Project
Transportation Infrastructure Electrification Certificate Program (2024)
Region Info
University of Utah
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About Partner
The University of Utah CTIPS participants focus on research in the areas of construction, geotechnical, materials, structural and transportation engineering. Research in construction engineering aims to significantly advance the field by developing innovative techniques, materials, and technologies that improve efficiency and safety. Geotechnical engineering researchers apply civil engineering technology to earth materials, such as soil and rock, typically found on or near the surface to design and analyze a wide range of infrastructure and natural geologic formations, addressing challenges related to foundations, slopes, retaining walls, tunnels, embankments and earthquakes. Materials engineering research focuses on the durability and performance of construction materials; this area seeks to develop advanced materials and pavement systems that are resilient and reduce maintenance costs. Research in structural engineering emphasizes earthquake and wind engineering analysis and design; structural engineering researchers focus on performance-based design and investigate the behavior of bridge structures made from reinforced and prestressed concrete, structural steel, and composites to create resilient bridges; in addition, they investigate rail safety and rail thermal buckling prevention. Researchers in transportation engineering use state-of-the-art technology such as Artificial Intelligence and machine-learning to make innovative advancements in the planning, design, operations, maintenance, safety and assessment of transportation systems, with a main research focus on transportation system design and modeling.
Meet Our People (View More Bios)
Chris Pantelides, Ph.D., P.E.
University Director
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Nikola Marković, Ph.D.
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Juan Medina, Ph.D.
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University Labs / Resources
- Geo-Seismic Virtual Laboratory – This laboratory is well-equipped for advanced computational research in geotechnical engineering, seismic wave propagation, and scientific machine learning. The lab’s available resources include: 1) Two high-end workstations (each equipped with 128-core AMD EPYC 3.0 GHz CPUs, Tesla A100 80 GB GPUs, 2 TB RAM); 2) Geospatial analysis and visualization software: ArcGIS, Agisoft PhotoScan, ENVI; 3) In-house Python libraries for physics-informed neural network modeling; 4) 10 seats of numerical codes FLAC3D and FLAC2D (FVM); 5) 2 seats of mesh generator code CUBIT
- The Infrastructure Sensing Experimental Mechanics (iSEM) Laboratory includes programmable data acquisition systems, arbitrary function generator with 14-bit 100 MS/s with 16 MB onboard memory, 8-channel digitizer with 60 MS/s sampling rate and 16 MB onboard memory, and data acquisition system PicoScope 4000A. In addition, the lab has an arbitrary waveform generator Keysight 33521, Piezosystem EPA-104-115 linear amplifier, and RITEC high-power gated amplifier M-100B-1kW. The iSEM lab houses the MISTRAS acoustic emission (AE) system equipped with EXPRESS-8 data acquisition cards using PCI-Express bus. The iSEM lab also houses high resolution Avio R450Pro infrared camera for infrared thermographic measurement.
- The Materials Laboratory provides comprehensive capabilities for the design, fabrication, testing, and characterization of materials used in civil infrastructure, with a primary focus on transportation systems. This facility is equipped for the preparation and evaluation of both asphalt and Portland cement concrete, including the ability to conduct forensic analyses of field-collected samples. The laboratory supports research through its mechanical testing systems and access to state-of-the-art chemical and microstructural characterization tools. Available instrumentation includes Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and a Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX), which enable in-depth analysis of material composition, structure, and performance.
- The Structures Laboratory has the capability of performing axial, eccentric, and quasi-static cyclic loading tests of large-scale columns and bridge sub-assemblies such as two-column bents. The laboratory has two main load frames with data acquisition systems: (1) 3D Steel Frame capable of testing components up to 16 ft high with loads in three directions up to 500 kip in each direction; (2) Tower Frame capable of testing large column components up to 20 ft high to a maximum load of 2000 kip in compression and 1500 kip in tension. In addition, the laboratory has a 16 ft tall Drop Hammer.
- TransAnalytics Laboratory – TransAnalytics’ research focuses on advancing transportation systems through data-driven modeling, network optimization, and operational analysis. Our work emphasizes the integration of innovative sensing technologies, artificial intelligence, and systems-level modeling to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of transportation infrastructure. We collaborate with agencies and industry partners to address real-world challenges in traffic operations, transportation system performance, and infrastructure planning.
- The Utah Transportation and Public Safety – Crash Data Initiative (UTAPS-CDI) Laboratory is a research group that develops and operates content management systems to improve the reliability of crash-related information, and it serves as a unified source for motor-vehicle crash records in Utah. UTAPS-CDI applications provide data management, data analytics and integration solutions across various areas of the traffic records systems for state agencies, law enforcement, and third parties, supporting well-informed roadway safety and operations decisions.