APRIL 5, 2023 — The deterioration of transportation infrastructure has become a growing issue for the nation, so a UTSA professor is researching transformative technologies that provide feasible solutions.
Samer Dessouky, a professor in UTSA’s Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design, is part of a team that has been awarded a five-year contract totaling $10 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The funding will enable the team to create and support a Transportation Infrastructure Precast Innovation Center (TRANS-IPIC) that will improve the durability and extend the life of transportation infrastructure such as bridges, tunnels, railroads, pavements and ports. Five universities including UTSA will make up the consortium.
Emerging technologies to address infrastructure issues such as robotics and automated manufacturing face challenges including high costs. It is also difficult to incorporate delicate technologies into construction sites using conventional techniques where concrete is poured on-site.
The researchers will focus on the use of precast concrete, which is casted in a reusable mold and cured in a controlled environment and transported to a construction site and maneuvered into place.
This approach provides a controlled environment for engineers to incorporate new technologies that can quickly and significantly impact the durability and service life of infrastructure.
“Outcomes from this center will lead to advancing the field of building information modeling (BIM), automated manufacturing and repair of precast elements using new technologies like unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drones and additive manufacturing (3D printing) of forms and concrete,” Dessouky said.
The researchers at the Transportation Infrastructure Precast Innovation Center, led by Bassem Andrawes at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, also aim to develop precast concrete that can conduct self-assessments using smart materials and remote sensing.
The new center will focus on the following three key research topic areas: (1) application of new materials and technologies, (2) construction methodologies and management, and (3) condition monitoring and remote sensing. The research that TRANS-IPIC conducts will play a significant role in supporting U.S. DOT Strategic Plan goals including Transformation, Climate & Sustainability, and Safety.
The group will also recommend long-term solutions by replacing existing infrastructure with more durable components that are built in a controlled environment and more efficiently to reduce cost, carbon emissions and increase quality and productivity.
As a Tier One research university and a Hispanic Serving Institution, UTSA is committed to tackling society’s grand challenges through world-class education and research programs. As an urban serving university, it is driving San Antonio’s knowledge economy, living out the notion that great universities need great cities and great cities need great universities.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
UTS Bold Careers hosts Student Technology Council where students have the opportunity to share feedback about technology needs to the UTS Leadership. The Leadership will also provide updates as to the technolgy projects for the campus.
Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24,) Student Union, Main CampusJoin us for a hands-on workshop about the basics of copyright, both in education and as a researcher. We’ll dispel some common copyright myths, differences between copyright law and other intellectual property law, and teach you how to apply a Fair Use checklist to your scholarly work.
Virtual Event (Zoom)In this workshop, we will explore sentiment analysis, a method for identifying feelings in text, whether the tone is positive, negative, or neutral.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryLearn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual Event ( Zoom)The Urban Bird Project at UTSA will discuss urban bird populations, conservation efforts, and how you can get involved.
JPL Assembly Room (4.04.22,) Main CampusThe DMPTool is a free online resource that helps researchers create data management plans. This workshop will cover the main components of DMPs and how to create them using the DMPTool. Attendees will learn to: locate templates by funding agency, add research collaborators, and identify institutional guidance.
Virtual Event (Zoom)Join UTSA Libraries and Museums to learn more about the publishing discounts available for UTSA researchers. Current agreements include Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, and more. Bring your questions and feedback for the library as we continue to pursue partnerships with publishers to reduce costs for our researchers.
Virtual Event (Zoom)The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
