UTA receives $10 million grant to assist development of efficient concrete

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Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, civil engineering professor and assistant director for the center for advanced construction material, demonstrates the machine during the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. Konsta-Gdoutos received a $10 million, five-year grant from the Department of Transportation.

Civil engineering professor Maria Konsta-Gdoutos is receiving a $10 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to create the Tier 1 University Transportation Center for Durable and Resilient Transportation Infrastructure.

The DOT’s University Transportation Centers Program awards grants to colleges and universities to advance transportation research and technology and develop professionals in the field, according to the department’s website. In 2016, the department funded just over $300 million to 32 other centers.

Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, civil engineering professor and assistant director for the center for advanced construction material, listens to the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. Konsta-Gdoutos will use the grant to create the Tier 1 University Transportation Center for Durable and Reliant Transportation Infrastructure.

Konsta-Gdoutos’ research is looking to develop energy-efficient concrete with lower manufacturing, operational and maintenance costs. The target is a 50% extended lifetime for concrete and negative net greenhouse gas emissions in transportation infrastructure, according to the press release.

“The work we have here to discuss today has the potential to transform the production and maintenance of concrete with lasting and beneficial effects for our transportation infrastructure,” said Peter Crouch, College of Engineering dean.

Peter Crouch, College of Engineering dean, laughs and talks before the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. Crouch introduced Robert Hampshire, DOT deputy assistant secretary for research and technology and Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, civil engineering professor and assistant director for the center for advanced construction material.

The Tier 1 University Transportation Center will direct the development of resilient and durable construction materials, according to the press release. The research is spearheading a program to revitalize the U.S.’s transportation infrastructure, improving the score for bridges and pavements in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ infrastructure assessment.

The society provides an infrastructure assessment of the nation’s 17 major categories in an Infrastructure Report Card every four years, using an A to F ranking system, according to its website.

Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, civil engineering professor and assistant director for the center for advanced construction material, talks through the machines' process during the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. Konsta-Gdoutos is working to develop more energy-efficient concrete.

Bridges currently sit at a C on the 2021 report card, meaning they are in fair to good condition, with signs of deterioration and some elements with deficiencies in functionality that require attention. Currently, 42% of bridges in the U.S. are at least 50 years old.

The Tier 1 University Transportation Center will be composed of researchers from various universities: Howard University, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Oregon State University, Purdue University, the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez and UTA.

Maria Konsta-Gdoutos, civil engineering professor and assistant director for the center for advanced construction material, shares information about the machine to Robert Hampshire, DOT deputy assistant secretary for research and technology during the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. The research is targeting a 50% extended lifetime and negative net greenhouse gas emissions in transportation infrastructure.

“This is a really critical and important set of partners that we're really looking for from the department to see what you guys are going to come up with,” said Robert Hampshire, DOT deputy assistant secretary for research and technology.

Researchers in the center will be able to use an advanced atomic microscopy system, which allows researchers to view data along with composition makeup in order to design and engineer greener concrete. UTA is the only university to have this tool.

Concrete begins to shatter under compression during the green and sustainable concrete press conference April 27 at the Engineering Lab Building. The Tier 1 University Transportation Center will direct the development of resilient and durable construction materials.

The atomic microscopy system can provide imaging while simultaneously running tests on the material’s mechanical properties at the nanoscale, Konsta-Gdoutos said. This technology has greatly contributed to the research’s progress.

UTA has seven doctoral students working on the research, and starting in the summer, undergraduate students will also join, Konsta-Gdoutos said. Including the other universities in the center, around 30 students will be working on the project, but the number will keep increasing in the coming years.

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