US-Germany Cooperative Research: Development of Methods for Early Detection of Degradation of Civil Infrastructure Materials

Polytechnic University Of New York, Brooklyn NY

Investigators

Abstract

0340606 Ghandehari This award supports Masoud Ghandehari and students from the Polytechnic University of New York in a collaboration with Karim Hariri of the Institute for Building Materials, Large Structures, and Fire Protection at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. The collaboration will establish a formal joint fiber-optic sensor research program for civil infrastructure through exchange of students from two institutions in the U.S. and Germany. Most deterioration in civil infrastructure is detected when it has progressed to a point of severe physical damage. This occurs in transportation structures such as roadways and bridges, in utilities such as pipelines and power delivery grids as well as sanitation and fuel storage facilities. As with human cells, most aging mechanisms in the infrastructure materials involve chemical reactions that are rate-controlled by ionic transport. A sensing system that provides early warning of this aging process would enable the implementation of timely prevention and remedial action and a greater service life for the physical facilities and ultimately results in substantial cost savings in infrastructure maintenance. There are companies with subsidiaries in both countries that are interested in product development following the preliminary research conducted by the US and German groups. Furthermore, based on our surveys with transportation and infrastructure maintenance officials in both countries, the expected outcome of this research will have direct impact on the quality and timing of decisions made in the facilities management practice in both countries. Broader impacts of the award include application in long-term environmental monitoring for soil, air, and water.