CURF
CURF

  1. Civil Infrastructure

    1. Reinforcement of asphalt pavements to enhance their performance and longevity.

      This method of repairing and restoring asphalt pavements following utilities cuts made by telephone, gas and electric companies can enhance the performance and longevity of urban streets as well as the riding comfort of the motorists.

    2. Applications of CU 31, a patented product developed at Cooper Union for repairing potholes in asphalt and concrete pavements.

      Potholes that are filled using CU31 have been shown in extensive field tests to have a longer life span and a smaller rate of recidivism when compared with the conventional methods.

    3. Research on the SuperPave Asphalt Mix Design.

      SuperPave is a newer, performance-based standard of designing asphalt concrete. Cooper Union has a fully equipped SuperPave laboratory that was acquired through partial funding from the National Science Foundation. Recently, The Cooper Union Research Foundation completed a study for the New York City Department of Design and Construction exploring the feasibility of using SuperPave in New York City.

    4. Abatement of Construction Noise in Urban Environments.

      The Cooper Union Research Foundation recently completed a comprehensive study for the New York City Department of Design and Construction that included specific recommendations for abating construction noise in the City. Cooper Union has an Acoustics laboratory that is used for teaching and research in the Mechanical Engineering Department.

    5. Research on the application of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS).

      Intelligent Transportation System is a major federally-funded program that promotes the introduction of IT applications to achieve optimal traffic management and reduce congestion in major population centers in the United States. In New York City, the contemplated applications will include both mass transit and vehicular traffic. Cooper Union is a member of a consortium of New York City colleges and universities that will conduct a feasibility study of ITS in New York City.

    6. Applications of sensing and imaging technologies in civil infrastructure.

      See Item B below: Imaging and Sensing Technologies.

    7. Research on earthquake-resistant design of civil infrastructure.

      The emphasis here is on soil-structure interaction and rapid attenuation of earthquake-induced response in buried structures such as water mains, utility lines, etc.

    8. Design of civil infrastructure to improve performance during hurricanes and tornadoes.

      The goal here is two-fold: first, improvements in the industry building codes to reflect a more accurate definition of dynamic forces associated with hurricanes and tornadoes; second, improvements in the design methodologies to enhance the resistance of civil infrastructure to earthquakes.

  2. Imaging and Sensing Technologies

    The focus of our multidisciplinary research is on the following new technologies and their applications:

    • Nanoscale materials and MEMS (micro-electro-mechanical systems), particularly chip-based sensors
    • New wireless development technologies, e.g., optical interconnects
    • Subsurface detection methodologies

    Examples of critical unmet needs we hope to address are:

    • Major reduction in the size, weight and cost of sensors/imagers
    • Improvements in spatial and temporal resolution
    • Robust sensors for hostile environments
    • Integration of sensors with control and actuation

  3. Biomedical Engineering

    1. Research, design and manufacture of total knee replacements
    2. Individualized restoration of the natural knee
    3. Three dimensional computer modeling of the femoral shell and tibia bearing surfaces
    4. Research on the structural integrity of the human spine and design of spinal instrumentation

  4. Encryption Technologies

    1. Applications of chaos theory in encryption technologies
    2. Fiber optic encryption technologies
    3. Continued fractions and encryption applications

  5. Telecommunications

    1. Robust optical processing for equalization of WDM Optical signals.

      The goal of this research is the equalization of multiple optical signals that are distorted due to fiber non-linearities, etc. A secondary goal is the development of new optical devices that will help achieve the desired objective.

  6. Process Engineering

    1. Multi-effect drying of municipal sewage sludge
    2. Research on Hydrocarb, a patented process for clean energy generation