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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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    <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>Electric Arc Furnace Slag as a Paving Material - Phase I</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381798</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is interested in exploring the utilization of Electric Arc Furnace Slag (EAF) as an alternative for soil stabilization. This research initiative holds the potential to diminish the necessity for commercial stabilizing agents like hydrated lime or Portland cement, consequently contributing to a reduction in CO2 emissions and offering a sustainable solution for pavement construction in Nebraska. The application of slags for soil stabilization has become a prominent topic within the pavement community. It presents an opportunity to enhance pavement performance, leading to longer-lasting roads by improving soil engineering properties. Simultaneously, it addresses the growing accumulation of materials in landfills while reducing carbon emissions]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 30 May 2024 15:35:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381798</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Characterization of Combined Environmental Effects on Bituminous Paving Materials</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262757</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Over the past 6.5 years, the Construction Materials Research Center (CMRC) within the Mississippi State University (MSU) department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) has been active in assessing time dependent and combined environmental effects on paving materials. A considerable amount of this work has been funded by Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) and supported by industry, and a central component of this work has been a test section in Columbus, MS. This proposal, if funded, would continue the field aging work in Columbus, but would also expand CMRC’s efforts and include time dependent assessments on projects in other areas for multiple damage mechanisms.  Several areas are envisioned to be monitored for time dependent environmental effects and/or usage pattern effects across MDOT’s network. The aforementioned Columbus test section itself would be one of those items. In additional Stone-Matrix Asphalt (SMA) is to be evaluated for mixing temperature and other relevant effects by way of cores or gyratory compacted specimens that would be placed on top of the full-scale Columbus parking lot test sections that have been in place since 2011. Alongside the SMA, cores or gyratory compacted specimens are also to be aged at the Columbus test section that are produced with Dense-Graded Asphalt (DGA) to widen the knowledge base of aging that has already been initiated. A fourth area of interest is monitoring pavement infiltration over time for several types of projects and pavement surfaces of interest to MDOT; infiltration monitoring is expected for Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) with and without treatments, thin lift joints, and composite treatments such as scrub seals with a thin overlay. The final item to be assessed for time dependent and/or usage pattern effects are shoulder aggregates.  This study’s objectives are as follows:  (1) Improve understanding of field aging of asphalt mixtures; (2) Provide clarity on mixing temperature effects on SMA; (3) Characterize water infiltration resistance over time of several pavement surfaces, and (4) Improve MDOT shoulder aggregate practices.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Oct 2023 10:21:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2262757</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mineralogical Characterization of Pavement Aggregates in Maine (2.21)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2083631</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Paving represents a significant cost for transportation infrastructure in the State of Maine. With a low population density and high road density, the State of Maine has significant paving needs. The adverse climate conditions across the diversity of environmental conditions in the state leads to a variety of issues for the durability of pavement. Currently, pavement aggregates are sourced from many local and regional aggregate vendors, and very little information exists regarding the mineralogy of pavement aggregates used throughout the state for paving projects. With increasing
costs over recent years and decreasing pavement durability, it is essential to characterize the mineralogy of pavement aggregates in order to evaluate its durability. The purpose of this project is to characterize the mineralogy and texture of pavement aggregates from the primary aggregate sources currently in use by MaineDOT. These data will be used to investigate the relationship between pavement durability and the mineralogic properties of the source aggregates, in order to inform future decisions regarding pavement aggregate sourcing.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2022 21:25:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2083631</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating the Moisture Susceptibility of Asphalt Mixes in Oklahoma</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948959</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Moisture damage in the form of stripping is a common mode of failure in asphalt pavements. Stripping
occurs in asphalt mixtures through the combined effect of the loss of cohesion in the asphalt binder and
loss of adhesion between the aggregate surface and the asphalt binder. Water penetrating the asphalt
pavement causes a scouring action under traffic which also contributes to stripping. Water inside the
asphalt pavement enters between the aggregate-asphalt binder interface and breaks the bond between
the aggregate and the asphalt binder. The adhesion force between the aggregate and the asphalt binder
is determined by the chemical interaction at the aggregate-asphalt binder interface. Adhesion is also
promoted by the aggregate texture and the absorbed asphalt inside the aggregate pores.
The effect of moisture can be assessed by measuring the strength, stiffness, or fatigue performance of
the mix before and after moisture damage. The procedure currently utilized in AASHTO T 283 is based
on subjecting the compacted asphalt specimens to partial vacuum saturation followed by a freeze-thaw
cycle. The conditioned specimens are tested to determine their tensile strength. A tensile strength ratio
(TSR) is calculated representing the ratio of the tensile strength of the moisture-conditioned specimens to
that of unconditioned specimens. Oklahoma uses AASTHTO T 283 to evaluate the stripping susceptibility
of mixtures in Oklahoma (ODOT 2019). Several states including Oklahoma have raised concerns related
to the ability of AASHTO T 283 to predict field performance. Several problems have also been identified
regarding the conditioning procedure followed in AASHTO T 283. These problems include the forced
saturation using vacuum which could damage the internal structure of the asphalt, which does not reflect
the in-situ field conditions. The AASHTO T 283 conditioning protocol also does not account for the effect
of traffic.
The moisture induced stress tester (MiST) was introduced to simulate the effect of moisture in the field by
applying a cyclic pore water pressure to mimic the pore water pressure generated under traffic. In the
MiST test, a special device is used to condition the compacted specimens using a 2-stage conditioning
protocol. The first stage of conditioning is intended to simulate the loss of adhesion in the mix by soaking
the specimens in hot water for 20 hours. During this stage, the specimens undergo normal saturation
without applying vacuum. The second stage of conditioning simulates the effect of traffic on the loss of
cohesion in the mix through subjecting the soaked specimens to 3,500 pressure cycles. These pressure
cycles represent the effect of traffic causing water scouring in the mix. The effect of MiST conditioning is
assessed by comparing the indirect tensile strength of the unconditioned and conditioned specimens.
In this research, the MIST conditioning protocol will be evaluated using mixes prepared with raw materials
from Oklahoma. The raw materials will be selected to produce mixes that represent a wide range of
expected moisture-susceptibility performance. The mixes will also include antistripping additives to
improve the moisture-susceptibility performance of poor-performing mixes. The mixes will also be
subjected to conditioning using the AASHTO T 283 standard procedure. The ability of the AASHTO T 283
and the MiST procedure to rank the mixes will be evaluated.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2022 10:14:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1948959</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Prediction of Pavement Performance via Integrated  Pavement  Health and  Traffic  Monitoring with Deep  Learning  and  Predictive Modeling</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1907239</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The  proposed  research  will  target  overcoming the critical limitations  in  current  practice  by  developing  a  systematic  method  for  simultaneous  pavement performance  monitoring  and  prediction  and  vehicle  and  traffic  information  collection  through the  integration  of  pavement  dynamic  response  monitoring,  video  imaging,  traffic  flow monitoring,  environmental  monitoring,  numerical  pavement  simulation  with  rational mechanics  and  inverse parameter determination, and  an innovative ML  architecture.   ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 02 Feb 2022 14:29:59 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1907239</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of Holistic Methodologies for Improving Asphalt Mix
Durability (Yr 1)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879849</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Asphalt mix durability have always been major concerns of all State DOTs, and they cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year to repair cracking and rutting problems. To have a durable mix, one needs to address three aspects: durable mix design, production, and placement. The objective of this project is to develop holistic methodologies for addressing all three aspects with an ultimate goal to improve asphalt mix. As a minimum, this project will develop (1) a systematic methodology for designing durable mixes in the laboratory, (2) a performance-related methodology for production
quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) at asphalt plants, and (3) an innovative methodology for placement acceptance in the field.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 24 Sep 2021 11:16:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1879849</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>SPR-4625:  BIM Standards for Roads and Related Transportation Assets</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1870408</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project includes the following: 
(1) Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)‐based Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Model Development Standards for Drainage and corresponding model view definition (MVD) for QA/QC; 
(2) IFC‐based INDOT Model Development Standards for Selected Pavement Components and corresponding MVD for QA/QC; 
(3) Automation technology to extract drainage and pavement components detailed information from IFC‐based BIM instance models, for mapping to linear referenced geographic information systems (GIS) data.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2021 10:04:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1870408</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Numerical Simulation of Pavement Installed with Wicking Geotextile in Responses to Climatic Conditions</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1743190</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Several field applications and laboratory research have identified the short-term benefits of a multi-functional wicking geotextile in removing water from the soil and improving pavement performance. In line with an on-going project to continuously monitor field performance of pavement with applications of wicking geotextile, this project aims to further understand the working mechanism of the wicking geotextile under field conditions through numerical simulation, and to quantify its benefits into existing pavement design. The expected research results will be a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model that can depict the climate-plant-unsaturated soil infrastructure interactions, numerical simulation results of wicking geotextile long-term performance under different climatic conditions, and recommendations on incorporating the wicking geotextile benefits into current pavement design guides. The proposed research will contribute to developing an effective, sustainable approach for pavement preservation using new materials and technology, which will benefit extending pavement life, and producing significant saving to the State and Federal funding on repair and maintenance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2020 10:08:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1743190</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Extended Monitoring of Performance of Wicking Geotextile to Mitigate Pumping in Pavement Shoulder</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742802</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In a recently completed project, a full-scale test section located along I-44 highway in Missouri was constructed and monitored to investigate the effect of a new type of wicking geotextile to enhance pavement drainage and mitigate water pumping. Analyzing one year of data acquired from the sensors shows that the wicking geotextile has successfully reduced the volumetric water content of the base course material up to 5%-10% and enhanced the pavement drainage capacity. Observations showed that the efficiency of wicking geotextile is considerably better than conventional drainage systems including French drains when the pavement is under unsaturated condition. The main objective of this project is to maintain the data collection system at the I44 test sections and continue to monitor the long term performance of the H2Ri wicking fabric at the test site in the next three years. The expected research results will be field monitoring data, and associated findings and recommendations on using H2Ri wicking fabric in addressing durability related issues in pavement system, which will benefit pavement longevity and significantly reduce the State budget on repair and maintenance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2020 17:07:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1742802</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Implementing Self-Heated Concrete System in Iowa City</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1718420</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Snow and ice removal operations in winter road maintenance are essential for the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) as well as counties and cities in Iowa to ensure the safety, mobility, and efficiency of their transportation infrastructure systems. As an innovative snow and ice removal alternative, the researchers at Iowa State University (ISU) have developed (1) new mix design and production methods of heated concrete (dubbed electrically conductive concrete [ECON], hereafter) and (2) new structural and system design approaches for a heated pavement system (HPS) using the new ECON developed. Based on successful real-world implementation of ECON HPS recently demonstrated by the ISU research team for airport pavement and roadway construction projects, the City of Iowa City has expressed strong interest to the Iowa DOT and ISU research team in implementing ECON HPS for their new bus stop stations as well as the bus stop loading area under an upcoming pedestrian crossing and bus stop enhancement project at Muscatine Avenue in the City of Iowa City. This research is proposed in response to such keen interest by the City of Iowa City. A set of proposed research tasks (to implement ECON HPS for the bus stop s tation application) include the development of ECON mix design and ECON HPS system design options for construction, comprehensive performance monitoring and evaluation, as well as economic analysis of the constructed full-scale ECON HPS at least over two consecutive winter cycles, and a survey and interview on the implementation of heated pavements for winter maintenance and management practices. The primary outcome of this proposed research will be the draft of a technical guide/specification (comparable with the current Iowa DOT specifications and Iowa Statewide Urban Design and Specifications [SUDAS]) that Iowa DOT and Iowa’s counties and cities could use for future ECON HPS implementation projects under their public works departments for enhancing sustainable and resilient winter maintenance and management practices.
The objectives of this research are to implement self-heating ECON HPS for an upcoming pedestrian crossing and bus stop enhancement project at Muscatine Avenue in the City of Iowa City and consequently develop a draft guide or technical specification that the Iowa DOT and Iowa’s counties and cities could use for future ECON HPS implementation projects in their public works departments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2020 09:20:34 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1718420</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Optimal Design of Sustainable Asphalt Mixtures with RAP (3.6)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1601904</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Current proposal seeks to derive guiding approaches for extracting, through the literature, the promising opportunities for designing asphalt pavements with enhanced levels of reclamation and for capitalizing on such opportunities. To this end, the study proposes a framework for gauging and comparing, within the state-of-the-art and the state-of-the-science literatures on RAP, the overall cost benefit ratios, with environmental costs reflected, afforded by varied asphalt mixtures at varied levels of reclamation. Challenges to the task will exist given the multiple units, the often-arbitrary life cycle durations, the presumed maintenance schedules, and a wealth of other issues inherent to RAP life cycle analysis (LCA) studies meant to capture environmental impacts within the literature. Selected asphalt mixtures with RAP will be tested with state-of-the-art tools, such as AMPT to predict their performances. The outcomes can be the basis for a perpetual pavement, e.g., composite pavement etc. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2019 20:52:56 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1601904</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Mitigating Pavement Reflective Cracking Using A Ductile Concrete Interlayer</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1505414</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Overlays are constructed over existing pavement structures as a repair measure. When an overlay is placed on an existing pavement, under thermal, shrinkage or traffic induced loadings, cracking of the overlay often takes place at locations where there are joints or cracks in the underlying pavement due to stress concentration. This phenomenon is known as reflective cracking. Reflective cracking in the overlay allows water to penetrate the pavement structure and contributes to many forms of pavement deterioration, including increased roughness, spalling and decreased fatigue life. Therefore, to achieve an effective and durable pavement repair using overlay system, reflective cracking needs to be suppressed. 
A ductile high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC) interlayer is proposed in this research to mitigate the reflective cracking problem in pavement overlays. It is hypothesized that by adding a thin layer of highly ductile HPFRC material between the existing pavement and overlay, reflective cracking can be arrested by the ductile interlayer.  
HPFRC mixtures will be selected for the proposed interlayer application and their mechanical properties will be characterized. HPFRC interlayer system will be designed and tested under static and fatigue loadings to evaluate their performance and effectiveness in suppressing reflective cracking. The outcome of this research will include design recommendations and guidelines for HPFRC interlayer systems. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 23 Mar 2018 07:49:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1505414</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Heated Airport Pavements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1391997</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Maintaining operational safety and status of airport runways during snowfall events is a challenging issue that many airports are grappling with. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular 150/5370-17 (dated 2011), most transport category aircraft are prohibited from operating on runways covered by untreated ice or by more than 1/2 inch of snow or slush, although the limits vary with aircraft types. The surface traction of pavement is dramatically influenced by frozen precipitation in the form of ice, snow, or slush. This can seriously hamper smooth air traffic management operations and cause traffic delays at other airports. Ice and snow on transportation infrastructure systems add significant costs to the American economy via snow removal, damaged pavement and bridge surfaces and lost man-hours due to travel delay. It is imperative that both small and large airports maintain operational status during snowfall events to support the existing operations as well as the FAA's NextGen concept as mentioned in the Airport Technology Research Plan for the NextGen Decade (dated January 2012). 

This project proposes a 3-pronged approach to investigate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of new heated pavement technologies. The project proposes to investigate: the relative energy and monetary needs to remove snow from a slab by conducting an energy and financial viability analyses under Task 1-A; a hybrid approach combining electrically conductive concrete with lotus-leaf-inspired super-hydrophobic surfaces under Task 1-B; and the application of nano-coatings of low temperature phase change materials with the intent of preventing ice and slush formation under Task 1-C. The project anticipates that these three tasks will run in parallel. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:04:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1391997</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Pavement Marking Presence Tool</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1392182</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research project has two objectives. The first objective is to develop a mobile (smart phone) tool to allow users the ability to assess the existing pavement marking presence (the amount of pavement marking on the pavement surface) and also help with quality assurance of newly installed pavement marking products that are not made up of a continuous solid line (MMA splatter pattern is one example). The second objective is to develop an easy to use tool that inspectors can use to assess retroreflectivity and color using their smart phone or tablet.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2016 16:03:33 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1392182</guid>
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