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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>Spun Concrete Poles: Guidelines for Fabrication, Condition Assessment, Repair, and Replacement</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2562259</link>
      <description><![CDATA[As per the Appendix A of the Michigan Ancillary Structure Inspection Manual (MiASIM), Spun Concrete Poles (SCPs) are "high
mast prestressed precast concrete poles used to support ITS [Intelligent Transportations System] infrastructure such as
cameras and radar detectors." The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is managing more than 300 poles with ITS
infrastructure. Cracking and deterioration documented during field inspections highlight the need for developing guidelines and
recommendations for fabrication quality improvement, condition assessment, and supporting repair and replacement
decisions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Jun 2025 14:29:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2562259</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CCTV Pole Solar Panel Wrap</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2483293</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The major objectives of the project are as follows: (1) research if flexible solar panels can be bent to wrap around a CCTV pole; (2) investigate if the panels can withstand impacts from lowering the suspended camera on windy days; (3) determine how often the panels need to be cleaned to maintain effectiveness and to develop some sight characteristic guidance for deployment consideration (shade tolerance); and (4) explore feasibility studies on the cost to benefit ratio the additional maintenance will require versus existing operating costs, also to discover a break point of frequency of deployment, pole height, site spacing, economies of scale, etc. 

The innovative part of this project is the use of flexible solar panels. This feature will help to minimize structural wind load on existing poles. Rigid solar panels have been in use but require ground mounting, additional real estate, enhanced crash protections, and if pole is mounted, it requires a structurally upgraded pole to withstand the wind resistance.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Dec 2024 16:07:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2483293</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Establishing Design Loads, Load Combinations, and Structural Design Methodology for OCS Poles and Foundations

</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2464331</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Overhead Contact System (OCS) is a foundational component of rail transit electrification, delivering power to vehicles via a suspended system of contact and messenger wires. These wires are supported by poles, cantilevers, portals, and related infrastructure that must meet rigorous structural demands under varying environmental, mechanical, and operational conditions.

Despite the widespread use of the OCS across U.S. transit systems, there is currently no nationally adopted structural design specification, standard, or code for OCS poles and foundations. Designers currently rely on a mix of partially applicable documents, including:
IEEE 1630-2012, IEEE Standard for Supporting Structures for Overhead Contact Systems for Transit Systems, which provides general structural support guidelines but lacks prescriptive design load definitions or serviceability criteria; ASCE 48, Design of Steel Transmission Pole Structures, which offers useful structural insights but is not tailored to transit OCS systems; and IEEE C2-2023, 2023 National Electric Safety Code(R) (NESC(R)), which is commonly referenced for load calculations but primarily developed for electric utility transmission and distribution, not for rail OCS.

This fragmented approach leads to inconsistency across transit agencies and among engineering professionals in how structural design specifications, standards, or codes are interpreted and applied. The absence of consistent standards becomes even more critical as agencies pursue system expansions, high-speed rail corridors, and unconventional OCS configurations in constrained and urban environments.

Research is needed to develop a comprehensive structural design guide for OCS poles and foundations that consolidates best practices, defines consistent load and serviceability criteria, and establishes a framework for applying U.S. structural design specifications to OCS systems.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop a structural design guide for OCS poles and foundations applicable across standard and nonstandard transit environments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 26 Nov 2024 05:33:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2464331</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Material and Design Analysis of Bridge Mounted Light Poles for Hurricane Readiness</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425081</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research will analyze the hurricane type events that have occurred in Florida and how the stress of those hurricanes applies to the current Florida Department of Transportation
(FDOT) design standards for aluminum light poles, and then investigate and test [1] design and [2] material variations that could sustain hurricane force wind design loads. The goal is to better understand the behavior leading to failure under hurricane events and produce a modified design approach to complement the current wind design load, and if needed, present a new standard plan and/or change to the material selection for light poles. This research could generate a wide range of implementable outcomes including a recommended change to material selection, adoption of a fatigue test to accurately screen for hurricane events, advancement in the vibration damper design, and/or the production of a new standard design.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 09:02:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2425081</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Examination of Current U.S. and EU Crash Test Evaluation Criteria for Sign and Luminaire Support Structures and Work Zone Devices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381718</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) provides guidelines for crash testing roadside features and evaluation criteria to assess the test results. Using the philosophy of the “state of the possible,” the developers of MASH set lower occupant impact velocity (OIV) limits for sign and luminaire support structures and work zone devices than other roadside features because of the assumed relative ease in obtaining compliant test results for breakaway devices. The OIV limits are 4.9 m/s for all types of supports, whereas the limits for all other highway safety devices are 12.2 m/s. However, developing MASH-compliant devices in these families has proven difficult because of the conservative change in velocity requirements as well as occupant compartment deformation and penetration criteria. 

The current occupant risk criteria for these families of devices may preclude the use of energy-absorbing devices (e.g., poles, signs), which might ultimately be more conducive to favorable real-world crash outcomes in some applications. Energy-absorbing support structures are designed to decelerate a vehicle rather than allow it to break through with minimal speed reduction. Europe has developed a test standard to evaluate supports that uses the entire spectrum of support structures and occupant risk outcomes: EN12767, Passive safety of support structures for road equipment – Requirements and test methods. EN12767 accommodates the evaluation criteria in MASH but expands on possible outcomes based on the type of support structure, such as breakaway or energy-absorbing devices. 

Research is needed to collect available data on these types of devices and examine the test results with current U.S. and European Union (EU) standards to determine how concepts from the EU standards might be incorporated into MASH hardware evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this project is to examine current U.S. and EU roadside safety hardware crash test criteria for sign and luminaire support structures and work zone devices and investigate how concepts from EU standards might be suitable for the United States.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 May 2024 16:54:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2381718</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Develop Assessment and Mitigation Guidance for Ancillary Highway Structures with Existing Cracks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2256318</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Ancillary structures (AS) exist in a wide variety of applications critical to safety and daily needs of the travelling public (e.g. HMIP, COSS, and traffic signals). The long-term corrosion performance of these structures is of utmost importance to prevent deterioration and extend the structural design life and safety. While hot-dipped galvanizing provides excellent long-term behavior for corrosion control of these critical structures, over the past 20 years this process has been found to create extensive cracking of welds on base plate connections that is detrimental to the fatigue lives of these poles. Although improved details are used in new designs, thousands of HMIP, COSS, and signal poles exist in Texas with varying levels of cracking in the welds between the baseplates and pole shafts. The research outlined in this proposal identifies and provides critical assessment parameters and guidance for Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to determine if cracks should be monitored, repaired, or the structural component replaced. The proposed research includes a representative assessment of weld cracking in the AS inventory, the development of monitoring hardware and techniques, the development and assessment of repair techniques, and the development of certification methods/standards for inspection personnel.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 27 Sep 2023 15:58:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2256318</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fatigue Resistance of Fluted Lighting Poles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100874</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project will conduct experimental fatigue tests to determine resistance to cracking of fluted lighting poles.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2023 11:17:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2100874</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Vibration Techniques for KDOT High Mast Illumination Poles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015222</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Kanas DOT has recently discovered many premature failure cases of newly-installed 100-ft tall galvanized steel high mast illumination pole (HMIP) structures. These failed HMIPs all exhibited cracking emanating from the handhole detail near the base of the pole. Video recordings of several HMIPs showed significant vibrations under wind loading that led to large cyclic displacements at the top of the structures. An on-going project is investigating the susceptibility of these HMIPs to frequency lock-in under wind due to vortex-induced vibration through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, which will provide more insights on the cause of the large wind-induced vibrations. 
A proactive way to address the issue of large-amplitude vibration of HMIP structures is to apply vibration mitigation techniques. While related knowledge is available from the literature on various vibration mitigation techniques, actionable guidelines for the HMIPs in Kansas does not exist. Solutions are urgently needed to reduce vibration-induced stresses at fatigue-critical details in HMIPs to eliminate safety concerns and lengthen the safe service live of these expensive and low-redundancy structures.
The research plan is aimed at developing vibration mitigation solutions for KDOT HMIP structures. A primarily experimental approach is proposed, wherein vibration mitigation devices are tested on a full-scale HMIP structure.  Computational simulations (finite element models) will be used to augment the scope of the experimental investigation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2022 17:01:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015222</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of High Mast Illumination Poles: Influence of Light Fixtures</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015220</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Kansas DOT has recently discovered numerous failures of galvanized high mast illumination pole (HMIP) structures along major highways, particularly in western areas of the state. The majority of the failures have been characterized by cracks at the handhole detail, near the pole base. Many of the failed poles were installed in the past 8-12 months, and thus the failures are deemed extremely premature. The severity and speed of the failures is alarming, especially considering that collapse of an in-service HMIP near major highways such as I-70 poses great risk to the traveling public.
Known failed structures have been removed from service, and KDOT is contracting with an outside party to perform holistic inspections of fatigue-sensitive details on poles across the state inventory to determine whether cracking exists in other HMIP structures. Additionally, a project is currently underway at the University of Kansas to characterize the failures and to determine fatigue implications of the current HMIP design and possible design modifications.
The failures appear to be at least in part caused by wind-induced fatigue loading, and a number of KDOT’s HMIPs have exhibited “locked in” resonant frequency responses, such that they experience very large cyclic deformations under wind loading (on the order of 5’ of deflection at the tip of a 100’-tall pole). KDOT engineers recorded videos of multiple HMIPs exhibiting locked-in resonant behavior in March 2019 during a windstorm. Finite element models performed as part of the KU research showed that this type of repeated large-deformation response has the potential to produce severe fatigue damage over a very short amount of time. Therefore, there is a clear need to develop an understanding of what conditions produce this behavior so that actions can be taken to keep it from occurring.
To develop a complete understanding of what conditions produce locked-in resonant responses, sophisticated aeroelastic analysis utilizing fluid-structure interaction (FSI) models are ultimately needed. FSI modeling can be used to explicitly capture the interaction between wind loading and dynamic structural behavior. However, FSI models are extremely resource-intensive, and they require careful development and tuning of variables beforehand. Before a FSI investigation can be responsibly performed, aerodynamic analysis based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling should be first completed, to ensure that the fluids component of the later FSI modeling is well-developed and valid. Additionally, the project team needs to be confident in our selection of variables to investigate in FSI models, and preliminary work is needed to determine whether variables such as HMIP luminaire type have a significant influence on the fluid dynamic response.
In CFD models, the geometry of a structure is modeled which remains fixed while a fluid (i.e., air) flows around the rigid structural components at specific velocities. As geometric parameters of the HMIP are varied across different CFD models (e.g., luminaire type), it will be apparent if these variables have an influence on airflow around the pole. This is a critical first step to establishing a set of meaningful variables to be investigated in later fluid-structure interaction models.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2022 16:04:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2015220</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MASH Crashworthiness of Luminaire Poles</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854202</link>
      <description><![CDATA[No abstract provided.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 27 May 2021 19:16:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854202</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Implementation of MASH Surrogate Test Vehicles for Sign Supports, Breakaway Poles, and Work Zone Traffic Control Devices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854207</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Historically, roadside safety features have been subjected to crashworthiness evaluations using a variety of impact test specifications and/or guidelines.  The implementation of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) has left state departments of transportation (DOTs) and manufacturers in a situation where a significant number of breakaway poles, sign supports, and work zone traffic control devices (herein called “Systems”) need to be evaluated for MASH compliance. The development of robust surrogate test vehicles, with an ability to largely capture vehicle deformation and penetrations as well as accurate system behavior, would reduce crash-testing costs and promote greater innovation for new products for manufacturers and DOTs. There is a need to provide a guide to aid in selecting the appropriate surrogate test vehicles and testing protocols to evaluate the crashworthiness of Systems.
The objective of this research is to develop a guide for the implementation of surrogate test vehicles, including pendulums and bogie vehicles, for evaluation of Systems for MASH compliance and propose modifications to the AASHTO MASH for sign supports, breakaway poles, and work zone traffic control devices. 
At the minimum, the research results shall include the design and development of surrogate test vehicles, testing protocols, and validation based on simulation and laboratory testing for families of related devices within the following three groups: (1) sign supports, (2) breakaway poles, and (3) work zone traffic control devices. For this research, a family of related devices is a set of similar devices within one of the three groups that share the same critical characteristics controlling crashworthiness.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 25 May 2021 10:58:27 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1854207</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Crashworthy Foundations for Soil-Embedded Roadside Safety Hardware</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1740337</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Run-off-road crashes with soil-embedded safety hardware, such as luminaire poles and guardrail posts, are not well-understood for soil conditions other than MASH strong soil. The selection of an appropriate foundation depends on several factors including support structure type, structural stiffness, transmitted loads, soil properties, soil-structure interaction, groundwater conditions, and depth to bedrock. This project will primarily focus on the specific application of luminaire pole foundations. Current luminaire pole foundation designs commonly implemented by state DOTs rely on guidance from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) LRFD Bridge Design Specifications and AASHTO Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaires, and Traffic Signals. These AASHTO guidelines are based on Broms’ method (1964) which relies on static analysis. Designs typically follow static load-based methods (i.e., Brom’s method), which has led to overdesigned foundations. Furthermore, there are no guidelines for design of crashworthy foundations embedded in soils other than medium to dense, dry soil. AASHTO guidelines do not address crashworthy foundation design for sites with “weak” soil (i.e., silts, soft clay, peat, organic soil) and/or soil with high moisture content. Geographic soil variability as well as seasonal variations in groundwater conditions across the country call for research to enable cost-effective and safe soil-embedded safety hardware for an extended array of specific site conditions (i.e., weak, and/or saturated soil) considering more realistic and accurate dynamic loads rather than static loads. The objectives of this research project are to (1) evaluate adequacy of state DOTs’ existing practices, (2) enhance existing modeling methods for soil behavior during vehicle impact events, and (3) develop preliminary guidelines for luminaire foundation depth accounting for soft and/or saturated soil. This project will complement a current project at Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF) which aims to develop design guidance for crashworthy luminaire pole foundations in the state of Alaska, satisfying Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) safety criteria.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Feb 2021 10:53:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1740337</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Proposed AASHTO Guidelines for Implementation of MASH for Sign Supports, Breakaway Poles, and Work Zone Traffic Control Devices</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1628627</link>
      <description><![CDATA[o encourage state departments of transportation (DOTs) and hardware developers to advance hardware designs, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) collaborated on the development of the AASHTO Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware (MASH) implementation policy that includes sunset dates for various roadside hardware categories. The joint FHWA/AASHTO implementation plan for MASH devices requires highway agencies to evaluate many different designs of permanent sign supports, breakaway poles, and work zone traffic control devices (herein called “Systems”). The FHWA and AASHTO implementation plan requires Systems installed on national highway systems after December 31, 2019 to comply with MASH 2016.

A significant number of Systems still need to be evaluated to comply with MASH. For each System, up to three full-scale crash tests need to be conducted on each variation and these crash tests can be expensive. There are thousands of variations of Systems that state DOTs utilize. The costs of these tests will fall directly on transportation agencies and the public. Since it is not feasible to test all possible combinations in MASH, there is a need to provide guidelines to aid state DOTs in selecting appropriate testing protocols to evaluate the crashworthiness of Systems.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to develop guidelines for implementation of, and propose modification to, AASHTO MASH for sign supports, breakaway poles, and work zone traffic control devices, including examples to demonstrate the application of the proposed guidelines.

The research includes developing testing protocols that are validated by crash simulations and testing for families of related devices within the following three groups: (1) sign supports, (2) breakaway poles, and (3) work zone traffic control devices. For the purposes of this research, a family of related devices is a set of similar devices within one of the three groups that share the same critical characteristics controlling crashworthiness.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jun 2019 13:29:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1628627</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluation of Light Pole Foundation Embedment</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1531898</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Research that results in guidance to designers about how to account for the impact of a vehicle on the light pole.  No one at DOT remembers a 3’x6’ concrete light pole foundation being damaged when struck by a vehicle, but the calculations show it should fail when factoring the frangible coupling shear strength.  The research could: (1) Survey how other DOTs handle this issue and provide similar guidance. (2) 	Provide a literature review of any similar studies that have already been undertaken. (3) Develop an analytical program to address the knowledge gaps and determine the acceptable risk of a base failing from a vehicle impact. (4) Perform crash testing to validate the analytical program for various soil conditions common in Alaska.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Aug 2018 18:59:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1531898</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>In Service Evaluation of Railroad Signal and Stop Arm Pole Protection</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1482192</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study will address the need for providing steel beam guardrail to protect railroad poles. The proposed work is comprised of the following tasks: Task 1. Literature Review; Task 2. State-of-the-Practice Review; Task 3. Data Collection; Task 4. Statistical and Economic Analyses; and Task 5. Prepare Final Project Report. The goals of this study are: (1) Determine the crash rate into railroad poles without steel beam protection and compare to those with steel beam protection to determine if protecting against this hazard is actually reducing injuries; (2) Determine the benefit/cost ratio for protecting with steel beam guardrail or crash cushions given the crash rate per vehicle in relation to annual average daily traffic (AADT); (3) Determine what railroad pole designs are breakaway, if any, such that they are designed to safely break away during a crash and thus would not warrant protection; and (4) Survey State departments of transportation (DOTs) to determine best practices if a positive benefit/cost ratio is unattainable for a given AADT and the railroad pole is not breakaway.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 07 Sep 2017 16:15:58 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1482192</guid>
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