SOUTHFIELD ? The Center for Innovative Materials Research at Lawrence Technological University has received nearly $2.2 million in federal funds from the Departments of Transportation and Defense to develop carbon fiber composites for the military and bridge repair.
Some $1 million earmarked from the DOD was allocated to CIMR for the research, development and testing of carbon fiber composites and other advanced materials to strenghten exising U.S. military structures and vehicles against terrorist attacks or natural disasters. LTU will work closely with the U.S. Army Tank Command in Warren on this project.
The Transportation earmark of $1.175 million will fund research into innovative, cost effective bridge repair and bridge design. Civil Engineering Chair Nabil Grace will lead Lawrence Tech?s structural research program to develop an innovative design and construction approach for a longer-lasting box-beam bridge using carbon fiber reinforced polymer.
Box beam construction is the one of the most ubiquitous road designs in use for low profile spans over small streams and creeks, throughout the country due to its ease of fabrication and installation. The majority of these bridges, currently in use, deteriorate due to corrosion of the steel reinforcement bars used in the concrete.
The CIMR research has the potential to offer extraordinary maintenance savings, while significantly prolonging the expected lifecycle of box-beam bridges.
Faculty and students at Lawrence Tech will collaborate on the proposed study with Diversified Composites, Prestressed System, and the Michigan Department of Transportation. The research will involve developing and testing a new box-beam bridge system for single- and multiple-spans, and the structural components.
?These appropriations will help advance Lawrence Tech?s pioneering research in advanced materials, and establish CIMR as a national resource for research and testing of innovative materials,? said Lawrence Tech President Charles Chambers. ?This research has significant commercialization potential and already has revealed applications in the defense, automotive, and transportation infrastructure industries.?
