MTC Asset Newsletter Winter 2008

Completed Research

Optimization of Intermodal Logistics Operations in Disaster Planning

Mehmet Bayram Yildirim, Wichita State University

Given the incredible demands that the hurricane-affected areas face, America needs to carefully plan disaster relief logistics in order to have the right amount of material at the right place at the right time. In this project, we would like to identify how intermodal transportation can help disaster planners to efficiently deliver disaster relief to the affected areas in minimal amount of time. Read more about the project.

Investigation of Methodologies Used by Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Motor Carriers to Determine Fuel Surcharges

John L. Kent, Missouri State University

For over 20 years, fuel surcharges have been periodically added to transportation invoices in an effort by the transportation provider to recover temporary spikes in fuel prices. However, for the past three years, fuel surcharges have been a constant component on transportation invoices as fuel costs have continued to rise.
Based on in-depth interviews with Mihlfeld and Associates (a third-party logistics company whose core competency is LTL transportation), an industry standard methodology accepted by both the carrier and shipper for calculating fuel surcharges does not exist. Read more about the project.

Development of Fatigue Design Procedures for Slender, Tapered Support Structures for Highway Signs, Luminaries, and Traffic Signals Subjected to Wind-Induced Excitation from Vortex Shedding and Buffeting

Brent Phares, Iowa State University

The primary objective of this study was to develop a procedure for predicting wind loads in the time domain for the fatigue design of slender, tapered luminary support structures. To accomplish this, monitoring of long-term response behavior of a high mast light pole (HMLP) subjected to wind-induced vibration was needed. This was accomplished by full-scale measurement of the response of an HMLP located near Mason City next to I-35 in Iowa.

Wind tunnel testing was also conducted to determine the required aerodynamic parameters of the pole cross section. Further, these aerodynamic parameters were cast into a coupled dynamic model for predicting the response of any HMLP in the time domain. Finally, the model was validated by comparing its results with the data collected from field monitoring. Read more about the project.