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    <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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    <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>Vertical and Overhead Concrete Patches</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2671984</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Bridge elements undergo various types of damage throughout their service life requiring rehabilitation with vertical and overhead patch repairs. Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) guidance is limited to horizontal concrete surface repairs. Vertical and overhead patches typically include using different strategies, patch materials and repair reinforcements such as mechanical anchors, wire reinforcement, or fiber-reinforced polymer wraps. The field engineers mostly rely on manufacturer's repair recommendations and engineer discretion for guidance. The development of complete guidance protocols including patch-repair materials installation specifications, inspection requirements, and acceptance criteria is required to provide consistency and ensure the durability of concrete patches. The development of the protocols, specifications and an approved products list would be beneficial to ensure WisDOT delivers longer-lasting repairs. The researcher will investigate and provide material selection guidance, patch-repair materials installation specifications and repair strategies for concrete surface repairs in the vertical and overhead positions using different strategies, patch materials and repair reinforcements. This project will provide complete guidance protocols for minor to intermediate vertical and overhead concrete patch repairs in concrete bridge decks, slabs, prestressed concrete girders, piers and abutments located above and away from traffic. They will subject patch repairs to stress tests to evaluate patch durability. The researcher will develop patch-repair materials installation specifications, inspection requirements, and acceptance criteria. The researcher will develop repair specification recommendations and an approved products list, providing consistency and ensuring the durability of concrete patches.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:21:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2671984</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Patch Mixtures for Bridge Structures and Pavements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2587115</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to evaluate and enhance patching materials for pavements and bridge structures, focusing on high early strength and long-term performance. A comprehensive methodology, including literature review and laboratory testing, will be employed to identify optimal mixtures. The study will incorporate supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), fibers, and rapid-setting cements to improve durability and structural capacity. The findings will support the development of guidelines for the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to enhance the longevity and reliability of patching materials.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 09 Aug 2025 09:09:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2587115</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Correlation Between Deck Patching Quantities and Chloride Concentration Levels</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2577125</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Prediction of deck patching quantity that reflects the reinforced concrete (RC) deck damage condition enables better bridge asset management at a network level. Chloride induced-corrosion is the major contributor to the RC deck deterioration and accordingly, the chloride concentration levels that control the corrosion process are believed to have correlation with the deck repair quantity. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has gathered deck patch data for bridge deck repair projects in recent years and has also developed a chloride concentration model with the capability of predicting chloride concentration penetration into the deck thickness over time for cracked and uncracked concrete. The collected deck patch data and the developed chloride model make it possible to obtain deck patching predictive models that are functions of chloride levels and other influencing factors. To develop the desired patching prediction model, three objectives are proposed: (1) identify all key influencing factors, (2) quantify the relationship between influencing factors (basic variables) with the patch level (response) through nonlinearity and interactions, and (3) determine the most appropriate statistical model considering accuracy and complexity. To meet project objectives, the relationship between the influencing factors and the patching quantity will be modeled through explanatory functions utilizing existing corrosion mechanistic models and genetic programming. Several statistical models in three different approach categories (i.e., regression, Markov-based, and unsupervised machine learning) will be developed and the best model for the MnDOT implementation will be selected.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 12:02:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2577125</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Concrete Patching Methods</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417061</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Many bridge decks and substructures on Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC)-managed structures are in dire need of rehabilitation. But a lot of the methods used to patch concrete result in poor performance, with failures in the new patching material and/or adjacent existing materials occurring not long after patches are completed. When failures happen, KYTC has to replace structural components, which comes at a greater cost. As such, the Cabinet needs guidance on materials and methods it can use to install concrete patches that are not vulnerable to rapid failure.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:26:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2417061</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Patching Materials and Techniques for Long-lasting Repair of Concrete</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077941</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study will develop a program utilizing the PTF to identify patching materials and installation techniques that result in long-lasting partial-depth and full-depth repair of concrete pavements.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2022 09:48:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2077941</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4605:  Automated Record Keeping for Maintenance Operations via Tracking of Maintenance Vehicles using Telematics Tracks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1898908</link>
      <description><![CDATA[INDOT is currently working with Parsons to deploy telematics devices in fleet vehicles. These devices can integrate vehicle sensor data from CANbus and other means with GPS positions and time to create a record of vehicle activity, which may be synchronized to the cloud in real time. With this new capability there is need to use the new data to automate the provision of management insights and to create visualizations and dashboards to serve the results inside of INDOT. This proposal will do this in the context of important summer maintenance activities such as pavement patching.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 20 Dec 2021 15:45:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1898908</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Establishing Minimum Specification Parameters for Cold Mix Used in Winter Pothole Patching</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1870668</link>
      <description><![CDATA[ The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses hot mix asphalt from approved ODOT hot mix plants to fill potholes. During the winter months, most of the hot mix plants shut down for the season and roadcrews must use either cold mix asphalt concrete or proprietary bagged cold mix to fill potholes. Generally, asphalt plants make the cold mix ahead of time, so it is available during the winter season. Currently, there are no standard mix design in Ohio for cold mix. As a result, the content and quality of cold mix varies tremendously from plant to plant and from week to week. As pothole repairs fail, we are at a loss to determine if they fail because of bad material, lack of preparation or poor installation or any combination of these.  ODOT crews must return to the site to re-patch to keep roads safe for motorists  These repeated repairs are costly, inefficient, expose roadcrews to hazardous conditions and increase the risk of accidents.  

Through this research ODOT would like to identify a minimum specifications parameter for cold mix asphalt concrete design and minimum specifications parameter to test the mix design against, identify minimum specifications for proprietary bagged mixed materials and tests that ensure the materials meet the standard specifications. Confirm ODOT crews are employing proper pothole patching protocols.

Establishing minimum criteria for cold mix asphalt concrete will provide ODOT with more consistent and better performing materials. 
               ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:40:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1870668</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Real-time Monitoring of Concrete Strength to Determine Optimal Traffic Opening Time</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762344</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The aim of this project is to develop a reliable in-situ sensing method to evaluate the concrete properties for determining optimal traffic opening time of patching job or new construction with fly ash or other supplementary cementitious materials. This goal will be achieved by using piezoelectric sensors coupled with electromechanical impedance (EMI) analyzers to determine the very early age properties of concrete (i.e. Stiffness, setting time, hydration, etc.). This novel method will address the deficiency of current testing methods for determining traffic opening, for instance extensive calibration of maturity test and inefficiency of flexural strength test.   The impact of this study can be revolutionary as it does not require any conventional mechanical testing and expensive and heavy test setups in the field. It only requires commercially available piezoelectric sensors (~$10 per sensor) and a portable EMI analyzer for data analysis and interpretation. There is no need for calibration for each different mix design. The associated benefits of using this novel non-destructive sensing method include (1) determining optimal traffic opening time based on reliable data of concrete properties; (2) reducing pre-mature failure of concrete pavement, bridge deck, patching, and other concrete structures; (3) enabling significant cost and schedule savings in construction projects due to reduced testing samples and testing time; and (4) reducing construction worker safety issues and jobsite accident rates in construction zones.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2021 16:57:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762344</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Investigation and Assessment of Effective Patching Materials for Concrete Bridge Decks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742783</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Patching of deteriorated portions of concrete bridge decks is an important repair activity that has to be conducted in a timely manner to maintain the serviceability and extend the longevity of these vital links in our transportation infrastructure. Currently, the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCOOT) specifies the use of ready-mix concrete (plant-produced) for bridge-deck patching. Alternative rapid set patching materials that are amenable to on-site batching and mixing with excellent bond characteristics and accelerated cure rates are desirable.  The objectives of the research are to: (1) develop of a curated set of alternate repair materials; (2) develop a process of rapid investigation techniques through non-destructive testing to identify the cause and extent of deterioration in the bridge deck; and (3) develop guidelines, based on the above, to appropriately select suitable repair methods and materials.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:11:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742783</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4521: Comprehensive Pavement Patching Tools and Web-based Software for Pavement Condition Assessment and Visualization</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1736382</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The project will develop guidelines for concrete patching slab removal and creation of patching interface in full depth hot mix asphalt (HMA) patching. In addition, the project will implement in MATLAB and Python an algorithm that incorporates data from falling weight deflectometers (FWD), ground penetrating radar (GPR), and 3D to produce patching tables with the required patching depth as an output. Finally, the project will deliver web server software needed for visualization of the patching table including the data sources (FWD, 3D image, and GPR) used in its creation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:09:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1736382</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4419: Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP) for Internally Cured Concrete</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1654997</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The goal of this research is to develop practical, cost-effective strategies to create internally cured concrete for INDOT bridge decks and full depth patching of pavements that do not require complicated processing steps to achieve the desired benefits, including improved hydration, reduced thermal expansion, and increased freeze-thaw resistance compared with conventional mixes.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Sep 2019 10:32:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1654997</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Improving Concrete Patching Practices on Iowa Roadways TR-731</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1580363</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements are subject to distress from a variety of mechanisms including
traffic loads, thermal movement, freezing and thawing, materials related distress, and construction issues.
Standard practice for maintaining PCC pavements includes concrete patching using partial depth and full
depth repairs. States spend large amounts of money and time every year performing partial and full depth
repairs of PCC pavements. The performance of partial and full depth repairs is important for cost savings
and safety of the roadways. The important aspects of concrete patching are rapid strength gain, material
workability, durability (repair service life), cost, and constructability of the repair. These aspects may not
always be in line with each other and need to be considered as a whole. For example, rapid strength gain of
the patching materials may reduce road closure time and minimize disruption to the traffic; however, rapid
strength gain may also cause problems with workability, constructability, and durability of the patch. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Jan 2019 12:37:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1580363</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4213: Determining Concrete Patch Locations other than Visual</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1498200</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In this research, the fusion of data from two current Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) sensors (WayLink 3D Laser Imaging and GSSI ground penetrating radar) will be investigated and methods will be developed to use them to create a patching and classification table. The proposed approach is to use the 3D imaging system to create a 1 mm resolution image of the pavement surface and develop an artificial intelligence based technique, which may allow narrowing the patch search area in order to concentrate computational and human resources for analyzing the GPR data.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jan 2018 14:47:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1498200</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4112: Best Practices for Patching Composite Pavements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1427201</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Patching composite and, to a lesser extent, concrete pavements poses numerous constructability and performance issues. A synthesis of research and experience is needed to identify ways to facilitate proper construction and improve the ultimate performance of these patches. Developing these best practices will involve a survey of other states’ practices, literature review and review of Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) pavement management data before and after patching on selected projects in each district.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 20 Oct 2016 17:42:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1427201</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Developing Green, Highly Flowable, Rapid Set, High Performance Concrete for Pavement Patch Repair</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1350565</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A high-performance mortar (HPM) containing a large amount of industrial by-products such as fly ash, silica fume, and limestone fines was developed for rapid repair of concrete pavements. The HPM development included three major steps.

1. Development of the mortar mixture proportion based on the optimal hydration of binder and particle packing of the mortar system. In this step of the study, all mortar materials were systematically proportioned, and the obtained mixtures were tested for flowability, rate of hydration, set time, and strength development. The optimal mixture proportion was then selected as the HPM, as it displayed good self-consolidating ability and achieved 1-day compressive strengths greater than 6,000 psi.

2. Investigation of the mechanical properties of the new HPM, including compressive and flexural strength, elastic modulus, and slant shear and pull-off strengths of patch-substrate bonds tested at 1, 3, 7, and 28 days. In this step, the properties of the HPM were evaluated in comparison with those of a commercial repair material: the rapid-set concrete (RSC). Two types of substrates representing old concrete were used for patching repair. One was made of a typical pavement mixture (C-3WR-C20), and the other was a high-strength pavement concrete mixture (O-4WR).

3. Investigation of the durability properties of the newly developed HPM compared to those of the RSC. Durability properties included cyclic freeze-thaw (F-T) resistance, permeability, and shrinkage behavior.

The results indicated that the newly developed HPM possesses excellent self-consolidating ability: highly flowable and non-segregating. Although there was delayed setting, the compressive strength of the HPM exceeded 6,000 psi at 1 day, approximately 25 percent higher than that of the RSC. At 28 days, the HPM reached 10,000 psi, while the RSC was about 7,000 psi. The HPM also displayed extremely low chloride permeability (18 coulombs) compared to the RSC (2,550 coulombs) and excellent F-T durability without the requirement for air entrainment. The F-T durability factor of HPM was kept around 100% throughout the standard F-T test, while the F-T durability factor of RSC reduced to 80% at the end of the F-T test. However, the HPM exhibited noticeably higher autogenous shrinkage and slightly lower free drying shrinkage than the C-3WR-C20 mixture, while the RSC had a little/no shrinkage during the 56-day test period. Addition of a small amount of micro-steel fibers (70 pcy) slightly reduced the shrinkage of the HPM.

Further studies on fatigue and shrinkage cracking behavior of the HPM are recommended.concrete]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2015 01:01:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1350565</guid>
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