Collaborative Research: Development of a Three Dimensional Sensing System for Applications in Materials, Environmental, and Civil Infrastructure Research

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A revolutionary three-dimensional sensing system will be developed that leverages recent advances in electromagnetic imaging and sensing for materials, environmental, and civil infrastructure research. The system will enable the tracking of localized material movement by recording displacement and rotation of passive radar targets (retroreflectors) within materials of interest. Ultimately, the development of this system will provide a highly reliable, cost-efficient set of tools with which to test computational and theoretical models of complex materials and structures. Many fields of research will benefit from this system, including (1) Granular materials research, such as basic and applied studies of size segregation effects; (2) Environmental and geophysical research, such as investigations of debris flow and sediment transport; and (3) Civil infrastructure research and applications, such as investigation of soil behavior under various types of loading, particularly those that exhibit large displacements that are not practical for conventional sensor measurements. The research will take place in three phases: (I) System Development, (II) Granular Materials Research, and (III) System Implementation, Validation, and Demonstration. Under Phase III, the measurement system will be implemented to indirectly track the formation of internal cracks and shifts in experimental roadbeds (in collaboration with the U.S. Federal Highway Administration).