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ITI Bridge Research
Bridge Clearinghouse Objective: To offer on the Internet a single source of networked information about bridge research. Highlights: Includes bridge electronic resources, full-text documents for federal bridge research programs and legislation on over two dozen special bridge topic pages. Bridge NDE: Acoustic Emission Testing Principal Investigator: David W. Prine, Northwestern University Infrastructure Technology Institute (phone 847-491-2873) Objective: To provide state highway departments with a means of reliably determining the condition of critical structural steel elements in bridges. Highlights: Completed forty-one field-test demonstrations to date; designed and installed a remote monitoring system on the Michigan Street Bridge in Sturgeon Bay, WI and Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee, WI; developed neural net capabilities for AE equipment; held five Bridge NDE Users Group Conferences. Bridge NDE: Deep Foundations Principal Investigator: Richard Finno, Northwestern University Dept. of Civil Engineering (phone 847-491-5885) Objective: To evaluate conditions of existing deep concrete foundations, including groups of piles, piers, pile caps, and quality of concrete. Highlights: Conducted parallel seismic, sonic logging and impulse response field evaluations on drilled shafts at Northwestern's National Geotechnical Experimentation Site as well as at other construction sites in the Chicago area; evaluated concrete quality in existing bridge piers. Bridge NDE: Piers and Abutments Principal investigator: Chuck Dowding, Northwestern University Dept. of Civil Engineering (phone 847-491-4338) Objective: To assess and monitor the serviceability of bridge piers and abutments using non-destructive approaches such as time-domain reflectometry(TDR). Highlights: Held TDR International Conference (1994); developed miniaturized low power consuming, field robust TDR pulser in cooperation with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; participated in field demonstration tests with TDR cables at various bridge sites; established TDR-L, an electronic discussion group and TDR Clearinghouse for Information on the ITI World Wide Web site. Bridge NDE: Ultrasonic Testing Principal investigator: Jan Achenbach, Northwestern University Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention (phone 847-4915527) and Igor Komsky, Northwestern University Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention (phone 847-491-7950) Objective: To apply ultrasoundto detect and characterize cracks and materials deterioration in bridge hangar pinks, pin assemblies, and eye-bars. Highlights: Developed a prototype imaging system for ultrasonic inspection of pins in pin-hangar connections; developed two-step ultrasonic imaging technique for inspection of pins; participated in field demontrations at bridge sites. Bridge Overcoating Principal investigator: George Nichols, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering Advanced Coatings Technology Group (phone 947-491-4480) Objective: To assess the status of maintenance painting operations and develop overcoating guidelines with background information leading to a user-friendly Bridge Maintenance Painting Expert System for bridge engineers. Highlights: Participated in national and international bridge maintenance painting projects; gathered and assessed background information from the published literature, testing standards, suppliers, users and painting experts; established a format and implemented an initial computer-based demo for office and field evaluation by selected state DOT engineers and inspectors; used feedback to expand, improve and refine the model. Bridge Pin Connection Wear and Corrosion Principal investigator: Robert Krueger, Northwestern University McCormick Schol of Engineering Advanced Coatings Technology Group (phone 847-491-3367) Objective: To evaluate the new lubricants and alloys recommended by Illinois DOT on pin connection metals using the accelerated weathering test method and use of the Falex machine for measuring friction and wear. Highlights: Project has been completed. Various metals and lucricants were wear-and-corrosion-tested and results obtained. Bridge Steels Principal investigators: Morris Fine, Northwestern University Dept. of Materials Science (phone 847-491-5579) and Semyon Vaynman, Northwestern University Dept. of Materials Science (phone 847-491-4475) Objective: To prove that low-carbon, copper-precipitation-hardened steels are viable candidates for high performance bridge steels with improved weldability. Highlights: Developed and tested a low carbon steel for infrastructure applications; made a 160,000 pound test of the steel for further testing and application. ITI Midwest Bridge Maintenance and Inspection Working Group Principal investigator: Theodore Hopwood, Kentucky Transportation Center (phone 606-257-4513) Objective: To address problems facing state highway agencies in the areas of bridge maintenance and inspection; serve as a link for the formal exchange of information to 1)discuss common problems and 2) identify innovations worth adopting on a routine basis. Highlights: Established Web page during summer 1997 [http://acvo.uky.edu/BMI/bmi.htm]; invited university involvement in Working Group; held three meetings.
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