Underground Infrastructure - September 2023 - 13

Trenchless Technology
Center Report
Dr. John Matthews | Trenchless Technology Center Director
TTC Continues to Prosper,
Provide Industry Research
The Trenchless Technology Center
(TTC) at Louisiana Tech University had
another busy year and its Industry Advisory
Board (IAB) again hit an all-time high
in 2023. Research activities were in full
swing and in-person training even came
back, with forums in Boston and Houston.
TTC continues to maintain its role
as a leader in trenchless education and
research and is growing its impact in the
areas of industry workforce development
and training. TTC maintained its new
heights in the overall number of IAB
members, even as we entered our 34th
year of existence, which is a reminder that
there is still much importance in our mission
to the trenchless technology manufacturers,
contractors, engineers, students
and owners we serve.
Research & development
This year, TTC continued to be very active
with its research contracts, at one
time having more than 20 actively funded
projects during the year. The majority of
projects continue to be funded by industry,
although government related projects
at both the state and Federal levels
have remained steady.
Most TTC industry research continues
to be performed under Non-Disclosure
Agreements (NDAs) which, therefore,
cannot be publicized without client consent.
Despite this fact, TTC researchers
had a solid year of peer-reviewed publications
and new patent filings, as well. This
is always an important metric for research
centers and associated faculty members
and researchers.
Currently, TTC has more than 16 active
research projects underway, and approximately
five were completed during
this past year. A few brief research effort
updates are noted below.
CIPP emissions
TTC has concluded its work into the potential
impacts of CIPP emissions from
steam-cured projects. This past year, the
team wrapped up its work on examining
the impact of different internal barrier
coatings on the release of styrene while
the liners are stored in the transport truck.
Performed for NASSCO, the study
detailed the breakthrough times of emissions
by varying the coating materials and
thicknesses on the uncured CIPP liners.
Field validations were completed on job
sites in Tampa, Fla., and Milwaukee, Wisc.
A full summary of the study can be
found in the July 2023 Issue of Underground
Infrastructure. This study was led
by Dr. Shaurav Alam, TTC associate director
for research.
Innovative materials
TTC continued its internally funded work
this year in the area of innovative materials.
Dr. Alam and his team have been
investigating numerous thrusts including
innovative cementitious materials for infrastructure
components and coatings, as
Field validations of styrene breakthrough.
well as innovative curing of both construction
materials and pipe lining materials.
Findings are quite fascinating and
have potentially widespread impacts for
the construction industry. TTC Research
Scientists Dr. Sudhir Amritphale and Dr.
Shaik Hussain have also been exploring
various applications for innovative cementitious
and geopolymer materials
with exciting new benefits.
This recently included a large (more
than $1 million) project with the U.S.
Air Force focused on the application of
these innovative solutions in extreme
environments and has been exploring
various applications with other federal
and private clients.
TTC also continued its work with various
trenchless rehabilitation technology
UndergroundInfrastructure.com | SEPTEMBER 2023 13
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Underground Infrastructure - September 2023

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