In one of the largest contracts ever awarded to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), the Crashworthy Structures Program is the recipient of a U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Diplomatic Security pact that will provide up to $7 million in work over a five-year period.
The contract calls for TTI to ‘design, analyze and test’ perimeter security devices. The first project will begin immediately as various vehicles are crashed into an instrumented pier designed to measure the impact of the collisions. Because loads imparted to security devices are largely unknown, the tests will help researchers design various future devices.
“This contract solidifies our 8-year relationship with the State Department,” says Assistant Agency Director Dean Alberson. “Everyone at the Riverside Campus is looking forward to this project, which will be a great opportunity for us and expand the kind of work we’ve done with the agency.”
TTI began work with the State Department and its Bureau of Diplomatic Security in 2002. Since that time, TTI has conducted dozens of tests for the agency intended to increase security for the numerous embassies and other posts around the globe.