Welcome to the Hydraulics Lab Tour! To access the full, three-dimensional tour, click on the Hydraulics Lab Tour. For an accessible version of the tour, continue to the content below.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, which includes the J. Sterling Jones Hydraulics Research Laboratory (Hydraulics Lab), is in McLean, Virginia. Please join us on a virtual tour of our facility.

The image of the laboratory shows a 2-story room that is a computer-generated model of the entire Hydraulics Lab. The main channel of the multifunctional flume system runs the entire length of the left side of the room, with the smaller force balance flume beside it. The Stream Table sits at the foreground of the lab, surrounded by a triangular display booth. Different soil testing devices are located on the right side of the lab past the stream table. In the right back corner is the office section of the lab, including the conference room.

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Laboratory Welcome Video
Laboratory Welcome Video Script

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The Conference Room

Two windowed walls of the conference room overlook the lab floor. A large screen television mounted on the wall in front of the conference table acts as a computer monitor and video conference screen. A three-dimensional (3D) printer sits in the corner of the room.

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Conference Room Functional Areas Video
Conference Room Functional Areas Video Script

Conference Room Printer Video
Conference Room Printer Video Script

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Virtual Laboratory

Adjacent to the conference room, the Virtual Hydraulics Research Laboratory is an office room containing six workstation desks. A wall of windows overlooks the flume. Next to the glass sliding door entry from the hallway is a small kitchen area containing a fridge, microwave, and multiple coffee makers.

The Virtual Reality station is on the main floor of the Hydraulics Lab, located between the massive multifunctional flume that runs the entire length of the lab space and the lower level enclosed office space. The stairwell to access the multifunctional flume catwalk is directly ahead on the right, and beyond that is the remainder of the lab floor space. The virtual reality headset hangs from the glass office wall, along with two joysticks.

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Virtual Reality Hydraulics Research Laboratory Video
Virtual Reality Hydraulics Research Laboratory Video Script

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Multifunctional Flume System (MFS)

From the elevated platform above the catwalk, this station has a full view of the entire length of the multifunctional flume system, which runs the complete length of the lab. Water flows from an inlet basin through a contraction section into the 6-ft-wide main channel of the flume. A carriage with measuring devices sits on the outer railings of the flume, and further down on the floor of the channel sits a bridge model. At the end of the flume is a robot arm mounted on a second carriage. A catwalk runs along the entire length of the channel. Down below on the lab floor is the smaller force balance flume and the soil testing equipment.

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Multifunctional Flume System Video
Multifunctional Flume System Video Script

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MFS Test Section

The camera is now stationed on the catwalk about halfway down the flume channel at the 6-ft-wide test section. A three-axis carriage containing measuring equipment and sensors is mounted on railings that run along the top of the channel walls. Further down the channel a bridge model featuring wing wall abutments and circular pile bent piers is installed in the test section. The inclined auger and conveyor belt used to distribute sediment in the test section are visible on the other side of the channel.

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MFS Test Section Video
MFS Test Section Video Script

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MFS 6-Axis Robot

This station is at the very end of the catwalk at the end of the flume’s test section. From this position, we have a close view of the 3-axis robot. The base of the robot sits on a carriage that is mounted on railings that run along the top of the channel walls. This base allows the robot arm to swivel 360 degrees on the carriage. The shoulder attached to the base allows the first arm to rotate up and down perpendicular to the channel floor. The elbow connects the first arm to the second arm which gives the robot additional reach. The second arm connects to the wrist, where the mount is shown, which can connect to tools or measurement devices. The computer and monitor that control the robot arm are mounted to the exterior of the channel wall.

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Axis Robot Video
Axis Robot Video Script

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Hydraulics Lab Floor

This station is located on the lab floor at the far end of the Hydraulics Lab. Running parallel to the MFS is the smaller Force Balance Flume which is less than half the length of the bigger flume. A smaller robotic arm is mounted along the flume channel, and a tower at one end contains the force balance measuring equipment. A computer and monitor at a desk are situated next to the tower and are used to control the flume.

To the left of the flume at the far end of the lab is the Stream Table which is positioned under a large rivers and roads banner frame for a booth exhibit. Next to the Stream Table booth is the mobile robot, a robotic arm that is mounted on top of a box-shaped mobile platform. Shelby tube samples sit on the far end of the mobile platform on the opposite side of the arm. Next to the robot is the soil compaction station, which is a device with three pistons that can be lowered into a casing segment or Shelby tube to compress a laboratory soil sample for an experiment.

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Force Balance Flume Video
Force Balance Flume Video Script

Stream Table Video
Stream Table Video Script

Mobile Robot Video
Mobile Robot Video Script

Soil Compaction Station Video
Soil Compaction Station Video Script

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Ex-Situ Scour Testing Device (ESTD)

Adjacent to the previous station on the laboratory floor is the Ex-Situ Scour Testing Device (ESTD) station. Past a desk with a computer, monitor, and test equipment is the ESTD. The clear flow channel of the device is visible, along with the robotic arm with the laser scanner, and the piston shaft which controls the soil sample. To the left of the ESTD is a television screen showing an image of the laser scanner monitoring a soil sample during a test.

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Ex-Situ Scour Testing Device Video
Ex-Situ Scour Testing Device Video Script

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In-Situ Scour Testing Device (ISTD)

The final station on the tour is the In-Situ Scour Testing Device (ISTD) station. A large, stationary drill rig sits up against the wall of the lab. Directly in front of the rig is the linear drve section of the ISTD, which consists of an aluminum frame that rests on top of steel casings that come up from the ground. The casings are mounted in an auger that rises a few feet out of a soil chamber beneath the lab floor.

PVC pipes are clamped to the linear drive and run down into the casing. The top of the PVC pipe is connected to a long hose. The water outlet of the ISTD is a larger PVC pipe that connects to a large water tank. An enclosure hangs from the side of the tank which contains the motor controllers and power switches for the ISTD. The laptop that controls the device rests on a portable table that has been assembled in front of the drill rig.

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In-Situ Scour Testing Device Video
In-Situ Scour Testing Device Video Script

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