{"id":164600,"date":"2020-10-01T09:59:17","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=164600"},"modified":"2020-10-01T09:59:17","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:59:17","slug":"uconn-team-earns-grant-research-crumbling-foundation-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2020\/10\/uconn-team-earns-grant-research-crumbling-foundation-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Team Earns Grant to Further Research Crumbling Foundation Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"

Solutions for Connecticut’s ongoing crumbling foundation crisis will continue to be explored by UConn, thanks to federal funding secured by Connecticut\u2019s Congressional delegation.<\/p>\n

Last year, the Connecticut delegation worked to secure $1.5 million of funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct research on the effects of the mineral pyrrhotite on concrete foundations.<\/p>\n

NIST has awarded UConn $768,000 of that federal funding to support research that captures information on the premature degradation of concrete foundations that contain pyrrhotite, and seeks to build a risk assessment framework for identifying and evaluating potential mitigation strategies.<\/p>\n

Crumbling foundations are a debilitating problem in Connecticut, particularly in the northeastern region of the state. The crumbling is due to high levels of pyrrhotite, an iron sulfide mineral that can react with oxygen and water and cause swelling and cracking in the concrete used to make the foundation and basement walls.<\/p>\n

\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
Kay Wille (far left) gets a sample with UConn postdoctoral researchers Zahra Abdollanehjad and Yusniel Cruz-Hernandex.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
Alex Bernier, James Mahoney and Zahra Abdollahnejad gathering samples in a garage.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
Zahra Abdollahnejad gathers a sample.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
Marisa Chrysochoou (left) and Zahra Abdollahnejad review data.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
The UConn team at work.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
Zahra Abdollahnejad takes a sample.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
James Mahoney drills for a sample to test.<\/div><\/div>\"UConn<\/a>
UConn Crumbling Foundation Grant<\/div>
The UConn team at work.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

\u201cThis grant is an important step toward effective relief for homeowners and businesses,\u201d says U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal. \u201cHundreds of Connecticut homeowners and businesses have been caught in the continuing financial and emotional nightmare of repairing and rebuilding crumbling foundations. As the nation\u2019s premier standard-setting public agency, NIST has the expertise to coordinate research into pyrrhotite \u2013 a mineral of which we have too little understanding. UConn, located in the area with the greatest number of crumbling foundations, has been an early leader in research and testing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud that we fought to secure this grant for UConn to help us better understand the risks that pyrrhotite poses to concrete foundations so that we can assess the scope of this crisis,\u201d says U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy. \u201cToo many homeowners in Connecticut have had their lives turned upside down due to crumbling foundations. While there is still much work to be done, hopefully this will bring us a little closer to understanding the problem and delivering relief to homeowners in Connecticut who desperately need it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got thousands of people in eastern Connecticut and across our region with crumbling foundations, and this research will help us get a better understanding of the scope of the crisis, and a clearer understanding of the risks of pyrrhotite and the levels at which it poses a true danger to the integrity of a concrete foundation,\u201d says U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, who represents the state’s Second Congressional District, where many of the crumbling foundations have been identified.<\/p>\n

A UConn team led by Maria Chrysochoou, head of the Department of Environmental Engineering, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering Kay Wille, and James Mahoney of the Connecticut Transportation Institute, will use this funding to continue their research on this subject, which dates back to 2015.<\/p>\n