I-Corps: A Recycled Plastic Pin for Highway Slope Stability

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是为公路边坡破坏提供可能的解决方案。公路边坡破坏可能是一个全国性的普遍问题，公路机构可以在公路维护上花费数百万美元。拟议的技术还可以帮助改善国家对“D”级道路基础设施的需求。与现有的解决方案相比，提出的技术可以节省成本。虽然该产品的主要受益者将是公路机构，但垃圾填埋场行业将是第二个受益者，因为拟议的技术是由塑料回收产生的。塑料在交通基础设施项目中的潜在用途可以减少塑料废物的数量，并可能为回收行业创造机会，为该产品开发市场。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种可能发展的技术，将再生塑料用于公路边坡修复，这是一种潜在的创新、低成本和可持续的解决方案。该技术已在多个现场示范项目中成功实施，虽然目前的解决方案（即土钉、土锚、微桩）可能是有效的，但它们可能耗时且昂贵。拟议的工作可以回答有关未来在运输基础设施项目中应用和采用其他替代和可持续材料的途径的重要问题。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of a possible solution for highway slope failure. Highway slope failure can be a common issue nationwide and highway agencies can spend millions of dollars on highway maintenance. The proposed technology may also assist in improving the nation’s need to improve its road infrastructure grade ‘D’. The proposed technology could save costs compared to the current solutions available. While the primary beneficiary of this product will be the highway agencies, the landfill industry will be a secondary beneficiary because the proposed technology is produced from the recycling of plastic The potential use of plastic in transportation infrastructure projects could reduce the amount of plastic waste and may create an opportunity for the recycling industry to develop a market for this product. This I-Corps project is based on the possible development of a technology to use recycled plastic in highway slope repair as a potentially innovative, low-cost, and sustainable solution. The technology has been successfully implemented in several field demonstration projects, and while the current solutions (i.e., soil nail, soil anchor, micropile) can be effective, they may be time-consuming and expensive. The proposed work could answer important questions regarding a pathway for the future application and adoption of other alternative and sustainable materials in transportation infrastructure projects.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.