J. Brian Anderson, associate professor of civil engineering, is collaborating with the Alabama Department of Transportation for the next three years to investigate solutions to remediate swelling clays found under roads in western Alabama while keeping the routes open. Shrinking and swelling soils, sometimes called expansive soils, are typically the result of the presence of high plasticity clays. The consequences of swelling can be significant, with moderate swelling pressures high enough to heave roadways. Expansive soils are an issue in many areas in the United States. Locally, these soils are common in the southern and western portions of Alabama. Many roads in this part of the state follow farm to market routes that were cut and built from materials in the immediate area. These roads typically serve rural areas and many have become key routes for commercial traffic. Typical permanent solutions to this problem involve closure and reconstruction of the roads from the bottom up. However, closure or detouring of these roads is often not feasible from the standpoints of economics and safety. Anderson and his team are looking at the application of a method to arrest the shrinking and swelling of these clays in place, with minimal interruption of traffic.
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AUBURN ENGINEERING NEWS
- Students’ awesome research ideas celebrated at college’s second AUSome Science in 60 Seconds April 25, 2024AUSome Science in 60 Seconds, a research-based competition in its second year presented by the Council of Engineering Graduate Students, tasked students to create videos and explain their respective projects in a minute or less. Winners were announced during an awards ceremony on Thursday, April 25.
- ASME and CDCR assistant director honored by AU Involvement April 25, 2024This year’s Involvement Awards were a big hit for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. Among those winning awards were The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Apryl Mullins, assistant director for corporate relations in the Auburn Engineering Office of Career Development and Corporate Relations (CDCR).
- New 3D printing course adding layers of hands-on experience April 25, 2024A new introductory course held in the state-of-the-art 11,000-square-foot makerspace on the ground floor of the Brown-Kopel Engineering Student Achievement Center is giving Auburn engineering students solid layers of experience with 3D printing.