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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <title>Smart Healing in Additively Manufactured Engineered Cementitious Composites Beams for Durable Transportation Infrastructure </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2665667</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project investigates the self-healing capabilities of 3D-printed Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) for transportation infrastructure applications, focusing on enhancing the durability and longevity of 3D-printed concrete structures. In particular, the research will examine how factors such as material composition, fiber reinforcement, and curing mechanisms influence the self-healing behavior of 3D-printed ECC beams. This self-healing capability has significant potential benefits as the layer-by-layer deposition process used in 3D printing can introduce "cold joints" or interlayer weaknesses, which may negatively impact long-term durability. The project will explore whether ECC’s intrinsic self-healing ability can mitigate these effects and enhance the durability of printed infrastructure, such as pavements, bridges, and retaining walls, which are subjected to harsh environmental conditions. The specific objectives of the project are to: evaluate the influence of supplementary cementitious materials like fly ash and blast furnace slag on the self-healing properties of 3D-printed ECC; assess the effect of different fiber lengths (6 mm and 10 mm) on crack control and healing kinetics; investigate the impact of various curing regimes (e.g., water immersion, relative humidity conditions) on the healing process; and conduct mechanical testing, microstructural analysis, and data modeling to develop predictive models for self-healing behaviors. 

The research will produce implementable results in the form of optimized ECC formulations with enhanced self-healing properties for 3D-printed infrastructure. It will also generate valuable data, including mechanical performance metrics, microstructural insights, and predictive models that could shape future design practices and standards for 3D-printed construction. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:30:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2665667</guid>
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      <title>Use of Innovative Sustainable and Durable Materials in Concrete Pavements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2479868</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Concrete is the most widely used manufactured material in existence. The key ingredient of concrete is the cement that binds various concrete ingredients together to form hardened concrete. The manufacturing of Portland cement, the most commonly used cementitious material worldwide, is responsible for emitting 5 to 8% of global anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) every year. To address this concern, the concrete industry is exploring opportunities to use innovative, low-carbon cementitious materials in concrete to reduce embodied (cradle-to-gate) CO₂ emissions and move toward net-zero carbon emission construction. 

In 2024, the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA) constructed 8 lower-carbon-content-concrete pavement test cells at the MnROAD facility to expand on earlier research and evaluate the large-scale constructability, sustainability, and resiliency of various alternative cementitious and pozzolanic materials. 

The main goal of the new project is to investigate how the various innovative and sustainable materials used in these cells affect their early life performance in Minnesota’s harsh climate conditions. In order to achieve the project goals, the research team will analyze the fresh and hardened concrete test results, evaluate the constructability of the alternative cementitious materials in large-scale constructions such as pavement, analyze the annual pavement performance for the first three years after the construction and develop a framework for identifying measures that could be used to evaluate new materials such that agency specifications can be created or revised.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:42:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2479868</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Addressing Fly Ash Shortage with Limestone Calcined Clay Cement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2196874</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The wide availability of high-quality and economical supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) has been significantly strained over the last decade due to the steep decline of fly ash production. Woefully, this problem will be exacerbated in the future as coal-based energy production diminishes. Consequently, there is a dire need for alternatives to fly ash. Limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) is a novel ternary cementitious system that is promising for the future of durable and sustainable concrete materials. LC3 is commonly produced by intergrounding and blending clinker, limestone, calcined clay (CC), and gypsum at the cement plant. Nonetheless, LC3-like systems can also be simply produced at the ready-mix plant by blending Portland limestone cement (PLC) and CC. These PLC/CC systems are referred to as LC2. Importantly, LC2 and LC3 systems are economical and widely accessible as the raw materials required to produce them are among the most abundant on earth’s crust. Furthermore, LC2 and LC3 have the potential to deliver similar mechanical properties and environmental benefits to cementitious systems incorporating fly ash or slag cement. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of novel LC2 and LC3 systems for concrete materials in Virginia as an alternative to cementitious systems incorporating conventionally used SCMs such as fly ash and slag cement.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 15 Jun 2023 09:58:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2196874</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Rapid Repair of Cracks on the Embankment Slopes Using Bio-Cement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1751130</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of the research is to explore the use of bio-cement for rapid repair of cracks on the embankment slopes. Slope failures are often induced by surface cracks which are widely present on the embankment slopes. To date, most rapid repair methods for slope failures (e.g., geosynthetics, soil nails, plastic pins, and lime, etc.) involve large earth work, special installation equipment, and/or special construction processes, which may require long construction time, disturb the traffic, and increase the cost of the whole project. This research will explore the feasibility of using bio-cement to seal, waterproof, and cement the cracks on the embankment slopes. This bio-cement can seal, waterproof, and cement slope cracks in a relatively short time (e.g., 12 hours) due to its fast reaction rate. The preliminary direct shear tests performed by the PI showed that the shear strength of the soil cracks (i.e., failure plane) increased by 50 – 100 % in a relatively short time (8 to 12 hours). Furthermore, bio-cement utilizes a low-viscosity and eco-friendly bio-grout that can be easily percolated into the cracks on the slopes without the need of a pressurized pump. Thus, no special installation equipment and no special construction process are required, which saves the construction time and budget. The PI envisioned that field slope repair using bio-cement could be simply achieved by percolating bio-grout into the cracks at the slope surface using several buckets of bio-grout. Maintaining the statewide highway embankment systems is a major challenge with considerable impacts on the limited budgets of state DOTs. This research will have the potential to offer state DOTs a fast and cost-effective repair method for maintaining highway embankment slopes. This research will provide a quick, non-traffic disturbed, and cost-effective repair method (i.e., bio-cement) for sealing, waterproofing, and cementing slope cracks on highway embankments. This slope repair method will ultimately minimize the life-cycle cost for maintaining highway embankment slopes for state DOTs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:44:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1751130</guid>
    </item>
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      <title>Influence of Fly Ash, Slag Cement and Specimen Curing on Shrinkage of Bridge Deck Concrete
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1511084</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Cracks occur in bridge decks due to restrained shrinkage of concrete materials. Concrete materials shrink as cementitious materials hydrate and as water that is not chemically bonded to cementitious materials migrates from the high humid environment of the concrete to an environment with lower humidity. Reinforcing steel and structural supporting members provide restraint to this shrinkage which causes tensile stress in the concrete. When these tensile stresses exceed the tensile strength of the concrete, cracks occur and provide relief for these stresses. MDOT engineers wanted to determine the usefulness of supplementary cementitious to reduce shrinkage of concrete materials and subsequent cracking. This research project investigates length change of concrete as influenced by supplementary cementitious materials including Class C fly ash, Class F fly ash, and slag cement. The use of liquid membrane and 7-day, 14-day, and 28-day moist curing periods were also investigated to determine the influence of curing on length change of standard prism specimens.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2018 11:49:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1511084</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>Structural Design Methodology for Spray Applied Pipe Liners in Gravity Storm Water Conveyance Conduits</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1456883</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will do the following: (1) Recommend a design methodology for both cementitious and resin based spray applied pipe liners for structural rehabilitation of gravity storm water conveyance conduits. (2) Recommend a laboratory test method to verify the proposed structural design for conduits that have been rehabilitated using the spray applied pipe liner technology.  (3) Recommend an accelerated laboratory methodology to determine the liner material durability. (4) Recommend laboratory material testing for both cementitious and resin based materials.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 22 Feb 2017 18:11:06 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1456883</guid>
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