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Department of Transportation
Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Deployment of high performance materials (steel, aluminum, composites etc)
to retrofit existing highway structures to increase capacity or eliminate
deficiencies.
Increase the number of bridges being monitored and the number of variables
monitored using embedded sensors.
Development of an advanced computer simulation model of bridges, tunnels
and pavements that incorporates models of loads imposed by traffic and the
environment to achieve reliable prediction of fatigue life.
Development of test facilities to evaluate NDT and robotic technologies for
construction or inspection
Acceleration and diversification of partnerships with industry and
States for technology deployment.
Federal Aviation Administration
Development of airport design and construction standards for airport
pavements able to withstand landing stress from future large aircraft and
increased traffic, matched by predictive modeling of pavement design, analysis
and response.
Development of airport planning and design tools for triple and quadruple
runways to enhance capacity of existing airports.
Development of a pavement test machine, of appropriate NDT monitoring
technologies and analysis methods, and of improved airport safety
technologies.
Development and test of airport vulnerability assessment tools for use in
airport physical security.
Federal Railroad Administration
Evaluation of active noise cancellation technology to increase sensitivity
and quality of ultrasonic rail condition measurements.
Buckling tests of track laid with continuous welded rail and concrete ties.
Determination of track geometry limits safe for high speed passenger train
operation.
Test and evaluation of new train control system designs and components.
Identified but unquantified and unfunded R&D needs address resolution of
track performance issues related to heavier and faster freight and passenger
trains, and the safety and environmental consequences of innovative high speed
rail technologies proposed for US service applications.
Federal Transit Administration
FTA will continues to implement initiatives that will bring about
incremental improvements to existing transit systems. The technology
development program has been developed through a series of aggressive efforts
that ensure that industry needs and priorities remain an internal part of the
overall FTA mission.
US Coast Guard
No new efforts related to infrastructure are currently funded for FY96.
The Short Range Aids program will continue and research programs related to
other infrastructure areas such as Vessel Traffic Services (VTS, Advance Radio
Aids to Navigation (LORAN, GPS, DGPS, etc.), Ship Structures and Propulsion,
Waterways Management, and Communications and Information Handling Systems are
continuing or planned as new starts.
Research and Special Programs Administration
Development of analytic tools and advanced automated NDT inspection and
diagnostic technology methods for assessing pipeline integrity and predicting
failures.
Evaluation of advanced materials, stronger and more resistant to corrosion
and environmental effects
Office of Commercial Space Transportation
Establishment of a grants program to States for dedicated commercial space launch facilities (a previously unfunded need identified by Congress and
States).
Department of Commerce
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Development of Automated Construction Processes:
- Information architecture to support automated construction
- Methods and standards for virtual simulation of construction sites
- Real-time construction site metrology, based on remote sensing for position and inventory data
- Automated construction robots for repetitive or dangerous tasks;
- Person-in-loop feedback systems for construction machinery.
Research on Automated Construction Facilities Management including
structural, environmental and fire sensing technology, coupled with open
communication protocols and standards for building systems interoperability.
Research in high performance concrete, steel and steel/concrete composites,
and in polymer matrix composites for constructed facilities.
Department of Defense
Army Corps of Engineers
Research on dredging operations and environmental research
Wetlands research initiative
Geographic Information Operational System.
High Performance Materials Technology initiative has been designed to be performed in cooperation with industry (the CONMAT
initiative).
Department of Energy
The Department of Energy does not have any focused R&D programs targeting
transportation infrastructure, but its broad research and technology base
include advanced materials science, sensors for non-destructive testing,
robotics, modeling/simulation capability and environmental technologies that
could support both strategic and specific technical goals for infrastructure
renewal.
National Science Foundation
Basic research efforts of long term relevance to transportation
infrastructure include:
- Civil Infrastructure Systems initiative target deterioration science (rate and processes associated with deterioration)
- Assessment technologies (including NDE and "smart materials"
- Renewal engineering, and institutional effectiveness and productivity.
Addition of existing data and knowledge concerning composite materials now used in the aircraft will be adapted to
construction activities.
Department of the Interior
Bureau of Mines
Incorporation of chloride sensors into concrete test blocks, and ultimately
into infrastructure applications.
Expansion of the effect of the environment on bridge coatings into other geographical locations in the US.
Promotion of the use of steel monitors as a means to monitor the structural integrity and safety of a network of bridges over a much broader geographical
area. Initiation of instrumentation and networking of the data to central locations will be initiated.