TY - JOUR
T1 - Examination of the effect of concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration on rail seat load distribution
AU - Greve, Matthew J.
AU - Dersch, Marcus S.
AU - Edwards, J. Riley
AU - Barkan, Christopher P.L.
AU - Thompson, Hugh
AU - Sussmann, Theodore R.
AU - McHenry, Michael T.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by the Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation and by the Transportation Technology Center (TTC). Matthew J. Greve and Marcus S. Dersch were supported by Amsted RPS. J. Riley Edwards was supported in part by grants to the UIUC Rail Transportation and Engineering Center from the Canadian National Railway, CSX, Hanson Professional Services, and the George Krambles Transportation Scholarship Fund. The authors thank Christopher Rapp of Hanson Professional Services and Joseph LoPresti of TTC for direction, advice, and resources. The authors also thank Tim Prunkard, Don Marrow, and Matthew Csenge of UIUC for their assistance in preparing and deploying the instrumentation; Jennifer Steets of ENSCO, Inc., for providing data from the T-18; and Doug Capuder, Tiago Costa Pinto Lopes, Zachary Jenkins, and Daniel Rivi for their assistance in analyzing the data presented in this paper. Industry partnership and support were provided by Union Pacific Railroad; BNSF Railway; Amtrak; Amsted RPS/Amsted Rail; GIC; Hanson Professional Services; CXT Concrete Ties, Inc.; and TTX Company.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2015 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - One of the more critical failure modes of concrete crossties in North America is the degradation of the concrete surface at the crosstie rail seat, also known as rail seat deterioration (RSD). Loss of material beneath the rail can lead to wide gage, cant deficiency, reduced clamping force of the fastening system, and an increased risk of rail rollover. Previous research conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC) identified five primary failure mechanisms associated with RSD: abrasion, crushing, freeze-thaw damage, hydroabrasive erosion, and hydraulic pressure cracking. Because the magnitude and distribution of load applied to the rail seat affects four of these five failure mechanisms, effectively addressing RSD requires an understanding of the factors affecting rail seat load distribution. As part of a larger study aimed at improving concrete crossties and fastening systems, UIUC researchers are attempting to characterize the loading environment at the rail seat by using matrix-based tactile surface sensors (MBTSS). This instrumentation technology has been implemented in both laboratory and field environments and has provided valuable insight into the distribution of a single load over consecutive crossties. This paper focuses on the analysis of data gathered from MBTSS experiments designed to explore the effect of manufactured RSD on the load distribution and pressure magnitude at the rail seat. The knowledge gained from these experiments will be integrated with associated research conducted at UIUC to form the framework for a mechanistic design approach for concrete crossties and fastening systems.
AB - One of the more critical failure modes of concrete crossties in North America is the degradation of the concrete surface at the crosstie rail seat, also known as rail seat deterioration (RSD). Loss of material beneath the rail can lead to wide gage, cant deficiency, reduced clamping force of the fastening system, and an increased risk of rail rollover. Previous research conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (UIUC) identified five primary failure mechanisms associated with RSD: abrasion, crushing, freeze-thaw damage, hydroabrasive erosion, and hydraulic pressure cracking. Because the magnitude and distribution of load applied to the rail seat affects four of these five failure mechanisms, effectively addressing RSD requires an understanding of the factors affecting rail seat load distribution. As part of a larger study aimed at improving concrete crossties and fastening systems, UIUC researchers are attempting to characterize the loading environment at the rail seat by using matrix-based tactile surface sensors (MBTSS). This instrumentation technology has been implemented in both laboratory and field environments and has provided valuable insight into the distribution of a single load over consecutive crossties. This paper focuses on the analysis of data gathered from MBTSS experiments designed to explore the effect of manufactured RSD on the load distribution and pressure magnitude at the rail seat. The knowledge gained from these experiments will be integrated with associated research conducted at UIUC to form the framework for a mechanistic design approach for concrete crossties and fastening systems.
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U2 - 10.3141/2476-01
DO - 10.3141/2476-01
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84975886007
SN - 0361-1981
VL - 2476
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - Transportation Research Record
JF - Transportation Research Record
ER -