Longitudinal Resistance Modeling for Frozen Ballast [Research Results]

Details

• Creators:
  Baillargeon, Jay ; Woody, Stephen (Sean)
• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development ; Association of American Railroads. Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI)
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Ballast (Railroads)
  • Longitudinal reinforcement
  • Resistance (Mechanics)
  • Continuous welded rail
  • Freezing
  • Railroad tracks
• Publication/ Report Number:
  RR 22-22
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Edition:
  Research Results
• Contracting Officer:
  Baillargeon, Jay
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
• Abstract:
  On behalf of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) developed a “proof-of-concept” finite element (FE) longitudinal resistance model to simulate a rail break based on historical data. Longitudinal track resistance (fo) is an important parameter for rail break repairs to re-establish the rail neutral temperature (RNT) 1. If an incorrect fo is used, the resulting RNT could be too high, which increases the risk of additional rail breaks. Conversely, if it is too low, this increases the risk of the track buckling. This project was undertaken to better define fo on frozen ballast due to the lack of sufficient data for this condition. Researchers developed an FE model to support much-needed field testing in the future. Research was conducted between Fall 2021 and Spring 2022.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/64361/dot_64361_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 604.29 KB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:6c089cbceacc8986e9a04674e2104aa34f1a7769faa2c57f63ca10d549b1581e