Cooperative Agreement FRRRD001910

This $269,642 National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award to Bass Agritech, Inc. in Rogersville, Missouri aims to improve the efficiency and safety of railroads by developing and testing long-term railcar-mounted wheel bearing monitors. The project will design a monitoring device capable of withstanding harsh railroad environments, transmitting temperature data via cellular connection, and generating power from the rotation of...

This Project Grant award, valued at $326,975, was provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation under the NSF Directorate for Engineering (CFDA 47.041) program. The primary grantee is the University of California Irvine (UC Irvine). The goal of this 3-year project is to investigate the structural, mechanical, and electronic coupling of van der Waals heterostructures to enable friction control at the nanoscale. The research aims to...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Civil, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Innovation awarded a $350,000 project grant to the University of Illinois to investigate friction control in van der Waals heterostructures, two-dimensional layered materials. The objective is to establish an experimental and theoretical foundation for tuning the structural-mechanical-electronic properties of these materials to enable friction control at the nanoscale. The project will involve assembling van...

The Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration awarded $200,000 to the Executive Office of the Commonwealth of Kentucky on June 29, 2021 under the Highway Research and Development Program (CFDA 20.200). The funding supports an "Asphalt Balanced Mix Design-Friction Index Effort Study" to evaluate asphalt mix designs and surface friction in Kentucky. The Highway Research and Development Program aims to maintain and improve transportation infrastructure through...

This three-year $423,598 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will fund research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a physics-based contact model for adhesion and friction in multiphasic soft materials swollen by liquids. The researchers will explore rate-dependent mechanisms governing adhesion and friction at interfaces of these materials and correct current contact formulations accordingly. They will derive and validate a unified...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $1,110,000.00 Project Grant under the Railroad Crossing Elimination (CFDA 20.327) program to Gwinnett County, Georgia. The purpose of the project is to conduct a feasibility study to develop and evaluate at least three construction alternatives at three railroad crossings in Gwinnett County, including an analysis of costs, benefits, and application of evaluation criteria. The deliverables include a project management plan, purpose and need...

This $18,000,000 Project Grant award from the Federal Railroad Administration (CFDA 20.325 - Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program) aims to improve the long-term safety and efficiency of a railroad in New York by re-powering six locomotives with Tier 3 or higher technology. The key deliverables for the grantee, Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad LLC, include executing vendor contracts, submitting a milestone payment schedule, preparing a specification...

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $1,000,000 Project Grant under the Railroad Crossing Elimination (CFDA 20.327) program to the New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) to conduct a study of the 29 rail-highway grade crossings between Long Branch and Bradley Beach, New Jersey. The key products and services to be delivered include: Providing a project management plan detailing implementation and monitoring to ensure effective, efficient, and safe delivery of the project on...

The Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $11,580,640 Cooperative Agreement on May 3, 2024 to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to establish the National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURAIL COE). The NURAIL COE will conduct basic and applied research, evaluation, education, workforce development, and technology transfer to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of passenger and freight rail transportation. Outcomes...

The U.S. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a $500,000 Cooperative Agreement to the Rail Development Commission Ohio under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program (CFDA 20.326). The purpose of this award is to develop a Service Development Plan (SDP) for a proposed intercity passenger rail corridor connecting Cleveland, OH, to Detroit, MI, through Toledo, OH. The key deliverables under this award include: Developing a Project Performance Plan (Task 1.1)...