update on ttci tie and fastener system research and...

Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads

© TTCI/AAR, 1/15/2014. p1

Update on TTCI Tie and

Fastener System Research and Testing

2016 Crosstie and Fastening

System Symposium

Mike McHenry Senior Engineer

To be the provider of choice

for advancing railway safety

and technology

Vision

Update from TTCI on Crosstie and Fastening System Research and Testing

June 14, 2016

UIUC.

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p2

®

♦ Overview of TTCI and the TTC

♦ TTCI’s Tie and Fastening System Customers

♦ Project Highlights

●AAR SRI 12B – Tie and Fastener System Performance

●FRA TO 322 – Dynamic Load Environment and RSD

●FRA TO 333 – RSD Inspection/Detection

♦ Commercial Research and Testing

♦ Composite Ties

Outline

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p3

®

TTC: The Facility TTCI: The Company

Wholly owned subsidiary of the

Association of American Railroads

Headquartered at TTC in Pueblo, CO

Research and testing for American

and international railway customers

A Small Business Enterprise

TTC and TTCI: Two Different Things

TransportationTechnology Center, Inc.

®

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p4

®

TTCI’s Tie and Fastener Research Program

♦ Industry challenges being addressed:

● Economical improvement to the track structure

● Standards for premium wood tie fastening systems

● Detection of concrete tie failures

● Application of new alternative tie/fastener technologies

● Implementation of composite ties

● Improved modeling of the track structure – wheel-rail dynamics

♦ Implementation through:

● Railroad guiding committees

● Publications and presentations

● AREMA Committee 30

● Improved degradation/costing model

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p5

® Our Areas of Research “Tie” Together

AAR

FRA Commercial

Customers

Basic load environment

research

New, untried

technologies Improved safety

and implementation

Improved detection

and inspection

Efficiency

Reliability

Safety

Safety

Commercial

Needs

Member Railroads


®

Implementation of

new technologies Lab, in-track testing,

modeling

Lab, in-track testing,

modeling

Performance of

components under HAL

Testing/characterization

to address needs

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p6

®

♦ One of AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI)

♦ Industry funded and guided work

♦ Concrete, wood, and composite tie and fastener

systems

●Laboratory and in-track testing

●Long term evaluation at FAST under HAL – industry benchmark

●New designs and technologies

●Mechanistic and degradation modeling

♦ Understanding and reducing stress state of the

railroad

♦ Better purchasing and maintenance decisions

SRI 12B – Improved Tie and Fastener System Performance

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p7

®

♦ Evaluating Concrete Tie Performance Under HAL

●1000 MGT

SRI 12B: Improved Tie/Fastener Performance

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p8

®

♦ Half Frame Tie Revenue Service Testing – 140 MGT ● 7 degree curve – 206 ties installed in curve body in 2012

● Thus far, no significant lateral movement detected

● Approximately 200 MGT to date

SRI 12B: Improved Tie/Fastener Performance

?

October 22, 2013

Inspection

September 23, 2014

Inspection

December 2, 2014

Inspection

July 31, 2015

Inspection Observed Seasonal

Shift (inches)

Weather and time of

measurement

64 degrees,

clear, afternoon

60 degrees, partly

cloudy, 9:30 am

25 degrees,

cloudy, 1:00 pm

90 degrees, sunny

12:30 pm

Approximate Rail Temp

65 60 25 105

Location Average Offset Distance (feet)

Tie 107-108 54.68 54.67 54.66 54.66 <1/4 inch

Tie 148-149 52.02 52.02 52.03 52.03 <1/8 inch

Tie 175-176 64.88 64.88 64.87 64.87 <1/8 inch

Tie 223-224 60.87 60.87 60.87 60.87 0 inch

Tie 333-334 32.15 - 32.17 32.17 <1/4 inch

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p9

®

♦ Improved Performance Tie/Fastener Testing - FAST

●Variety of T/F systems

▲Timber, concrete, composite

▲Cut spikes, elastic fasteners

▲Cut, screw, and drive spike hold down

▲14”, 16” and 18” plates

●Evaluating performance

▲Gage Restraint

▲Track Geometry

●Documenting failure mechanisms

●Feeding into modeling

SRI 12B: Improved Tie/Fastener System Performance

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p10

®

♦ Evaluation of Tie and Fastener Systems under HAL

●Gage Strength Measurements at FAST 2014 and 2015

56,4

56,6

56,8

57

57,2

57,4

57,6

57,8

58

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Ga

ge

(in

.)

Distance (feet)

TLV UTG

TLV LTG

T-18 UTG

T-18 LTG

SRI 12B: Improved Tie/Fastener System Performance

Hardwood

Softwood (Red Pine)

Concrete

Composite

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p11

® SRI 12B: Improved Tie/Fastener System Performance

♦ How does load environment relate to lifecycle cost?

●Railroad data will provide maintenance thresholds and costs

●Objective: monetize the benefit of improved performance designs

Mechanistic Model

Outputs

Insulator stress

Force on clip

Tie center bending

Rail seat stress

Tie plate bending

Lat. force on spike

Vert. force on spike

Plate-tie stress

Correlate with

Revenue Service

Observations

Insulator Failures

Clip Failures

Tie Cracking

RSD

Plate Breaks

Spike Kill

Spike Uplift

Plate Cutting

Track Geometry

Load

Environment

Tie Type

Fastener Type

Climate

Curvature

Grade

Geometry

Tonnage

Vehicle Type(s)

NUCARS

Vehicle-

Track Model

Revenue

Service

Failure Data

NUCARS

Vehicle-

Track Model

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p12

®

♦ Mechanistic Model – Quantifying Load Environment

●Using NUCARS® Vehicle-Track Dynamics Model

Tie and Fastener Degradation Model

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p13

® Tie and Fastener Degradation Model

♦ Development and Qualitative Example of Approach

Plate Cutting

Stress

Fre

qu

en

cy

Plate Cutting Stress Frequency Distribution

Higher curvature

Softer wood (compression)

Smaller plate size

Lower curvature/tangent

Harder wood (compression)

Larger plate size

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p14

®

Concrete Tie Rail Seat Abrasion/Deterioration

♦ FRA TO 322 – Load Environment and Rail Seat Stresses

● Determine how certain track conditions (geometry, friction, component properties, etc.) contribute to a load environment that affects wedge shaped rail seat abrasion

● Vehicle-track dynamic modeling and in=track testing

♦ FRA TO 333 – RSD Detection

● Improve automated inspection and detection of concrete tie RSD

● Better understand behavior of rail during inspection testing with and without RSD present

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p15

®

♦ Approach:

1) NUCARS® Vehicle-Track Model simulations

2) Use of model results to drive test zone design

3) In-track test section to characterize load environment using instrumentation

♦ “Out,” “in,” and “down and out” perturbations installed

● Wheel-rail loads and deflections measured under full speed FAST operations

FRA TO 322 – Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Load Environment

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p16

® FRA TO 322 – Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Load Environment

Model Data Test Data Boxplot Test Data Outlier

Rail Strain Gages

Tie +8 Tie -8Tie -4

Tie 0Tie +4

Rail Strain Gages

CW

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p17

®

♦ Approach:

● Laboratory testing to characterize rail behavior on various RSD

● In-track test zone at FAST

▲Artificial RSD installed

▲Various detection/inspection vehicles being tested

▲GRMS at variety of loads and L/V ratios

FRA TO 333 – Concrete Tie RSD Detection

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p18

® FRA TO 333 – Concrete Tie RSD Detection

♦ In-track testing

3/4” full triangular RSD in curve

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p19

®

♦ Provide research and testing for commercial customers

♦ New and untried technologies

♦ Tie and fastener systems

●AREMA recommended lab testing

●Short in-track testing

●Longer, full-length test zones

●Customized laboratory and in-track testing as needed

♦ Facilitation of contacts with the industry

♦ Providing practical railroad expertise

♦ Implications of specific design features or failure modes

Commercial Customers

© TTCI/AAR, 6/14/2016, p20

®

♦ Industry interest has grown in recent years

♦ Currently a major portion of SRI 12B work

♦ Additional Cooperative Research with FRA being

proposed

♦ Previous AAR and FRA funded work

●Basic characterization – track modulus, gage strength

●Handling and installation loads

♦ Major questions being addressed

●Performance and consistency of current composite tie designs

●Evaluation of current composite ties at FAST

● Improving recommended guidelines for design – AREMA Committee 30

Development of Composite Ties

update on ttci tie and fastener system research and...

Documents