November 2017 Vol. 72 No. 11
Features
TTC Research Activities Expanding Rapidly
The Trenchless Technology Center at Louisiana Tech University has been very busy in 2017 conducting and planning new research on the performance of many trenchless technology materials.
These tests include long-term tensile and bending creep tests conducted inside various environmental chambers under controlled temperature and humidity. The current long-term tests are being conducted on specimens prepared from resin-impregnated cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liners and glass reinforced polymers (GFRP).
Planning is also well underway for a series of experiments and tests on several spray-in-place pipe (SIPP) materials and systems. The TTC has unique capabilities spread across its large laboratory footprint at LA Tech to perform numerous specialty tests, many of which have to be developed beyond what standard methods can provide. This need is due to continued innovation of technology developers whose products and materials are constantly pushing the technical envelope forward, and the TTC is capable of meeting these unique needs.
The TTC has also been conducting hydrostatic design basis (HDB) testing using a modified method. Strain-based static HDB testing is mentioned in the current ASTM D2992, but there is no standard protocol given. The TTC, along with several partners, has developed a modified standard protocol for conducting such a test, and is currently conducting the first round of testing.
The experiment includes testing 15 full-scale specimens subjected to five different pressure ranges, from 150 to 350 psi. Pressure transducers are installed on each specimen for continuous monitoring of any change in pressure. Moreover, strain gauges are installed in both the longitudinal and hoop directions to monitor the creep strain on the specimens subjected to continuous pressure. The goal of this effort will be development of creep strain and creep modulus plots on full-scale specimens.
For more information on all of TTC’s testing and research capabilities, please contact Dr. John Matthews, matthews@latech.edu or visit www.ttc.latech.edu.
TTC Student Internship Exchange Program with Hong Kong PolyU
The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University has partnered with Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to create a student internship exchange program.
Over the past 28 years, the TTC has maintained strong international leadership in developing, maintaining and managing buried assets. In the summer of 2016, TTC established the program with PolyU and each organization has sent two students per year to participate in the program. Two PolyU students assisted the TTC in the Utility Investigation School (UIS) in August 2016, which was developed with ASCE’s Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute (UESI). The five-day training school was taught by the foremost experts in the geophysics and subsurface utility engineering field. TTC wishes to express the appreciation to Vic Weston of Tri-State Boring for making the program possible through financial support from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.
In the summer of 2017, TTC sent two students from the Construction Engineering Technology (CET) program at Louisiana Tech to PolyU for the second time. These students, Destiny Raney and Jackson Little, originally from Louisiana, are in their senior year in the CET program.
The TTC also hosted two students from PolyU. These two students participated in several events while in the U.S. including a one-day course focused on ground penetrating radar (GPR) at the TTC, which was conducted in partnership with Sensors and Software. A major component of this course was field experience; users learned to set up the equipment and proper surveying techniques (line scan and grid scan), including the use of GPS. Data was downloaded and reviewed in the software, along with various data outputs and reports.
Case studies and data interpretation were also taught. Attendees from the cities of Ruston (Louisiana), Sarasota (Florida) and the Farmers Branch (Texas), along with TTC Visiting Scholars, TTC graduate and undergraduate students, completed the course.
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