Research Highlights

U.S. infrastructure continues to decay at an alarming rate, as exemplified by the low grades consistently awarded by the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card. While there are many contributors to the decay and degradation of our nation's transportation infrastructure, one that cannot be overlooked in many states is the annual winter application of deicing salts.

On March 6, 2015, Good Morning America aired an investigation on bridge accidents. Footage was used that originated from Purdue University Associate Professor of Lyles School of Civil Engineering Robert Connor and his research with a web-based bridge monitoring interface. His research focused on a short-term monitoring solution for a more effective asset management tool used by bridge owners when inspecting critical onsite locations.

In partnership, Purdue Libraries and the Joint Transportation Research Program (JTRP) achieved a major milestone on Sunday, December 7, 2014, with over one million downloads of technical reports within the Libraries’ Purdue e-Pubs, the University’s worldwide online open access Institutional document repository.

On November 19, 2014, JTRP hosted a joint meeting with Tonya Brothers-Bridge, Lt. Governor Chief of Staff, Steve Abel, Purdue University Associate Vice President for Engagement, INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning and INDOT Deputy Commissioner Jay Wasson.

Runway incursions are a significant safety concern, particularly at general aviation airports. In 2013, there were over 1200 runway incursions. In May 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded a project to Profs. Darcy Bullock and Sarah Hubbard to evaluate the feasibility of using rumble strips on taxiways to warn pilots of the upcoming runway with the objective of reducing runway incursions.

Purdue University researchers have produced a new site investigation torque tool, known as SPT-T that can better characterize the soil and provide valuable data on shear strength, particularly for clay soils and glacial till. It replaces the standard practice in such soils of recovering low-quality samples that are then tested in unconfined compression. Obtaining additional real-time data onsite at a lower cost and increased reliability will lead to more effective and economical design of geotechnical structures in these soils.

Since December 2009, JTRP's Trailer Cam has provided our researchers many advantages, including a mobile traffic observation point and education and data validation featuring self-contained power and communication.