Every year billions of tax payers’ dollars are spent in an attempt to repair and maintain the crumbling four million miles of roads and highways that span the country. The US government adds nearly 36,000 lane-miles of roadway per year and the amount of deterioration is growing faster than can be repaired (ARTBA, 2013). New systems are being developed in an attempt to improve road conditions and slow the degradation of the country’s roadways. This project proposes a new system, incorporating smart materials, in an attempt to solve the issues caused by failing dowel-jointed rigid pavements. The proposed dowel system, based on a magnetorheological (MR) fluid dampening system, would provide the appropriate stiffness in the dowel in response to various dynamic loads due to vehicular traffic.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Arsenault, James Kirk
• Surprenant, Christopher Michael
• Magnano, David Dwyer

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-050113-223226

Advisor

• Kim, Yeesock
• El-Korchi, Tahar

Year

• 2013

Date created

• 2013-05-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Civil Engineering

Rights statement

• In Copyright