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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
    <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
    <description></description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
      <url>https://rip.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle-RIP.jpg</url>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Effects of Target Air Voids on Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) Performance Tests</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2698280</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To test the performance of hot-mix asphalt (HMA), Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) uses volumetrics testing, which tests the air void content and voids in mineral aggregate in compacted samples, followed by balanced mix design — which uses performance tests to evaluate pavement distresses. This project aims to identify if compacted HMA specimens that are currently discarded after volumetric testing can be used in performance tests. Researchers will test volumetric specimens at 4% and 7% air void content in cracking and rutting performance tests and identify if an alternate rutting test can be used in production. Successfully using compacted volumetric specimens for performance testing may reduce the time needed to identify if an HMA mixture meets IDOT performance test criteria at the start of production.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 01 May 2026 09:19:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2698280</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4951: Development of a Ground Penetrating Radar Based Testing Program for Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553989</link>
      <description><![CDATA[INDOT Research & Development engineers have identified GPR as a potential method for assessing the extent of voids in MSE walls. However, current GPR configurations cannot be used for scanning vertical surfaces. Therefore, GPR testing equipment specially designed for MSE wall void detection must be built. This project aims to produce and validate a GPR test system capable of locating voids in MSE walls.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 15:51:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2553989</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Stabilizing Leaking Sand Behind MSE Walls</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2489964</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has a large number of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) panel walls with sand backfill. Some of these walls have experienced problems with sand flowing out between the panel joints because the geotextile filter fabric is not present over the joints. Untreated loss of backfill can result in conditions that become progressively worse. According to the Texas Department of Transportaiton (TxDOT), once loss of backfill begins, it gets worse as the surface area of internal voids increases. If the process is allowed to continue and voids get large enough, the wall may begin to experience panel movements and distress. For this reason, evaluation of the wall and repairs should be timely. Possible solutions to this problem include reducing water flow through the backfill, blocking the backfill from being able to flow between the panels, adding a cementitious agent to the backfill to stabilize it, or some combination of these. Sealing surface joints above the wall to reduce water flow will always be helpful but may not be sufficient. One blocking solution promoted by TxDOT is using backer rod and a sealant to fill the joints. Some TxDOT districts have used expandable foam as a blocking agent, although KDOT tried this and had a poor experience. A more preferred outcome would be one where the sand itself is stabilized, the surface of the wall remains uniform (irregular seams with backer rod are not present/visible), and there is at least some drainage permitted. These objectives could potentially be achieved using a thin polymer, cementitious, or biological grouting agent to cement the sand together in the volume of sand immediately around the joint. The grout would be injected into the sand using a wand inserted through the gap between panels. This cemented volume could still have some permeability to permit some seepage and would not be noticeably different from the rest of the wall joints in appearance. If injection with a wand proves feasible, this would likely be a more cost-effective alternative than backer rod and silicone sealant due to lower labor and material costs. Voids in the backfill would be addressed with a different material, such as urethane foam, a more viscous grout, lightweight cellular concrete, or other material.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 14:59:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2489964</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Corrosion Risk Assessment of Unbonded Post Tensioned Tendons Filled with flexible Filler That Have Voids With and Without Solutions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2348632</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Based on the corrosion found on steel strands of an in-service bridge it is evident that voids within the flexible filler can result in corrosion initiation. This research will evaluate the effect of void size and the effects of the content of the void on corrosion initiation and corrosion rate. The research will look into determining if there is a minimum size a void must be before corrosion becomes a concern. Thresholds will also be determined for the humidity level of air-filled voids and the resistivity and chloride level of solution filled voids for when corrosion becomes a concern. Experiments will be conducted to determine if moist air in voids surrounding flexible-filler coated steel strands can cause corrosion (via high humidity exposure). Experiments will be performed to determine if water or a chloride containing solution (in voids) surrounding the coated steel strand (flexible filler) can cause corrosion and to determine the corrosion extent over time.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:52:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2348632</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Effect of Vibration on Concrete Mixtures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342171</link>
      <description><![CDATA[While vibration of concrete is everyday practice to assist with consolidation of the mixture, the fundamentals behind selecting the parameters that can be varied are not well understood.  There is a need to investigate the effects of changing frequency and amplitude on: how a variety of mixtures will flow under vibration, the stability of air bubbles of different sizes (leading to loss of air), effect of excess vibration on water movement in the form (leading to honeycombing) and effects of chemical admixtures on these behaviors.

Other variables to be considered include duration of vibration, aggregate type, mixture workability and SCM type and dose.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 20 Feb 2024 17:47:32 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2342171</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4718:  Influence of Nanomaterials‐based Admixtures on the Entrained Air Void System and Freeze‐Thaw (FT) Resistance of Concrete</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2083726</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project has following Objectives: (1) evaluate the effect of nanosilica admixtures on the air-void characteristics of concretes used for construction of bridges and bridge deck overlays, (2) examine the influence of the characteristics of the air-void system on the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete, (3) compare the influence of the concrete production method (lab vs. field) on the durability of concrete, (4) examine, in partnership with INDOT’s Division of Materials & Tests, the effect of non-traditional (microsphere type) air entrainment products on the quality of the air-void system in concretes with nanosilica admixtures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Dec 2022 15:06:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2083726</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Showcasing and Rodeo of Emerging Concrete Technologies at TFHRC</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077946</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study presents a critical evaluation of promising concrete technologies; two related to rapid assessment of fresh concrete air void systms and one related to fly ash adsorption capacity.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2022 09:48:39 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077946</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Enhancing the ABS ACOUSTIC BUBBLE SPECTROMETER® for Kansas </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015224</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Degradation of in-service concrete infrastructure has proven to be a large public expense, estimated in the billions of dollars annually in the US. Degradation of bridge decks and concrete pavement joints forces agencies like KDOT to direct funds toward repair, rehabilitation, and / or replacement activities at the expense of other important programs and initiatives. Thus, avoiding degradation is an important goal. Freeze-thaw (F-T) degradation of concrete pavements represents a significant and expensive problem for Midwest states, including Kansas. Determining the susceptibility of a particular concrete mix to F-T degradation is a complicated problem, however a handful of mix-design related parameters including aggregate type and content, water-to-cementitious materials ratio, supplementary cementitious materials, and entrained air content have all been shown to influence F-T durability. Well-distributed entrained air in the Portland cement paste provides room to relieve water pressure by changing volume and also reduces the concrete stiffness, both of which reduce concrete tensile stresses during freezing. T.C. Powers recognized the importance of entrained air for combatting F-T durability as early as 1955 and little has changed to alter this theory in the past 65 years; entrained air remains a key F-T durability requirement. Current testing protocols for measuring total air content (e.g. ASTM C231) are reliable, but are not capable of assessing the air void system quality. With the support of the US Department of Transportation and the technical monitoring of the Federal Highway Administration, DYNAFLOW, INC. has adapted the ABS ACOUSTIC BUBBLE SPECTROMETER® for the task of assessing air void system quality in fresh concrete. Using acoustic transducers submerged in the fresh concrete, the ABS technology provides information on the quantity and size range of detected bubbles as well as some quantities of interest from the well-known ASTM C457 test in less than one minute, including sample collection. Currently the robustness of the ABS for arbitrary concrete mixtures has not been established yet, nor is the predictive capability for assessing freeze-thaw protection. The ABS should be independently tested to assess its readiness for field implementation and to provide input to DYNAFLOW, INC. for its improvement. In a separate project, the ABS ACOUSTIC BUBBLE SPECTROMETER® will be evaluated for the ability to predict freezing and thawing performance of concrete mixtures prepared in the laboratory with carefully parameterized mixture design characteristics. The ABS ACOUSTIC BUBBLE SPECTROMETER® should also be evaluated for field prepared mixtures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2022 17:20:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015224</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of the Acoustic Bubble Spectrometer for Kansas Paving Mixtures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902214</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed research has two primary objectives: (1) to understand the robustness of the recently developed ABS for typical Kansas paving mixes and (2) to assess which quantities of interest provided by the ABS are most suitable for prediction of air void system quality. A correlation experiment is proposed where multiple fresh concrete air characterization techniques including AASHTO TP 118, ASTM C231, C173, and the ABS ACOUSTIC BUBBLE SPECTROMETER® are used on the same fresh concrete samples. Hardened samples of the concrete mixtures will be collected and tested in rapid freezing and thawing according to ASTM C666, procedure B. Note that since this study will focus on the air void system and not aggregates, ASTM C666 will provide suitable sensitivity and will progress more quickly than KTMR-22. Approximately 40 unique concrete mix designs will be generated in such that all mixes are: (1) representative of typical Kansas paving mixes and (2) distributed throughout the relevant parametric space. The specific parameters for evaluation will be negotiated with the project manager or other Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) representative and may include water to cement ratio, aggregate fraction, aggregate type, slump, supplementary cementitious materials, and admixtures. In particular, the total air content for all mixtures will be controlled to between 4% and 6% as has been the case in KSU-19-1. Mixtures with greater than 6% total air content are very unlikely to have poor air void system quality, and similarly, mixtures with less than 4% total air content are unlikely to provide good freeze thaw protection. A fully populated mix design matrix will be developed and then selected mixes will be evaluated from the matrix that efficiently represent the parameters. For all selected mixes, multiple repetitions will be conducted so that uncertainty information can be captured.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:31:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902214</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4620: Developing AI-assisted In-situ NDT Method for Air-Void Distribution Testing in Fresh and Hardened Concrete</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879917</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop a field-deployable nondestructive test (NDT) method to evaluate the air void distribution in fresh and hardened concrete. The benefits of this program include (1) improving concrete pavement quality and long-term durability; (2) avoiding poor concrete quality and related materials, in-house labor and equipment cost; and (3) avoiding over design, and lower construction and maintenance cost.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 23 Sep 2021 15:13:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879917</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RES2020-09: Enhancing freeze-thaw resistance of Tennessee concrete mixes through improved air void testing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1716726</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The quality of the air void system in concrete is critical for the freeze-thaw durability and service life of concrete
structures. In Tennessee, the current Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) specification only specifies
the air content for fresh concrete mixes. Currently, the most widely used methods to evaluate the freeze-thaw
durability and the air void system of concrete include ASTM C666 test, ASTM C457 test, and Air Void Analyzer
(AVA) test. However, these test methods are unsuitable for fresh concrete mixes in the field for QC/QA purposes.
This study investigates the applicability of Super Air Meter (SAM) to TDOT concrete mixes and the suitability of
SAM number as a QC/QA tool for freeze-thaw resistance and determines the acceptance criterion for the SAM
number if it can be adopted for QC/QA purposes. The results show that for TDOT concrete mixes, only the fresh
air content requirement (e.g., 4%~8% for Class A, 4.5%~7.5% for Class D) does not necessarily guarantee high
quality of air void system and enough freeze-thaw resistance. SAM number shows a decreasing trend with the
increase of air content of fresh concrete. There is a good correlation between SAM number and freeze-thaw
durability factor/spacing factor for TDOT concrete mixes. Therefore, using air content and SAM number as a
QC/QA tool for TDOT concrete mixes is feasible. From a conservative perspective, 0.2 can be used as the threshold
of SAM number to ensure TDOT concrete mixes have satisfactory freeze-thaw resistance. In addition, it is also
feasible to use 0.3 as the upper limit of SAM number for TDOT concrete mixes.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jun 2020 16:08:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1716726</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Integrating Construction Practices and Weather Into Freeze Thaw Specifications</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1689414</link>
      <description><![CDATA[It has been suggested that the freeze-thaw behavior of concrete can be related to the rate at which the concrete absorbs water and reaches a critical degree of saturation. After the critical degree of saturation is reached and frozen the sample begins to crack and the stiffness degrades rapidly. This mechanism was suggested by Fagerlund and then expanded by research completed under pooled fund - TPF-5-297. Despite these advancements, there is still more work that is needed. Current design practices for freeze thaw durability are not based on actual weather conditions and are instead based on artificial conditions created in ASTM C 666 testing of concrete. While these conditions seem to have been conservative, a better answer could be obtained if there was more information about how concrete wetted and dried in different environments. This research will use a novel way to measure this by combining low-cost data loggers to measure the moisture and temperature changes in a concrete sent to a number of different environments. This information will be combined with new models that account for the rate that concrete reaches a critical degree of saturation. This work will create specifications that are tailored for different weather conditions and also create a useful forensic tool that could be used to determine the loss in the life of a structure if a substandard concrete is placed. Freeze thaw damage can be suppressed by casting a small and well distributed bubble system in the concrete. The Super Air Meter (SAM) is a new method to measure the size and spacing of these bubbles while the concrete is still fresh by using sequential pressures. Under pooled fund TPF-5-297 the validity of the SAM was established in the lab and the field as well as several new tools were developed to improve the accuracy of the method. Testing was then done to investigate how different construction methods impact the air void system such as pumping. This work will aim to continue to develop the SAM and how different construction practices impact the air void system in fresh concrete.

OBJECTIVES: The ultimate goal of this work is to build on previous research efforts to produce improved specifications and advance existing test methods; while, improve the underlying understanding of freeze thaw damage. This work will specifically focus on construction practices and the impact of weather.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Feb 2020 21:08:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1689414</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4415: Determining Asphalt Mixture Properties Using Imaging Techniques</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1665586</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study addresses measuring compacted asphalt mixture volume and thereby specific gravity and air voids in a relative short time and more accurately than currently used methods. If feasible, such techniques will save time and resources in determining asphalt mixture volumetric properties, as well as increasing the accuracy of such measurements and delivering those measurements in real-time. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Nov 2019 16:37:57 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1665586</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Annulus Void Fill Material for Rehabilitated Sliplined Culverts </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1664486</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Culvert sliplining is performed to rehabilitate deteriorated culverts. In this method, a liner with smaller dimensions than that of the host culvert is inserted into the host conduit which creates an annular void between the host and the liner.  The annular void is then grouted with an approved fill material. The current void fill operations have been inadequate to completely fill the annular space between the host and liner pipe which is rarely detected during or immediately after construction.  This research will provide a verification process that confirms complete filling of the annulus void, and it will also develop a construction and material specification for annulus void fill material and void fill operations.
                                               

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Nov 2019 11:43:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1664486</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding Air Content Measurement Techniques for Durability Prediction</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1604438</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed research has two primary objectives: 1) to understand the uncertainties associated with the AASHTO TP 118 air void distribution correlation and 2) to reduce these uncertainties through calibration. A correlation experiment is proposed where multiple fresh concrete air characterization techniques including AASHTO TP 118, and ASTM C231 are used on the same concrete samples. Hardened air characterization will also be performed (ASTM C457). An approach similar to the one used by Ley and Tabb (2014) will be used to correlate the SAM measurements with those from KDOT’s C457 measurements for the distribution of air voids. Several concrete mix designs will be generated in such that all mixes are: 1) representative of typical Kansas paving mixes and 2) distributed throughout the parametric space. The mixes selected must all pass KDOT Specifications for on-grade concrete, including strength, permeability, w/c ratio and cement content. The other key parameters for evaluation may include aggregate fraction, aggregate type, slump, supplementary cementitious materials, and admixtures. A fully populated mix design matrix will be developed and then selected mixes will be evaluated from the matrix in coordination with KDOT Project Monitors that efficiently represent the parameters for this study. For all selected mixes, multiple repetitions will be conducted so that uncertainty information can be captured.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 May 2019 15:22:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1604438</guid>
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