In many industries there are situations which require a storage or a lining up of vehicles or people before an action can be taken. An example, is the processing of customers or goods at various locations and in different industries, in order to reduce costs and congestion. This project will investigate the development of a mathematical model for lightly congested systems, using ports as a case study. Because of the complexity of the concept, approximations will be investigated analytically and with computer simulations. The researcher is qualified to perform this research activity. The project is recommended for an award. This is a one time award for twelve months. 8660297 STEWART The aging and subsequent deterioration of concrete structures is becoming a major concern for governmental agencies and private owners of these types of structures. The question of whether to strengthen or demolish is of prime economic importance. In order to determine the in- situ strength of the concrete, nondestructive evaluation equipment is required. Currently, there is no reliable equipment which can determine the strength of individual structural members of concrete. This project will investigate the possibilities of using a sonic wave spectral analysis method to evaluate the strength of the concrete. The benefits to be derived from a successful completion of this investigation are: enabling engineers to provide better advice to owners on whether to rehabilitate or demolish a building or bridge; allowing accurate evaluation of the strength properties of pre-cast components produced from a manufacturing process; and identifying the state of deterioration for a determination of the remaining life of the structure. This award is Phase I of the 1986 Small Business Innovation Research Program.
