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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <atom:link href="https://rip.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <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>
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    <item>
      <title>Development and Evaluation of Approach Guardrail Transition with Increased Span Length between Concrete bridge Rail and First Transition Post - Phase II </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689395</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Phase I of this project, funded by the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT), addressed this need at the concept and simulation level. Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) researchers developed and refined several long-span approach guardrail transition (AGT) concepts for the 34-inch tall NDOT thrie-beam system and used LS-DYNA simulations to evaluate their performance with increased span between the concrete buttress and the first transition post under MASH TL-3 impact conditions. The work included evaluation of the upstream W-beam to thrie-beam transition, the downstream thrie-beam to rigid buttress connection, and identification of critical impact points for both the pickup truck and small car tests. These analyses demonstrated that the selected long-span concept is a promising candidate, but they do not satisfy Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements. Federal acceptance of new roadside safety hardware under the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) requires full-scale crash testing. An FHWA eligibility letter cannot be obtained on the basis of simulations alone. Without full-scale crash testing, the long-span AGT system cannot be fully validated, adopted statewide, or included in NDOT standard plans. Phase II is therefore needed to conduct the required full-scale MASH TL-3 crash tests and provide an FHWA-compliant evaluation of the new long-span AGT system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:25:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2689395</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigating the Performance of Corrosion-Resistant GFRP-Reinforced Bridge Railings with Open Expansion Joints</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2529965</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The test specimen’s structural setup will be adjusted to match the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) impact pendulum's universal foundation and simulate an open expansion joint. Efficient structural solutions preventing GFRP reinforcement slippage will be developed and tested. The impactor used in previous tests will be refined to better replicate real-world truck impact conditions in terms of height and width. These adjustments aim to provide valuable insights into enhancing the safety performance and durability (and subsequently resiliency) of corrosion-resistant GFRP reinforcing in bridge railings.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 28 Mar 2025 08:24:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2529965</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4924:  Numerical Modeling for Assessment and Evaluation of New and Retrofitted Bridge Rails Under Impact Load</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2434101</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to develop alternate methods such as high-performance numerical 3D finite element (FE) modeling and analysis of bridge railing systems. Guidelines will be developed for appropriate numerical modeling and dynamic (impact) analysis of bridge rails. The primary focus will be to evaluate F-shaped railings with existing anchor details, with further emphasis to determine whether that detail is for the deck mounted pedestrian railing (PF-1). This research will support the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT)'s evaluation of retrofit bridge railings and could potentially be the basis for future evaluations of other railing types.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:23:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2434101</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of MASH TL-4 and TL-5 Bridge Guardrail for Replacement of Historic Bridge Rail</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417073</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The replacement of bridge structures that have historic concrete railings often results in an adverse effect determination under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. When this occurs, KYTC is obligated to mitigate the adverse effect. Mitigation is a complex process that requires the Cabinet to develop a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that discusses why a feature has historic value, project impacts, parties the responsible federal agency has consulted with, and a mitigation plan. KYTC wants to design a concrete bridge rail design that complies with MASH TL-4 and TL-5 standards which can reduce the likelihood of Section 106 adverse effect determination. Developing a Section 106—compliant concrete railing design will reduce the number of adverse effect determinations, lower mitigation costs, and accelerate project delivery timelines.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:26:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417073</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Support for AASHTO Committees and Councils. Roadmap for the Transformation to Computer Simulation-Based Assessment of Bridge Railings</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2350716</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) 2nd edition is the latest in a series of documents that provide guidance on testing and evaluating roadside safety features. Implementing MASH has been a challenging mission for departments of transportation (DOTs). Implementing uniform guidelines has cost the nation tens of millions of dollars. DOTs and other transportation agencies need a roadmap to accommodate future transformations, such as the introduction of electrical vehicles and changes in MASH requirements, in a timely and more cost-effective manner. One of the most expensive and time-consuming pieces of the current process is building full-scale test sections and performing the actual crash tests. Often, multiple crash tests are required for a particular solution. Computer simulations are currently used in association with full-scale crash testing. There was a need for a safe and cost-effective tool for compliance assessment of bridge rails and bridge rail transitions.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research were to (1) evaluate the capability of existing numerical simulations tools in capturing the performance of bridge rails and rail transition systems and (2) develop a roadmap to implement using computer simulations for the compliance assessment of bridge rails and rail transition systems.

The roadmap is to address, discuss, or identify (1) the current state-of-the-art practices in computer crash-testing simulations and the knowledge gaps, (2) quality assurance (QA)/quality control (QC) procedures for validating the computer simulation models, (3) the limitations of crash simulations, (4) the types and magnitudes of changes that trigger model updates, (5) the concept of using notional vehicles, and (6) research that will need to be pursued to implement the roadmap.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Mar 2024 10:10:02 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2350716</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Crashworthiness of Roadside Hardware Impacted by Battery Electric Vehicles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2219021</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) defines the crashworthiness evaluation criteria and test conditions necessary to evaluate roadside hardware. MASH requires that test vehicles meet certain inertial and dimensional criteria and that vehicles be reasonably representative of commonly available, high-sales volume vehicles. 

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which are increasing in popularity, tend to be heavier than ICEVs by between 20 and 50 percent for models with similar cabin sizes and power outputs. Also, BEVs have significantly different structures than ICEVs: instead of an internal combustion engine, BEVs utilize battery packs commonly mounted in the floor pan and electrical motors that affect vehicle crush space, center-of-gravity height, and structural frame of the vehicle. 

The differences between BEVs and ICEVs could lead to incompatibilities with existing roadside hardware. However, currently little or no research is available regarding the crashworthiness of roadside hardware impacted by BEVs. 
 
Research is needed to investigate the crashworthiness of roadside hardware impacted by BEVs.

The objective of this research is to perform an initial investigation into the crashworthiness of some common generic roadside hardware when impacted by BEVs and to develop a framework for future testing.



]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 Jul 2023 08:22:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2219021</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Feasibility Study of Low-Cement Concrete Mixes with E5 Internal Cure and Liquid Fly Ash</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2201940</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The University of Nebraska started a research project back in 2021 looking into Low-Cement Concrete Mixtures for Bridge Decks and Rails.  Due to the current NDOT concrete mixture for bridge decks and rails (known as 47BD) requires at least seven sacks of cementitious materials (IP/IT) per cubic yard and a minimum compressive strength of 4000 psi.  Based on the preliminary results from mixes prepared in the laboratory by the University, the Lower Cement Content (LCC) mixes show the following characteristics listed below.
(1) Slightly lower workability (i.e. slump and flow) than 47BD, which requires higher dosage of superplasticizer.
(2) Optimized 47BD-Cement Reduce 100lbs (O47BD-100) and O47BD-R150 have significantly longer set time (initial and final) compared to O47BD-R50 and 47BD. 	
(3) LCC Mixes shows mechanical properties (Compressive Strength, Modulus of Elasticity and Flexure and bond strength) comparable to the 47BD control.
(4) Durability properties (F/T, resistivity, and permeability) of LCC are comparable or even superior to those of 47BD.
(5) Shrinkage Results LCC mixes shows less shrinkage than the 47BD control.
The Materials and Research PCC Engineer is proposing to perform all the mixes listed in Table 2 from a ready mixed truck to confirm the mechanical and durability properties. As well as, introducing E5 Internal Cure and E5 Liquid Fly Ash for the of placement improving workability, longer window for finishing, minimal bleed rate, consistence air entrainment and enhancing cement/paste reduction. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Jun 2023 12:46:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2201940</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Comprehensive Evaluation of Design Standards, Materials, and Construction for Slip Formed Concrete Bridge Railings to Alleviate Sources of Early Age Deterioration
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2047348</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is continually looking for ways to alleviate sources of early age deterioration in slip formed concrete bridge railings, thus extending service life and reducing maintenance costs.    Horizontal cracking, delaminations and spalling due to poor consolidation around the longitudinal reinforcement is a major problem ODOT is experiencing. This problem likely results from multiple sources. One suspected source is movement of the concrete reinforcement during slipforming operations. As the slipform machine progresses, the cage deforms in the direction of movement and rebounds slightly after placement. Because the concrete is low slump, when the cage rebounds, a void may be created. In January 2020, ODOT introduced stiffening reinforcement to standard drawing SBR-1-20 in order to increase cage rigidity during slipforming operations. The actual effectiveness of this change can only be determined by data driven facts that need to be collected and analyzed.
  
The goal of this research is to enhance design standards, construction specifications and material specifications that promote the slip forming of concrete bridge railings that are free of defects for extended service life.         ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Oct 2022 15:57:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2047348</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Impact Test of GFRP Reinforced Concrete Bridge Barriers</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1945929</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of this proposal is to provide test and evaluation of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars for concrete bridge barriers. The “steel-free” concrete bridge structure concepts have gained wider acceptance in current practice due to reduced material cost and validated field performance from the past research. However, on-site bending is still not possible for GFRP bars, which causes increase in the number of GFRP bars used in construction. Alternatively, headed end GFRP bars may address this problem. Existing research has conducted that both experimental and numerical modeling investigations to achieve an optimum design for GFRP reinforcement in concrete structures, especially railings. It was suggested that the headed-end GFRP bars can provide sufficient resistance, however, with an added cost. Therefore, anchorage GFRP bars with modified bending radius has also been suggested to achieve same resistance with lower cost. Considering the on-going effort in seeking the optimized GFRP configurations for concrete bridge railings, the preliminary design and validation is critical in finding the best design prior to the field implementation of GFRP bars for concrete bridge railings in the state of Missouri.

The research team from Missouri S&T along with industrial partners and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) engineers has an on-going research project on the preliminary design and numerical evaluation of the GFRP reinforced concrete barriers. From the preliminary findings, the two-piece GFRP designs were selected and moved into numerical investigation stage. The preliminary numerical results indicate the existing design can withstand the Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) specifications. However, the dynamic impact test is needed for validation. Considering the high cost in full-scale vehicle impact test, the team is considering alternative testing method which has significantly higher cost-effectiveness. The pendulum impact test is proposed for this MATC proposal.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 Apr 2022 11:44:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1945929</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Design and Numerical Evaluation of GFRP Reinforcement for Concrete Bridge Railing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762372</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of this proposal is to provide design and numerical evaluation of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars for concrete bridge railing. The “steel-free” concrete bridge structure concepts have gained wider acceptance in current practice due to reduced material cost and validated field performance from the past researches. However, on-site bending is still not possible for GFRP bars, which causes increase in the number of GFRP bars used in construction. Alternatively, headed end GFRP bars may address this problem. Existing researches have conducted both experimental and numerical modeling investigations to achieve an optimum design for GFRP reinforcement in concrete structures, especially railings. It was suggested that the headed-end GFRP bars can provide sufficient resistance, however, with an added cost. Therefore, anchorage GFRP bars with modified bending radius has also been suggested to achieve same resistance with lower cost. Considering the on-going effort in seeking the optimized GFRP configurations for concrete bridge railings, the preliminary design and numerical validation is critical in finding the best design prior to the field implementation of GFRP bars for concrete bridge railings in the state of Missouri.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:02:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762372</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Pooled Fund for the Design, Development and Testing of a Box Beam Approach Guardrail Transition and an MGS Approach Guardrail Transition to a MASH TL-4 Three Steel Tube Bridge Rail</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1632294</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research objective is to develop two non-proprietary approach guardrail transition systems from box beam and MGS guardrail that are AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) Test Level 3 (TL-3) compliant.  The transitions will be designed to connect the guardrail systems to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Type C2P TL-4 bridge rail system.  Direct connection between the transition section and bridge rail is desired to avoid use of a solid concrete parapet end that could hinder snow clearing operations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 01 Jul 2019 20:46:55 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1632294</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MASH Railing Load Requirements for Bridge Deck Overhang</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1628606</link>
      <description><![CDATA[State highway agencies across the country are upgrading standards, policies, and processes to satisfy the 2016 AASHTO/FHWA Joint Implementation Agreement for MASH. Existing vehicle collision loads used for reviewing bridge deck overhangs are specified in Section 13 of the AASHTO LRFD [Load and Resistance Factor Design] Bridge Design Specifications, 9th edition (LRFD BDS), and are based on crash testing criteria according to the Contractor's final report for NCHRP Project 20-07(395), NCHRP Report 350. To meet the MASH implementation agreement, the loading requirements and analysis method for the bridge deck overhang should be investigated and the AASHTO LRFD BDS modified accordingly. Research was urgently needed to ensure public safety, satisfy the AASHTO MASH and LRFD bridge design requirements, and facilitate optimal use of agency funds.
Under NCHRP Project 12-119, "MASH Railing Load Requirements for Bridge Deck Overhang;" the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was asked to (1) propose modifications to the AASHTO LRFD BDS related to loading requirements consistent with the AASHTO MASH impact conditions for bridge deck overhangs and (2) develop examples to demonstrate the application of the proposed modifications. The research included a literature review and analysis and design of bridge deck overhang for concrete barriers, open concrete railings, steel posts-on-decks, and steel posts-on-curbs subjected to a range of MASH Test Levels. The research team recommended important draft language for consideration by AASHTO in the next update of the LRFD BDS.
In addition to this final report, Appendices B through E, containing four design examples, are available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for NCHRP Research Report 1078.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 08 Jun 2019 10:12:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1628606</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Crash Testing of a Precast Concrete Barrier TPF-5(367)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1601790</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research proposal has been submitted in response to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Pooled
Fund Study No. TPF-5(367), which evolved from Solicitation Number 1436. The Pooled Fund Study was
originally entitled, Evaluation and Crash Testing of Concrete Prefabricated Bridge Rails. As requested, the
Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), partnered with the
Institution for Transportation (InTrans) at Iowa State University (ISU), is submitting one research proposal,
which is entitled: Crash Testing of a Precast Concrete Barrier. The budget for $414,128 and corresponds
to the construction of a 130-ft long bridge rail and a reduced 75-ft long bridge deck with support structure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2019 11:09:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1601790</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Proposed Modification to AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Section 13—Railing</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1571372</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The language of "Section 13: Railing" in the AASHTO LRFD [Load and Resistance Factor Design] Bridge Design Specifications, published in 2007, has not had a major revision since LRFD specifications were adopted. Some of the text date back to the 1989 AASHTO Guide Specifications for Bridge Railings. Then, in 2009, MASH replaced the 1993 NCHRP Report 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway Features for evaluating safety hardware devices. On January 7, 2016, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signed a joint implementation agreement requiring all new permanent installation and full replacement of bridge rails on the national highway system in contracts let after December 31, 2019, to be compliant with the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH). Therefore, there was an immediate need to update the bridge railing design requirements to incorporate MASH requirements and address outdated language and areas of ambiguity particularly related to loads, load distribution to bridge barriers and deck overhangs, railing geometry, and analysis methods for determining the demand and capacity of bridge barriers. Under NCHRP Project 22-41, "Proposed Modification to AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, Section 13--Railing", Modjeski and Masters, Inc. was asked to (1) propose updates to bridge railing design requirements and (2) develop examples to demonstrate the application of the proposed updates. The research team suggested draft language for consideration by AASHTO in the next update of the LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and provided analysis and design examples to illustrate the proposed updates.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 03 Dec 2018 15:30:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1571372</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4311: Evaluating Reserve Strength of Girder Bridges due to Bridge Rail Load Shedding</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1530317</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of the proposed research is to experimentally and numerically evaluate the reserve strength of girder bridges due to bridge rail load shedding. The proposed research will investigate this reserve strength through: (1) performing non-destructive field testing, (2) developing validated numerical models, and (3) performing parametric numerical investigations to extend results to other loadings and bridge geometries. The project will culminate in assessment guidelines for bridge inspectors and asset engineers to make informed decisions related to the load carrying capability of bridge rails which could be relied upon under emergency circumstances.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2018 10:51:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1530317</guid>
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