Railroads
Reducing Hazards Associated with Visual and Automation-Aided Track Inspections
Railroads are increasingly using automated track inspection technologies to augment the work of track inspectors in support of safety and productivity. The current study documents a human factors hazard analysis intended for both railroads and others interested in understanding hazards...
New Test to Determine the Bond Quality of Reinforcements for Concrete Railroad Ties
This report summarizes the development of an un-tensioned pullout test to quantify the bond quality of prestressing wires used in the manufacture of pretensioned concrete railroad ties. Bond quality will vary considerably based on the characteristics of the wire indents. This research...
Remaining Prestress Force and Center Negative Capacity of Ties Removed from Track after 25 Years
This report highlights research conducted to determine the remaining (residual) prestress force in prestressed concrete ties that had performed well in track and were subsequently removed after 25 years of service. The team developed a new, direct tension test method to experimentally determine...
Field Investigation of Broken Cut Spikes on Elastic Fasteners Using Instrumented Spikes
FRA and Transportation Technology Center, Inc. conducted field experiments to investigate the spike failure mechanism found on elastic fastener tie plates. The investigation proved the bending load in cut spikes used with elastic fastening systems could be high enough to cause permanent bending...
Trespass Prevention Research Study – Worcester, MA
Volpe researchers conducted the Trespass Prevention Research Study (TPRS) from 2016–2018 to show the potential benefits of, document the lessons learned from, and provide recommendations for the implementation and evaluation of trespass prevention strategies following the Community, Analysis,...