Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-2006-005

Communication Product Updates

Compiled by Zac Ellis of FHWA's Office of Research and Technology Services

Below are brief descriptions of products recently published online by the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Research, Development, and Technology. Some of the publications also may be available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). In some cases, limited copies are available from the Research and Technology (R&T) Product Distribution Center.

When ordering from NTIS, include the NTIS publication number (PB number) and the publication title. You also may visit the NTIS Web site at www.ntis.gov to order publications online. Call NTIS for current prices. For customers outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the cost is usually double the listed price. Address requests to:

Address requests for items available from:

For more information on research and technology publications from FHWA, visit the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center's (TFHRC) Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov/research/tfhrc/, FHWA's Web site at www.fhwa.dot.gov, the National Transportation Library's Web site at http://ntl.bts.gov, or the OneDOT information network at http://dotlibrary.dot.gov.

The Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program was designed as a 20-year study of pavement performance. A major component of the data collection effort at LTPP test sections is collecting longitudinal profile data using inertial profilers. Researchers have used three types of inertial profilers since the inception of the LTPP program: (1) K.J. Law Engineers DNC690 incandescent profilers; (2) K.J. Law Engineers T-6600 infrared-system profilers; and (3) International Cybernetics Corporation laser profilers.

The following analyses were performed for this research project: (1) investigation of data collection characteristics and comparison of profile data collected by the different inertial profilers; (2) comparison of International Roughness Index (IRI) values obtained by the different inertial profilers; (3) investigation of factors that contribute to differences in IRI for data obtained from profilers and the Dipstick®, which is an instrument to measure flatness and levelness; and (4) identification of problems with equipment functionality and current procedures for collecting and processing data. The analyses indicated good agreement of IRI values among the different inertial profilers that have been used in the LTPP program.

Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center. Copies also are available from NTIS. The NTIS order number is PB2006-100552.

Researchers performed calculations with the finite element code LS-DYNA to evaluate the performance of wood material model 143 and to set default material properties for southern yellow pine and Douglas fir. Correlations with published test data include static bending and compression simulations of dry timbers, static bending of saturated posts, and dynamic simulation of saturated posts struck by bogie vehicles.

The document is available online at www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/04096/index.cfm. Free printed copies are available from the R&T Product Distribution Center. Copies are also available from NTIS. The NTIS order number is PB2006-101279.

The companion manual to this report is titled Manual for LS-DYNA Wood Material Model 143 (FHWA-HRT-04-097).

A significant portion of traffic delays in metro-politan areas are caused by poor traffic signal timing. ACS Lite, a reduced-scale version of FHWA's Adaptive Control Software (ACS), offers small- and medium-size communities a low-cost traffic control system that operates in real time, adjusting signal timing to accommodate changing traffic patterns and ease congestion. Traffic managers can use ACS Lite with new signals or to retrofit existing traffic signals. It is designed for closed-loop systems, providing cycle-by-cycle control.

FHWA developed ACS Lite in partnership with Siemens, Purdue University, and the University of Arizona. This brochure describes the benefits, real-world uses, and availability of ACS Lite.

For more information about ACS Lite or for copies of the brochure, contact Raj Ghaman, travel management team leader in FHWA's Office of Operations Research and Development at 202-493-3270 or raj.ghaman@fhwa.dot.gov.