Investigation of RFID Based Sensors for Sustainable Transportation Applications

Through support of a University Transportation Research Center Faculty Development Minigrant an investigation was made into the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based sensing technologies for transportation purposes. Transportation applications would potentially include the wireless detection of overweight trucks, remote and automated emissions monitoring of vehicles, corrosion of infrastructure and transportation security applications. Sustainable transportation would be improved through savings realized by a reduction in the cost of sensor technologies as well as the significant cost savings and environmental impacts realized by reducing the damage to roads and bridges by the efficient detection of overweight trucks, a reduction in the number of vehicles with emissions violations, in-situ detection of infrastructure corrosion to enable just in time maintenance and improved safety of mass transit. Commercially available RFID tags cost $0.1 and are being used in a wide range of applications including, shipping, warehouse management among others. Recently Wake Inc. has developed methods for incorporation of RFID tags into concrete structures for in-situ measurement of the curing process. While these tags cost more than $0.1, due to the enhanced packaging, they are able to measure the temperature of concrete structures to determine when the structure has cured. Typical protocols require that concrete “cure” for a mandatory 28 days so that its maximum strength is achieved. However, depending on the local temperatures, humidity, concrete volume etc . , concrete may achieve this maximum strength in just several days. Thus, through the use of the RFID sensors, construction of transportation related infrastructure can proceed at a much faster pace and realize significant savings by reopening major routes, bridges or runways at earlier dates. While Wake Inc. has demonstrated this in several instances, including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, there are further improvements to be made to this technology by incorporating new sensing capabilities into RFID tags.

• Record URL:
  http://utrc2.org/research/assets/186/RFID-Report1.pdf
• 
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/34404
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  State University of New York, Albany

  College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, 255 Fuller Road
  Albany, NY  United States  12203

  University Transportation Research Center

  City College of New York
  Marshak Hall, Suite 910, 160 Convent Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10031

  Research and Innovative Technology Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Carpenter, Michael A
• Publication Date: 2011-1-21

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 19p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Concrete curing; Concrete structures; Corrosion; Costs; Detection and identification; Exhaust gases; Infrastructure; Monitoring; Overweight loads; Public transit; Radio frequency identification; Security; Sensors; Shipping; Sustainable transportation; Technological innovations
• Uncontrolled Terms: Accelerated construction
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01341797
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Report No. 49111-09-20
• Files: UTC, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jun 3 2011 4:41PM