26 Apr 2021

Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES): Materials and Testing

Abstract: Complex military operations often result in U.S. forces remaining at deployed locations for long periods. In such cases, more sustainable facilities are required to better accommodate and protect forward-deployed forces. Current efforts to develop safer, more sustainable operating facilities for contingency bases involve construction activities that require a redesign of the types and characteristics of the structures constructed, that reduce the resources required to build, and that decrease the resources needed to operate and maintain the completed facilities. The Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES) project was undertaken to develop the capability to “print” custom-designed expeditionary structures on demand, in the field, using locally available materials with the minimum number of personnel. This work investigated large-scale automated “additive construction” (i.e., 3D printing with concrete) for construction applications. This report, which documents ACES materials and testing, is one of four technical reports, each of which details a major area of the ACES research project, its research processes, and its associated results. There major areas include System Requirements, Construction, and Performance; Energy and Modeling; Materials and Testing; Architectural and Structural Analysis.

22 Apr 2021

Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES): Energy Modeling

Abstract: The need to conduct complex operations over time results in U.S. forces remaining in deployed locations for long periods. In such cases, more sustainable facilities are required to better accommodate and protect forward deployed forces. Current efforts to develop safer, more sustainable operating facilities for contingency bases involve construction activities that redesign the types and characteristics of the structures constructed, reduce the resources required to build, and reduce resources needed to operate and maintain the completed facilities. The Automated Construction of Expeditionary Structures (ACES) project was undertaken to develop the capability to “print” custom-designed expeditionary structures on demand, in the field, using locally available materials with the minimum number of personnel. This work investigated large-scale automated “additive construction” (i.e., 3D printing with concrete) for construction applications. This document, which documents ACES energy and modeling, is one of four technical reports, each of which details a major area of the ACES research project, its research processes, and associated results, including: System Requirements, Construction, and Performance; Energy and Modeling; Materials and Testing; Architectural and Structural Analysis.

29 Jan 2021

Stormwater Management and Optimization Toolbox

Abstract: As stormwater regulations for hydrologic and water quality control become increasingly stringent, Department of Defense (DoD) facilities are faced with the daunting task of complying with multiple laws and regulations. This often requires facilities to plan, design, and implement structural best management practices (BMPs) to capture, filter, and/or infiltrate runoff—requirements that can be complicated, contradictory, and difficult to plan. This project demonstrated the Stormwater Management Optimization Toolbox (SMOT), a spreadsheet-based tool that effectively analyzes and plans for compliance to the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 pre-hydrologic conditions through BMP implementation, resulting in potential cost savings by reducing BMP sizes while simultaneously achieving compliance with multiple objectives. SMOT identifies the most cost-effective modeling method based on an installation’s local conditions (soils, rainfall patterns, drainage network, and regulatory requirements). The work first demonstrated that the Model Selection Tool (MST) recommendation accurately results in the minimum BMP cost for 45 facilities of widely varying climatic and regional conditions, and then demonstrated SMOT at two facilities.

5 Nov 2020

Army Installations of the Future Industry Day 2019: Summary Report

Abstract: The Army Installations of the Future Industry Day was held on 23 May 2019 at the Renaissance Capital View hotel in Arlington, VA to identify the availability and maturity of specific commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) “smart installation” capabilities, technologies, and products; and to seek interest from industry in exploring potential approaches, requirements, standards, and/or specifications for pilot demonstrations at Army installations focused on 10 use-case technology areas. The Industry Day event included approximately 336 participants comprised of Academia (5), Industry (226), and Government (105). This report presents “road maps” that outline the Army’s desired outcomes for the target technology areas and potential pilot technology demonstrations.

14 Oct 2020

Estimating the Density of Secretive, At-risk Snake Species on DoD Installations Using an Innovative Approach: IDEASS

Abstract: The Department of Defense (DoD) expends considerable resources managing and conserving threatened, endangered, or at-risk snake species. Management for these species is often hampered by a lack of basic knowledge regarding their population size and trajectory. The low detectability of most snakes makes it difficult to determine their presence, or to employ traditional methods to estimate abundance. This work demonstrated a novel, simulation-based method, Innovative Density Estimation Approach for Secretive Snakes (IDEASS), for estimating snake density based on systematic road surveys, behavioral observations of snake movement, and spatial movement (radio telemetry) data. This method was used to generate meaningful density estimates for two rare and cryptic snakes of conservation concern, the Southern Hognose and Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, at Fort Stewart, Georgia. IDEASS was also applied to an existing dataset to retroactively estimate density of a more common species of management concern, the Western Ratsnake, at Fort Hood, Texas. In all three cases, traditional density estimation via visual surveys and capture-mark-recapture (CMR) failed completely due to lack of captures and re-captures, despite extensive field effort. We conclude that IDEASS represents a powerful tool, and in some cases the only viable method, for estimating density of secretive snakes.

14 Oct 2020

The Demonstration and Validation of a Linked Watershed-Riverine Modeling System for DoD Installations – Patuxent Watershed, Maryland

Abstract: This work evaluated a linked watershed and riverine modeling system for the Patuxent River Watershed, Maryland against observed field data and model output from a watershed model. The performance objectives were computed for streamflow, sediment, total phosphorus, orthophosphorus, total nitrogen, ammonium, and nitrate using daily and monthly average model predictions and measured data. Hydrological Simulation Program – Fortran (HSPF) was used to compute runoff, sediment, and nutrient loadings, whereas the Hydrologic Engineer Center – River Analysis Sys-tem (HEC-RAS) was used to evaluate in-stream flow, channel sedimentation, and the fate/transport of nutrients. Model results were successful for calibration, validation, and management scenario analysis. Contaminants were not simulated for this watershed due to a lack of observed data to compare against. The study identified two implementation issues. First, while the Patuxent River did not experience dry bed conditions, where a stream may be intermittent, one can incorporate a very narrow slot at the low point in the cross-section to numerically keep the channel wet during very low flows. Second, to set up the linked model, there needs to be more observed water quality data to better constrain the HSPF output being used as boundary conditions to the HEC-RAS model.

1 Oct 2020

Comparison of Antifungal Efficiencies of Photocatalytic and Antimicrobial-Infused Coatings: Evaluation of Five Antimicrobial Coatings Using Standard Test Methods

Abstract: New buildings are being constructed and existing buildings retrofitted to be more energy efficient to meet increasingly stringent Department of Defense (DoD) energy standards. Although these standards save energy and lower operational costs, they also limit fresh air within a structure and can cause a buildup of harmful substances in indoor environments. Of particular concern are molds, which can put building occupants at risk and damage infrastructure. One possible solution to this increasing Army problem is to coat building materials with photocatalytic paints, which have the ability to both destroy microorganisms as well as the toxic byproducts they produce. This work compared two next-generation photocatalytic coatings against three more traditional antimicrobial-infused coatings for their ability to resist fungal contamination using three accelerated test conditions. Under each test condition the photocatalytic coatings were found to perform poorly compared to the antimicrobial-infused coatings. Moreover, the control coating, which contained no active antimicrobial (standard latex paint), performed as well as or better than all the antimicrobial coatings tested. This suggested that there may be little benefit to using antimicrobial coatings to inhibit fungal colonization over a standard latex paint; however, further testing is required to confirm this perception.

24 Sep 2020

Autonomous Vehicle Pilot at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall: Project Report Summary and Recommendations

Abstract: Military installations serve as strategic staging areas that are integral to national security. The Army is currently reconsidering how it views its installations as part of the battle space under multi-domain operations, which includes technology modernization efforts, such as the rapidly expanding field of connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) technology. The DoD community and military installations have an interest in investigating autonomous transportation systems to determine their potential role in a broad range of military applications. CAVs capture, store, and analyze tremendous amounts of data. Military installations need to understand the data systems and processes involved in CAV deployments. To that end, the Army is conducting pilot projects that deploy updated and commercially-available CAVs on installations and within adjacent com-munities to further demonstrate their use and conduct research and development to optimize and inform the integration of this emerging technology. This report documents the deployment of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technologies at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall for a 90-day pilot study to evaluate a commercially-available AV.

1 Sep 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Water Security Scenarios: Planning for Installation Water Disruptions

Abstract: The Army’s critical missions are at risk from interruption of water supplies. Sufficient amounts of high- quality potable water are a resource without substitute. The Army’s Installation Energy and Water Security Policy establishes requirements for installations to sustain critical mission capabilities and to mitigate risks posed by energy and water disruptions that affect installations; this includes coordinating vulnerability and risk assessments of potential disruptions and implementing adequate responses to mitigate identified risks. Resilient installations will develop storage capacity to forestall water shortages and will also have short- and long-term plans to help the installation recover from events and forestall progressing to more severe deficits. This project supports compliance with the water security policy by exploring the range of conditions and responses possible across installations. Multiple scenarios were developed to explore how a 14-day interruption in water supply might affect an installation and to provide preliminary guidance to help installations develop strategies to address water disruptions to critical missions drawing from existing processes used in mission assurance. Researchers investigated types of installations and classes of scenarios most relevant to installation water security planning and explored several scenarios to provide a framework to helps installations advance their water resilience and security planning.

11 Aug 2020

PUBLICATION NOTICE: Army Installation Makerspaces in the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Operational Environment: A Business Case Analysis

Abstract:  This work demonstrated the implementation of makerspaces, collaborative workspaces that provide hands-on learning to help prepare the future workforce with critical 21st century applied-technology skills. Researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (ERDC-CERL) enhanced and evaluated the pre-existing makerspace at Fort Bliss, Texas to demonstrate the value of a makerspace within the military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) environment. The 8-month pilot demonstration, conducted from May to December 2018, focused on investigating program characteristics such as usage trends, optimal locations, equipment, and personnel access. Results from the demonstration indicated that enhanced makerspaces with high quality equipment had a positive Soldier impact. The business case analysis determined that the Fort Bliss Makerspace fits the criteria of, met the 15% cost-to-revenue ratio threshold for, and can operate successfully as, a Category Type A (Mission Sustaining) program asset.