United States Department of Transportation
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Edition:Technical Report March 1, 2013 - December 31, 2016
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Abstract:Rail seat deterioration (RSD) is a loss of concrete in the rail seat area of concrete ties that may compromise safety by increasing track gage, reducing fastener toe load, and allowing increased rail displacement. As part of a research project funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and conducted by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), presents laboratory testing to characterize the rail and fastening system’s response under loading, and in-track testing to define the conditions under which track inspection technologies can identify RSD. Laboratory testing showed that longitudinal rail restraint decreased with increasing uniform RSD. Combined lateral and vertical loads resulted in higher lateral railhead displacements with triangular RSD than with uniform RSD. Lateral railhead displacements tended to increase with increasing amounts of triangular RSD and with increasing lateral/vertical load ratios. In-track testing over artificial RSD test zones showed that heavy track-geometry vehicles as well as gage restraint measurement system vehicles were able to identify the triangular RSD test sections in unloaded gage and loaded gage data, respectively. Uniform RSD was not detected by either type of system. Camera-based, machine vision systems captured images that will assist in the development of imaging algorithms that may better identify RSD.
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