Maine Perspective Front Page
Collins Announces Federal Funding for Wood Composites
Two Federal Highway Administration research awards totaling $1,483,000 were announced by Sen. Susan Collins April 23.
President Peter Hoff, several Maine legislators and representatives of the Maine Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration joined Sen. Collins for the announcement, which was made in the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center on campus.
The money will be used to continue research, construction and testing of advanced wood composites for innovative bridge construction applications. For nearly a decade, UMaine has been a world leader in this research to develop ways to strengthen wood through the application of polymer composite laminates.
"We plan to use this funding to help us stay at the forefront of this research, and to start developing national bridge specifications for this technology," says UMaine engineering professor Habib Dagher, the Center's director. "The implications for bridge construction in the 21st century are significant. The use of reinforced wood composites is expected to reduce the cost of timber bridge construction, lessen the impact on our environment and increase bridge strength and safety."
The Center will officially open in September. It is the only one of its kind in the world where advanced wood composites can be developed, manufactured and tested, all under one roof. It is large enough for researchers to test buildings up to 30 feet high under simulated hurricane and earthquake loads or bridges up 100 feet long and 50 feet wide under simulated traffic loads.