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A better understanding of the in-service loads tank cars are subjected to is needed for several reasons. Severe loads seen in normal service are responsible for numerous incidents of tank car structural damage or complete failure. A...
On October 16, 2008, the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA) was enacted. Section 307(b)(j)(2) of the Act directed the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to "develop a long-range national rail plan...
Studies, by both industry and academia, have shown that it is not practical to use ZigBee-based Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) for monitoring an entire train. The resulting network is too large, with a very long chain-like topology that results in excessive data losses...
The FRA’s goal in supporting wayside detector systems has been to promote improved safety and performance through the appropriate and optimal application of automated inspection technologies to detect vehicle component defects and precursors to safety critical defects in...
There is a need to develop analytical capabilities to simulate longitudinal dynamics and train operations to support FRA’s mission of railroad safety improvement and compliance of operating rules. The analytical tool is to provide capabilities of simulation of...
Repair welds in critical areas of side frames and bolsters must undergo full furnace re-heat treatment. Welds in non-critical areas can form undesirable microstructures because of high cooling rates.
Truck castings can fail in a brittle manner at low...
Shared freight and passenger train operation is a different and demanding service environment for both vehicles and track. With mixed operations, track is subjected to a much wider range of operating conditions (e.g., speed, wheel load, wheel profile, and truck...
There is a need to eliminate train crew injuries that occur during the application and releasing of freight car hand brakes. Currently, an individual must apply a significant force to properly apply the hand brake, which may lead to physical injuries. Also, hand brakes...
Wheel removals cost the heavy haul industry more than $800 million annually in North America. More than 60% of the overall wheelset replacement is attributed to high impact wheels (HIW). It also has parallel effects on track and track components.
Description:...In 2011 U.S. railroads reported 52 wheel related train accidents to the FRA. Half of the derailments that occurred on Class I railroads were reported as derailments occurring from a broken wheel. Detecting and eliminating cracked wheels before they break will...