Low-Cost Rural Surface Alternatives Phase IV: Frost Depth Monitoring and Prediction TR-725

In response to a request by the TAC of project TR-664 for additional phase projects, as well as interest expressed by a focus group of several county engineers, the research team proposes to instrument and monitor four additional granular-surfaced roadway sections around Iowa. More extensive networks of subsurface sensors will be used, including thermocouples, soil moisture and soil matric potential sensors, and MEMS sensors developed by Dr. Ceylan's group in previous IHRB research projects. Additionally, above-ground air temperature, humidity, and precipitation sensors will be installed. These new instrumented sites will add to the ground temperature data currently being collected from thermocouple sensors installed in Hamilton County, and the recent thermocouple installations in Pottawattamie County for Project TR-685 and Decatur County for Project TR-704. The overall research goal of developing models to predict the timing and depth of soil freezing/thawing in roadway subgrades is a complex and challenging problem with a potentially high reward. Achieving this goal will require collaboration between several researchers with diverse expertise in soil physics, field testing, laboratory testing, and computational climate/soil/energy modeling, in order to capture and model the relevant soil thermo-hydro mechanics. The proposed research therefore includes a diverse team of investigators with a range of expertise in these areas.

    Language

    • English

    Project

    • Status: Active
    • Funding: $299921
    • Contract Numbers:

      TR-725

      Add 609

    • Sponsor Organizations:

      Iowa Department of Transportation

      800 Lincoln Way
      Ames, IA  United States  50010
    • Managing Organizations:

      Iowa State University, Ames

      Center for Transportation Research and Education
      2711 South Loop Drive, Suite 4700
      Ames, IA  United States  50010-8664
    • Principal Investigators:

      Ashlock, Jeramy

    • Start Date: 20170415
    • Expected Completion Date: 20201231
    • Actual Completion Date: 0

    Subject/Index Terms

    Filing Info

    • Accession Number: 01691627
    • Record Type: Research project
    • Source Agency: Iowa Department of Transportation
    • Contract Numbers: TR-725, Add 609
    • Files: RIP, STATEDOT
    • Created Date: Jan 28 2019 1:00PM