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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Clay and Shale LRFD Design Criteria for Drilled Shaft Foundations</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2604567</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) geotechnical design guidance has transitioned from using Texas Cone Penetrometer (TCP) boring logs and capacity correlations to design drilled shaft foundation elements with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' Load and Resistance Factor Design (AASHTO LRFD) investigations and resistance-based design methods. The research team will optimize TxDOT's drilled shaft design methods and resistance factors for clay and shale in accordance with TxDOT's specific soil and construction conditions. The research team will develop a likelihood map of shale for a district selected by TxDOT.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 16:35:38 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Developing Specifications for Shale Breakdown</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2490022</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In many parts of Kansas, sufficient quantities of soil are not available for compaction, and excavated shale is used for filling. This shale often contains lumps of substantial size, which can lead to problems with achieving an acceptable level of compaction. Furthermore, shale lumps from many formations will break down over time. The resulting fills can experience substantial settlement and may develop weak planes that can result in slope failures. A better specification for shale breakdown is needed, however the degree of shale breakdown required to reduce these problems to an acceptable level is not understood with a sufficient degree of accuracy. Research is needed to more accurately identify the degree of shale breakdown required to achieve the desired performance with regard to compaction, degradation rate (slaking), settlement and soil strength, and the influence of factors such as the fines content and plasticity index, and the influence of naturally cemented shales vs shales resulting from natural compaction only. It will then be possible to develop a specification based on the results of that research.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 13 Jan 2025 15:12:40 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>A Study of Intermediate Geomaterials and Highly Erodible Rock </title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1902216</link>
      <description><![CDATA[There has been substantial research on soil erodibility the past few years at the federal level (e.g., NCHRP 915) and state (e.g., KSU 15-4; KSU 18-5). But there is extremely limited information regarding the erosion characteristics of rock or intermediate geomaterials, such as shale. When these geomaterials are exposed on backslopes or natural slopes under Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) management there is the potential for erosion. Determining the geomaterial erodibility will help to estimate the potential material transport over time and whether more stringent erosion control measures are needed. There is significant need to be able to predict the erodibility of these materials. KDOT has had issues with not being able to control shale erosion in ditch backslopes which resulted in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fines. There are likely many factors that contribute to the erodibility of rock. This research will measure erosion characteristics of different sediments across Kansas to allow KDOT to identify where more erosion is anticipated. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 07 Jan 2022 12:43:28 GMT</pubDate>
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      <title>Analysis of Environmental, Economic, and Infrastructure Impacts of Transportation Activities Associated with High Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing Operations in the Marcellus Shale Formation Using the Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport (GIFT)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1263983</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The natural gas extraction method, High-Volume Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing (HVHF), has a significant transportation component that impacts transport infrastructure and rural communities in both positive and negative ways. Estimates provided by the US Energy Information Administration put natural gas reserves of the entire Marcellus Shale formation, the area of interest, at 410.3 trillion cubic feet. While economically benefiting rural areas, where the majority of the wells would be located, there are environmental and social tradeoffs to developing these resources, many of which are associated with transportation activities. Water resources needed to operate a well are typically delivered to the site by truck, as local water resources are often inadequate to provide the 1-8 million gallons needed to operate a HVHF well. Twenty-five to one hundred percent of the fluids used in HVHF operations are recovered as waste fluids and must be treated or disposed of, usually by transporting the waste materials to treatment or disposal facilities by truck, often over considerable distances. Sand, used as a proppant, is delivered to the well site, often from out of state, and this sand is transported multimodally (a combination of truck, rail, and ship). Industry estimates of sand use range from 2.5-7 million pounds per well, with an average use of 5 million pounds per well. There are upwards of 20,000 wells or approved permits in the study area. The researchers propose to analyze the environmental impacts of transporting materials to and from well sites, provide a series of assessments of truck traffic on area roads by road segment, and assess pollution impacts on communities by calculating emission loads, energy usage, and operating costs using the Geospatial Intermodal Freight Transport (GIFT) model, developed by RIT and the University of Delaware. By using the wells, resource supply areas, and waste disposal facilities as a series of origin and destination (OD) pairings, probable transportation routes will be generated and combined with estimated vehicle counts, based on the volume of materials transported and well locations. For roadways, this will help spatially determine impacts of truck traffic on specific road segments and bridges. By altering parameters within the GIFT model, simulations can explore alternative transportation strategies and to help determine the feasibility of centralized facilities or on-site waste recycling. These case studies will enable policy scientists and environmental planners to better understand the impacts associated with the movement of materials in the HVHF industry.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:48:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1263983</guid>
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