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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" />
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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>
    </image>
    <item>
      <title>Assessing Residual Strength of Post-Tensioned Elements with Corrosion-Induced Tendon Failure</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652073</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The research team will assess the residual strength of post-tensioned (PT) bridge elements with corrosion-induced tendon failures to support the Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) maintenance and evaluation efforts. The research team will develop recommendations for assessing structural capacity and identifying effective maintenance strategies. Experimental testing will be conducted in two phases to evaluate corrosion-induced bond degradation and tendon corrosion effects near the anchor points. These tests will evaluate bond degradation, stress redistribution, and failure mechanisms for strand configurations that are either centrally aligned or offset to one side of the tendon. The research team will also perform an analytical study using finite element modelling to simulate corrosion scenarios and validate structural performance. The research team will develop practical guidelines for Receiving Agency engineers, including assessment methodologies and maintenance recommendations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:32:17 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2652073</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Damage Progression of Highway Bridges and Operational Vibration-Waveforms
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627353</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The dynamic response of civil structures has long been utilized in damage detection. Techniques such as vibration-based damage identification, usually focused on experimentally determining modal parameters, have shown promising applications in detecting damage on bridges. A major drawback of most current damage-detection techniques, including the current video-based approach using drones, is their inability to explain the cause or the condition under which certain types of damage occur at different locations on the bridge. In this work, a nondestructive vibration-based approach, operational response and waveform analysis (ORWA), will be used to determine a cause and possible prevention solutions to the local damage occurring on bridges. In ORWA, damage on a bridge is correlated to the structural motions that are generated by the operational crossing traffic. By identifying the type and speed of vehicles that can put the bridge in deformation modes that can cause detrimenttal damage when they cross the bridge, new mitigation, maintenance, and (potentially) traffic rules can be developed to reduce these effects. In a previous work supported by the Iowa Department of Transportation, the initial idea of ORWA was presented and tested on a single-span highway bridge. A modified form of ORWA was developed and used finite element analysis to correlate traffic vibration waveforms with the modal response of the bridge. In this work, ORWA will be enhanced to include a camera-based system that would be integrated and synched with the vibration waveform measurements. The newly developed ORWA will be tested and validated on two bridges in Iowa.

]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 14:42:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2627353</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Simplified Calculation of Liner and Soil Deformations in Tunnels Subjected to Internal Explosions (UTI-UTC 34)
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2543427</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project aims to develop a simplified analytical framework for evaluating the structural response of tunnel liners and surrounding soil systems subjected to internal explosive loads. By applying a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model integrated with Winkler foundation principles, the research provides a practical and efficient method for estimating deformation behavior without the need for full-scale numerical simulations. The framework accounts for varying explosive intensities, tunnel geometry, and material properties to predict the extent of structural damage and ground-structure interaction. Validation is conducted through comparisons with experimental data and higher-fidelity simulations. The outcomes of this project contribute to improving the design and resilience assessment of underground transportation tunnels, especially in scenarios involving accidental or intentional explosive threats.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 17:05:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2543427</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Understanding Causes of Concrete Culvert Pipe Joint Separation</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2244263</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Joint separations affect approximately 20% of the Minnesota concrete pipe inventory (Taylor and Marr 2012). The goals of this research are to determine the factors that contribute to joint separation and recommend practices to mitigate this problem. Research efforts follow a three-pronged approach: (1) Examination of TAMS HydInfra database; (2) field survey of concrete culverts; and (3) computational modeling of soil-culvert systems. Database investigations were conducted using a Random Forest model along with individual feature analysis to determine factors that correlate with joint separations. Geographic features such as the county and route number of the culvert are more important for predicting joint separation than geometric features such as culvert size or cover depth. Field surveys reveal that separations typically occurred at the ends of pipes, or in the first untied joint from the end of the pipe if only some joints were tied. Joint separation was often observed alongside other distress such as infiltration or inslope voids. Computational modeling results show that embankment self-weight and traffic loading concentrate their highest demands under the center of the road, which did not match with field inspections. Soil freezing or changes of water-table level impose greater demands than traffic, and these maximum demands are located at the pipe ends, and thus these mechanisms are more likely to result in joint separation. Recommendations include tying all joints on installation, properly compacting the backfill, and limiting freezing expansion of the embankment materials, particularly if a cohesive soil cap is used.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 Sep 2023 12:02:44 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2244263</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Structural Monitoring of Steel-Member Bridges with Fatigue Life Prognosis due to Dynamic Vehicular Loads </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2055938</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will develop an integrated hardware and analytical framework that enables real-time bridge structural monitoring and remaining fatigue life estimation.  PI Wang has over 20 years of experience in structural dynamics and wireless structural monitoring.  His research group has co developed a modular wireless sensing device that can perform high-rate data acquisition. The Martlet smart wireless sensing system is particularly designed for civil structural applications.  Building blocks of this system are individual wireless sensing units.  With solar power, each wireless unit can collect data from various analog sensors, such as strain gages, string potentiometers, accelerometers, etc.  Cost of the wireless system is only a fraction of conventional cabled sensing systems.  The system is also capable of routing data through cellular network.  
This project will develop an integrated hardware and analytical framework that enables real time bridge structural monitoring and fatigue life prognosis.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2022 10:06:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2055938</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Repair of Bridge Deck Fascias</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1993817</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The deck fascia on bridges deteriorates more quickly than other portions of the bridge. This causes the fascia concrete to become debonded from the reinforcement and over time concrete can spall off the fascia. These spalled pieces of concrete can fall onto traffic lanes or pedestrian walkways posing a safety risk to the public. The current maintenance strategy has limitations. The current practice is not to patch these areas, overhead patches can spall off posing a safety risk, and there is not a method to anchor false decking in these area. Delaminated concrete can be removed to prevent debris from falling unexpectedly, but when reinforcement is left exposed it leads to increased degradation of the bridge deck fascia and traffic barrier. Over time continually scaling these areas can cause the traffic barrier to become undermined without any option for repair. These current methods lead to the need for continual scaling in these areas.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 2022 12:38:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1993817</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Earthquake-Induced Damage Classification of Bridges Using Artificial Neural Networks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762371</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Fragility analysis is currently used to develop a probabilistic seismic demand model with an assumed lognormal distribution and then determine the probability of exceeding certain seismic demand thresholds for various states of damage. Due to the complexity in probability calculations, the seismic demand is often defined by one intensity measure of the earthquake ground motion such as peak ground acceleration, and its lognormal distribution has been repeatedly demonstrated inaccurate as the level of damage increases.

This study aims to develop artificial neural networks (ANNs) for a near real-time evaluation of the regional structural damage of a highway bridge network after a catastrophic earthquake. Bridge responses to the earthquake are treated as the earthquake-induced ground motion classifiers for structural damage states. The input and output layers of an ANN represent intensity measures of a ground motion and their corresponding damage state, respectively. To achieve this objective, the scope of work includes: (1) Select representative bridges along a major highway, (2) Collect and organize a big data set of ground motions, (3) Model the representative bridges and evaluate their damage states based on a damage index under the ground motions through time history analysis, (4) Label the ground motions with corresponding damage states and develop a balanced set of training and test data, (5) Train the ANN with the training dataset and evaluate the overall accuracy of damage prediction using unseen test dataset, (6) Optimize the ANN architecture for robust and accurate performance by ranking the importance of various intensity measures, comparing two structural damage indices, and considering varying numbers of hidden layers and neurons, and (7) Evaluate the performance of the ANNs for existing bridges along an emergency designated route with practical considerations of three intensity measures availed in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Guide Specifications for Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Seismic Bridge Design.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Jan 2021 14:07:40 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1762371</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Durability Assessment of Externally Bonded FiberReinforced Polymer (FRP) Composite Repairs in Bridge</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1687435</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed project seeks to assess the long-term
performance and effectiveness of fiber-reinforced polymer
(FRP) composites in facilitating rapid structural renewal of
deteriorated concrete bridges in the Federal Region 3.
Although FRP composites have been extensively used to
strengthen and repair deteriorating bridges across the country
[1] – data warranting their long-term performance is lacking.
The need for research on the durability of FRP composites for
infrastructure was highlighted in a recent congressional
hearing* and a National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) report [2]. The state of Delaware has the
first (1994) externally bonded FRP repair installed on a
publicly owned bridge in its inventory, offering a unique
opportunity to study the durability characteristics of these
materials over a timespan of over 25 years and contribute to a
prominent national research need]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:38:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1687435</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Electromagnetic Detection and Identification of Concrete Cracking in Highway Bridges (1.4)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1590550</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The problem the research team is trying to solve is the structural assessment of aging concrete bridges (reinforced and prestressed) in New England, targeting at concrete cracking and degradation (e.g., carbonation, alkali-silica reaction). The problem is important because that the integrity of concrete cover indicates not only mechanical strength of the cross section but also the level of protection for steel corrosion. Concrete cracking and steel corrosion can occur to any component in concrete bridges. The team proposes to (1) conduct field radar inspection (using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and impact-echo) for 2D and 3D radar imaging and to (2) develop a damage detection model for predicting the level of structural damage for concrete bridges.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 2019 13:30:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1590550</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Coastal Bridges under Hurricane Stresses along the Texas and Louisiana
Coast</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467306</link>
      <description><![CDATA[While the United States (US) has made a significant investment to mitigate the risk of earthquakes, the investments to improve resiliency to hurricanes has lagged significantly. According to estimates by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the annualized cost of hurricane damage in the US is approximately $10 billion/year; in comparison the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates earthquake damage to be approximately half that amount. The proposed research addresses this gap by studying methods to mitigate the risk to the transportation network from extreme weather events in one of the most important regions in the country in terms of population, economic activity, and transportation systems. As such, the main objective of this proposal is to develop a high-resolution model capable of simulating the response of bridge structures to hydrodynamic loads for hurricane design conditions (i.e. surge height, wave height, and frequency) expected in the Texas-Louisiana coast. This model will be calibrated using historical data from past hurricanes such as Katrina, and used to evaluate the vulnerability bridge structures in the Texas-Louisiana coast. The implementation phase will consist of developing a guide document for engineering professionals illustrating regions of greatest hazard and bridge support details most vulnerable to failure during large storms.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 May 2017 13:27:08 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1467306</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Research for AASHTO Standing Committee on Highways. Task 397. Characteristics of Decommissioned Bridges</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1463367</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Bridge preservation activities have focused on the service life extension of bridge components or protection systems that extend the useful life of bridges. National efforts are underway to look at materials, design and construction practices to extend the useful life of bridges toward an elusive 100 year mark. Informal research done by the Transportation Research Board Bridge Preservation Committee (AHD037) using 20 years of National Bridge Inventory data for all states in the United States indicates that the majority of bridge replacements may not be driven by the condition of the bridge. If the majority of bridges are not being replaced due to condition, then what is driving bridges to be taken out of service? Are bridge preservation efforts appropriately focused on the true factors that are leading to the premature replacement of bridges? Understanding what is causing bridges to be decommissioned will allow bridge managers to better adapt practices to achieve the maximum possible service life.

The objective of this research project was to determine the driving causes of bridge decommissioning in the United States.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 31 Mar 2017 10:20:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1463367</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Prototype Remote Structural Health and Security Monitoring System for Bridges</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1339689</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The proposed project will investigate the development of a prototype bridge monitoring system that will permit quantitative assessments of structural condition and safety both remotely and in real-time. The research will also attempt to identify and integrate real-time video surveillance methods and other related sensing technologies with the health monitoring system to enable the system to be used for assessing bridge security. The prototype system will be designed and deployed on a small-scale physical model of a bridge in the laboratory, and the capabilities and performance characteristics of the system will be evaluated for various controlled deterioration and damage scenarios that are consistent with the effects of common hazards affecting bridge condition and safety. The evaluation of the prototype monitoring system under known and controlled conditions will enable recommendations to be made regarding the design of similar systems for full-scale implementations of structural health and security monitoring systems for in-service bridge structures.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jan 2015 01:29:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1339689</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Manual for Assessing the Service Life of Corrosion-Deteriorated Reinforced Concrete Members in Highway Bridges in West Virginia</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1324622</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Corrosion-induced deterioration of reinforced concrete bridge superstructure members is a common and costly problem in the United States. In a recent report to Congress, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reported that of the nation's 577,000 bridges 134,000 were classified as structurally deficient. According to the July 9, 2010 Bridge Data Book published by The West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH) 979 of the 6,789 bridges in West Virginia are classified as structurally deficient. Structurally deficient bridges are those that are closed, have a low load posting, or that require rehabilitation or replacement. Approximately 40 percent of the current backlog of highway bridge repair and rehabilitation costs is directly attributed to the corrosion of reinforced concrete bridge elements. WVDOH is not unique in that they use visual inspection as a valid technique to monitor the extent of cracking and damage for bridge members. This visual inspection technique would allow bridge inspectors and bridge engineers of old to determine the extent of the maintenance required for each bridge member. However, various techniques have been developed over the years to assess the condition of concrete bridge elements that will assist today's bridge engineers in making these decisions with more reliability. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify or develop suitable procedures for assessing the condition of corrosion-deteriorated bridge members, estimating their expected remaining service life, and determining the effects of maintenance and repair options on their service life.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2014 01:00:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1324622</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Structural Health Monitoring &amp; Condition Assessment of Chulintna River Bridge</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1307041</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The objective of the proposed research is to improve the safety of bridge structures in the state of Alaska through implementation of innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies to evaluate the structural integrity and serviceability, and to provide reliable information for changing structural response, decision-making of maintenance/repair and closure, etc. of monitored bridges. Based on a synthesis of current-in-use and emerging SHM knowledge and technologies with a specific interest in what could be potentially used on bridges in cold, remote regions, such as Alaska, this research is to establish a bridge SHM program for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (AK DOT&amp;PF). This objective is going to be achieved by identifying appropriate technologies, developing technologies where items are needed but missing, and implementing these technologies to remotely monitor and on-site evaluate the structurally deficient Chulitna River Bridge. A SHM protocol will be developed for applications to bridges in the State of Alaska. A SHM system with a variety of sensors will be developed to measure and monitor structural and environmental conditions to assist in evaluation of the Chulitna River Bridge performance. This system will be designed to detect bridge structural defects or deterioration in its early stages and to assist in the prediction of its future performance. It will also be utilized to mitigate impacts resulting from changed conditions. It is expected that this system will be able to provide more reliable information on the real structural health condition. We expect that it can be used to improve safe performance of this bridge. As a new safety and management tool, monitoring will complement traditional bridge inspection methods. Implementation of an effective monitoring system will likely result in a reduction in inspection manpower, early detection of deterioration/damage, development of optimum inspection and repair schedules before the deterioration/damage grows to a condition where major repairs are required and as a result this technology can used to reduce life cycle costs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2014 01:01:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1307041</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Finite Element Model Updating and Damage Detection for Bridges using Vibration Measurements</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1280812</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project focuses on the development of methodologies for obtaining reliable Finite Element (FE) models of bridges from measurements of their structural response to ambient as well as earthquake and wind excitations. Comparing such models from different times, for example before and after an earthquake or before and after a maintenance/rehabilitation operation, can provide information on the presence of structural damage and/or on the effectiveness of a rehabilitation solution. These methodologies will be compared with other types of damage detection methodologies that do not require an initial FE model of the structure: these methods try to "recognize a pattern" in the response of the structure corresponding to its healthy state (hence the name of "pattern recognition"). By looking at how this pattern changes, the project proposes developing a methodology that can assess the presence (amount as well as location) of structural damage.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2013 01:00:47 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1280812</guid>
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