[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 83 (Monday, May 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-10387]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: May 2, 1994]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Availability of Solicitation for Center of Excellence (COE) in
Airport Pavement Research
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of an open solicitation of aviation
research grant proposals to establish an FAA Center of Excellence in
Airport Pavement Research. The FAA is responsible for developing
standards for airport pavement design, evaluation, and maintenance.
Together with the airport operators and industry, the FAA spends nearly
$2 billion annually for airport construction and maintenance. Plans for
the introduction of new, larger, and heavier aircraft weighing more
than a million pounds have necessitated a re-examination of the current
pavement design methodologies. The COE for pavement research will
assist the FAA to develop advanced design methodologies which are
validated through full-scale testing. The FAA grant award will provide
long-term funding to establish and operate the COE in support of
pavement research.
The grant recipient is required to match FAA funds with non-Federal
funding over the term of the grant.
DATES: Solicitation packages may be obtained by contacting the COE
Program Manager. The closing date for submitting final proposals is
June 8, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Contact Ms. Patricia Watts, The Office of Research and
Technology Applications, ACL, Building 270, Atlantic City International
Airport, New Jersey, 08405, telephone (609) 485-5043 or (609) 485-5901,
Fax number (609) 485-6509 or (609) 485-4020.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA intends to award a grant to
establish a Center of Excellence in Airport Pavement Research at a
qualified college or university. The Center will conduct basic research
in four major areas: modeling of airport pavement structures,
constitutive behavior of payment materials, material characterization
and new technologies in pavement evaluation.
Eligibility
Colleges and universities are eligible for grants to establish a
Center of Excellent in Airport Pavement Research. The FAA is seeking to
ensure an equitable geographical distribution of funds and to encourage
the inclusion of minority institutions.
Matching Funds Requirement
A Center of Excellence receives funding annually in the form of
single or multiple continuing research grants over a three year period.
The Federal Government provides 50 percent of the cost to establish and
operate a Center of Excellence. The institution must show a continuing
source of non-Federal matching funds available for the remaining
research and operational expenses at the Center. Once the COE is
established, a fiscal year declaring the source and amount of funding
and expenditures must be submitted for review every 6 months to The
Office of Research and Technology Applications at the FAA Technical
Center. A full review and grant close-out takes place at the conclusion
of each three-year phase.
The Center of Excellence and the agency shall agree upon the
maximum expected costs in each fiscal year. Any cost incurred in excess
of the maximum costs agreed upon with the agency shall be the sole
obligation of the Center of Excellence.
The Center of Excellence is expected to account for all funds
granted and matched, utilized to establish, operate, and conduct the
specified research activities of the Center of Excellence.
Maintenance of Effort and Center Operations
A Center of Excellence is required to maintain its aggregate
expenditures from all other sources for establishing and operating a
Center of Excellence and related research activities at or above the
average level of such expenditures in its 2 fiscal years preceding
November 5, 1990. The establishment of a Center of Excellence is
intended to augment the level of aviation research activities at the
institution.
The Center of Excellence must maintain a close working relationship
with the corresponding agency research program office. This
relationship extends to participation in conferences, meetings, joint
research efforts, and submission of significant activity reports to the
FAA on a routine basis. The COE prepares quarterly and semi-annual
reports, and a fully inclusive annual report on research projects and
fiscal expenditures, and hosts an on-site review of all research
activities.
The FAA may require the COE to hold an annual joint symposium with
the agency on topics relating to the status and results of the
designated technology area. Researchers at the COE may serve as
consultants by providing technical advice to the sponsoring agency
program office. They may also be asked to participate on major planning
and investigative committees related to airport pavement technology.
The COE will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:
--The extent to which the needs of the State in which the applicant is
located are representative of the needs of the region for improved air
transportation services and facilities.
--The demonstrated research and extension resources available to the
applicant for carrying out the intent of the legislation.
--The capability of the applicant to provide leadership in making
national and regional contributions to the solution of both long-range
and immediate air transportation problems.
--The extent to which the applicant has an established air
transportation program.
--The demonstrated ability of the applicant to disseminate results of
air transportation research and educational programs through a
statewide or regionwide continuing education program.
--The research projects that the applicant proposes to carry out under
the grant.
Research Area
Aircraft technology has made giant strides in the past thirty years
by successfully incorporating advances made in a host of other
technologies. These advanced technologies include composite materials,
high temperature alloys, inertial navigation, fly-by-wire controls, and
other areas where the performance and economics could be improved in
even the smallest increments.
In comparison, airport pavement technologies have advanced little
during this time. Current design methods for asphalt and concrete
pavements for airports use unrelated theories that cannot be applied
when combinations of these materials are used. This is a commonly
encountered problem that can only be resolved by using equivalency
factors, which are judgmentally chosen. This approach to the design of
airport pavements must be replaced with a common methodology based on
sound theoretical principles and test validated models. We must take
advantage of enhanced computational abilities to provide the
flexibility of dealing with the various permutations of complex landing
gear configurations that must be analyzed with each new proposed
aircraft design. The aircraft will have different types of landing gear
layouts that are quite different from current ones, with more wheels on
each landing gear strut, and the struts closely spaced around the
center of the aircraft.
The current FAA pavement design and evaluation methodologies need
to be improved for analyzing and airport pavement response and
requirements of new aircraft, such as the triple tandem Boeing B-777
and much heavier models reaching 1.3 million pounds. As a result of
this new methodology, the FAA will be able to deal more efficiently
with aircraft manufactures, the airlines, and airport owners. These key
players of the aerospace industry all require an FAA and International
Civil Aviation Organization sanctioned procedure for estimating
pavement response because it is critical in selling aircraft, in
planning new airline route and services, and in protecting the billions
of dollars already invested in airport pavements. Delays in resolving
these problems will jeopardize the smooth introduction of new large
aircraft. Pavement structure is basically a composite system consisting
of asphalt, concrete, and soils of various types. This system exhibits
viscoelastic, inelastic, brittle, and plastic behavior when subjected
to moving wheel loads. Mechanics of pavement failure and methodology to
predict pavement life, particularly when the new generations of
aircraft are introduced, are not known. Development of new methodology
requires fundamental analyses and pavement evaluation.
Who May Apply
1. Colleges and universities may submit proposals for grant awards
to establish and operate the COE in Airport Pavement Research.
2. Individuals are not eligible for a DOE designation and do not
qualify for grants under this program.
3. Before final proposal submission, the proposal may be discussed
with the Center of Excellence Program Manager, Ms. Patricia Watts, in
the Office of Research and Technology Applications, ACL-1, at (609)
485-5043/(609) 485-5901 or FAX (609) 485-6509/(609) 485-4020.
Award Date
The final selection of the Center of Excellence in Airport Pavement
Research Technology will be announced by the Administrator by September
30.
Issued in Atlantic County, New Jersey on April 15, 1994.
Lonni Czekalski,
Deputy Director, FAA Technical Center.
[FR Doc. 94-10387 Filed 4-29-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M
