MRI-R2: Acquisition of a Laboratory for Innovations in Microwave Applications for Damage Prevention, Condition Assessment and Rehabilitation of Buried Structures

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该主要研究仪器（MRI-R2）合同的目标是获得一个消声室，用于测试安装在建筑设备全尺寸组件上的设备/天线。消声室是一种专门的屏蔽室，用于衰减电磁能量，为表征射频（RF）频谱内天线的传输模式提供屏蔽环境。这一独特的研究设施将支持地埋管道和结构的定位、表征和健康监测方面的创新。示例应用包括：a)安装在挖掘设备上的微型传感系统，该系统将通知操作员附近公用设施的存在，防止意外的公用设施罢工；B)安装在机器人平台上的坚固天线阵列，能够探测道路和人行道下是否存在天坑；C)用于监测交通隧道结构状况的新一代健康监测传感器。由于能够在高度控制的实验室环境中测试整个组件，因此预计在坚固的天线设计，利用超材料来使天线结构小型化以及更严格地了解复杂机器-土壤-管道环境中的电磁波传播等领域将取得进展。一旦获得，该设施的科学发现和新技术开发将为美国城市提供新的工具，以解决与地下公用设施老化相关的管道故障率不断上升的问题，以及在已经拥挤的地下空间中容纳新服务的日益增长的需求。该设施将促进真正的跨学科研究，涉及土木，电气和机械工程以及应用物理领域的研究生和本科生。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The objective of this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI-R2) award is to acquire an anechoic chamber for the purpose of testing devices/antennas mounted on full-scale components of construction equipment. An anechoic chamber is a specialized shielded room designed to attenuate electromagnetic energy, providing a shielded environment for characterizing the transmission patterns of antennas within the radio frequency (RF) spectrum. This unique research facility will support innovations in locating, characterizing and health monitoring of buried pipes and structures. Sample applications include the development of: a) miniature sensory systems mounted excavation equipment that will notify operators of the presence of nearby utilities, preventing inadvertent utility strikes; b) a rugged antenna array mounted on a robotic platform capable of detecting the presence of sinkholes under roadways and sidewalks; c) a new generation of health monitoring sensors for monitoring the structural condition of transportation tunnels. With the capability to test entire assemblies in a highly controlled laboratory environment, advancements are expected in areas such as rugged antenna design, the utilization of metamaterials to miniaturize an antenna's structure as well as to gain a more rigorous understanding of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in complex machine-soil-pipe environments. Once acquired, the scientific discoveries made and new technologies developed in this facility will provide America's cities with new tools to address the increasing rate of pipelines failures associated with aging of their underground utility infrastructure, as well as the growing demands to accommodate new services in an already congested underground space. The facility will facilitate truly interdisciplinary research involving graduate and undergraduate students in the areas of civil, electrical and mechanical engineering and applied physics.