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Technical Reports

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Track Renewal System and Wood Tie Reuse Analysis

This report presents the results of an analytical study of the technical and economic feasibility of applying the track renewal method of railroad track maintenance in the United States. Track renewal, or out-of-face renewal, has long been the prevailing form of track maintenance used in Europe...

Evaluation of Railroad Lime Slurry Stabilization

-This report describes a multifaceted investigation into the application of lime slurry pressure injection (LSPI) to stabilize and improve railroad roadbeds." - Area-s discussed include (1) the current state of lime-injection technology, (2) soil exploration and testing related to the use of...

Dynamic Buckling Test Analyses of a High Degree CWR Track

Thermal buckling of railroad tracks in the lateral plane is an important problem in the design and maintenance of continuous welded rail (CWR) tracks. The work reported here is part of a major investigation carried out by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center for the Federal...

Crashworthiness Testing of Amtrak's Tradtional Coach Seat

Tests have been conducted on Amtrak's traditional passenger seat to evaluate its performance under static and dynamic loading conditions. Quasi-static tests have been conducted to establish the load-deflection characteristics of the seat. Dynamic tests of selected collision conditions have also...

Concrete and Wood Tie Performance Through 425 MGT

This study is the third in a series which has reviewed the performance of concrete and wood tie track at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). It presents an evaluation of both types of track through 425 million gross tons (MGT) of service In the FAST Track at the Transportation...

Anthology of Rail Dynamics Research

This report is intended to provide the railroad industry and other interested parties with an anthology of recent technical information of long term value which has resulted from FRA-sponsored studies of rail system dynamics. This anthology includes brief descriptions of FRA contract reports...

Roller Bearing Failure Mechanisms Test and Wheel Anomaly Test Report

A series of roller bearing performance tests were performed by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as part of a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Task Order entitled "Freight Car Equipment Research." The objectives of these tests were to investigate the performance of degraded roller...