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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
    <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://trid.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>A 3D Rendering-Assisted Quantitative Evaluation of Stripping in Recycled Asphalt Materials</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2663861</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Stripping resistance of recycled asphalt materials is a key factor affecting the long-term durability of pavements, yet conventional methods such as the boiling test (ASTM D3625) remain qualitative and lack spatial quantification. To address this limitation, this study employed an ultrasonic stripping test to simulate dynamic water pressure, combined with Pixel 3D image reconstruction and rendering to systematically evaluate the interfacial adhesion between three typical aggregates and five recycled asphalt systems. The proposed 3D rendering method enabled spatially resolved and quantitative visualization of residual asphalt coverage, offering higher accuracy and reproducibility than conventional 2D image-based methods and adhesion grade–based evaluations. The method was further validated and mechanistically interpreted using contact angle measurements, GPC, and DSR tests. The results demonstrate that this method can clearly differentiate adhesion performance among recycled asphalts incorporating different rejuvenators. After ultrasonic stripping at 60°C for 60min, soybean oil recycled asphalt shows the best performance, with asphalt retention rates of 96.5% on limestone, 94.51% on diabase, and 85.97% on granite, all higher than tall oil and aromatic oil systems. SBS-recycled asphalt outperforms base asphalt, maintaining an average retention of 90.48% on limestone after 120min. Contact angle and surface energy analyses confirm adhesion differences among rejuvenators, consistent with 3D rendering outcomes. This work provides an effective evaluation method for quantitatively characterizing the stripping resistance of recycled asphalt, providing a reliable approach for accurate interfacial evaluation and material optimization.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 10:53:37 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2663861</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>A feasibility study on in-service non-destructive inspection of railway rails by an ultrasonic technique based on travelling electromagnetic acoustic transducers</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2625375</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study explores the feasibility of electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) for ultrasonic rail inspection, focusing on bulk wave generation from the rail head and on defect detection at the central part of the rail foot. As a contactless method, EMATs could overcome some known limitations of conventional ultrasonic techniques, but require further validation. Different campaigns of experimental tests were performed, evaluating, by means of a probability of detection approach, the response of the technique to several artificial semi-elliptical flaws of increasing size and by considering two sensors characterized by different working frequencies. In contact, static tests allowed to assess the basic feasibility of the inspection technique and showed a linear response to defect size, saturating when defect width exceeded the rail web thickness. Dynamic tests allowed to introduce the effects of lift-off on signal responses. During all tests, the higher-frequency sensor outperformed the lower-frequency one. Finally, full-scale bogie tests on an indoor permanent track installation, comprehensive of defective rails, confirmed the higher flaw detection rates of the higher-frequency sensor, with minimal detection failures despite occasional false alarms. EMATs showed encouraging results for in-motion rail inspection: with further technical development and optimization, this technique could enhance ultrasonic rail inspection by diagnostic trains.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:39:49 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2625375</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fatigue crack detection system in orthotropic steel deck bridges using TFM/FMC with reflected waves on multiple paths</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2596629</link>
      <description><![CDATA[An orthotropic steel deck is a type of slab that has the function of directly supporting trucks on bridges. Since orthotropic steel decks are constructed by welding together thin steel plates, numerous fatigue cracks have occurred on routes with heavy truck traffic. In particular, cracking at the rib-to-deck welds in orthotropic steel decks poses one of the most serious problems. Cracks in the rib-to-deck welds cannot be detected by visual inspection and can be investigated most effectively by ultrasonic testing. The main issues with conventional manual testing are that it takes a lot of time to detect the cracks and that skilled engineers are required. This paper introduces a newly developed cutting-edge ultrasonic imaging method and its application to inspect deck plate fatigue cracks and bead fatigue crack of orthotropic steel deck bridges. The inspection system presented here involves advanced high-speed ultrasonic inspection equipment that incorporates parallel processing circuitry for image synthesis and a remotely operated four-wheel scanner with an ultrasonic array probe for angle beam inspection. The system is capable of synthesizing 3D images of the crack propagation and its shape with high resolution along the weld line, in real time, by integrating the B-scope images taken after each 2 mm of scanner movement. Through verification testing of fatigue crack propagation test specimens, it was confirmed that this inspection system gives improvements of inspection performance by achieving better crack shape visualization and a higher measurement accuracy of ±0.8 mm at a depth of 1.3 mm or more for a deck plate crack and ±1.0 mm at a depth of 1.9 mm or more for a bead crack compared to traditional inspection methods. Verification tests are currently being conducted on actual bridges, with a practical application planned for the near future.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:17:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2596629</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Material parameter inversion based on the piezoelectric wave propagation method and its application in pavement deflection prediction</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571548</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Piezoelectric materials have been widely applied in monitoring fields; however, research on their use for deflection measurement in pavement engineering is limited. This study proposes a method that combines the Piezoelectric Wave Propagation Method (PWPM) with data-driven techniques to achieve in-situ sensing and real-time measurement of the central deflection (CD). First, material parameters and piezoelectric ultrasonic tests were conducted on in-situ core samples. Furthermore, numerical simulations were employed to construct the Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Active Sensing Model (PUAS Model) and the Comprehensive Pavement Structure Deflection Response Model (CPS-Deflection Model), generating corresponding simulation datasets. Subsequently, a data-driven approach was utilized to develop the Piezoelectric Feature-Based Material Parameter Inversion Model (PF-Material Inversion Model), enabling material parameter prediction. Finally, a Material-parameter-based Central Deflection Prediction Model (MPCD Model) was established, revealing the mapping relationship between material parameters and CD. Experimental and simulation results indicate that the PUAS Model and CPS-Deflection Model exhibit high accuracy, providing reliable finite element (FE) model support for subsequent predictive analysis. The Deep Neural Networks (DNN) demonstrated excellent accuracy and stability in both the PF-Material Inversion Model and MPCD Model. By inputting the material parameters of the in-situ core samples from locations K2028 + #1, K2028 + #2, and K2028 + #3 into the prediction model, the relative errors between the predicted and measured CD values were 12.25 %, 15.87 %, and 14.87 %, respectively — all below 16 %. These results confirm the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed in-situ monitoring method for pavement material parameter evaluation and CD measurement.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 08:50:09 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2571548</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>On the Assessment of the Lack of Penetration Height During Ultrasonic Testing of Welded Joints for Railway Products</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2408109</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Based on the analysis of international and interstate standards for ultrasonic testing of welded joints for railway products, it was established that it is necessary to develop a methodology that allows determining the height of structural lack of penetration in one-sided joints of the main types: butt, tee-form and corner joints, in order to improve the manufactured products’ quality, as well as to increase operational reliability of the rolling stock. The paper presents an overview and theoretical analysis of methods for determining the height of planar flaws. Particular attention is paid to the factor influencing the systematic error in estimating the flaws size, as well as to the methodological features of the multi-element transducers’ emitting and receiving apertures parameters choice. Experimental studies were carried out using a modern flaw detector with specialized software, which implements the methods of electronic scanning of the “running” and “rocking” beam, on the samples with vertical deterministic reflectors, which simulated flaws of the “lack of penetration” type in the root of the weld. Based on the experimental studies’ results, it was established: methodological features were determined when choosing the equipment parameters, their adjustment and verification, as well as the errors in estimating the height of flaws in an undetected signal when determining the height of the reflector from the maximum of the echo signal and from the first half-wave of the radio signal were determined.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:03:45 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2408109</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Simulation Methods of Ultrasonic Guided Wave Propagation Mechanism and Sensor Deployment in Rail</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2407668</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Ultrasonic guided wave is a recommending tool in the field of structural inspection. With high-speed railway turning into the trend of the national railway, as a direct facility to keep it operation efficient and safe, rail’s qualities are guaranteed necessarily. Testing rail with ultrasonic guided waves was public acknowledged. Therefore, to make better use of ultrasonic guided wave for nondestructive testing of rail, verify the feasibility of ultrasonic sensor position. Finite element method was taken to simulate ultrasonic guided wave propagation in head, web and base of rail with the utilization of COMSOL. Determine the central frequency of guide wave excitation via dispersion curve and characteristics of piezoelectric transducer (PZT). On the basis of simulation result the applicable scheme of sensor position in different parts of rail was obtained.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:51:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2407668</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Ultrasonic Inspection of Reconditioned Railroad Bearing Components – Year 3</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2574196</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight rail bearings are often subjected to heavy loads such that the performance of each bearing plays a crucial role in the safe operation of the entire train. Even bearings that are properly maintained may still fail due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) if local regions within the bearing race do not meet established effective case depth (ECD) standards. In addition, little is known about potential changes that may occur within the highest stress region after extensive service life. Ultrasonic grain scattering shows sensitivity to both microstructure and residual stresses such that nondestructive measurement methods based on diffuse ultrasonic backscatter have shown a high correlation with the overall status of the raceway. Results from the first year showed clear differences between new and reconditioned bearing cups in terms of their ultrasonic signatures. This work will be expanded to include spatial maps of raceways to identify locations that are outside the statistical bounds expected for a given part. Those locations will be identified and those parts will be tested in simulated service life testing at UTRGV for comparison with the predictions. ]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2025 19:01:11 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2574196</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fatigue Strength Improvement for CVT Metal Belt by Ring Mesh</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2556920</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The fatigue strength of the mesh on the inner ring surface of the CVT metal belt was determined by ultrasonic fretting tests and low-torque high-tension loading mode. In the low-torque, high-tension loading mode, the cracks generated at the apex of the mesh geometry passed through the grooves of the mesh geometry, which arrested the crack propagation and increased the fatigue strength.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:12:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2556920</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CAAP Final Report: Holistic Electromagnetic and Ultrasonic NDE Techniques for Plastic
Pipeline Aging and Degradation Characterization</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2536195</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Plasticizer loss in pipelines occurs gradually over time as a result of diffusion and evaporation. It can go unnoticed with conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques as it occurs uniformly in a pipeline. Plasticizer loss results in brittleness and sudden failure subjecting the surroundings to hazard. The proposed method will involve the development of flexible microwave probe that can conform to any curvature and gauge the extent of plasticizer loss. Operating on the principle of change in dielectric property in close vicinity (near field), even the slight variation in the dielectric properties will be gauged accurately. This allows the early prediction of plasticizer loss. Experiments will be conducted to correlate the dielectric change as a function of frequency to the plasticizer loss along the thickness of the pipe. The probe will be mounted on an endoscopic scanning type hardware to provide a visual output of the scanned surface indicating plasticizer loss and other defects. Additional processing capability will be developed to the hardware to classify the plasticizer loss with other defects. The classification will further be ascertained with a higher probability of detection using additional results from the non-linear ultrasonic measurement, and with the quantification and minimization of uncertainty parameters in the measurements like liftoff and noise. Such capabilities impart operator independence to the diagnostic system that provides with intuitive scans. In addition, methodologies for NDE uncertainty quantification and inspection optimization will be proposed. The uncertainty of NDE measurement will be quantified using Gaussian process and Kolmogorov–Smirnov testing. The inspection optimization will be performed using mechanical analysis and Markov Decision Process modeling to advise the optimal location and planning of NDE inspection.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:18:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2536195</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CAAP Final Report: Nondestructive Diagnosis and Probabilistic Prognosis of Aging Plastic Pipe</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2536194</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Plastic pipe is increasingly used in natural gas pipeline systems. Polyethylene (PE) is the most common material in gas pipelines due to advantages of corrosion resistance and low cost etc. However, plastic pipe is susceptible to degradation over time. Existing data indicate that some of the early plastic piping products are susceptible to brittle cracking failure, i.e. slow crack growth. Degradation in aging plastic from embrittlement and strength reduction further increases the risk of brittle failure. Nondestructive evaluation (NDE) research and technologies are limited for plastic pipe. Therefore, there is an urgent need to evaluate the in-situ material properties of plastic pipe and develop a risk-based decision model regarding to the plastic pipe performance. To address these challenges, the authors propose a solution of combining NDE techniques with probabilistic modeling for lifetime prediction of plastic pipeline. The main objectives of this project are: (1) evaluating degradation of in-situ plastic pipe using nonlinear ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) method, (2) demonstrating correlation between nonlinear ultrasonic parameters with stress cracking resistance (SCR) of materials, and (3) improving the probabilistic decision model by reducing uncertainties in material properties.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 23 Apr 2025 10:18:48 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2536194</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Consideration on Application of Nondestructive Test to Estimate In-Situ Compressive Strength of Concrete: A Case Study</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2526245</link>
      <description><![CDATA[To comprehensively explore the utility of non-destructive tests (NDT) results for structural diagnosis, this study collected NDT results and core compressive strength test results from aged bridges. Girders and slabs were obtained from seven such bridges, and after sectioning, rebound hardness test (RHT) or ultrasonic pulse velocity test (UPVT) were conducted alongside coring. The standard equations for estimation in South Korea were applied and a comparison between core strength and strength estimated using NDT results was conducted. In addition, the relationship between the static modulus and core specimen strength was determined to assess the soundness of the concrete cores, a factor that influences NDT signals. Based on the experimental results, this study deliberates on the practical applications of NDT results in structural diagnosis. A protocol for calculating the characteristic in-situ compressive strength using NDT results without coring was proposed and statistically validate this protocol via a probabilistic simulation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:55:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2526245</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Assessment of Normative Documentation for Ultrasonic Inspection of Railway Vehicles’ Welded Joints During Fabrication</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2406911</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Overview and theoretical analysis of modern international, interstate, industry and organization standards for ultrasonic inspection of railway rolling stock welded joints during manufacture are presented. Paying special attention to the standard’s implementation in terms of physical and mechanical including acoustic base metal joint properties, geometric features and the control of welded joints with partial weld penetration. Under analysis it has been established that international and branch standards have common features and apply to ultrasonic inspection of main types of welded joints: butt joints, T-joints and corner joints with full penetration of the weld root made of low-carbon and low-alloy steels, welding elements having plane-parallel surfaces and base metal material made by the same production technology. Based on the paper’s results the actual objectives in the field of ultrasonic welded joints inspection of railway rolling stock during its manufacture are formulated. The objectives include the stages of research and development of ultrasonic inspection techniques for welded joints: elements with different acoustic properties with partial penetration of weld root and wedge-shaped welded elements made by different manufacturing techniques.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2025 16:18:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2406911</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Experimental investigation on monitoring the evolution of fatigue microcracks in marine high-strength steel by nonlinear ultrasonic technique</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2475251</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Due to harsh service conditions, fatigue damage is the main reason for numerous catastrophic accidents of ships and offshore constructions. This paper uses a nonlinear ultrasonic technique to monitor the evolution of fatigue microcracks in marine steel AH36. An experimental system was established and nonlinear ultrasonic inspections were conducted on the specimens with different fatigue degrees. The microstructural changes induced by fatigue loading were also studied by microscopic observation. The experimental results demonstrate that the normalised nonlinear parameters show a closed relation to the evolution of fatigue microcracks in steel AH36. Meanwhile, microscopic observation indicates that the microcrack generation mode and grain boundary cracking are the two mechanisms for microcrack generation. Both the generation and growth of the microcracks contribute to the rise of the nonlinear effect. Consequently, the nonlinear ultrasonic techniques provide a reliable and effective method for monitoring the evolution of fatigue microcracks in marine high-strength steel.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 14:35:19 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2475251</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Ultrasonic Inspection of Reconditioned Railroad Bearing Components – Year 1</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2479888</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Freight rail bearings are often subjected to heavy loads such that the performance of each bearing plays a crucial role in the safe operation of the entire train. Even bearings that are properly maintained may still fail due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) if local regions within the bearing race do not meet established effective case depth (ECD) standards. In addition, little is known about potential changes that may occur within the highest stress region after extensive service life. Ultrasonic grain scattering shows sensitivity to both microstructure and residual stresses such that nondestructive measurement methods based on diffuse ultrasonic backscatter have shown a high correlation with the overall status of the raceway. Results from the first year showed clear differences between new and reconditioned bearing cups in terms of their ultrasonic signatures. This work will be expanded to include spatial maps of raceways to identify locations that are outside the statistical bounds expected for a given part. Those locations will be identified and those parts will be tested in simulated service life testing at UTRGV for comparison with the predictions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:04:51 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2479888</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Non-Destructive Testing of Reinforced Clayey Sand Stabilized with Seashell Ash Using Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity Test</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2449505</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research uses seashell ash (SAA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers to improve clayey sand soil. For this purpose, CBR and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) tests are conducted on sandy soil samples with different clay contents and stabilized with different contents of SSA and PET fibers. Results indicated that the SSA and PET fiber inclusion caused an increase in CBR values, and it was found that the optimal mix design of the treated clayey sand is 30% clay, 7% SSA, and 1% PET fiber, and the optimum curing time was 28 days. The exponential relationship between UPV values (P-wave velocity or VP) and CBR test results showed that CBR could be predicted by UPV with acceptable accuracy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 06 Dec 2024 09:19:50 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2449505</guid>
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