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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>
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      <title>Research in Progress (RIP)</title>
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      <link>https://rip.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Scour Critical Shear Stress of Ohio Soils
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601291</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Currently, Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) assumes all cohesive soils to be granular soil with the same gradation as fine Ottawa sand, which is the most scourable soil material. This is an unreasonable assumption for cohesive soils, and it over-predicts scour to an unrealistic degree, potentially costing Ohio from a few thousand to millions of dollars per bridge foundation at water crossing structures with cohesive foundation soils. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) "NextScour" program, "The result of this assumption can be too conservative when soils other than the uniformly graded granular soils are encountered and can dramatically increase the cost of many bridge foundations."

ODOT needs to develop reasonable scour guidelines and analyses based on soil scour critical shear stress (tc) to provide realistic predictions of scour depth for scour design floods and scour check floods, so that appropriately efficient and economical foundations can be designed for Ohio bridges. ODOT needs an economical and practical way to estimate tc for input into scour analyses, based on common laboratory soil testing index properties, without the need to resort to expensive and time-consuming flume soil testing to measure tc for each project.

ODOT proposes to develop better soil scour guidelines and analyses based on scour critical shear stress (tc), including estimation of tc based on common laboratory soil testing index properties through this study.
                          ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2025 08:35:07 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2601291</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Phase II: Method Development for Construction Design in Diatomaceous Soils</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2594023</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Diatomaceous soils, which contain silica frustules from ancient algae blooms, are prevalent in eastern and central Oregon, including in areas of Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) right-of-way. For engineering projects built on top of or in these deposits, problems such as excessive settlement of embankments, slope instability, and construction difficulties with drilled shafts and driven piles have been observed (ex. Wickiup Junction, Buck Creek Bridge). Lack of a robust understanding of the behavior of diatomaceous soils is often cited as the reason for this poor design performance. Complicating matters further, relatively little is documented in the literature regarding the performance of piles in diatomaceous soils. To begin to understand the behavior of diatomaceous soils, ODOT recently invested in a research program (SPR820) to develop predictive estimating models for geotechnical properties of Oregon’s diatomaceous silt, leveraging available data from existing ODOT diatomaceous projects together with targeted field-directed geotechnical testing including an array of in-situ tests at select sites in diatomaceous deposits. These materials have been further characterized through an extensive laboratory testing program. A full-scale field test is now required to develop and validate necessary empirical design methods for deep foundations in diatomaceous silt.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 2025 15:33:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2594023</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A Multiple Camera System to Determine the Absolute Volume of Soil Specimens During Dynamic Triaxial Testing (yr 1)</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868764</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Triaxial tests have been widely used to evaluate stress-strain behavior for geomaterials. In the past few decades, several methods have been developed to measure the volume changes of unsaturated soil specimens during triaxial tests. Literature review indicates that all existing methods can only measure relative soil volume and it remains a major challenge for researchers to measure the absolute volume changes of soil specimens during dynamic triaxial testing. The research will develop a computer vision/photogrammetry-based multiple camera system for measuring the absolute volume change for soil specimen during dynamic triaxial testing. Methodology will be developed to analyze the videos taken from multiple cameras by combining deep-learning techniques and modern close-range photogrammetry. Three-dimensional models of the soil specimen with high accuracy will be constructed using the videos and will be compared and validated using different methods. Post-processing algorithms will be developed to automatically calculate the absolute volume, titling, eccentricity, as well as localized displacement/strains at any arbitrary locations. This method for 3D reconstruction will provide us a non-contact, high accuracy, low cost, and easy-to-operate tool for absolute volume measurements for soil specimen during dynamic triaxial testing.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Jul 2021 18:19:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1868764</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Development of In-Situ Cyclic Borehole Shear Soil Test Device</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1664454</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In this project, a Cyclic Borehole Shear Test (CBST) device was developed to enable rapid in situ measurement of cyclic behavior and monotonic shear strength properties of the soil. The CBST is unique in its ability to measure the parameters in the soil’s natural setting, under cyclic loading, and in a matter of minutes whereas present laboratory techniques can take several weeks. By testing the soil in situ, the device saves time and money, while reducing effects of soil sample disturbance which can significantly affect laboratory test results. Based on the results of several field testing trials, numerous refinements and modifications were made to the system that included the physical testing apparatus inserted into the borehole, the electronic and pneumatic measurement and control system, and the software control program. Comparisons of the field CBST results to those of conventional laboratory cyclic direct simple shear tests demonstrated that the device can measure meaningful cyclic behavior of soils in situ. Further research will be pursued to more rigorously relate the measured displacements to shear strains in the soil surrounding the borehole, and to explore applications of the device to in situ measurement of the liquefaction behavior of soils. With further research, the device has the potential to fundamentally transform the presently empirical techniques used in practice for assessment of soil liquefaction resistance into a more mechanistic physics-based framework. 

The final report is available. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2019 21:02:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1664454</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Representative Testing of Expansive Soil Treatment Technologies for Transportation Earthworks</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1487825</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The shrink-swell behavior of expansive soils reduces transportation infrastructure longevity in much of the Mountain Plains region (Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming). Roadways are particularly susceptible to the effects of expansive soils due the combination of low ground pressures and large surface areas. The pervasiveness of expansive soils in the continental U.S. is shown in Fig. 1. Current estimates for the annual cost of damage to transportation infrastructure from expansive soils are not readily available, but were estimated by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to be approximately $1.1 billion in 1973 (Jones & Holtz 1973) and $4.3 billion in 1981 (Jones 1981; $12 billion in 2017 dollars adjusting for inflation). Given the prevalence of expansive soils in the Mountain Plains region, economical solutions to mitigate damage to transportation infrastructure is necessary to enhance transportation system longevity throughout the Mountain Plains region.
The current Mountain-Plains Consortium (MPC) project MPC-509 is aimed at evaluating expansive soil mitigation for transportation earthworks by polymer amendment. The goal of MPC-509 is to provide un-biased information on the effectiveness of commercially available polymer stabilizers. Testing to date has involved four commercially available polymer treatment technologies applied at different dosage rates to a highly expansive soil. Testing on the highly expansive soil has also been performed with varying dosages of Class-C fly ash, lime, and on untreated soil. Testing to date has included standard soil characterization, and tests of hydraulic conductivity (ASTM D5084), swelling potential (ASTM D4546), expansion index (ASTM D4829), and unconfined compressive strength (ASTM D5102). Results to date have shown that traditional stabilizers (lime and Class-C fly ash) are more effective at reducing swelling potential and expansion index than polymeric amendments. However, traditional stabilizers result in an order-of-magnitude increase in permeability, while polymer amendments result in reductions in permeability. Shrink-swell potential is mechanistically based on the addition of water, and the rate of ingress of water into soil is governed by the soil permeability. Thus, existing standard methods fail to provide a representative comparison of traditional and polymeric stabilizers (due to the ways these treatments modify the soils). An alternative method is needed to accurately compare traditional and polymeric stabilization of expansive soils, as well as other innovative materials proposed for use in treating expansive soils.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Nov 2017 14:37:30 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1487825</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Scour Evaluation Studies: Scour in Cohesive Soils and Ex Situ Scour Testing Device - Phase II
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1370406</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The study extends the recently completed research on this subject. The completed study looked only at a tight range of soil properties and reviewers recommended to move forward with additional research to cover a larger range of cohesive soils. The results of this research will also benefit the new scour design concept based on “Hydraulic Loading and Soil Resistance” to determine the critical soil resistance for cohesive soil layers.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2015 11:04:10 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1370406</guid>
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