Research Projects
A Framework for the Nationwide Multimode Transportation Demand Analysis
Principal Investigator: Hojong Baik
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: The main goal of this research is to develop a modeling framework that estimates the nationwide multi-modal transportation demand for the U.S. transportation system.
Research Objective: The main goal of this research project is to develop a modeling framework that estimates the nationwide multi-modal transportation demand for the U.S. transportation system.
Potential Benefits: The resulting framework will provide an analytical tool to estimate of multimode transportation demand but also to assess impacts of proposed multimodal transportation improvement plans.
A Preliminary Appraisal of the Safety and Operational Effects on the Regional Transportation System Created by New Rail-Truck Intermodal Facilities.
Principal Investigator: Thomas Mulinazzi
University of Kansas
Co-Principal Investigators:
Steven Schrock
Brief Project Description: Investigate the impacts of an intermodal rail-truck facility in Gardner, Kansas on the surrounding community.
Research Objective: The objective is to investigate the impacts of the intermodal rail-truck facility in Gardner, Kansas on the surrounding community.
Potential Benefits: Improve the safety of the transportation network.
Assessing the Damage Potential in Pretensioned Bridges Caused by Increased Truck Loads Due to Freight Movements (Phase I)
Principal Investigator: Robert Peterman
Kansas State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: This research is aimed at determining the existing stresses in a concrete member. The first step is to image the concrete in its in-situ stressed condition at a desired location, and then cut around the imaged area using a diamond core bit to a depth of approximately one inch. The result will be a "re-bounding" of most of the elastic strain carried by the concrete member at that point. By re-imaging the point after penetration by the core drill, the change in surface strain can be determined, and thus also an estimate of the initial internal stress.
Research Objective: In Phase 1 (the laboratory phase), the procedures for measuring and cutting the concrete will be established. In addition, the correlation between surface strain changes and internal forces will be evaluated, and the accuracy of the method determined.
Potential Benefits: One of the most attractive features of this new measurement technique is that there is typically no surface preparation required. The reflective properties of the member's surface serve as a "fingerprint" of the unique location. Thus, an engineer or technician can begin taking initial baseline measurements within minutes after arriving at a bridge site.
Characteristics and Contributory Causes Related to Large Truck Crashes (Phase I)
Principal Investigator: Sunanda Dissanayake
Kansas State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: The project will gather crash data related to large trucks, which will be analyzed and modeled to identify characteristics and contributory causes. Based on that, countermeasure ideas and focus areas needing particular attention for improving highway safety situation of large trucks will be suggested.
Research Objective: To identify characteristics and contributory causes related to large trucks. To recommend countermeasure ideas and focus areas needing particular attention for improving the safety situation of truck related crashes.
Potential Benefits: Upon completion of the project, the characteristics and contributory causes of the large truck related crashes will be identified, which will in turn be used to recommend countermeasure ideas and focus areas needing particular attention for improving the safety situation of truck related crashes.
Extending Pavement Life Using Thin Surfacing to Counter the Effect of Increased Truck Traffic Due to Freight Movements on Highways
Principal Investigator: Mustaque Hossain
Kansas State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: The thin surfacing has been touted as one of the most cost-effective measures that can extend the life of pavements. Thin surfacing like the ultra-thin bonded bituminous surface (Nova chip) and modified slurry seal (micro-surfacing) are being increasingly used by some states. . However, the life extended by these treatments is not precisely known and thus, it can not be used in value engineering. Thus a study is needed how these thin surfacing can extend the life of pavements with high truck traffic.
Research Objective: The research objective would be to identify the existing pavement condition and truck traffic volume at which a certain thin surfacing treatment would be effective in lengthening pavement life.
Potential Benefits: The project is expected to produce recommendations regarding use of thin surfacing for high truck traffic routes. The most potential type of thin surfacing for a given existing pavement condition and truck traffic volume will also be identified.
Feasibility of Using Cellular Telephone Data to Determine the Truckshed of Rail-Truck Intermodal Facilities
Principal Investigator: Steven Schrock
University of Kansas
Co-Principal Investigators:
Thomas Mulinazzi
Brief Project Description: This research will examine the feasibility of using cell phone data to determine the truckshed of a multimodal facility.
Research Objective: To determine the feasibility of using cell phone data to track the movement of freight from an intermodal facility.
Potential Benefits: Ability of track freight shipments with cell phone data.
Foundation Design for High Tension Cable Guardrails
Principal Investigator: John Rohde
University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: Development of optimized foundation systems for high tension cable guardrails.
Research Objective: These cable guardrail systems are the first to depend on soil properties to maintain their redirective capability. This project will develop design tools to optimize construction and maintenance costs.
Potential Benefits: Tension loss in these systems has large potential effects of safety as well as increased maintenance costs. Optimized foundation design will provide the States with tools to assure safety while minimizing costs.
Impact of Trucks in the Development of Work Zone Capacity Guidelines
Principal Investigator: Ghulam Bham
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Praveen Edara
Brief Project Description: The objective of this project is to provide guidelines for estimating work zone capacities for interstate highways.
Research Objective: The objective of this research project is to provide guidelines for estimating work zone capacities for interstate highways in the SWZDI states and to develop adjustment factors for various traffic, highway and control conditions such as heavy vehicles, length of work zone, work intensity, speed, alignment, and other factors used by the Highway Capacity Manual (1) to adjust for values of capacity.
Potential Benefits: Reduce delay and congestion, improve safety
Impact of Trucks on Signalized Intersections
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Jones
University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: The objective of this research project is to quantify the impact of trucks on the performance of signalized intersections through a better understanding of truckers' perspectives on signalized intersection performance and establishment of a 'state of the system' for signalized intersections using real-time information. This will be accomplished through field data collection and the development of a simulation model of the study intersections.
Research Objective: The objective of this research project is to quantify the impact of trucks on the performance of signalized intersections through a better understanding of truckers' perspectives on signalized intersection performance and establishment of a 'state of the system' for signalized intersections using real-time information.
Potential Benefits: The expected results of this research project include quantifying effects of trucks on the performance and level of service of traffic signal operations. Better quantification of truck impacts on signalize intersection performance can lead to more reliable and potentially safer travel conditions.
Improving Freight Fire Safety: Assessment of the Effectiveness of Mist-controlling Additives in Mitigating Crash-Induced Diesel Fires
Principal Investigator: Albert Ratner
University of Iowa
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: This work will examine the applicability and performance of a polymer-based fuel additive designed to mitigate fire, previously tested for kerosene-based aviation systems, to diesel-based ground transportation systems. This work is fundamental in nature and will establish the general behavior and validity of such approaches to ground fire prevention/mitigation.
Research Objective: The objective of this program is to assess the applicability of viscosity-modifying polymer additives to reducing fuel fires in crashes involving diesel powered transportation systems. This work will also compare performance of such polymers in Diesel and Jet-A fuels.
Potential Benefits: If, as expected, these additives are effective in diesel, then a full-scale evaluation can be undertaken to examine the issues involved in transportation system implementation. Implementation of such additives would reduces accident fires and improve safety in the transportation system.
Improving Work Zone Safety for Freight Vehicles: Effective Design Patterns for Vehicle Mounted Attenuators
Principal Investigator: Ghulam Bham
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Praveen Edara
Brief Project Description: The objective of this study is to evaluate public and worker perception of the effectiveness of various design patterns and color combinations for truck mounted attenuator markings.
Research Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate public and worker perception of the effectiveness of various design patterns and color combinations for truck mounted attenuator markings.
Potential Benefits: increase safety, reduce fatalities and crashes
Investigating RFID for Roadside Identification Involving Freight Commercial Vehicle Operators
Principal Investigator: Erick Jones
University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
Judy Perkins
Brief Project Description: Enforcement operations have a critical need to provide a more efficient means of capturing data for inspection purposes in comparison to manual 'screening' approaches for enforcement of safety and registration guidelines. Approaches such as random screening does not allow for the correct attention to be placed upon those carriers and vehicles most likely to be in violation of the law. These random screenings generally can be an inefficient use of enforcement resources which can be improved with modern data collection technologies. In order to utilize automated technologies for more effective roadside enforcement pertinent information must be accessible and collected in a reliable way. In this proposal we introduce a means for accomplishing these goals by investigating RFID as a possibility for commercial COV trucks to be identifiable at the roadside automatically. We hypothesize that RFID technology can be used to improve the data collection by making timely information available either to an officer at a weigh station or a portable unit before the vehicle crosses the Weigh-in Motion (WIM). Officers could then target the vehicle for inspection.
Research Objective: This objective of this proposal is to perform a analysis for utilizing RFID technologies to capture information for state and federal transportation agencies.
Potential Benefits: Benefits include providing over the road information in a real time use of CVISN and PRISM Roadside Electronic Screening Databases, extending the relationship between State agencies, the University, FMCSA and COVs, and supporting students who may become employees, and provide positive marketing of the State for future DMV, CVISN, PRISM COV and other transportation initiatives that support future funding.
Investigation of Factors associated with Truck crashes in Nebraska
Principal Investigator: Aemal Khattak
University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: The research will investigate and establish relationships between skid resistance of highways and reported crashes as well as skid resistance and crash injury severity.
Research Objective: The two objectives of this proposed research are: 1) to investigate and quantify the relationship between skid resistance of a highway and the reported crashes on that highway, and 2) to investigate and quantify the relationship between skid resistance and the most severe occupant injury reported in a crash.
Potential Benefits: The information resulting from the project can be used in judging an optimal skid resistance from a safety standpoint and in developing a systems-based approach to when skid resistance of pavements is improved.
Performance Measures of Warm Asphalt Mixtures for Safe and Reliable Freight Transportation
Principal Investigator: Hosin Lee
University of Iowa
Co-Principal Investigators:
Brief Project Description: Four types of asphalt mixtures (OGFC, SMA, WMA and HRA) will be evaluated with respect to their mix design procedures, dynamic creep and frictional characteristics.
Research Objective: the safe and reliable WMA and HRA mixtures will contribute to the road safety by reducing the number of crashes and fatalities on heavy roadway system and minimize risk associated with increasing freight movements on the U.S. surface transportation system.
Potential Benefits: The main product anticipated from this research is the evaluation result of WMA and HRA with respect to their rutting and moisture susceptibility and frictional characteristics. This information would be very useful for all pavement engineers, who are interested in WMA and HRA for application.
Pilot Study on Rugged Fiber Optic Brillouin Sensors for Large Strain Measurements to Ensure the Safety of Transportation Structures
Principal Investigator: Genda Chen
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Hai Xiao
Brief Project Description: This project is aimed to characterize the ruggedness and signal loss of carbon-coated optical fibers and validate their performance as sensors.
Research Objective: This project is to characterize carbon-coated fiber ruggedness against shear action and lateral compression, to study the optical signal loss along carbon optical fibers, and to apply fibers to strain and temperature measurements in concrete
Potential Benefits: Enable the measurements of information that is critical to the safety of transportation structures.
Safer Work Zones for Heavy and Light Weight Vehicles: Speed Limit Up or Speed Limit Down
Principal Investigator: Ghulam Bham
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Co-Principal Investigators:
Praveen Edara
Brief Project Description: The objective of this research project is to examine the criteria for setting work zone speed limits on highways.
Research Objective: The objective of this research project is to examine the criteria for setting work zone speed limits on highways.
Potential Benefits: Reduced delay, maximize flow of traffic, reduction in variability of speeds, increase safety; rear end accidents
Safety Investigation and Guidance for Work-Zone Devices in Freight Transportation Systems Subjected to Passenger Car and Truck Impacts with New Crash Standards
Principal Investigator: Ronald Faller
University of Nebraska- Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
James Holloway
Brief Project Description: This research study will determine whether typical work-zone devices will provide acceptable safety performance when impacted by a broader range in vehicle class, or when using the MASH 2008 guidelines.
Research Objective: The objective is to determine whether typical work-zone devices will provide acceptable safety performance when impacted by a broader range in vehicle class, or when using the MASH 2008 guidelines. In addition, guidance will be provided for evaluating future work-zone devices.
Potential Benefits: The final report will include guidance for future testing of work-zone devices or existing safety performance of selected work-zone devices in terms of new MASH 2008 standards. The results will provide guidance as to which temporary sign stand configurations may be more at risk for penetrating the occupant compartments for a larger range of passenger vehicles versus those that may be only at risk for one vehicle class (i.e., small car).
