The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) is the largest provider of water and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States. Reclamation’s infrastructure uses all major civil engineering material classes, including steel, concrete, plastics, and composites, to achieve the performance, and service life needed. Typical applications for composite materials include fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) pipelines, tanks, and other specialized infrastructure components, which take advantage of composites’ excellent corrosion resistance, reduced weight, and other helpful materials properties. Evaluation tools and methods for concrete and steel infrastructure are well established; however, FRP composite structures require new and more advanced evaluation techniques. As existing composite materials in our water infrastructure age, reliable and non-destructive methods to assess the condition of those composites structures in the field are needed. Reclamation, in collaboration with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is sponsoring this challenge with the goal of developing portable tools that use non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods to assess the condition of existing FRP composite structures. Such tools may also be used to confirm the quality of newly-received FRP composite structures, like pipes or gates.
Partner Organization: United States Bureau of Reclamation
Awards: $380,000
Open Date: March 4, 2021
Close Date: June 24, 2021
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