Friday, April 17, 2009

Maine startup AEWC uses composite tech to inflate bridge supports

By Efrain Viscarolasaga

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We’ve seen inflatable rafts, inflatable exercise equipment and even inflatable castles for children (and some adults) to enjoy during birthday parties and fairs. But an inflatable bridge? Researchers at the University of Maine are making it a reality.

Dubbed a “bridge in a backpack,” researchers at the university’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composite Center (AEWC) have developed an inflatable, tubular structure system aimed at bolstering the crumbling bridge infrastructure in the U.S. Under development for several years, it was first deployed in February, and now a group of investors have backed a spinout called Advanced Infrastructure Technologies LLC (AIT) to commercialize the system.

While details regarding the new company is being kept under wraps, the group was put together by Orono, Maine, native Brit Svoboda, who runs a real estate development firm in Florida and was not available for comment.

AIT’s technology is essentially an inflatable bridge — columns and supports that can be folded and shipped to almost any worksite at a fraction of the cost of rigid materials. Once on site, the tubes are inflated and put in place, becoming rigid overnight. With the structure formed, the tubes are filled with concrete to create a permanent skeleton. The tubes simultaneously act as molds, reinforcement (no rebar is used) and a protective coating for the concrete.

The system has already been deployed in Pittsfield, Maine, where the University of Maine and the Maine Department of Transportation used the technology to build a 35-foot wide, 44-foot long bridge — the first in the world using what officials called a “rigified inflatable composite arch design.” But researchers said the technology could be used on larger spans.

“We’re looking to push it and build as big a bridge as we can, and AIT is looking at possibly changing the basic shape of the bridges (that can be built),” said Keenan Goslin, a research engineer from the University’s AEWC.

Maine Composites Alliance executive director Stephen Von Vogt said there is already plenty of work for the company, with a deteriorating nationwide infrastructure and billions allocated to its upgrade through the President’s stimulus package. According to the Maine Department of Transportation, as many as six bridges in Maine are targeted for the technology in the coming year.

AIT hopes to grow to more than 100 employees over the next five years, according to the university.

But while AIT may be the most radical bridge technology to be spun out of the Maine university, it isn’t the only one. Brunswick-based Harbor Technologies Inc. is also working with the state on composite pilings and beams for bridges, and will be constructing a 500-foot bridge in the state this summer.

The two companies are part of a growing advanced materials industry in Maine, as well as representations of a transition at the AEWCC — which doesn’t just work with wood these days — from a research facility to a commercialization center, said von Vogt.