[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39075-39077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15477]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[FHWA Docket No. FHWA-2008-0070]
Exploratory Advanced Research Program
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Section 502 of title 23 of the United States Code directs the
Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish an Exploratory
Advanced Research Program (EARP).
The stated purpose of the EARP is to address longer-term and
higher-risk research with potentially dramatic breakthroughs for
improving the durability, efficiency, environmental impact,
productivity and safety aspects of highway and intermodal
transportation systems.
The purpose of this notice is to announce exploratory advanced
research that will take place under the EARP, to encourage interest in
such work by organizations or individuals conducting related work or
anticipating the results of such work, and to solicit comments about
the long-term impact of such work on future research, technical
innovation, or transportation industry practices.
DATES: FHWA requests comments on or before October 6, 2008 in order to
consider and plan for coordination of research.
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ADDRESSES: David Kuehn, Office of Corporate Research, Technology and
Innovation Management, (202) 493-3414, [email protected]; or Grace
Reidy, Office of the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-6226; Federal Highway
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Office hours are from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
You may submit or retrieve comments online through the Document
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on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may
review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in a Federal Register
published on April 11, 2000 (70 FR 19477), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
Background
Section 5201(g) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) (Pub. L.
109-59, 119 Stat. 1144), directed the Secretary to establish an EARP.
The program is codified in 23 U.S.C. 502(e).
Section 502(e) specifies that the EARP should address longer-term,
higher risk research aimed at breakthroughs to improve the durability,
efficiency, environmental impact, productivity and safety aspects of
highway and intermodal transportation systems. Section 502(e) also
provides that the Secretary should seek to develop partnerships with
public and private sector entities. Further, the FHWA Corporate Master
Plan for Research and Deployment of Technology & Innovation identifies
engaging stakeholders throughout the research and technology process as
one of seven guiding principles. An electronic copy of the Corporate
Master Plan is available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/legsregs/directives/policy/cmp/03077.htm.
In 2005, FHWA conducted advanced research think-tank forums in
Cambridge, Massachusetts; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Berkeley,
California, bringing together a range of stakeholders to explore future
advanced research possibilities relevant to the mission of FHWA. These
forums provided a foundation for FHWA to announce and select an initial
group of exploratory advanced research projects in 2007.
Also during 2007, research offices within FHWA began meeting with
research partners to further define areas of investigation for
exploratory advanced research. Once specific research problems were
defined, FHWA worked with outside experts from academic institutions,
State and local departments of transportation and the private sector to
provide technical assessments of exploratory advanced research
proposals. FHWA plans to move forward with proposals that have strong
scientific and technical merit.
Depending on the research area, some proposals leverage existing
facilities, equipment and talent at the Turner Fairbank Highway
Research Center (TFHRC). The research focuses on providing solutions to
complex technical problems through the development of more economical,
environmentally sensitive designs; more efficient, quality-controlled
construction practices; and more durable materials. The TFHRC is
federally owned and operated and provides FHWA and the world highway
community with unique capabilities for the development of highway
research, development and technology.
The FHWA is issuing this notice to announce five research proposals
that will take place at TFHRC and to encourage organizations that are
conducting related work or are interested in the results of such work
to comment on this notice. The FHWA seeks methods to share information
and to coordinate with other organizations who are conducting related
work in the interests of mutual benefit and scientific advancement.
Methods may include informal coordination as well as more formal
agreements for providing access to facilities and equipment or sharing
laboratory data and technical expertise. Further information about the
EARP is located at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/research.cfm.
Following is a summary of the five proposals FHWA plans to
undertake as part of a second round of exploratory advanced research.
For more detailed descriptions of the proposals, see http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/advancedresearch/research.cfm#upcoming.
Title: Greatly Increased Use of Fly Ash in Hydraulic Cement
Concrete for Pavement Layers and Transportation Structures--This study
will explore the attributes of fly ash to understand how it can be
utilized in greater quantities. The outcome of the study could
accelerate the identification of technology and innovations to allow
the massive use of fly ash from coal-burning that either does not meet
current concrete materials specifications or is not used because of
practical technical concerns. The fly-ash drawback is the slower set
and strength gain. Advanced research is needed to understand potential
acceleration techniques to conceive of empirical testing and
performance prediction models for these uses. We anticipate that
research in this area will answer several questions, including whether
there are chemical activation methods that can be used and whether we
could eliminate use of any metal that corrodes in concrete in favor of
more efficient chloride accelerators.
Title: Volumetric Particle Image Velocimetry (VPIV) System for
experimental Bridge Scour Research--A proposed high resolution VPIV
system would allow measurement of instantaneous flow volumes around
bridge pier models, leading to more precise scour predictive models. It
presently is practically impossible, by means of laboratory
experiments, to visualize and to measure the entire instantaneous flow
field around a bridge pier. Recent experimental investigations using
Laser Doppler Velocimetry and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) have
increased our understanding of the intricate flow structures around
bridge piers; a detailed quantitative description of the of necklace
vortices at the base of piers and of the turbulent near wake region is
still lacking. Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) is only capable of
measuring point velocities, and PIV is limited to single recording
plains. LDA and PIV are both based on optical flow diagnostics using
the interaction of light refraction and scattering with inhomogeneous
media. Research at the TFHRC Hydraulics Laboratory has focused on using
a PIV system developed in-house for measuring instantaneous flow fields
around bridge pier models. The existing PIV system also has the
capability to map the out-of-plane velocity components using two
synchronized cameras to measure the velocity in complex flow
situations. The current PIV system has two major limitations: (1)
Resolution (sampling rate 15 Hz); and (2) only one recording plane.
Therefore, there is a need to
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develop a high resolution VPI system that can capture and quantify
complex, highly three-dimensional and unsteady flow fields for small-
scale bridge scour experiments.
Title: Flexible Skin Areal Shear Stress and Pressure Sensing System
for Experimental Bridge Scour Research--This study will explore ways to
directly measure instantaneous boundary shear stresses and pressure
fields for small scale bridge scour experiments, in order to advance
the understanding of bridge scour problems. A direct method to measure
boundary shear stress and boundary pressure fluctuations in
experimental scour research has historically been a challenge. In
addition, available turbulence models cannot account very well for the
effect of bed roughness, which is fundamentally important for any
Computational Fluid Dynamics simulation. A mechanical shear sensor
device that was developed by the TFHRC Hydraulics Research team to
measure directly wall shear stress has several limitations. One major
challenge is that the sensor only measures point shear stresses. The
sensor plate has to be aligned horizontally with the channel bed and
cannot be used to measure shear stress in preformed scour holes.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a sensing system that can measure
instantaneous areal boundary shear stresses and pressure fields for
small scale bridge scour experiments. The FHWA desires a sensing system
with the flexibility to measure the change in shear-stress and pressure
when the scour hole forms.
Title: The Composite Behavior and the Design Requirements of
Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil (GRS) Structures--This research will seek
to understand how geosynthetic reinforcement interacts with compacted
soil to allow for more effective and rational design guidance of GRS
walls for highway applications. Many engineers have learned there are
several fundamental discrepancies between current Material Science
Engineering design methodology and the observed behavior of full-scale
GRS earth-geosynthetic composite walls (alternating close layers of
geosynthetic reinforcement and compacted fill). The research will
improve the understanding of reinforced soil technology and support a
paradigm shift into GRS technology. The Material Science Engineering
wall industry and related theory is mature to a point where there is
reluctance to acknowledge any modified wall design using geosynthetics.
However, the evolution of GRS technology using geosynthetic soil
composites has created a new engineering material with a niche in
earthwork. Fundamental understanding of GRS properties will allow for
development of improved design and construction guidance with the
potential to lead to considerable change in the industry and an
affordable, quick alternative to the current practice.
Title: Advanced Digital Imaging for Accident Prevention and
Reducing Traffic Congestion--This research would explore extended range
imaging techniques from scientific, art and astronomical photography
for application to traffic safety and control. Current video imaging
has limitations for use in safety, including erroneous early detection,
late detection, failed detection and false positive detections.
Attempts to resolve these problems by upgrading existing video
technologies have not been successful. A radically different approach
using advanced digital imaging technologies might provide a foundation
on which to build solid reliable detection technologies with radically
lower signal-to-noise ratios. This research might provide the
foundation for a different approach to wide-area sensing using
scientific-imaging technologies rather than video-broadcasting
technologies.
Authority: 23 U.S.C. 502.
Issued on: July 1, 2008.
James D. Ray,
Acting Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8-15477 Filed 7-7-08; 8:45 am]
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