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PROGRAM SOLICITATION
Small Business Innovation Research Program

VII.    Research Topics

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Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

09-FH1   Deployment-Ready Technologies Mitigating Shockwave Development On Roadway Systems

Problem Statement

Congested roadway systems frequently experience undesirable traffic phenomena and flow characteristics. These phenomena include the development and propagation of shockwaves on both interrupted flow facilities (surface streets) and uninterrupted flow facilities (freeways). These shockwaves (and similar phenomena such as standing queues) reduce the efficiency and productivity of the roadway network, endanger the safety of the road users, and result in wasted fuel and associated negative environmental impacts. One example of such a situation is a driver needlessly accelerating and then performing a rapid deceleration in advance of unseen queued vehicles waiting at a signalized intersection rather than more deliberately and efficiently approaching the intersection by coasting and safely decelerating to a stop.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies, including vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) technologies, have demonstrated potential for the mitigation of shockwaves on roadway systems. Current mobile communication technologies, traffic management technologies, and vehicle warning/control technologies could potentially be arrayed to address aspects of this problem. A desired outcome of this activity would be to conceptualize the combining of near-term deployable technologies to address one or more aspects of this problem, and then to demonstrate a product or collection of products based on this concept.

Area of Research

The area of research that may be considered in this effort is intentionally broad to encourage a wide range of potential innovations. However, the focus is on near-term technologies that can be readily connected and deployed to address this problem. This effort is not a call for basic research; nor is the effort for the development of entirely new technologies that will require extensive resources to plan and implement. The innovations may enhance or combine current approaches such as variable speed limits, roadside warning systems, or other current technologies addressing the problem. In-vehicle warning systems and/or vehicle control technologies may also be incorporated into a proposed innovation.

Proposers may consider applications for specific junctions or roadway geometries (e.g., at-grade rail intersections, signalized intersections, merge/weave areas) or propose more general applications. Innovations may address specific road user or vehicle types (e.g, transit, motorcycle, heavy vehicle, etc.) or they may consider a more general cross section of road users. Some current or past work that may be of value in consideration of this effort includes:

1. Segl, Joaquin. Shockwave Traffic Theory. International Municipal Signal Association, 2008.
2. Lu, Xiao-Yun and Skabardonis, Alexander. Freeway Traffic Shockwave Analysis: Exploring NGSIM Trajectory Data. Transportation Research Board, 2007.
3. Abbas, M M and Bullock, D. ON-LINE MEASURE OF SHOCKWAVES FOR ITS APPLICATIONS. American Society of Civil Engineers, 2003.
4. Wilkie, J K. USING VARIABLE SPEED LIMIT SIGNS TO MITIGATE SPEED DIFFERENTIALS UPSTREAM OF REDUCED FLOW LOCATIONS. Texas Transportation Institute, 1997.
5. Treiber, Martin and Kesting, Arne and Thiemann, Christian. How Much Does Traffic Congestion Increase Fuel Consumption and Emissions? Applying Fuel Consumption Model to NGSIM Trajectory Data. Transportation Research Board, 2008.
6. Thiemann, Christian and Treiber, Martin and Kesting, Arne. Estimating Acceleration and Lane-Changing Dynamics Based on NGSIM Trajectory Data. Transportation Research Board, 2008.
7. Barth, Matthew J and NORBECK, JOSEPH M. TRANSPORTATION MODELING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH); Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH); University of California, Riverside; California Department of Transportation, 1994.

More detail as well as additional references may be obtained at http://trisonline.bts.gov/.

Desired Outcomes

The effort is envisioned as a two-phase effort. By the conclusion of Phase I, a clear description of the proposed technologies to be combined or deployed will be produced. This document will clearly explain the potential of the innovation to mitigate shockwave formation and propagation and the specific ways in which deployment of the innovation will improve roadway system safety, mobility, fuel efficiency, and/or environmental impacts. The document will conclude with an actionable plan to prototype and/or demonstrate the innovation.

In Phase II, the innovation will be prototyped or demonstrated according to the plan outlined in the Phase I report. This demonstration, where possible, should provide some evidence that the expected benefits of the system can be realized. Although a formal cost-benefit analysis is not required in this effort, a demonstration report prepared at the conclusion of Phase II should document the potential value of the innovation if a broader deployment of the innovation were to occur.

09-FH2   Development of a Thermographic Device for Evaluating Integrity of Steel Bridge Coatings Nondestructively

Nowadays preservation of existing bridge structures and thus extending their service lives are more important than ever as available resources shrink for transportation infrastructure. Number of steel bridges accounts for approximately 38 percent of the entire US bridge population and they are mostly covered with protective coatings. Keeping up with the deteriorating coating systems is a time consuming and expensive item among bridge maintenance activities. Depending on time of repair, total costs can vary significantly. It is known that coating repair work is effective and economic before coating degradation in terms of surface failure and coating disbondment reaches about 5-6 percent of the total surface area. Beyond this, the cost and amount of work associated with the maintenance activities tend to increase dramatically. One of the challenges the bridge owners face is to determine non-destructively the best time to apply appropriate repair strategy before coatings exhibit severe rust and/or extensive peeling off. Currently, there are no reliable in-situ non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technologies that can be easily employed by bridge inspectors at the site. Overall goal of the proposed research is to develop an innovative prototype NDE device for evaluating coating condition “before visible damage to appear” on steel bridge structures so that maintenance engineers can monitor progress of coating degradation and capture a right time to implement coating repair work.

There have been several efforts to use off-the-shelf type thermographic devices in conjunction with external heating sources for estimating disbonded coating areas beneath the visually intact coatings. The results were promising in that in laboratory environments the thermographic technology was able to determine disbonded coating areas that then were bound to fail through surface failures at later stages of coating degradation process.

The proposed research is aimed to develop a prototype thermographic device specifically designed for bridge coating systems. Due to access difficulty and size of most bridge structures, the prototype device should be operated from reasonably far distance, mostly from the ground. The proposed system should be able to operate with the least amount of heat, especially for internal steel members hidden by other structural members such as fascia girders. When the thermographic scanning is completed, output of the NDE device should give thermo gradient information in association with extent of coating delamination and surface defects. These system requirements may be realized by modification of existing commercial systems or building a new system. The proposed work consists of two phases. During the Phase I, a prototype device should be designed based on review of capabilities and limitations of commercially available systems. Subsequently, a working prototype system should be developed to demonstrate feasibility of the system that would be fully developed in the Phase II. It is estimated to achieve the objectives with $100,000 for the duration of 12 months.

The Phase II is devoted to development of a commercial system including in-situ testing hardware, analysis software, and test protocol. At the end, this phase should conclude with successful field trials on five bridge structures. This phase of work is estimated to take $750,000 for 36 months.

09-FH3   Vehicle Detection, Counting and Tracking System for Travel Surveys, Traffic Safety Systems, and Traffic Control Systems

The FHWA Office of Safety has identified red light running as a major source of accidents at intersections. The Motorcycle Travel Symposium held by FHWA and NHTSA has identified motorcycle detection, classification, and characterization as key to enhancing motorcycle safety, motorcycle operations and motorcycle travel estimation. In addition, the FHWA Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC-FHWA) ( http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/mac/ ) has been chartered to look at motorcycle ITS infrastructure issues. Motorcycle fatalities are currently estimated at 30 times those of auto fatalities per Vehicle Mile Traveled (VMT). Studies by Texas DOT have identified the ability to accurately detect, classify and determine the speed of approaching vehicles as a key to adjusting the timing of signals in real time to significantly reduce red light running using the Texas Transportation Institute’s algorithms. They also identified the detection and identification of heavy vehicles such as tractor trailers as key. The objective of this project is to develop an advanced sensor for more accurate vehicle classification, speed measurement and reliable counting of all vehicles and potentially to tie the sensor in with a vendor’s traffic signal controller to reduce red light running.

The concept should build on advanced versions of existing sensor technologies which would be able to use existing sensor infrastructure to more accurately detect vehicles, classify them separately and accurately from other vehicles, and improve accuracy of speed measurements over state of the practice systems.

The objective of improving vehicle safety at signalized intersections has two aspects. First, vehicles and particularly motorcycles, bicycles and tractor trailers must be accurately sensed when approaching ITS control systems traveling by themselves with no other vehicles on the link. This is to assure that they obtain green lights and/or ITS messages important to safety. Second, vehicles must be accurately sensed, counted, and characterized when traveling in groups so that accurate measurements of travel may be made for: both (A) VMT measurement purposes; and, (B) congestion mitigation and traffic adaptive control purposes. Third, vehicles must be accurately classified and their speeds measured so that red light running reduction algorithm’s such as Bonneson’s DC-CS work efficiently to improve safety (see references). Fourth, a preliminary assessment of the needs for accuracy including counting, classification, identification and reidentification, speed and what constitutes accuracy and reliability for the sensor for supporting each of the applications of traffic surveys, safety and operations shall be developed in phase 1. A complete assessment and report on this must be done in Phase 2.

Field tests must demonstrate detection of tractor trailers, motorcycles/bicycles in a variety of weather/lighting/ "time of day" conditions. Conditions need to include sunrise, sunset, noon, night, sun glare in the Spring and Fall and fog, drizzle, rain and snow. Accuracy must be characterized as the mean values and distributions of hits when a motorcycle is present, misses when a motorcycle is present, correct rejections when not present, false alarms when not present, early measurement of presence before the motorcycle arrives over the sensor area, and late measurement of presence after the motorcycle arrives over the measurement area. Mean values and distributions must be characterized over the different epics (measurement periods) of interest of one minute, five minutes, fifteen minutes, one hour and twenty-four hours.

Phase I would demonstrate the test and evaluate the potential of a new technology or enhancement of an existing technology. A demonstration of the basic effectiveness of the concept would be conducted at the TFHRC intelligent intersection. Compatibility with one of 1) 2070 ATC, 2) ATC or 3) NEMA standard traffic signal controller would be part of this test. (note: The TFHRC intersection uses 2070 ATC units so use of another class such as regular ATC’s or NEMA controllers might require demonstration at an alternative site such as Purdue’s and would need to be coordinated with the alternate site and the project manager)

Phase II would develop the enhancement, demonstrate the prototype at the TFHRC intelligent intersection, continue development and then field test it under a variety of weather conditions It should also be tested at a research intersection with a large number of sensors and technologies such as the Purdue intelligent intersection or the TTI facilities so that the system can be better characterized against the state-of-the-art.

NOTES:
More than one award may be made if different approaches with high promise are submitted. To provide focus each proposal should focus on either (A) sensor to sensor unique vehicle identification and reidentification – suitable for travel time measurement and link to link origin-destination for turning movement and O-D studies or (B) very accurate vehicle classification and speed measurement suitable for implementation of a DC-CS system. The proposal should discuss why that focus was chosen and how it will be successfully accomplished.

Relationship to FHWA Strategic Objectives:

• System Performance – Objective 2 – Performance Improvements - Make significant improvements to critical aspects of highway system performance (safety, congestion, reliability, infrastructure condition, air quality, user satisfaction, and emergency response).Goal: Safety– Measure: 2.1 Implement comprehensive, integrated, and data-driven safety programs and countermeasures at the Federal, State, and local level.

  Comment: This goal requires technology to allow accurate measurement of VMT in ways the state of the practice CANNOT currently do. Similarly, a key element of intersection safety is assuring that all vehicles particularly tractor trailers, motorcycles and bicycles approaching intersections are detected and given an appropriate green and not given an inappropriate yellow. This prevents dangerous red light running.. There are problems doing this reliably using current technology.

• System Performance- Objective 1 – Performance Indicators – 1.2: Develop a robust system for collecting, analyzing, and integrating the data necessary to calculate, forecast, and display the selected performance indicators and identify critical performance gaps.

  Comment: Again, this outcome cannot be reached unless vehicles can be reliably and ACCURATELY detected, classified and characterized by traffic monitoring systems in all weather and luminance conditions. This is particularly true for tractor trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles. Existing technologies do not adequately provide these capabilities.

• System Performance – Objective 2 – Performance Improvements - Make significant improvements to critical aspects of highway system performance (safety, congestion, reliability, infrastructure condition, air quality, user satisfaction, and emergency response). Desired Outcome: Reduce transportation time from use of improved classification data and/or origin to destination and turning improvement data to improve signal timing. Increase the reliability of trip times for the Individual Transportation User.

  Comment: This outcome cannot be reached unless vehicles can be reliably detected and classified so that ITS technologies can appropriately respond.

• System Performance – Objective 2 – Performance Improvements - Make significant improvements to critical aspects of highway system performance (safety, congestion, reliability, infrastructure condition, air quality, user satisfaction, and emergency response). Desired Outcome: Reduce transportation time from use of improved classification data and/or origin to destination and turning improvement data to improve signal timing. Increase the reliability of trip times for the Individual Transportation User.

  Comment: This outcome cannot be reached unless vehicles can be reliably detected and classified so that ITS technologies can appropriately respond.

• Relationship to fuel consumption and emissions – Improved highway system performance in safety, congestion, and reliability, directly caused reductions in fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and air quality for the same VMT.

References

1. Identifying Intersections with Potential for Red Light-Related Safety Improvement JA Bonneson, K Zimmerman - Transportation Research Record, 2006 - Trans Res Board
   http://www.iht.org/technicalaffairs/TRB/files/06-1667.pdf
2. Report 0-4196-P1, Red-Light-Running Handbook: An Engineer’s Guide to Reducing Red-Light-Related Crashes, James Bonneson and Karl Zimmerman, September 2004
   http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/0-4196-P1.pdf
3. K.H. Zimmerman, J.A. Bonneson. In-Service Evaluation of a Detection-Control System for High-Speed Signalized Intersections. Implementation Report. 5-4022-01-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. August 2005.
   http://www.iht.org/technicalaffairs/TRB/files/06-1667.pdf
4. J.A. Bonneson, D.R. Middleton, K.H. Zimmerman, H.A. Charara, M.M. Abbas. New Detection System for Rural Signalized Intersections. PSR. 0-4022-S. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, TX. March 2004.
5. "Evidence of Unacceptable Video Detector Performance for Dilemma Zone Protection" Dan Middleton, Ph.D., P.E, . Eun Sug Park, Ph.D., Hassan Charara, November 12, 2007, TRB 2008 Annual Meeting

09-FH4   Pedestrian Detection, Counting and Tracking Systems for Travel Surveys, Traffic Safety Systems, and Traffic Control Systems

Current pedestrian and bicycle detectors do not do an adequate job of detecting, counting and tracking pedestrians for automated counting to support traffic surveys. A pedestrian /bicycle detection system using artificial intelligence algorithms for pulling out and tracking pedestrians might significantly increase the accuracy of automated pedestrian counting systems and eventually lead to more pedestrian responsive traffic control systems.

Phase I would develop and demonstrate prototype software and hardware that would embody a simplified version of the system. The software would run on top of RTAI Linux or another open source Linux real time operating system to demonstrate the capabilities. The offeror should explain and justify their approach in their proposal and why it would be an improvement over existing approaches.

Phase I would determine what the "real time" needs are for the algorithms to collect information for traffic survey applications and if installed at an intersection to pass the information on to the local traffic signal controller. (Note: actual interfacing to a traffic signal control system is not required as part of this project) The algorithms and software should be prototyped and validated using MathCad. The software would be demonstrated at the TFHRC IVI intersection at the end of phase I and a mini-symposium would be held for the FHWA panel and other interested researchers..

Phase II would enhance the system algorithms and sensor as a real time traffic survey collection device (interfacing it as part of a traffic signal control system for real time control applications is not required in this project although it may be discussed in the proposal) . Phase II would address issues related to making the system at least minimally functional during rain and snow events. This project requires significant experience in travel data collection, traffic engineering, real time control, Linux, digital imaging and pedestrian and bicycle detection. Phase II should be staged to produce interim demonstratable results. Phase II should provide final documented copies of the MathCad algorithms. Phase II should include a demonstration of the system at a number of intersections and pedestrian data collection areas to be selected in co-operation with the FHWA advisory panel. A symposium shall be conducted at the FHWA Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center at the end of Phase II to review the results.

This project is needed to allow maximum benefit from travel surveys collected for the FHWA Office of Planning and for safety and traffic operations using the advanced traffic controller (ATC). Existence of pedestrian counting and tracking will enhance intersection collision avoidance (IVI-ICA) algorithms developed by FHWA for ITS over simple pedestrian presence alerting. Algorithms and MathCad software developed under this project should be open source at the end of Phase II to facilitate future research and development of pedestrian counting and tracking.

Relationship to FHWA Strategic Objectives:

• System Performance – Objective 2 – Performance Improvements - Make significant improvements to critical aspects of highway system performance (safety, congestion, reliability, infrastructure condition, air quality, user satisfaction, and emergency response).Goal: Safety– Measure: 2.1 Implement comprehensive, integrated, and data-driven safety programs and countermeasures at the Federal, State, and local level.

  Comment: This goal requires technology to allow accurate measurement of pedestrian travel in ways the state of the practice CANNOT currently do. Similarly, a key element of intersection safety is assuring that all pedestrians approaching intersections are detected and given appropriate walk times. This prevents dangerously fast timing for elderly, physically handicapped or blind pedestrians. There are problems doing this reliably using current technology.

• System Performance- Objective 1 – Performance Indicators – 1.2: Develop a robust system for collecting, analyzing, and integrating the data necessary to calculate, forecast, and display the selected performance indicators and identify critical performance gaps.

  Comment: Again, for pedestrians, this outcome cannot be reached unless they can be reliably and ACCURATELY detected and characterized by monitoring systems in all weather and luminance conditions. This is particularly true for elderly, physically handicapped and blind pedestrians. Existing technologies do not adequately provide these capabilities.

• System Performance – Objective 2 – Performance Improvements Make significant improvements to critical aspects of highway system performance (safety, congestion, reliability, infrastructure condition, air quality, user satisfaction, and emergency response).

  Desired Outcome: Improve the performance of the transportation system by increased knowledge of pedestrian travel. Use of pedestrian travel time and count data to improve signal timing both to provide shorter pedestrian walk times for fast pedestrians and longer walk times for slower moving elderly, physically handicapped and blind pedestrians. Increase the reliability of trip times for the Individual Transportation User. Comment: For pedestrians, this outcome cannot be reached unless they can be reliably detected, counted and tracked so that ITS technologies can appropriately respond.

References:

Sites for pedestrian detection technology

1. Evaluation of Automated Pedestrian Detection at Signalized Intersections REPORT NO. FHWA-RD-00-097
   http://www.tfhrc.gov/safety/pedbike/pubs/00-097.pdf
2. Pedestrian Detection
   http://www.gavrila.net/Computer_Vision/Looking_at_People/Pedestrian_Detection/pedestrian_detection.html
3. L. Zhao and C. Thorpe, "Stereo and Neural Network-based Pedestrian Detection," IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Vol. 1, No. 3, September, 2000, pp. 148 -154.
   http://www.ri.cmu.edu/pubs/pub_3865.html
4. Passive Pedestrian Detection: A Case Study Prepared for the 1998 District 6 Annual Meeting, San Jose
   Dana Beckwith, Assistant Transportation Engineer, DKS Associates
   Peter L. Coffey, P.E, Principal, DKS Associates
   http://www.dksassociates.com/PassPed.html

09-FH5   Self-Sustaining, Intelligent Pavement Systems

The pavement infrastructure in the US covers a large surface area and requires intensive energy and natural resources to produce the materials and lay them down. In addition, the surface of the pavement is typically impermeable, causing excess rainwater to run off rather than soak into the ground, which has negative consequences in terms of flooding and natural filtration of toxic substances that accumulate on the pavement surface. Ironically, the vehicles that travel over these pavements are also resource intensive, especially in terms of the fuel that they consume.

Therefore, to reduce the environmental impact of these pavements while maintaining mobility, a new type of pavement is needed that has the following attributes

1. It generates its own power; either through the energy of the sun or perhaps the energy of the moving vehicle mass traveling over the pavement.
2. It is intelligent enough to transfer the power generated to where it is most needed or to a temporary storage apparatus.
3. It is made of recycled or other sustainable materials
4. It can be modular for ease of replacing worn or damaged sections
5. It is durable enough to withstand repeated loading from heavy traffic at or above the level of current pavement systems.
6. It meets or exceeds safety characteristics of existing pavement systems.
7. It mitigates water runoff through either permeability or designed retention and filtration.
8. It is at a cost that allows it to be financially self-sustaining; meaning that the benefits of power generation and water runoff mitigation over the design life outweigh its initial cost.

The product described will satisfy FHWA strategic goals of System Performance and Environmental Stewardship. In addition, it is anticipated that this project may be of interest to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency for Phase II funding.

Outcomes expected from the Phase 1 include a detailed concept that demonstrates the viability of creating a prototype that satisfies the attributes described above. Phase 2 efforts include manufacturing and demonstrating a working prototype pavement system that demonstrates potential for achieving at least ½ of the identified attributes. This would include measurements for load response, retro reflectivity, friction and electricity generation, transmission and storage.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

091-FM1   Individualized Fatigue Risk Management in Trucking Operations

Description of Problem to Address:

Fatigue is recognized as an important problem in trucking operations. Fatigue Management Programs (FMP) are now being considered across the industry to mitigate the performance and safety consequences of fatigue. Modern FMP approaches are based on fatigue and performance models (e.g., Belenky et al., 1998). However, currently available modeling tools have limited applicability in trucking because they do not account for the considerable individual differences in responses to shift work and sleep loss (Van Dongen et al., 2005). Due to the trait-like nature of these individual differences (Van Dongen et al., 2004), however, it is possible to overcome this limitation.

Literature Review Summary:

Van Dongen et al (2007) recently developed the first technique to tailor fatigue and performance models to individuals. One way this tool can be used effectively in trucking operations is by first acquiring sleep/wake and performance data from the individual truck driver at hand. These data are then used to individualize the fatigue and performance model. The individualized model is subsequently used as part of the FMP, which typically involves prediction of fatigue in future work schedules. Through the use of the individualized model, therefore, the whole FMP can thus be individualized, constituting a significant improvement in FMP effectiveness.

An individualized FMP could be developed mining data already available in the FMCSA-sponsored truck driver study described in Hanowski et al. (2004). In this naturalistic study, 98 truck drivers drove trucks instrumented with a drowsy driving warning system (DDWS) for an average per driver of 3 months as part of a field operational test (FOT) of the DDWS. Trips lasted from 1 to 11 hours. The drivers were operating under the 2003 hours of service (HOS) rules (14 hours on duty / 10 hours off duty in 24 hours, with a maximum of 60 cumulative hours on duty over 7 days or 70 cumulative hours over 8 days and a 34 hour restart). Actigraphy data collected in this study will be used to estimate sleep and wake times. Slow eyelid closure (PERCLOS) data collected real-time during driving will be used as a measure of fatigue. Individual drivers’ data from the first week of the study will be combined and utilized to individualize a fatigue and performance model as technically described in Van Dongen et al. (2007).

This naturalistic driving data could be split into two datasets. The first dataset would be used to develop a tailored FMP model to predict the individual drivers’ performance, while the second dataset would be used to validate the tailored FMP model against actual driving performance. A comparison of model results to actual PERCLOS and critical incident data collected during the period will serve as an important validation step for the individualization procedure. To quantify the success of this proof-of-concept project, the contractor will compare our results to those that would be achieved using the conventional, non-individualized version of the fatigue and performance model.

Research Objective(s):

The objective of this project is to develop an individualized FMP model that takes into account individual differences and driving performance. This model will be developed into a tool that could be commercialized for use by the motor carrier industry for scheduling CMV drivers.
Urgency, Payoff Potential, and Implementation:

Current fatigue models are deficient because they don’t take into account the tremendous individual differences that exist between individual subjects or drivers. This modeling effort and tool development could greatly improve schedule development and has to potential to reduce driver fatigue and thereby reducing driver crash risk.

Research References

• Belenky G, Balkin TJ, Redmond DP, Sing HC, Thomas ML, Thorne DR, Wesensten NJ (1998). Sustaining performance during continuous operations: The U.S. Army’s sleep management system. In Hartley L (Ed.), Managing Fatigue in Transportation. Pergamon, Oxford: 77-85.
• Hanowski RJ, Nakata A, Olson RL (2004). Methodological overview of the drowsy driver warning system field operational test. In Safety Performance and Accident Free Driving, SP-1911 (SAE Technical Paper Series 2004-01-2718). Society of Automotive Engineers International, Warrendale: 103-108.
• Van Dongen HPA, Baynard MD, Maislin G, Dinges DF (2004). Systematic interindividual differences in neurobehavioral impairment from sleep loss: Evidence of trait-like differential vulnerability. Sleep 27(3): 423-433.
• Van Dongen HPA, Mott CG, Huang J-K, Mollicone DJ, McKenzie FD, Dinges DF (2007). Optimization of biomathematical model predictions for cognitive performance impairment in individuals: Accounting for unknown traits and uncertain states in homeostatic and circadian processes. Sleep 30(9): 1129-1143.
• Van Dongen HPA, Vitellaro KM, Dinges DF (2005). Individual differences in adult human sleep and wakefulness: Leitmotif for a research agenda. Sleep 28(4): 479-496.

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)

Innovative Safety, Reliability and Inspection Technologies

PHMSA has designed a SBIR topic for 2009 to address issues identified in the focus areas of Pipeline Safety and or Hazardous Materials. The focus areas described below support the DOT Secretary's strategic vision of using SBIR funds to develop "safer, simpler and smarter transportation solutions".

091-PH1   Pipeline Safety:

America receives over two-thirds of the crude and petroleum products for more than 55 million residential and commercial customers, through more than 168,000 miles of Hazardous Liquid pipelines (based on year 2007 liquid pipeline operator national mileage information). In addition, over 319,000 miles of gas transmission pipeline transport natural gas to local companies that distribute it through over 2,015,000 miles of distribution pipelines to local customers. This supply of energy has too often been disrupted by pipeline leaks. In addition, damage from excavation is the leading cause for in-field utilities disruption.

For Pipeline Safety, research is sought on the use of innovative tools that enable operators to perform in-field detailed assessment on dents and wrinkle bends to determine damage severity as it relates to the pipeline integrity.

1.  Development of in-field pipeline inspection tools

Currently, deformations in pipelines such as dents and wrinkles are measured in the ditch using standard pit gauges. This only allows for the measurement of a maximum deflection and the deformation extent is then measured using a ruler or a straight edge. Such measurement does not provide enough details to perform detailed assessment of the damage severity as it cannot provide the pipeline operator with an accurate representation of the shape of the dent. Recent developments in assessment techniques and understanding of dent behaviors have shown conclusively that the severity of a dent is closely tied to its shape.

Currently, the relatively high cost of specialized tools needed to perform such measurements and the need for highly trained operators has been a deterrent towards widespread use of existing technology in the field.

Applications are sought to study, develop and demonstrate new deformation measurement tools repair techniques for transmission and or distribution pipelines. Anticipated results will include a low-cost, time efficient, simple to use, and reliable tool with validated and established performance.

091-PH2   Hazardous Materials:

Hazardous materials are essential to the economy of the United States and the well-being of its people. Hazardous materials fuel automobiles, heat and cool homes and offices, purify water supplies, used for farming and medical applications, and in manufacturing, mining, and other industrial processes. More than 3 billion tons of regulated hazardous materials – including explosive, poisonous, corrosive, flammable, and radioactive materials – are transported in this country each year. There are over 800,000 daily shipments of hazardous materials moving by plane, train, truck, or vessel in quantities ranging from ounces to thousands of gallons.

1.  In-service Testing of Composite Cylinders

Metallic lined composite cylinders have been used for many years under PHMSA’s Special Permit Program. PHMSA has recently approved special permits for a composite cylinder with a non-load sharing liner. The failure modes of composite cylinders with non-load sharing liners are not well understood. DOT limits the life of composite cylinders to 15 years from the date of manufacture based upon work done by NASA and a desire to keep the possible failure rate below 1 in a million. There is a lack of information which can be used to predict the life expectancy of a composite cylinder in service. Research is needed into different methods for conducting in-service testing of composite cylinders.

2.  Nanotechnology Application in Hazmat Transportation

Nanotechnology is increasingly entering the marketplace. Nanotechnology may potentially be used in hazardous material packaging designs to enhance hazmat transportation safety. Research is needed to determine potential ways nanotechnology could be used to improve current packaging used to transport hazardous materials. Nano-sized particles present certain challenges when transported in commerce. Research is also necessary to ensure the safe transportation of nano-sized particles (e.g., appropriate packaging types as well as closure methods for packaging’s containing these materials).