also are home to Superpave centers (University of Nevada, Reno and Texas A&M). Over the years, many Superpave requirements have been modified because of NCAT research.

• Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA): NCAT has taken a lead nationally in Hot Mix Asphalt research, education and technology transfer. The mix design procedures for Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) were developed at NCAT and are now used throughout the U.S.

• Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA): NCAT is currently researching the use of WMA, which reduces emissions and fuel use as well as improving working conditions. Researchers are monitoring short-term WMA performance over two years and will use the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) to predict long-term performance.

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Rebecca Cox, 10/07/11,

What specific problem did we solve that might be known nationally?

• Calibration of Superpave Gyratory Compactor Levels: A gyratory compactor is used in creating Superpave; more gyrations are required for denser asphalt, so depending on the amount of traffic, more gyrations are necessary. When the method was first introduced, there was little information on how to calibrate the necessary gyration levels to give the right mix, and this research was conducted at Auburn.

• Limiting Strain Guidance for Perpetual Pavements: Pavements are generally not rebuilt. Instead, pavement is added on top of the existing surface. Many problems are solved if those in the transportation industry know how thick this top layer should be. Pavements that are the right thickness can last for up to 50 years. Guidelines were developed at Auburn.

The Highway Research Center stepped to the front early on in researching Self Consolidating Concrete (SCC), which can actually be “poured” without the need for noisy and labor-intensive mechanical consolidation. SCC originated in Japan because of a lack of skilled labor to work with concrete, then spread to Europe. SCC made its first appearance in the U.S. in 2001, and in 2002 Auburn engineers were researching ways to use this innovative new material.

• Rapid Bridge Replacement: In 2002, traffic on I-65 in Birmingham, Al., was brought to a standstill when a tanker load of gasoline crashed and burned under a steel bridge. Based on Auburn’s previously completed research related to high-performance concrete (HPC), , the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) quickly designed a replacement bridge utilizing HPC. The new bridge opened to traffic just 65 days after the accident and 35 days after construction started.

• New Bridges: Researchers from Auburn University put SCC into use in 2005 with the construction of drilled shafts for the U.S. 76/SC 9 bridge replacement over the Lumber River in South Carolina. Because of this success, Auburn researchers also assisted the Minnesota DOT to successfully use SCC in the drilled shafts of the I-35W bridge that collapsed in 2008 in Minneapolis, MN. Auburn researchers contributed to the completion of the first bridge in Alabama made with SCC in its foundation in Scottsboro, AL. Auburn University researchers are also assisting ALDOT with the evaluation of SCC in its first prestressed concrete girder bridge application in Alexander City, Al.

Virginia Tech: Research conducted at Virginia Tech has resulted in implementation of new technologies on seven bridges in Virginia over the past 15 years, with three new projects underway. One project involved rapid replacement of Tangier Island bridges using lightweight and durable fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) deck systems. Tangier Island, located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, is an environmentally sensitive area with limited access to construction equipment and a very corrosive environment. The Virginia Department of Transportation is working with the Cooperative Center for Bridge Engineering to research and deploy FRP technologies and applications. The FHWA, through the Innovative Bridge Research and Deployment (IBRD) program, is committed to a significant reduction in the number of deficient bridges in the nation and a reduction in the time and cost necessary to complete new bridges and bridge improvement projects.

Texas A&M: Several National Highway Institute courses have been developed and delivered by the proposed center team, including the training of state DOT personnel at a six-week program sponsored by AASHTO. Dr. John Mander from the Texas Transportation Institute was instrumental in initiating and conceiving a form of rapid construction in a design context called “Damage Avoidance Design,” which led to solutions for bridge piers. Dr. Mander and other TTI co-workers also tested and developed a new type of precast concrete deck system, with a particular emphasis on dealing with the overhang problem aimed at completely removing the shoring, that has already been utilized in a bridge in Ft. Worth. Dr. Hueste and Dr. Mary Beth Hueste are currently working with the Texas Department of Transportation on developing splicing technology for pre-stressed girder bridges and a new type of modular precast slab-beam bridge system.

University of Nevada, Reno: The Pavements/Materials Program at the University of Nevada, Reno, is among top programs in the world conducting fundamental and applied research on asphalt pavements

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design, materials and performance. The program is conducting basic research on the use of recycled asphalt pavements (RAP) and warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies in the construction of asphalt pavements, with sponsors including FHWA, state DOTs and private industry. Applied research on the effectiveness of preventive maintenance activities on asphalt pavements and resistance of asphalt pavements to moisture damage (moisture damage is called the “silent killer” of asphalt pavements because it is not easily identified in the field).

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Performance metrics to measure the center’s leadership will include:

• Number of transportation related reports funded by the University Transportation Center and published in national literature.

• Number of invited speakers for director and key staff for regional, national or international meetings. Even if work is not directly related to a specific project detailed above, invitations to speak shows leadership of the individuals, which translates to leadership of the Center.

• Number of regional, national and international visitors to the center.

• Number of Historically Black College & University (HBCU) faculty actively working involved in UTC summer programs. This would include three faculty members and 10 undergraduate students from HBCUs each year. Expenses to attend the Transportation Research Board annual meeting will be paid, and a reception at the beginning of each meeting will allow participants to meet each other and interact.

The UTC steering committee (see Collaboration section) will modify metrics as appropriate and evaluate the UTC’s performance.

c. EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Auburn University’s College of Engineering undergraduate enrollment for fall 2010 was 3,890, with 65 percent of incoming freshmen ranked in the top 25 percent of their high school graduating classes. Thirty-three were National Merit Scholarship finalists. Of those students, 587 are studying in the field of Civil Engineering, almost all related to some aspect of transportation.

A total of 810 graduate students bring the college’s enrollment to 4,700 students, making the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering Auburn's largest and highest ranked academic unit. Of these, --- received graduate degrees in Civil Engineering, all fields closely related to transportation.

Three of the partners are listed among the top 50 institutes awarding engineering degrees in 2010, according to the American Society for Engineering Education:

Virginia Tech awarded 1,182 engineering degrees, for sixth place.

Texas A&M awarded 1,111 engineering degrees, for seventh place. Of that total, 203 were in civil engineering.

Auburn awarded 466 engineering degrees, for 44th place. Of that total, 87 were in civil engineering.

NEW WORKFORCE TRAINING

Auburn University and consortium partners already have extremely active education and workforce development programs in place for the transportation workforce that will design, deploy, operate and maintain the complex transportation systems of the future. These programs already reinforce this UTC’s planned research activities. This consortium also proposes a specific training program that will be funded from grant proceeds:

Workforce Training to Conduct Self-Consolidating Concrete Tests 20


Self-consolidating concrete (SCC) is an emerging new material that can be used for many transportation applications and could lead to cost savings and improved product durability as well as offering advantages over conventional concrete because it can be easily placed without mechanical consolidation. FHWA has funded workshops to train and educate state DOT engineers and contractors on the properties, specifications and applications of SCC, and since 2005, Dr. Anton Schindler has delivered the FHWA’s SCC workshops in 15 states to more than 900 engineers and contractors.

SCC requires recently developed test methods to assess its unique fresh properties, and an obstacle to nationwide implementation of SCC is the training of DOT technicians to perform the unique tests associated with SCC. Workforce training workshops are needed to enable DOT technicians to perform the most frequently specified SCC test methods.

Objective and Work Description:

We will develop and deliver one-day workshops in 10 states to enable DOT technicians to prepare samples and conduct SCC test methods. Training will allow the deployment of SCC to decrease costs and time associated with the construction of a durable transportation system. The workshops will consist of a 4-hour morning lecture session and 4-hour afternoon hands-on practice session. All participants will perform each test using ready-mixed SCC during the afternoon session. All workshop material will be reviewed and approved by FHWA, DOT and industry representatives, with one of the objectives being to determine that the most frequently specified SCC test methods are part of the workshops.

The following tests are proposed: Slump flow test (ASTM C 1611), segregation assessment with the Visual Stability Index (ASTM C 1611), passing ability with the J-Ring (ASTM C 1621), column segregation test (ASTM C 1610), segregation assessment with the rapid penetration test (ASTM C 1712), preparation of molded cylinders for AASHTO T 22 or ASTM C 39, and preparation of the air content bucket for AASHTO T 199 or ASTM C 231.

The team will coordinate with FHWA and DOTs to select states where workshops will be delivered. The assistance of each host DOT will be required to provide classrooms and testing space for workshops. Quality of workshops will be assessed using participant evaluation forms, and workshop content will be adjusted as warranted to ensure high-quality training. A report will summarize workshop locations, number of participants, evaluation results and recommendations for follow-up training.

Qualifications:

Dr. Anton Schindler is currently secretary of ACI 237, Self-Consolidating Concrete, and has served as panel member on NCHRP 18-12, Self-Consolidating Concrete for Precast, Prestressed Concrete Bridge Elements. He led Auburn’s efforts to provide hands-on training for technicians of the Alabama Department of Transportation for two large-scale projects where SCC was implemented for the first time. Because Dr. Schindler has also delivered the FHWA’s SCC workshops, he has the expertise to conduct these workshops.

EXISTING AVENUES OF WORKFORCE TRAINING

• When NCAT was established in 1986, it was very difficult to hire a graduating engineer with any knowledge of asphalt technology. Universities said they did not have faculty with the necessary knowledge, so the center’s first task was to establish Professor Training Courses in 1988. Since that time, NCAT has trained some 400 professors from all 50 states, with the course leading to the inclusion of asphalt technology in the civil engineering curricula at many universities. Professor Training Courses are an excellent way to reinforce research activities, because professors pass what they have learned on to their students.

• NCAT personnel actually “wrote the book” on flexible asphalt pavements. The standard college textbook, published in 1991 and updated twice, will be another channel to convey research results when

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updated a third time. The textbook, Hot Mix Asphalt Materials, Mixture Design and Construction, contains sections covering topics such as manufacturing and evaluation of asphalt materials and aggregates, design of HMA mixtures, characterization of HMA in terms of engineering properties, and more.

• The FHWA’s Local Technical Assistant Program (LTAP) seminars are an effective way of disseminating information to the workforce. Three of the five consortium members are home to their university’s LTAP centers. In fact, Auburn was one of the first 10 LTAP centers in the country, established some 25 years ago. The Alabama Technology Transfer Office (known as T2), funded by the USDOT through FHWA, the Federal Transit Administration and ALDOT, is located at Auburn and administered by the department of civil engineering and engineering continuing education. The Nevada Technology Transfer Office has headquarters at University of Nevada, Reno and the Texas Technology Transfer Office has headquarters at Texas A&M.

• Auburn assists ALDOT in administering the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP), which assists in the design and implementation of training and technical assistance projects and other support services tailored to meet the needs of transit operators in non-urbanized areas.

• Auburn is one of three sites approached by the FHWA and the National Highway Institute to provide a National Training Course for the Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT), a new way to evaluate the performance potential of asphalt mixes. The one-week Asphalt Technology Course and Superpave Volumetric Mix Design Workshop was launched at NCAT last fall after a pilot course in May 2010. Offered yearly for ALDOT, FHWA and industry personnel, the course aims introduce AMPT equipment and associated test and analysis procedures into accepted engineering practice with the ultimate goal of moving AMPT technology from the research stage into routine use. Participants receive hands-on training using the AMPT to perform dynamic modules and flow number testing of asphalt concrete. Results can be input directly input the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide. More than 21 state highway agencies and the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, Canada, are participating in a study that provides participants with the AMPT system, funding for two participants and participation in studies to properly implement equipment.

• Auburn is partnering with Capstone Development International LLC to provide project management courses as part of its continuing education program. Capstone is a leading provider of management development services and a globally registered education provider with the Project Management Institute. This provides another existing channel for workforce development; Auburn engineering’s continuing education programs are nationally recognized, and in 2006 served more than 4,500 customers.

• The Alabama Transportation Conference is one of only a handful of state transportation conferences still viewed as valuable enough to be funded by the state DOT as a way to share advances in transportation planning, engineering, design and construction. Sponsored by Auburn, ALDOT, FHWA and associations serving the transportation sector, the conference is attended by some 800 people every year and brings together state and highway personnel, road building contractors, general contractors, heavy construction contractors, utility contractors, county engineers, consulting engineers, construction material vendors, researchers and faculty members.

• The Texas Transportation Institute is responsible for working with TXDOT to develop the annual “Short Course” program attended by more than 1,000 employees. In addition, the TTI Communications Group is involved on a continuing basis in the development of videos and publications, webinars and other forms of technology deployment for the transportation industry.

EDUCATION

Table 4 describes existing outreach efforts now used at consortium universities to attract new entrants

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into the transportation field, and outreach to primary and secondary schools.

E-Day(Auburn University)

Auburn Engineering's annual open house, gives more than 2,000 students from around the state a chance to chat one-on-one with students and faculty, experience interactive exhibits and visit classes and labs.

Scholarships(Auburn University)

NCAT offers fellowships to help support graduate students conducting research in asphalt technology. The Contractor License Fee Scholarship program, started by the state to attract students into the field of civil engineering, provides $120,000 a year from state contractor license fees

The Paul and Marilyn Box Transportation Research Trust funds practical research in transportation as well as funding undergraduate and graduate students and paying for them to attend transportation-related conferences such as the Institute for Transportation Engineers

Summer Camps(University of Nevada, Reno)

Developed to encourage middle and high school students’ interest in engineering, camps include Intro to Engineering, Civil Engineering and Computer Science

Explore our campus, labs and various topics ranging from designing video games to learning about mechanics, chemistry, earthquakes and bridges

Financial aid and scholarships available for students with an aptitude for math and science, and to those associated with community organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys & Girls Clubs and the Reno Housing Authority

Mobile Engineering Education Laboratory (ME2L)(University of Nevada, Reno)

Has visited hundreds of K-8 classrooms and science fairs in adjoining counties where current engineering students present fun, hands-on lessons

Concrete for Kids(Virginia Tech)

Teaches middle school children about civil engineering and the composition and behavior of concrete

Program consists of three visits to class. During the visits, students mix concrete and place it in a form, and then the beams are tested to failure

Target population is Boy Scouts Conducted by student chapter of American Society of Civil

EngineersWorkshop: Graduate School 101(Texas A&M)

Free workshop to give top undergraduates information they need to make decisions about going into the workforce or accepting employment

Discover Engineering(Texas A&M)

Engineering open house Supported by all engineering departments, as well as the Texas

Transportation Institute, the Texas Center for Applied Technology, NASA Johnson Space Center and several engineering student organizations

More than 50 tours, demonstrations and hands-on activities

PERFORMANCE METRICS

Include the performance metrics you will use to obtain and measure all this data

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d. TECH TRANSFERAll four partners are land-grant institutions that fulfill their land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally and regionally. Many companies involved in transportation are too small to be able to invest in research or the latest technology, so consortium universities have been very active in finding ways to transfer knowledge gained through research to those working in the field. All maintain strong, active partnerships with agencies and groups that might take a lead in applying research results, including research clusters at other universities. Of course, consortium researchers will continue to publish results of their research in peer-reviewed journals and academic publications and present at academic conferences.

Consortium universities also all have Offices of Technology Transfer that serve as the link between the commercial marketplace and faculty. The office offer researchers expertise and guidance regarding the protection of intellectual property, including patents and copyrights, and in seeking licensing agreements with commercial entities to take research developments into the marketplace for the public benefit.

e. COLLABORATION The universities comprising this consortium offer two main advantages: Geography and a long history of working together to accomplish transportation research objectives.

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Avenues detailed in the Workforce Development and Education section provide excellent ways to transfer technology to those who need the improvements and will use results of research.

• Virginia Tech is located on the East Coast, Auburn University is in the Southeast, Texas A&M is in the South Central region and the University of Nevada, Reno is located in the West. This geographic distribution is important because road and bridge building techniques vary widely from region to region based on available materials, soil conditions, climate, DOT interests and other factors.

• Auburn through NCAT is internationally recognized in pavement and asphalt materials research. UNR and Texas A&M have strengths in those areas as well, and both Auburn and Virginia Tech have strengths in bridge research. Auburn and Texas A&M share strong research into erosion control. These programs have frequently collaborated in the past, but their strengths complement each other rather than overlapping, as explained in the Applicant Information section.

• The strengths of these four universities are matched by interest from the transportation industry. A significant portion of USDOT funding is already going to programs in these areas, and this UTC Can tailor its efforts to finding ways to rapidly deploy needed research to the industry.

• Implementation of research is an important part of the UTC mission, and these four universities have a record of successfully transferring research to be utilized by the industry. NCAT’s links to the paving industry are unparalleled, and all universities work closely with regional DOTs for project direction and workforce training. Procedures are in place to control quality, implement research and maintain accountability.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Auburn’s Highway Research Center has an advisory board and industry liaison committee in place. The Auburn Civil Engineering Department has an industry liaison council, and the contractor license fee scholarship program has an oversight committee. NCAT has a board of directors that provides general direction and oversight. Board members include personnel from Auburn, asphalt contractors and at-large board members such as equipment suppliers, state DOTs and other universities. The board has has set up an Applications Steering Committee to review research projects and review reports. This committee’s membership includes personnel from FHWA and state DOTs as well as paving contractors, materials suppliers, consultants and universities.

The UTC Advisory Committee will be modeled on the NCAT advisory board. Oversight will be provided by the 10-person committee consisting of representatives of the four Departments of Transportation in consortium states, one asphalt/paving industry representative, one road builders industry representative, one at-large DOT representative, one FHWA research representative, one county transportation representative and one municipal transportation representative.

A Leadership Team made up of the four university team leaders from the consortium will participate in communications with and meetings of the Advisory Committee to solicit and incorporate the input of the Advisory Committee into Center activities. Upon notice of award, the leadership team will recruit members for the Advisory Committee. Membership will be finalized in the first 45 days.

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The Advisory Committee will review research proposals and recommend projects for funding as well as review quarterly progress reports and spending versus projected spending for projects. The committee will provide direction on diversity, outreach, workforce training, technology transfer and other Center activities. The Advisory Committee also will appoint three-person panels for each research project funded through the UTC. The panel will consist of technical experts, usually practicing transportation professionals.

Qualifications for Advisory Committee membership will include having a broad view of design, maintenance and operations of transportation systems, allowing them to assist the center in recognizing, targeting and solving problems of national significance. They will have, or have access to, the necessary technical expertise for proposal reviews and have a large enough professional network so they can recruit project panel members. In addition, they will have a commitment to the development of new technologies for improving the nation’s transportation system and to the development of a diverse workforce at all skill and education levels.

PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH COLLABORATION

This graphic shows collaborative relationships that are already in place to link research, education, workforce development and technology transfer with other state, regional and national entities:

PERFORMANCE METRICS26


UTC organization

A Leadership Team made up of the four university team leaders from the consortium will participate in communications with and meetings of the Advisory Committee to solicit and incorporate the input of the Advisory Committee into Center activities. Upon notice of award, the leadership team will recruit members for the Advisory Committee. Membership will

f. PROGRAM EFFICACYThe University Transportation Center’s academic home at Auburn University will be the Department of Civil Engineering within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. The UTC director will report directly to the dean of engineering.

The proposed UTC will complement the activities of the existing National Center for Asphalt Technology and the Highway Research Center at Auburn and the Cooperative Center for Bridge Design at Virginia Tech, but will differ because of its tight focus on research aimed at faster, cheaper and better ways to build highway infrastructure and rapidly deploy that information to the transportation industry. The center also will differ from the existing Texas Transportation Institute, which focuses on all modes of transportation—highway, air, water, rail and pipeline.

The UTC director and a full-time staff member will be separate from NCAT and HRC. All of the UTC’s hot-mix asphalt research will be conducted through NCAT, which has its own facilities, equipment and human resources including a full-time director, civil engineering research faculty, research engineers and technical and administrative staff. Civil engineering tenure-track faculty serve as PIs and researchers on projects conducted through NCAT, and the NCAT director, research faculty and tenure-track faculty direct civil engineering graduate students. The NCAT director also reports to the dean of engineering.

The Highway Research Center consists of a HRC director and one full-time staff member who have office spaces in the department of civil engineering. The HRC director, Anton Schindler, is a tenured civil engineering faculty member and reports to the head of Civil Engineering. HRC’s primary purpose is to facilitate transportation research at Auburn, primarily by civil engineering faculty and students.

HRC has a strong cooperative relationship with the Alabama DOT and the transportation industry in Alabama and funds small research projects that often lead to larger efforts funded by Alabama DOT or industry. HRC provides funding for equipment and other expenses necessary for maintaining transportation research capabilities and will continue to support the efforts of faculty and students at Auburn to facilitate transportation research.

As described in the section on collaboration, an Advisory Committee consisting of consortium members, industry representatives and state DOT representatives will provide fiscal oversight for this UTC, with project panels consisting of outside experts, appointed by the advisory board, providing technical oversight.

MINIMIZING OVERHEAD

Overhead will be minimized because existing facilities will be used. Use of these facilities will also provide leverage of resources other than what is provided as matching funds. Facilities include:

• National Center for Asphalt Technology (Auburn): Facilities include world-class laboratories for Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) research and a 1.8-mile test track for accelerated, full-scale pavement testing.

• Civil Engineering Laboratories (Auburn): Laboratory spaces are available for research in many areas of civil engineering including environmental, geotechnical, pavements, construction materials and structural and hydraulic Engineering.

• Bridge Load Testing Van (Auburn): HRC’s bridge load testing van provides researchers the ability to collect data from a secure air-conditioned space at bridge test sites. This custom-made vehicle has desk space of for data acquisition and computer equipment for collection and processing data during bridge load testing.

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• Geotechnical Experimentation Site (Auburn): HRC’s Spring Villa Test Site, located in Opelika, Al., provides a place for full-scale field research. The Spring Villa Test Site is also part of the National Geotechnical Experimentation Sites (NGES) Program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the FHWA. The NGES Program contains a network of U.S. test sites to facilitate the development of new techniques of soil characterization and earthwork construction, allowing geotechnical researchers to select the most appropriate site for their needs on the basis of soil type, site location and available geotechnical data.

• Erosion and Sediment Control Test Facility (Auburn): Located at the NCAT Test Track, the facility’s purpose is to evaluate performance of various erosion and sediment control technologies used on construction sites. The facility is approximately 2.5 acres with an upper storage pond used to supply water, three experimental test channels, a sediment basin and a lower retention pond. Two of the 50-foot experimental test channels are used to conduct large-scale tests to evaluate the performance of various ditch check practices used in channelized flow. The other 35-foot test channel is used to evaluate the performance of various inlet protection devices and their ability to promote sedimentation.

(a) View from upper storage pond (b) Large-scale ditch check/inlet protection channels

Figure 1: Auburn University-Erosion and Sediment Control Facility

• Pavements/Materials Research Laboratory (UNR): This lab focuses on asphalt mixtures characterization, laboratory and field evaluation of modified asphalt binders and asphalt mixtures, water sensitivity of asphalt mixtures, recycled asphalt pavements, pavement instrumentation, pavement performance studies and rehabilitation and maintenance design procedures.

• Structural and Materials Testing Lab (VaTech): This facility allows for testing of bridges and bridge sub-assemblages under static and repeated loadings. Test facilities are available for control material property testing, including compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength, shrinkage, creek petrographic analysis and freeze thaw testing.

• Hydraulics, Sedimentation and Erosion Control Laboratory (Texas A&M): This 19-acre site on the Riverside campus includes indoor and outdoor rainfall simulators, channels and many other features to provide the transportation industry with uniform and timely testing and research programs for technologies, products and devices used for storm water quality improvement. Materials and Pavements Division (Texas Transportation Institute): Using state-of-the-art laboratory and field research tools, researchers here were the first to document the natural ability of asphalt to self-mend fractures. This division has the most extensive Superpave binder and mixture laboratory in the U.S.

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• Highway Materials Laboratory (Texas A&M): This lab is accredited by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as a Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL) and contains an extensive Strategic HIghway Research Program (SHRP) binder and mixture laboratory. Researchers also utilize the Wisenbaker Engineering Research Center (WERC), which contains a large structural test laboratory, several machine/electronic shops, and general purpose labs.

• Communications and marketing: Groups in place at NCAT and in Auburn’s College of Engineering will handle dissemination of information through the web, media and other means.

• The Center director will manage UTC funds using staff and resources already in place at NCAT, providing an immediately effective and efficient solution for financial management.

g. DIVERSITY

All consortium universities are deeply committed to broadening participation and enhancing diversity, as well providing already active outreach channels to increase interest in STEM disciples and raise awareness of transportation careers among the next generation. Possible initiatives include creating outreach courses to enhance the competitiveness of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises and a video called “Why a Career in Transportation” targeted at high school seniors and college freshmen. The video would clearly illustrate opportunities for women and minorities as well as other students.

• Auburn tied with Florida A&M for No. 17 on Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s recent list of institutions granting engineering degrees to African-Americans. Of those universities that ranked higher, most were much larger institutions, HBCUs or institutions specializing in technology research and education.

• In 2010 total, Auburn graduated 32 African-American engineers, 27 men and five women. That was a 33 percent increase over the previous year, and 6 percent of total engineering degrees awarded, according to Diverse.

• Auburn participates in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, whose goal is to increase the quantity and quality of underrepresented minority students majoring in sciences, engineering and mathematics. Other Alabama participants are Alabama A&M University, Alabama State University,

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A total of 10 percent off the top of UTC funding will be set aside by Auburn to provide: Summer research experiences for minority and women undergraduate and graduate

students as well as minority and women faculty members. They will visit one of the partner institutions, where they will be able to participate in ongoing research projects. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) will be targeted for recruiting participants, with top priority given to students and faulty who are not studying or working at partner universities.

$6,000 honoraria and travel for minority and women speakers to present seminars at partner universities.

$6,000 Travel for UTC Director and Coordinators to go to HBCUs to recruit applicants for the summer programs

$24,000 Travel grants for faculty and graduate students at HBCUs who participate in the summer programs to attend the TRB annual meeting.

$4,000 UTC reception at TRB annual meeting to honor minority summer program participants

Miles College, Oakwood College, Stillman College, Talladega College, Tuskegee University, and the University of Alabama. LSAMP Scholarships are awarded to outstanding incoming underrepresented minority freshmen majoring in science, engineering and mathematics on the basis of their high school grades and ACT or SAT scores and/or their performance in summer programs here at Auburn University. All scholarship recipients are required to attend chemistry, mathematics, and physics workshops and maintain a 3.00 GPA. Alabama is one of the six oldest NSF alliances in the country.

• The Texas Transportation Institute’s contribution to women in the transportation industry was recognized in September 2011 by the awarding of ARTBA’s Glass Hammer Award, given to “honor transportation construction industry companies that have innovative programs and activities directed at successfully promoting women leaders within their organization.”

• The Texas Transportation Institute’s budged workforce is 47 percent female, a reflection of TTI’s diversity efforts. In the last decade the percentages of women in executive/administrative/managerial positions increased by 86 percent; in professional/non-faculty positions, 23 percent; research administrators, 100 percent, research professional staff, 40 percent; senior administrative professional staff, 167 percent; and senior research professional staff, 160 percent.

• For a number of years, TTI has been one of the top 25 agencies participating in the state of Texas Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Purchasing program. In 2010, more than 38 percent of TTI expenditures went to HUB vendors, ranking TTI eighth among state agencies.

Table 5 describes existing programs supporting minority engineering students at consortium universities.

Alabama Power Minority Education Program(Auburn University)

Has increased number of African-Americans receiving undergraduate engineering degrees by 60 percent since its inception in 1996

Aim is to recruit and retain minority students and provide t tools for success

Students come to campus for an intensive three-week introduction to all areas of engineering, visiting every department in College of Engineering.

Any student who achieves a 3.0 GPA and participates in the program for five and a half hours per week is eligible for a scholarship award.

First-year and transfer students receive supplemental instruction in mathematics, chemistry, physics, critical thinking and college survival skills to promote retention

After freshman year, students become mentors and tutors. Mentors help manage academic schedules, share study strategies and assist new students with navigating campus culture and life.

Alumni have created “mentorship beyond the classroom,” which pairs students with a Minority Engineering Program graduate who works for the company where the student will be employed.

Student Leadership Corps(Auburn University)

Reaches out to women, other under-represented minorities and people with disabilities

Provides intensive computing experience Students receive a stipend, computer mentoring, project experience,

monthly seminars, a free summer workshop

Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA)University of Nevada, Reno

College preparation program that strives to increase the number of minority, low income and first-generation college bound students

Students from middle and high schools participate in hands-on math, engineering and science activities as well as college-preparation workshop

Center for Enhancement of Engineering DiversityVirginia Tech

Mission is to increase engineering student diversity Provides academic, professional and personal support Provides support to student organizations that support its mission,

including the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of

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Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers and the Council for the Advancement of Minority Engineering Organizations

Diversity CouncilTexas Transportation Institute

Formed to develop a formal diversity Plan and to serve as an advisory body to TTI

INCREASING INTEREST IN STEM DISCIPLINES & TRANSPORTATION CAREERS

Table 6 describes existing programs that will be used to attract new entrants into the transportation field. The table also shows outreach to primary and secondary schools

BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology)Auburn University

National headquarters located at Auburn Executive director if George Blanks, director of College of Engineering’s

K-12 outreach Increases interest in STEM disciplines A sports-like science- and engineering- based robotics competition This year 4,500 volunteers served 12,500 students from 850 schools Pairs team with experienced engineer who advises students and faculty

advisers

Robo-Camp(Auburn University)

Reinforces computer literacy Carnegie Mellon University Alice Programming System, Microsoft Kodu

programming environment, Lego Mindstorms NXT, Lego Tetrix robots, Carnegie Mellon University RobotC and Carnegie Mellon University Tekkotsu Programming on Mobile Robots are used to teach concepts of robotics and computer programming

Scholarships available for girls and those with special needs

Camp ROC (Reaching Our Children) (Auburn University)

Provides instruction in the areas of reading and reading comprehension, math, science, financial and computer literacy for students from at-risk populations in grades 5-12

Introduces participants to common computer programs such as Microsoft Word and introductory programming in HTML and website design

Goal is to increase academic success and graduation rates of students and increase the number pursuing post-secondary education, non-traditional careers and attend Auburn

TIGERs (Teams & Individuals Guided by Engineering Resources)(Auburn University)

Resident summer camps targeting students in grades 8-11 Exposes students to engineering and STEM disciplines

Summer Transportation InstitutesTexas Transportation Institute

Funded by FHWA through Texas DOT Outreach to promising junior high and high school students

F. CENTER DIRECTOR AND KEY STAFFInclude pic of stallings?

Michael Stallings, professor of civil engineering at Auburn University, will be the director and will devote 85 percent of his time to administration of the Center. Each partner university’s coordinator (Tommy Cousins, Jon Epps, Peter Sebaaly and Randy West) will devote approximately 10 percent of his time to Center administration. The director and four coordinators are referred as the Leadership Team.

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Dr. Stallings holds a bachelor’s of civil engineering and a master’s degree from Auburn and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. His teaching and research interests include structural analysis and design, experimental study of structural behavior, fatigue and fracture mechanics, and bridge evaluation and rehabilitation. Dr. Stallings has 25 years of progressive experience in academics and engineering consulting beyond his years as a graduate research assistant. Over nine years of his academic experience includes serving as head of the Civil Engineering Department at Auburn. As a researcher he has been heavily involved in highway bridge projects focused on evaluation, rating, repair and the implementation of high performance concrete mixtures in bridge construction.

Dr. Stallings’ professional service activities have included being chair of ASCE’s Committee on Fatigue and Fracture and a member of TRB’s Committee on Dynamics and Field Testing and ASCE’s Steel Bridge Committee. He continues to offer video and live outreach courses on structural engineering design topics.

These experiences have provided him with a broad understanding of the engineering profession, the transportation industry and university education, research and outreach programs. As an experienced academic department head he is familiar with the administrative structure and procedures of the grantee institution and available resources for management of finances and personnel.

The Center director will have overall responsibility for management and operations of the University Transportation Center. He will establish procedures for assessment of the effectiveness of Center activities and for ensuring compliance with all UTC program requirements. He will devote at least 85 percent of his effort toward management of the Center, with the remainder of his time focused on transportation research. If the proposed UTC is selected for funding, Dr. Stallings will immediately and permanently step down as head of the Department of Civil Engineering. The dean of Auburn’s College of Engineering will appoint an interim head to serve during a search for a new department head. This will allow Dr. Stallings to assume the duties of Center director immediately upon receipt of notice to proceed.

One full-time staff member will be hired to assist the director. Hiring of a staff member will be quickly accomplished through the university’s human resources department. The staff member will have responsibilities typical for an administrative assistant.

The Center director will utilize an Advisory Committee and the Leadership Team (see section on --) to provide direction and oversight for research, workforce development and technology transfer efforts. The Advisory Committee will select projects to receive funding from the Center from the pool of funds for competitive awards, ensuring that activities will focus on significant, nationally relevant topics. Because the proposed Center is designed for one-time funding, funding for predefined projects is significantly larger than the pool for competitive funding to allow research to begin immediately. If the Center receives future funding, the pool of competitive funds will increase and the influence of the Advisory Committee on the Center’s overall will likewise increase.

As noted, the Leadership Team includes one member from each partner university. These individuals will serve as the point of contact and coordinator of activities at their universities. Having a coordinator at each university enables efficient, effective communications and provides continuous oversight at partner institutions.

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APPENDICESCurriculum Vitae for Center Director and Key Staff

Confirmation of Negotiated Overhead and Fringe Benefit Rates

Letters of Support from four DOTs

Letters of commitment (and cost share) from universities

Letter from sponsored programs

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Letter from Overtoun Jenda

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