Overview
| Project No. | 260 |
|---|---|
| Contract No. | TBD |
| Research Award Recipient | Texas Transportation Institute 3135 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3135 |
| AOTR | James Merritt |
| Researcher Contact Info | Leslie E. Olson Texas Transportation Institute Texas A&M University System 3135 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3135 Telephone: 979 862-2846 FAX: 979 862-2708 e-mail: l-olson@ttimail.tamu.edu |
| Project Status | Closed |
|---|---|
| Start Fiscal Year | 2007 (06/01/2007) |
| End Fiscal Year | 2008 (05/31/2008) |
| PHMSA $$ Budgeted | $417,150.00 |
Main Objective
The Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) defined 4 tasks
Identify two most effective energy-efficient, and low-cost sensor types for detecting typical digging activities and heavy equipment
Develop energy-efficient signal processing and pattern recognition algorithm to improve detection sensitivity and to reduce false alarms.
Construct a prototype wireless network
Test system at a suburban road construction site to show feasibility and identify potentate issues
TTI has provided in detail a description of the work task, time line and identified six different quantifiable metrics to measure the performance of the test sensors.
Public Abstract
An extensive literature review on available non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques in pipeline inspection, which include Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI), Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL), Eddy Current, Acoustic Emission (AE), Infrared Thermography, Ultrasonic Testing (UT), and Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS) was done. For each NDE method, the basic principle, application areas, and research needs are fully described in this project.
The GPR method is the first target for further research. The plan is to conduct a comparison between the commercially available GPR and our research-oriented GPR, and investigate more applications of GPR in pipeline inspection, such as leaking, corrosion, damage, etc. We just acquired the commercial GPR in April 2008 and a survey is in process. Work continues in this area.
We did a literature review on blast loading on infrastructures and found that most of them are in the area of superstructure. We want to borrow ideas in superstructure area and combine with advanced soil mechanics to discover the influence of blast loading on buried pipelines. This can be done from either the material side or simulation side. As a first step, we want to start with computer simulation of blast effect on buried pipelines. Considering the particulate properties of soil, a special software PFC3D was purchased recently for simulation. In the future, we can develop new materials or facilities to protect buried pipelines from blast loading.
Summary and Conclusions
The project completed an initial development and validation of the wireless sensor technology was completed and it was proposed to use to detect right of way (ROW) intrusion by construction type equipment. The technique was developed and tested on a single wireless sensor and a laptop computer, and successfully demonstrated its feasibility. The outcomes of the testing show clearly that the approach should be viable for detecting ROW intrusion by digging equipment. It was concluded that the battery life of the low-cost sensor can be more than 6 months based on our test and the on-board, sensitive accelerometer can capture sufficiently signals to detect and differentiate three types of construction equipment (Jackhammer, Backhoe, and Truck) at a distance of 1.5 feet and 4.5 feet.
Relevant Files & Links
Final Report
The final report is a summary of the work TTI completed under the DOT project work scope.