Saxton Highway Electronics Laboratory
PURPOSE
The Saxton Highway Electronics Laboratory (SHEL) started as a small
electrical repair shop. Today, it is a modern design and fabrication facility,
consisting of a large three-bay vehicle preparation laboratory, model shop, test
and storage area, and the main electronics laboratory. The mission of the
Highway Electronics Laboratory is to provide electronic engineering support
services to the offices of Research, Development and Technology (RD&T) and
other offices of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). SHEL provides
electronic design engineering and electronic technician support, including
design, fabrication, wiring, repair, and other associated electronic services,
to all of RD&T's research labs.
DESCRIPTION
The laboratory comprises a main research laboratory with 2,800 square
feet of workspace and a 2,200-square-foot vehicle preparation area. The
laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, including several
digital and analog oscilloscopes, function generators, spectrum and network
analyzers, voltage and other electronic calibrating tools, counters, microwave
and RF amplifiers, inverters, analog and digital meters, CAD-CAM electronics
design system tools, a quick circuit PC board maker, and printed circuit board
markers for prototype and finished design projects.
LAB VALUE
The Office of Resource Management provides this unique and valuable
highway electronic support service to the research community of RD&T. SHEL
has a fully equipped in-house electronics lab, which can accommodate all the
electronic requirements of RD&T and other offices in FHWA. The lab provides
consultation on electronic instrumentation requirements; prepares electronic
project specifications; assists with the design and fabrication of electronic
systems; and repairs, retrofits, and maintains the existing commercial equipment
in RD&T's various labs.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Some of the products designed and fabricated in the Highway
Electronics Laboratory for data acquisition are:
• the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning Satellite (NDGPS)
• the Mobile Concrete Lab compressor (stress/strain) system
• the Vibrating Slope Apparatus
• the Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF) temperature monitoring
Some of the services provided by the laboratory include:
• hardware and software development and documentation on all instruments and
systems developed,
• design and fabrication of unique, precision, state-of-the-art electronic
instruments and systems for highway research conducted within other Turner-Fairbank
Highway Research Center (TFHRC) laboratories,
• design and installation of sensors and data acquisition systems for highway
research vehicles,
• repair and calibration of electronic equipment,
• consultation and specialized training,
• maintenance of a large inventory of test equipment and supplies,
• modified/repaired the SmartLight lighting control system,
• repaired the XL-20 Colorimeter,
• repaired an infrared spectrometer,
• repaired/serviced the Georgia Faultmeter,
• repaired the ALF RS232-485 converter,
• repaired/serviced an environmental chamber heater/humidity controller,
• and repaired a Pentax 420 KV X-ray machine.
LAB PARTNERS
Partners who recently used SHEL include: TFHRC laboratories and
researchers, FHWA, State departments of transportation, and universities.
EXPERTISE
SHEL is administered and managed by a Mechanical Engineer and
supported by an Engineering Technician VI and an Electronic Technician I.
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