PFI: Sustainable Highway Bridges with Novel Materials and Deconstructible Components

来自内华达州里诺大学（UNR）的这个创新伙伴关系（PFI）项目有两个主要目标：开发新型预制混凝土桥梁元件，以抵抗地震、飓风等荷载，而不会被损坏，并开发可拆卸和回收的连接和柱产品。 实现这些目标将为一个新的范例“生命公路（HFL）”提供基本要素，这是联邦公路管理局为美国公路行业创造的一种表达方式，旨在通过创新来实现长期公路的发展。 在这项研究中，将采用PI和四个知识增强合作伙伴（KEP）小企业过去研究证明具有潜力的新材料。 将开发几种模块化元件，包括镍钛形状记忆合金、内置弹性垫、工程水泥复合材料和纤维增强聚合物结构构件。 将建造和测试大型结构模型，以评估大变形下的性能，并确定改进和完善连接的措施。 拟议的研究将是合作的;涉及广泛的思想，信息和知识的交流，通过使用主要研究者和KEP业务成员之间定期安排的面对面或网络辅助会议来实现。 UNR技术转让办公室现有的保护PI和小商业伙伴知识产权的机制将用于促进该项目。 由州和联邦公路机构代表组成的项目顾问委员会将审查建议的设计并提供反馈，以最大限度地提高桥梁施工中连接件的验收概率。本研究的更广泛影响是在美国和其他国家具有潜在新市场的新连接件和立柱产品，特别是对于参与本项目的知识增强合作伙伴小型企业。 对旅行公众的潜在好处是无损坏的桥梁，即使在飓风和地震等灾难性事件发生后也可以保持功能。 救护车和消防车等应急车辆将能够继续使用高速公路系统，并立即提供急需的服务。 对公众的影响是更有效地利用材料和能源，减少污染，因为可持续和可回收的桥梁节省了大量的能源。 该项目的直接教育影响是UNR团队，包括研究生和本科生，以及小企业合作伙伴将通过相互密切合作获得的知识。 该项目的目的是让本科生参与具有挑战性和目的性的研究环境，以激励他们追求研究生教育。 新材料的测试将在网上直播，测试时间表将广泛公布，以最大限度地增加在线访问者的数量。 这项研究的结果将公布在项目网站上。 此外，还将向各技术小组作专题介绍，并将项目的重点纳入两个高级结构工程课程。 为了最大限度地提高代表性不足群体的参与概率，PI将与UNR McNair计划（旨在增加代表性不足群体的博士生数量的计划）合作，并寻求帮助，以确定可能参与该项目的本科和博士水平的潜在人才。 项目开始时的合作伙伴是知识增强伙伴关系（KEP）单位，由内华达州里诺大学（土木与环境工程系和技术转让办公室的结构工程方案）和四个小企业组成：动态隔离系统（DIS）公司。（内华达州麦卡伦）、FiberMatrix，Inc.（Sparks，NV）、Hexel Fyfe Co. LLC（San Diego，CA）和Nitinol Technology，Inc. (Palo Alto，CA）。其他伙伴是公共部门组织：联邦公路管理局、加州运输部、南卡罗来纳州运输部和华盛顿州运输部。

This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project from the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) has two primary objectives: to develop novel precast concrete bridge elements to resist loads such as earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., without being damaged and to develop connection and column products that can be disassembled and recycled. Meeting these objectives will provide essential elements for a new paradigm, "Highway for Life (HFL)," an expression created by the Federal Highway Administration for the U.S. highway industry to capture the idea of advancing long lasting highways through innovation. In this study, novel materials with demonstrated potential through past studies by the PI and four knowledge-enhancement partner (KEP) small businesses will be adopted. Several modular elements will be developed consisting of Nickel-Titanium shape memory alloys, built-in elastomeric pads, engineered cementitious composites, and fiber-reinforced polymer structural members. Large-scale structural models will be built and tested to evaluate performance under large deformations and to identify measures to improve and refine the connections. The proposed research will be collaborative; involving an extensive exchange of ideas, information, and knowledge enabled by using regularly scheduled face-to-face or cyber-assisted meetings among the principal investigator and KEP business members. The existing mechanisms at UNR Technology Transfer Office to protect intellectual property of the PIs and of the small business partners will be used to facilitate the project. A project advisory board consisting of representatives from state and federal highway agencies will review the proposed designs and provide feedback to maximize the probability of acceptance of the connections in bridge construction.The broader impacts of this research are new connection and column products with potential new markets in the U.S. and other countries, especially for the knowledge enhancement partner small businesses involved in this project. The potential benefits to the travelling public are damage-free bridges that could remain functional even after disastrous events such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Emergency response vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks will be able to continue to use the highway system and provide the much needed service without delays. The impact on the general public is a more efficient use of materials and energy and less pollution because sustainable and recyclable bridges save tremendous amounts of energy. The direct educational impact of the project is the knowledge that the UNR team, including graduate and undergraduate students, and the small business partners will gain by closely working with each other. It is the intent of the project to engage undergraduate students in a research context which is both challenging and purposeful, so as to motivate them to pursue graduate education. The tests of the novel materials will be webcast with the testing schedule widely announced to maximize the number of online visitors. The findings from this study will be posted on the project website. Furthermore, presentations to various technical groups will be made and the highlights of the project will be incorporated in two advanced structural engineering courses. To maximize the probability of involvement of underrepresented groups, the PI will work with the UNR McNair program (a program aimed at increasing the number of doctoral students from underrepresented groups) and seek assistance in identifying potential talented students at the undergraduate and PhD level who could work on the project. Partners at the inception of the project are the Knowledge-Enhancement Partnership (KEP) unit, consisting of the University of Nevada Reno (the structural engineering program of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and the Technology Transfer Office) and four small businesses: Dynamic Isolation Systems (DIS), Inc. (McCarran, NV), FiberMatrix, Inc. (Sparks, NV), Hexel Fyfe Co. LLC (San Diego, CA) and Nitinol Technology, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA). Other partners are public sector organizations: Federal Highway Administration, California Department of Transportation, South Carolina Department of Transportation, and State of Washington Department of Transportation.