VICKSBURG, Miss. (May 15, 2019) – Senior military leaders and planners from Germany and the U.S. gathered at ERDC Headquarters in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for a two-day meeting of the U.S. - DEU (Germany) SCF-A. The event was co-chaired by the Deputy Assistant Secretaries of the Army for Research and Technology and Defense Exports and Cooperation, and the German Federal Ministry of Defence. Mr. Norbert Weber, FMoD Chief of Branch A II 6, led the German delegation. Ms. Ann Cataldo, DASA DE&C, led the U.S. Army delegation. The event provided a forum for establishing broad cooperation between the armies of the U.S. and Germany in the advancement of materials research, development and acquisition.

Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory’s Dr. Ben Cox, Web Floyd and Dr. John Rushing along with Dr. Craig Rutland from the U.S. Air Force Civil Engineer Center published a magazine article titled, “In All Kinds of Weather,” in Roads and Bridges Magazine for a special issue on innovative solutions on pothole repair materials. The GSL team submitted their novel solution to the common problem of potholes in asphalt pavements for patent. Their repair material, induction hot-mix asphalt, referred to as iHMA, offers patching quantities of asphalt mixture that can be heated on-demand in the field. The technology results in superior performance with over 90% time savings compared to other heating methods. By using induction technology, the patching material is heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit in less than five minutes by generating an even distribution of heat throughout the containerized mixture. While the solution was developed for the Air Force to repair damaged airfields, it has wide-ranging applications for state and local agencies often unable to perform durable pavement repairs, especially during winter months when asphalt plants are not operational.