Transcend researchers acquired portable lighting equipment and additional snow removal equipment to facilitate snow making and winter research. The portable lighting equipment is used for nighttime snowmaking operations. Typically, it is easier to make snow during the night because the surface and air temperatures are more stable which creates a more consistent product.
Month: December 2009
WTI will be initiating a Road Dust Institute
December 2009 — The Western Transportation Institute will be initiating a Road Dust Institute. This initiative will foster partnerships and promote research, education, and technology transfer to ensure best management practices for dust control.
The Road Dust Institute is a part of the Western Transportation Institute’s strategic direction, aiding growth of the Road Dust Management and Future Needs Conference and supporting dust related research, such as the National Scan of Best Practices for Chemical Treatments on Unpaved Roads. The Transcend research facility provides the opportunity to conduct fundamental and applied research that addresses the needs for dust control solutions without disruption to the traveling public.
Please contact us for additional information on the road dust initiative, Road Dust and Future Needs Conference, and Scan Tour of Best Practices.
Researchers install another animal detection system
Researchers installed another animal detection system in the test bed. This is a break-the-beam system that uses microwave radio signals. It is the third generation system manufactured by ICx Radar Systems (formerly STS). As an above ground system, it uses microwave radio frequencies which are transmitted by a transmitter on one end of the testbed to a receiver placed on the other side of the testbed. When the animal interrupts the microwave radio signal by walking through the beam, a detection is noted. Like the other systems being tested the date and time of each detection is recorded and cross referenced to the infrared camera images that show the locations of the animals, allowing the researchers to investigate the reliability of the system. This system sends the detections via a wireless link to a computer in the research trailer at the test bed where the data are stored in detection files. This system, along with the MagalSenstar system will be investigated for its reliability in different seasons and weather conditions through the coming year. Contact Marcel Huijser.
Researchers from Corrosion and Sustainable Infrastructure Travel to Transcend to Plan Project
Researchers from the Corrosion and Sustainable Infrastructure Laboratory (CSIL) have traveled to Transcend to finalize winter testing field site preparations for the PNS-led research project. Researchers calibrated deicer application equipment, set up the field site and sampling strategy, and tested the snow making equipment.