Research in Progress
2009
- Corrosion of Fasteners in Wood Treated with Newer Wood Preservatives for Potential Rehabilitation of Covered Bridges (1.05 mb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
This project has three principal objectives: 1. Evaluate corrosion performance of ferrous, nonferrous, and non-metallic fasteners in wood treated with new preservatives, specifically, ACQ, CuAz, and micronized copper quaternary (MCQ) 2. Examine the feasibility of a rapid test to evaluate corrosion of metals in contact with wood 3. Examine the role of moisture on corrosion of metals in contact with treated wood
- Establishment of a National Center for Wood
Transportation Structures (NCWTS) Phase I (908 kb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
The objective of this project is to establish the foundation for a National Center for Wood Transportation Structures as a partnership between FPL and the ISU Bridge Engineering Center. This project will include the following tasks: (1) Develop a plan to facilitate the NCWTS development coordination between the FPL, ISU, the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, and the recently disbanded National Wood in Transportation Information Center in Morgantown, WV, (2) Provide support personnel, space, and technical support to implement Task 1, and (3) Establish a NCWTS library, web site, demonstration bridge database, and other functional features. The expected outcome will be to establish the preliminary stages of a National Center for Wood Transportation Structures at the ISU Bridge Engineering Center, in cooperation with FPL. This will provide a foundation for the eventual establishment of a comprehensive NCWTS, which will have a positive impact on bridge owners and the rural transportation infrastructure.
- Guide for In-Place Preservative Treatment
of Covered Bridges (1.30 mb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
This project will develop a guide to assist maintenance personnel in selecting and applying in-place treatments for covered bridges.
- Improved Ratings for Covered Bridges by Load Testing (1.07 mb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
This study will develop and establish new load-rating procedures (based upon live-load vehicle testing) for reliably determining safe load-carrying capacity of historic covered bridges. A comprehensive final report will document recommended procedures for live-load testing and enhanced load rating of historic covered bridges. The final report will include recommendations for (a) setting the maximum experimental load that can be safely applied to the structure; (b) methods of loading the bridge; (c) selection and placement of instrumentation; (d) procedures for ensuring quality data; and (e) procedures to analyze collected data and establish load ratings. These recommendations will be prepared in a format similar to existing rating guides.
- Naturally Durable Wood Species for Repair and Rehabilitation of Aboveground Components in Covered Bridges (956 kb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
This project has three main objectives: 1. Assess field performance of naturally durable wood species in accelerated aboveground field tests in high and moderate decay hazard zones 2. Assess effectiveness of chemical extractives from naturally durable wood species in laboratory tests against decay fungi and termites 3. Characterize chemical components of extractives that successfully inhibited decay fungi and termites for potential development as green wood preservatives
- Species Identification and Field-Grading of Woods in Covered Bridges (1.06 mb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
The objective of this project is to produce an easy-to-use field manual for engineers covering the topics of wood identification, sampling, and field grading of timbers used in covered timber bridges.
- Use of Laser Scanning Technology to Obtain As-Built Records of Historic Covered Bridges (1.06 mb) USDA, Forest Service, Forest Products Lab.
This project will examine the technical feasibility of using laser scanning technologies for obtaining as-built records for historic covered timber bridges.
