Grantee Research Project Results
2020 Progress Report: Cool and Sustainable Sidewalks
EPA Grant Number: SU839840Title: Cool and Sustainable Sidewalks
Investigators: Rowangould, Gregory , Morelli, Claude , Taha, Mahmoud , Antonczak, Brittany , Genedy, Moneeb , Montano, Stephen , Raby, Patience
Institution: University of New Mexico
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Phase: I
Project Period: October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020 (Extended to September 30, 2022)
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2019 through September 30,2020
Project Amount: $24,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
Our technical challenge is to design a sidewalk that can be built using recycled and less energy- and carbon-intensive materials with the thinnest possible thickness (in order to reduce material use and limit heat storage capacity). By revisiting the materials and techniques that cities and towns use to build sidewalks, we believe it is possible to identify more durable, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective approaches than are commonly used today.
Progress Summary:
The closure of University of New Mexico (UNM) and University of Vermont (UVM) research labs and campuses midway through the spring 2020 semester in response to the COVID-19 pandemic prevented our student research team from completing their design project as originally envisioned. Students were required to work remotely and discontinue lab related research tasks for the remainder of the spring semester. Students were able to complete some preliminary lab work and carry out some pilot heat measurement experiments from their homes.
The students began structural testing for the baseline concrete design (4in thick regular Portland cement concrete (PCC)), a thin PCC alterative and a and a roller compacted alterative. Other alternatives, including high fly ash, fiber reinforced and 3d printed concrete were not tested or fabricated due to the lab closures.
The student team also fabricated three slabs (4-inch PCC, 1-inch PCC and 4-inch roller compacted concrete) and instrumented them with thermocouples to test their thermal performance. The students also measured the emissivity of the test slabs and calculated an energy balance for each (showing the proportion of incoming solar energy retained by each slab over the course of 24 hours). Initial test results demonstrated the operation of the experimental setup; however, meaningful comparisons of the thermal properties of each slab were limited due to the students only have one set of instrumentation to use at an off-campus location (one of the student’s homes). During the shutdown students were not able to order more supplies or complete any testing on campus. With only one set of instrumentation (what the students already had on hand prior to the shutdown) each slab was monitored on different days which naturally had different weather conditions. The students also began cost and GHG emissions calculations for the lifecycle analysis task, but this was not completed.
Future Activities:
With the continuation of remote learning, campus and laboratory closures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are exploring options to complete the project during spring and summer 2021 with a smaller student design team. Labs are closed at UVM but are expected to be opened for a small design team at UNM. The remaining tasks include designing and structural testing of a thin fiber reinforced concrete slab and a 3D printed concrete slab with voids. These designs will also be evaluated for their heat storage potential based on their thickness and estimated heat capacity, and if time and resources allow we may also collect experimental data on additional thermal properties and real-world thermal characteristics.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Pedestrians, High Performance Concrete, 3D PrintingProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.