TREC research addresses complex transportation problems by drawing on multiple disciplines, including engineering, planning, economics and design, from across the Portland State University campus. Use the search box at right to search for a specific project.
NOTE: If you're looking for projects from our partner campuses, use the NITC research search.
Research Highlights
Seismic Damage State Models for Oregon Bridges
Peter Dusicka
The U.S. highway transportation network relies on the health and integrity of major infrastructure elements such as bridges. Frequently traveled parts of Oregon are within the seismically active Pacific Northwest, and many of the bridges were designed and built to lateral demands that were assumed to be less than the current expectation, a deficiency caused by our growing awareness of seismic hazard and our enhanced understanding of the non-linear response of bridges. This vulnerability to da...
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Performance Enhancement of Bridge Bracing Under Service and Extreme Loads
Peter Dusicka
As truck loads continue to get bigger, the demand on many aging bridges increases. Slender steel structural elements widely used in bridge superstructures and braced substructures to resist these loads are built primarily for tension, however, and can buckle under compressive loads.
Portland State University associate professor Peter Dusicka set out to develop and demonstrate the concept of retrofitting bridge brace elements with fiber reinforced composites in order to provide restraint ag...
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