Annual Project Assignment Announcement for 2020 GRF July2020.pdf

693JJ318NF5229-2020B

DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER

TRANSPORTATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM (DDETFP)

GRANTS FOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (GRF)

2020 AWARD CYCLE (JULY 2020)

These guidelines are in effect until further notice and were prepared for participation in the DDETFP GRF. Earlier versions do not apply for this award cycle.

SECOND ASSIGNMENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER TRANSPORTATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

(DDETFP)

Grants or Research Fellowship (GRF)

Second Assignment Announcement for Fiscal Year 2020

Attachment to Notice of Funding Opportunity number 693JJ318NF5229-2020B

Table of Contents

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 3

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 3

DDETFP GRF APPLICATION PACKAGE 4

EVALUATION CRITERIA 5

TENURE 5

FUNDING 5

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD (TRB) ANNUAL MEETING 6

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS 6

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT 6

U&GP CONTACT INFORMATION 7

NARRATIVE RESPONSE: PERSONAL STATEMENT 9

NARRATIVE RESPONSE: PROJECT EXPERIENCE 10

PROPOSED PROJECT ASSIGNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS 11

PROJECT A: RIVERINE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR HIGHWAY RESILIENCE 11

PROJECT B: FROM SCHOOL TO WORK: A STUDY OF TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION AND CAREER READINESS 13

PROJECT C: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) APPLICATION FOR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT (TSMO) AND COOPERATIVE AUTOMATION RESEARCH MOBILITY APPLICATIONS (CARMA)

STUDIES 15

PROJECT D: STEEL BRIDGE BEARING STIFFENER DETAILS TO AVOID CONSTRAINT-INDUCED FRACTURES 16

PROJECT E: DEVELOPING A TOOL FOR ANALYSIS OF RISKS IN PERCENT WITHIN LIMITS ACCEPTANCE PLANS AND

SPECIFICATIONS 18

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• Applicants are students seeking a DDETFP GRF. If selected:

o Students will be referred to as “Student Designees” and “Fellows” o The Institution of Higher Education (IHE) the student is attending will be referred to as the “Recipient” o Applicants will be required to provide necessary documents for a background check before starting proposed project assignment at a USDOT facility.

Applicants will not be selected for award if they do not pass the background check.

• Electronic Application Due Date/Time for Fiscal year (FY) 2020 is September 14, 2020 at 4:00pm Eastern Time.

• The DDETFP GRF requires online submission through www.grants.gov.

• Paper applications will not be accepted.

• By submitting an application, applicants certify that they have read and meet eligibility criteria defined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and the respective annual DDETFP GRF Assignment Announcement.

• Endorsement letter from Faculty Advisor is required.

• The IHE in which the student is enrolled in must be accredited by a federally-recognized accrediting agency and must be located within the United States or its territories, both administratively as well as the campus the student is attending.

• Reimbursements of IHE administrative or overhead costs are prohibited.

• Applicants should print a copy of their application and the NOFO for their files. The IHE may request these items if Fellowship is awarded.

• The proposed projects that are available for student applications are listed in this assignment announcement.

• Only one type of DDETFP Fellowship may be awarded to a Student Designee in each award cycle.

STUDENT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

This funding opportunity is open to students that are U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. The students must be enrolled in an IHE which must be accredited by a federally-recognized accrediting agency1 and must be located within the United States or its territories, both administratively as well as the campus the student is attending.

Current U.S. Department of Transportation employees are not eligible for the DDETFP.

In addition to the Program Office prerequisites stated in the assignment announcement, all student applicants of the DDETFP GRF must:

• Possess a baccalaureate degree from an accredited IHE within the U.S. or its territories;

• Demonstrate confirmation of acceptance in a graduate degree program at an accredited

IHE in the U.S. or its territories;

• Be enrolled in an accredited IHE within the U.S. or its territories;

1 The U.S. Department of Education publishes a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies on https://www.ed.gov/accreditation http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.ed.gov/accreditation

• Be pursuing a graduate degree in a full-time program in a transportation-related discipline identified in the assignment announcement;

• Have at least one full academic year remaining in program of study;

• Conduct ongoing research in one or more transportation-related disciplines; and

• Plan to enter the transportation profession after completing their higher-level education.

Non-U.S. citizens must also submit a valid copy of their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System Form issued by the IHE the student is enrolled in, or the Form I-202 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Status”, or the Form I-551 “Permanent Resident Card” issued by the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service.

Applications without this information will not be considered complete.

DDETFP GRF APPLICATION PACKAGE

The DDETFP GRF requires the submission of a complete Application Package through www.grants.gov in response to one of the assignments posted this announcement.

General Instructions: Please read the NOFO and this announcement in their entirety before preparing the application materials.

A complete DDETFP GRF application package includes the following:

• Individual SF 424 (available through www.grants.gov)

• Completed Student File Information Sheet

• Personal statement: Narrative of relevant background and future goals

• Project experience: Narrative of relevant personal project specific experience

• Transcripts are required from all institutions in which a degree was obtained o Applicant must provide official transcripts from institutions o Applicant must certify that the electronic transcripts have not been modified

• Endorsement letter from the applicant’s Faculty Advisor regarding the applicant's qualifications for the project specific assignment

• Resume / Curriculum Vitae (Not to exceed two pages)

• Citizenship status o Non-U.S. citizens must provide a valid copy of current Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Form I-20 issued by the educational institution attending or Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Status", or Permanent Resident Card Form I-551 issued by the USCIS.

Incorrect, missing documents/items, or incomplete applications are grounds for rejecting the application.

2 Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Form I-20 is a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status for foreign exchange students who attend an educational program in the United States.

Educational institutions issue Form I-20.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The DDETFP GRF applications will be reviewed by the sponsoring Program Office.

Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of merit. Merit includes (in descending order of importance with the top three criteria being equal in importance):

• Experience in research area identified in the proposed project announcement

• Unique qualifications for the proposed project described in the announcement

• Academic record: Class standing and grade point average

• Recommendation regarding the applicant's qualifications: Caliber of Faculty

Advisor endorsement of applicant's qualifications related to project requirements in the announcement

• Potential for outstanding career in transportation: Demonstration of applicant's potential through personal statements summarizing long-range professional goals in transportation, including transportation work experience (if applicable).

TENURE

• The length of assignment (“Period of Performance”) may range from 3 to 12 months depending on the project

• Student Designees are eligible for funding only during the months of full-time enrollment in graduate degree programs and during on-site research projects or internships with approved transportation agencies.

• During the tenure of the award, the Student Designee must maintain satisfactory academic performance as established by the IHE.

FUNDING

The fellowship, if applicable, may cover tuition, fees, and/or program-related expenses. All student designees may not receive a full award (i.e. tuition, stipend, and travel to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting). Fellowship awards will be based on selection for assignment and available funding.

The anticipated stipends for the DDETFP GRF are based on academic level and shall be calculated as follows:

Monthly Stipend Master’s Level Up to $2,000 Doctoral Level Up to $2,500

Actual stipend level may vary based upon IHE formal policy and available funding.

Additional stipend amounts may be added by the IHE or other sources.

• Student designees are advised that the stipend portion of the award is taxable3

• All program-related expenses must be supported by receipts/invoices

• All unused funds must be returned to the FHWA within 90 days of the conclusion of the agreement.

3 Refer to the Internal Revenue Service Publication 970 – Tax Benefits For Education

TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD (TRB) ANNUAL MEETING

Student Designees will be provided a one-time expenditure (up to $1,500) for travel to Washington, D.C. to attend the TRB Annual Meeting held January. Attendance at the TRB Annual Meeting is mandatory. Failure to meet this requirement will result in loss of funding designated for this activity.

The Student Designees are responsible for arranging travel and hotel accommodations following IHE travel policy to obtain the most cost-efficient rates. Registration is to be completed by logging on to www.trb.org. In addition to attendance at TRB, it is also required that students attend ALL DDETFP Research Showcase events. All students should plan to arrive by Sunday morning, and leave after the Networking Reception on Tuesday evening. If students have other commitments (i.e., presentations or poster sessions) during TRB they must notify the FHWA U&GP staff in advance to be excused from the Showcase session that conflicts with the event they would like to attend. Faculty Advisors are responsible for students securing per diem for their trip.

Student Designees may be requested, regardless of funding level, to submit an abstract of their research (or proposed research) for review and consideration for presentation at TRB. The abstract shall be submitted by the Student Designees (with a copy to their Faculty Advisor) to FHWA U&PG at FHWA_UGP@dot.gov as indicated in the request. The FHWA U&GP will notify Student Designees if their abstract was selected for presentation. Student Designees selected for TRB presentation will be required to deliver a 10 to 15-minute presentation describing their research project at the TRB Annual Meeting.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

• Student Designee shall prepare project specific assignment deliverables as indicated in the proposed project announcement.

• The results of all research will be the property of FHWA and a copy must be made available to FHWA and can be used on an unlimited, royalty-free basis.

• GRF Student Designee shall prepare a thesis/dissertation or research paper for submission to the Program Office and the U&GP Program Manager. The Program Office will work with the IHE to ensure a year-end report is submitted.

PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT

The information is required under the authority of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended and Title 49 U.S.C. 332(b) (3) (4) (5). Your request cannot be processed unless all required data is submitted. Disclosure of your race and ethnicity are optional. Refusal to furnish your race and/or ethnicity will not result in the denial of any right, benefit or privilege provided by law.

Records maintained in the system are routinely used to determine eligibility/qualifications for fellowships, and for program evaluation and analysis purposes.

http://www.trb.org/ mailto:FHWA_UGP@dot.gov

U&GP CONTACT INFORMATION

Universities and Grants Programs Center for Transportation Workforce Development Federal Highway Administration 1310 North Courthouse Road, Suite 300 Arlington, VA 22201

Web Site:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovativeprograms/centers/workforce_dev/ E-mail: FHWA_UGP@dot.gov https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/innovativeprograms/centers/workforce_dev/ mailto:FHWA_UGP@dot.gov

2020 GRANTS FOR RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP (GRF)

STUDENT FILE INFORMATION SHEET

Information MUST be typed and included as an attachment through www.grants.gov

STUDENT NAME

First Name Last Name

ANNOUNCEMENT

PROJECT TITLE

[NOTE: please indicate the project from those listed in the Announcement]

RACE (optional) American Indian Alaskan Native Asian African/African American Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander White Other

ETHNICITY (optional) Hispanic or Latino Not Hispanic or Latino Hispanic or Latino in Puerto Rico Not Hispanic or Latino in Puerto Rico

Check one box and place X to indicate your status as of September 1st of the application year:

Masters Doctoral

1st Year 1st Year 3rd Year 2nd Year 2nd Year 4th Year

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Applicant’s Major (e.g. Civil Engineering, Urban Planning)

Academic Department Applicant’s Field of Study (e.g. Traffic Studies, Physical Planning)

Faculty Advisor Name:

Title:

Telephone No.:

E-mail Address:

STUDENT APPLICATION CONTENT CHECKLIST

Complete this Student File Information Sheet SF 424 Individual Application Essays

Personal Statement: Should include relevant background and future goals. Please outline your educational and professional development plans as well as your career goals. Describe how your education will prepare you for a career in transportation (Limit 8000 characters).

Project Experience: Describe your unique qualifications for the project. Incorporate educational, personal and work experiences, and accomplishments that substantiate your qualifications. Please propose how you would obtain the identified project outcome. (Limit 8000 characters).

Endorsement Letter from Faculty Advisor Current Resume Official Transcripts

I am applying for funding to support the following degree: I have submitted the following official transcript(s) to complete my application:

Master* Transcript from current institution Transcript from institution that awarded bachelor’s degree

Doctorate*

Transcript from current institution Transcript from institution that awarded bachelor’s degree Transcript from institution that awarded master’s degree

*Individuals applying must possess a baccalaureate degree from an Institution of Higher Education (IHE) which must be accredited by a federally-recognized accrediting agency and must be located within the United States or its territories, both administratively as well as the campus the student attended.

NARRATIVE RESPONSE: PERSONAL STATEMENT

Application MUST be typed and included as attachment through www.grants.gov

Personal Statement

Include relevant background and future goals to outline your educational and professional development plans as well as your career aspirations. Describe how your education will prepare you for a career in transportation.

(Limit 8000 characters)

NARRATIVE RESPONSE: PROJECT EXPERIENCE

Application MUST be typed and included as attachment through www.grants.gov

Project Experience

Please propose how you would obtain the identified proposed project outcome. Describe your unique qualifications for the project. Incorporate educational, personal and work experiences, and accomplishments that substantiate your qualifications. (Limit 8000 characters)

PROPOSED PROJECT ASSIGNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

NOTE: For the Student File Information Sheet and application narratives, please include the title of the Proposed Project Assignment for which you are applying from the list below.

Project Title A Riverine Nature-Based Solutions For Highway Resilience B From School to Work: A Study of Transportation Education and Career Readiness C Artificial Intelligence (AI) Application for Transportation System Operations and

Management (TSMO) and Cooperative Automation Research Mobility Applications (CARMA) Studies

D Steel Bridge Bearing Stiffener Details to Avoid Constraint-induced Fractures E Developing a Tool for Analysis of Risks in Percent Within Limits Acceptance Plans and

Specifications

PROJECT A: RIVERINE NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR HIGHWAY RESILIENCE

SPONSOR: FHWA, Office of Infrastructure LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT: up to 12 months DISCIPLINES: Ecology (River), Environmental Science, Natural Resources, Fluvial Geomorphology DEGREE SUPPORTED: MS or Ph.D. Candidate

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

Careful assessment and consideration of river processes is paramount for the safe, resilient, and ecologically sensitive design of roads, bridges and culverts in riverine environments. Structures that do not account for the natural movements of waterways, the sediment and wood material they carry, and the aquatic and terrestrial organisms that call them home may fail to meet one or more of these objectives.

States including Colorado and Vermont relate that incorporating natural river processes and features in project planning, design, and maintenance activities leads to increased infrastructure flood resilience and may result in lower lifecycle maintenance costs and improved natural habitat and recreation opportunities.

To better assist States with these critical considerations, FHWA initiated the Rivers and Roads (R&R) Connection Program in 2020 to develop and deploy visually engaging, intuitive training and river assessment “toolkits” to a broad spectrum of transportation professionals that work on projects within river and stream corridors. Through R&R, FHWA intends to:

1) Demonstrate the importance and practical application of river processes and features for transportation projects to a national audience of Federal, State, and Local transportation agency professionals;

2) Exemplify how transportation projects in river environments can successfully meet multiple design objectives including public safety, preservation/enhancement of natural ecosystem functions, and resilience;

3) Emphasize the importance of clear communication and collaboration among DOT, regulatory, and resource agency staff working in transportation project teams; and

4) Increase interest and excitement in natural sciences and engineering at all levels of education.

FHWA recognizes that nature-based solutions (NBS) can be important components of infrastructure projects. Recently, the FHWA Office of the Natural Environment completed a multi-faceted NBS development and deployment effort focusing on coastal highway resilience. R&R Connection Program developers recognize that a parallel effort focused on roads in river environments is necessary, although it has yet to be planned and initiated. Some State agencies lead efforts to incorporate natural river processes and solutions in transportation project development and delivery. Vermont provides an example of interagency collaboration to this end.

The goal of this project is to support the NBS effort for roads in river environments by conducting research in this area and establishing a strategy and framework (i.e. roadmap) for a FHWA-led development and deployment effort. Results of this and future NBS efforts will target Federal, State, and Local transportation professionals and their project partners in agencies responsible for natural resources management and project permitting. Results of this effort should identify transportation agency missions, goals, and constraints (as established by transportation laws and policies) and best/innovative practices for leveraging inter-agency and inter-disciplinary collaborations to develop and implement NBS in transportation projects.

It is anticipated that the selectee for this effort will work remotely from their current location and will collaborate with the technical panel through virtual meetings. However, if practical, the selectee may be afforded the opportunity to meet with collaborators and stakeholders in the FHWA headquarters office in Washington, DC.

References:

• FHWA’s Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Highway Resilience Resources:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/resilience/ongoing_and_current_research/gre en_infrastructure/

• Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Watershed and River Resources:

https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/rivers

ACADEMIC CREDITS: To be determined

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS:

Project outcomes and deliverables will be negotiated with the selectee during kickoff. Likely deliverables of this project may include:

1. A white paper that: 1) defines nature-based solutions for riverine applications including the potential benefits of such projects to transportation and resource agencies, 2) describes the current state of practice regarding the use of natural and nature-based features for road and river intersections, 3) provides an overview of implementation challenges and knowledge gaps, and 4) presents a case study of inter-agency collaboration to use NBS on a transportation or mitigation project.

2. A framework or strategy for further developing and deploying NBS practices and technologies to transportation and partner agencies.

3. A technical article suitable for a transportation focused publication such as Public Roads Magazine or another journal.

4. A presentation and accompanying brief to present to potential stakeholders including Federal, State, and Local transportation and resource agencies. (The selectee may be responsible for delivering at least two briefings.)

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/resilience/ongoing_and_current_research/green_infrastructure/ https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/sustainability/resilience/ongoing_and_current_research/green_infrastructure/ https://dec.vermont.gov/watershed/rivers

PROJECT B: FROM SCHOOL TO WORK: A STUDY OF TRANSPORTATION EDUCATION

AND CAREER READINESS

SPONSOR: FHWA, Office of Innovative Program Delivery LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT: 12 months DISCIPLINES: Education, eLearning, Education Specialist, Curriculum

Development, Vocational Education, Technical Training, Education Leadership

DEGREE SUPPORTED: MS or Ph.D. Candidate

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

The FHWA Office of Innovative Program Delivery (OIPD) improves transportation performance by driving innovation into action through partnerships, technology deployment and capacity building.

Every Day Counts (EDC) is a State-based model that deploys proven transportation innovations to shorten the project delivery process, enhance roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and integrate automation.

To better prepare the emerging workforce, OIPD will launch the EDC-Education Connection (EDC-EC) to bridge the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice. The EDC-EC will expose the emerging workforce to current innovative tools and practices in use and introduce transportation innovation to new audiences.

This is in direct support of the OIPD vision to transform transportation through innovation.

Transportation agencies are increasingly incorporating innovation into transportation projects.

FHWA understands the challenges facing academia and seeks to provide relief and assistance. FHWA recognizes that development of materials is not just the answer, so the development and deployment of the EDC-EC engages the education community from start to finish. FHWA intends the EDC-EC to support curriculum renewal at the higher education and secondary education levels. Through the EDC-EC, FHWA intends to:

1) Employ an open and inclusive planning process in the development and deployment of the Education Connection.

2) Direct input and participation of academia, industry and thought leaders is a critical component for the development of a sustainable program.

3) Engage the Transportation Innovation Education Stakeholder Working Group created to support the external input process.

4) Model, test and refine new approaches and illustrate use of education aids to spark interest in transportation careers.

5) Demonstrate curriculum enhancement opportunities for various audiences.

6) Foster opportunities to incorporate transportation innovation in education and respond to changing circumstances.

7) Increase opportunities for EDC-EC engagement to foster program sustainability.

Transportation education curriculum must evolve to meet the changing needs of students, institutions, and employers. Curriculum must change to reflect new needs, new audiences and new approaches to learning. The EDC-EC will offer education aids that learning institutions can incorporate into existing curriculum to ensure higher education students are aware of current innovative tools and practices and secondary education institutions incorporate to spark interest in transportation careers.

Transportation education must evolve to meet the changing needs of students, institutions, and employers. Curriculum must change to reflect current needs, modern audiences and unique approaches to learning. The EDC-EC will offer education aids that learning institutions can incorporate into existing curriculum to ensure higher education students are aware of current innovative tools and practices and secondary education institutions incorporate to spark interest in transportation careers.

The goal of this project is to incorporate emerging technologies into education; foster career readiness; creating transportation awareness. To accomplish this, the fellow will: 1) conduct research in this area, 2) establish a framework to support industry acceptance, 3) develop alternative solutions to incorporate transportation innovation into education, 4) communicate with stakeholders to facilitate discussion and collaboration; and 5) identify tools and strategies to enhance the development and deployment of the EDC-EC.

It is anticipated that the selectee for this effort will work remotely from their current location and will collaborate with the technical panel through virtual meetings. However, if practical, the selectee may be afforded the opportunity to meet with collaborators and stakeholders in the FHWA headquarters office in Washington, DC.

ACADEMIC CREDITS: To be determined.

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS:

The deliverables of this project may include:

1. A white paper that: 1) explores the incorporation of transportation innovation into education at the higher education and secondary education level, 2) describes the current state of practice, 3) provides an overview of implementation challenges and knowledge gaps, 4) demonstrates framework for evaluation materials, and 5) illustrates a case study of curriculum enhancement at multiple levels and various types of institutions.

2. Materials assessment and framework for evaluating focused transportation education instructional materials for higher education and secondary audiences.

3. Development and demonstration of Material Application Guides for the higher education and secondary education practitioner (i.e. train-the-trainer, EDC-EC Toolkit).

4. A technical article suitable for the education (i.e. The Chronicles of Higher Education) and transportation arena (i.e. Public Roads Magazine) industries.

5. A presentation and accompanying brief for presentation to stakeholders and at education and transportation conferences to create program awareness and demonstrate use.

PROJECT C: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) APPLICATION FOR TRANSPORTATION

SYSTEM OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT (TSMO) AND COOPERATIVE AUTOMATION

RESEARCH MOBILITY APPLICATIONS (CARMA) STUDIES

SPONSOR: FHWA, Office of Operations Research and Development LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT: 12 months DISCIPLINES: Transportation Engineering, Computer Science DEGREE SUPPORTED: Ph.D. Candidate

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

The Office of Operations Research and Development (HRDO) performs transportation operations research and development (R&D) for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). On-site R&D is conducted at the Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory (i.e., the Saxton Lab), established at Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). HRDO conducts operations R&D based upon a national perspective of the transportation needs of the United States.

With the fast development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and Cooperation Automation technology, HRDO is the research efforts to apply these technologies to improve transportation system.

This assignment will charge the candidates to conduct research on AI applications for TSMO and CARMA studies.

The selectee for this assignment is expected to be on-site at the TFHRC in McLean, VA.

The goal of this project is to conduct hardware in the loop (HIL) simulation study for the improvement of intersection signal timing, with emphasis on the adaptive signal timing. One major technical issue in signal timing has been the real-time traffic data collection and analysis, especially the intersection turning movement data collection.

The simulation study would make full use of the data from the advanced data collection technologies developed in TFHRC, including inductive loop signal reidentification data, and the CARMA data. The data analysis using AI deep learning to improve adaptive signal timing performance is expected.

ACADEMIC CREDITS: To be determined.

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS:

The deliverables of this project may include:

1. A technical report on HIL study findings, including the simulation codes and simulation results.

2. A case study using the developed simulation model and the field data.

3. An article of the research result, which may be published in the Transportation Research Board (TRB)

Meeting proceedings, and/or Transportation Research Part C.

PROJECT D: STEEL BRIDGE BEARING STIFFENER DETAILS TO AVOID CONSTRAINT-

INDUCED FRACTURES

SPONSOR: FHWA, Office of Infrastructure Research and Development LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT: 12 months DISCIPLINES: Civil - Structural Engineering DEGREE SUPPORTED: MS or Ph.D. Candidate

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

There have been occasional steel bridge fractures attributed to constraint-induced fracture (CIF) when three welded plate elements on mutually orthogonal planes intersect at a common point. At the common point, the steel is subjected to a hydrostatic state of stress because of the constraint from the various plate elements prevent yielding through the thickness of at least one of the plates. In this stress state, the maximum principle stress can exceed that of the tensile strength of the material, resulting in a brittle fracture. Often, the Hoan Bridge fracture is used as an example of this behavior (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/steel/010710.cfm). This particular bridge fracture originated from the intersection of a gusset plate (for attachment of lateral bracing), a connection plate, and a girder web. The constraint was attributed to welds attaching these plate elements either coming very close to each other, or even intersecting. As a result of this fracture, research based on limited finite element modeling resulted in a recommendation that welds not come within 0.25-inches of each other to prevent constraint-induced fracture (Mahmoud, Connor, Fisher, 2005). While the Hoan Bridge fracture turned attention to this particular detail of a gusset plate, other bridge owners have experienced brittle fractures at bearing stiffener details at interior piers of girders. This has been hypothesized to be constraint-induced fracture, but it has not been proven as it was in the Hoan Bridge fracture.

There is a need to determine if fractures at interior bearing stiffener details are related to constraint-induced fracture. It is unclear if these bearing stiffener fractures are a function of welds almost touching, or if the behavior is more complex. There is a need to find out the relationship of these fractures with the thickness proportions of the plates (girder web, bearing stiffener, and girder flange), and with the particular loading at this detail. Note that the top girder flange at an interior pier is under tension, and this is typically where flange and bearing stiffener plates are their thickest. It has also been reported that brittle fractures at these locations have only occurred when the bearing stiffener is not welded to the top girder flange, therefore out-of-plane distortion may also play a role in this failure mode. The goal of this project is to develop and conduct a nonlinear finite element, parametric modeling study to characterize the triaxiality of stresses at this detail to see if these effects can be decomposed and related to constraint or other causes.

The selectee may be on-site at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center to interact with FHWA staff and use our finite element software (Abaqus), or they may also be off-site using a different software package.

*Mahmoud, H. N., R. J. Connor, and J. W. Fisher. 2005. “Finite Element Investigation of the Fracture Potential of Highly Constrained Details,” Journal of Computer-aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.

Blackwell Publishing, Inc., Malden, MA, Vol. 20.

ACADEMIC CREDITS: To be determined

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS:

The deliverable of this project is to develop design or detailing recommendations for steel bridges to prevent CIF at bearing stiffeners at interior pier locations of steel bridges.

The student is expected to efficiently perform refined finite element analysis and extract the necessary results. Further, report their analysis, findings, and conclusions, preferably in a peer-reviewed journal paper. The conclusions would support recommendations for detailing guidance for bearing stiffeners to prevent constraint-induced fracture in steel bridges.

PROJECT E: DEVELOPING A TOOL FOR ANALYSIS OF RISKS IN PERCENT WITHIN

LIMITS ACCEPTANCE PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS

SPONSOR: FHWA, Resource Center LENGTH OF ASSIGNMENT: 9 - 12 months DISCIPLINES: Civil Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science DEGREE SUPPORTED: MS or Ph.D. Candidate

DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENT:

Statistically based Quality Assurance (QA) specifications and acceptance procedures have been implemented without fully understanding the risks involved to both the State Departments of Transportation (agency) and the contractors. The two types of risks discussed when developing QA specifications are the seller's (contractor) risk and the buyer's (agency) risk. The acceptable level of seller’s and buyer’s risks has been a subjective decision that can vary from agency to agency. A properly developed QA acceptance plan takes these risks into consideration in a manner that is fair to both the agency and contractor. A limited number of agencies have developed and evaluated the risk levels associated with their acceptance plans due to the need for an available tool.

The number of samples used by an agency for a pay lot may need to be modified based on an analysis of risks. An attempt should be made to balance the risk between the contractor and agency while holding the overall risk to both at a reasonable level. If the risks cannot be held to a reasonable level for both, the agency or contractor may have to accept a disproportionate level of risk.

For Percent Within Limits (PWL) or Percent Defective (PD) acceptance plans, computer simulation is almost always used to develop seller’s and buyer’s risks, Operating Characteristic (OC) curves, and Expected Pay (EP) curves. The OCPLOT computer program, developed as a part of FHWA Demonstration Project No. 89, was one of the first programs created to develop OC and EP curves, run simulations on the effect of the variability of the individual lot pay factors on the final pay factor determination, and create histograms. The software was distributed by report FHWA-SA-96-026, “Quality Assurance Software for the Personal Computer”. Copies of the source code for OCPLOT written using the BASIC programming language as well as an executable version of the OCPLOT computer program are available from FHWA.

A computer program, SpecRisk, developed through a FHWA contract to conduct similar analysis was completed in 2008. The program has since lived beyond its useful life and needs replacement since it does not run on computers using the more current Windows operating systems. Copies of the software and user manual are available from FHWA; however FHWA does not have the source code for the SpecRisk software.

In addition, a computer program, PWL Risk, was developed internally by FHWA staff in 2005 using Microsoft Excel with visual basic programming.

The following related research on the subject of PWL, specification limits, and the development of payment provisions were conducted and published:

• “Measurement and Specification of Construction Quality” FHWA-RD-98-077

• “Optimal Procedures for Quality Assurance,” FHWA-RD-02-095

• “Evaluation of Procedures for Quality Assurance Specifications,” FHWA-HRT-04-046

• “Evaluation of State Quality Assurance Program Effectiveness”, FHWA-HRT-12-027

The goal of this project is to develop a software tool and a user’s manual to provide a tool to:

1. Analyze and develop specification and acceptance limits

2. Analyze and develop PWL and PD specifications and acceptance plans

3. Analyze and develop corresponding payment provisions, and

4. Determine the seller, buyer, and expected payment risks associated with the acceptance plan for all levels of quality and payment.

The software tool must be constructed using a widely-used and FHWA-approved software platform (e.g. Microsoft Excel, etc).

It is anticipated that the selectee for this effort will work remotely from their current location and will collaborate with the technical panel through virtual meetings.

ACADEMIC CREDITS: To be determined

OUTPUTS/PRODUCTS:

The deliverables of this project may include:

1. Development and testing of software to perform risk analysis of quality assurance specifications.

2. Draft user’s manual of the software.

3. Source code for the software.

These efforts will be documented in at least one technical paper suitable for publication in a technical journal. The student would prepare and deliver a presentation to FHWA staff to discuss approach and results of this project. This work will be useful for FHWA to provide technical assistance to agencies when constructing or revising their quality assurance specifications.