Category : Infrastructure

Using Strain Gauges to Detect Epoxy Debonding in Insulated Rail Joints

Peltier, D.C., C.P.L. Barkan, S. Downing and D. Socie. 2007. Using Strain Gauges to Detect Epoxy Debonding in Insulated Rail Joints. In: International Heavy Haul Conference Specialist Technical Session - High Tech in Heavy Haul. Kiruna, Sweden, pp. 170-179.

Track circuits are used for traffic control on a large portion of North American mainline track. These require insulated rail joints every several kilometers in order to electrically isolate sections of the rail. Such insulated joints have short service lives compared to other track components, but current methods for monitoring their condition and detecting defects…

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis of Concrete Ties in North America

Zeman, J.C., J.R. Edwards, C.P.L. Barkan and D.A. Lange. 2009. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis of Concrete Ties in North America. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Heavy Haul Conference. Shanghai, China.

A failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) was applied to improve the design of concrete ties in ballasted track for North American heavy haul applications. A literature review was conducted on concrete tie failure modes, failure effects, and failure causes. A survey of railroads and transit authorities in North America provided a ranking of the…

Investigation of the Mechanics of Rail Seat Deterioration (RSD) and Methods to Improve the Abrasion Resistance of Concrete Sleeper Rail Seats

Shurpali, A.A., R.G. Kernes, J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch, D.A. Lange and C.P.L. Barkan. 2013. Investigation of the Mechanics of Rail Seat Deterioration (RSD) and Methods to Improve the Abrasion Resistance of Concrete Sleeper Rail Seats. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Heavy Haul Association Conference (This article is not available electronically.). New Delhi, India.

Survival analysis at multiple scales for the modeling of track geometry deterioration

Alemazkoor, N., C.J. Ruppert, Jr. and H. Meidani. 2017. Survival analysis at multiple scales for the modeling of track geometry deterioration. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 232 (3): 842-850. doi:10.1177/0954409717695650.

Defects in track geometry have a notable impact on the safety of rail transportation. In order to make the optimal maintenance decisions to ensure the safety and efficiency of railroads, it is necessary to analyze the track geometry defects and develop reliable defect deterioration models. In general, standard deterioration models are typically developed for a…

Parametric study on damage and load demand of prestressed concrete crosstie and fastening systems

Chen, Z., M. Shin, B.O. Andrawes and J.R. Edwards. 2014. Parametric study on damage and load demand of prestressed concrete crosstie and fastening systems. Engineering Failure Analysis. 46 (2014): 49-61. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2014.08.002.

There is an increasing interest in the performance and serviceability of concrete crossties and elastic fastening systems due to the loading demands of increasing freight axle loads and the development of new high-speed passenger rail infrastructure in North America. In the light of these increasing demands, it is essential to examine and improve current design…

Model for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of retrofitting railway bridges for seismic resistance

Day, K.R. and C.P.L. Barkan. 2003. Model for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of retrofitting railway bridges for seismic resistance. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 1845: 203-212.

Many of the major railroad lines in the Mid-America earthquake region are potentially susceptible to high peak ground accelerations (PGA) and soil liquefaction effects due to an earthquake associated with the New Madrid fault. With geographic information systems (GIS) data and analysis techniques, the risk to the rail network posed by a major earthquake in…

Development of a prototype highway asset management system

Gharaibeh, N.G., M.I. Darter and D.R. Uzarski. 1999. Development of a prototype highway asset management system. Journal of Infrastructure Systems. 5 (2): 61-68.

A prototype methodology for integrating highway infrastructure management activities has been developed. This paper describes the analytical procedures and data integration and presentation methods as well as the geographic information system- (GIS-) based software system that ties together and implements the data and management procedures. Together these elements comprise the new methodology. There are four…

Effect of particle intrusion on rail seat load distributions on heavy haul freight railroads

Greve, M.J., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards, C.P.L. Barkan, J. Mediavilla and B. Wilson. 2016. Effect of particle intrusion on rail seat load distributions on heavy haul freight railroads. International Journal of Rail Transportation. 4 (2): 98-112. doi:10.1080/23248378.2016.1157048.

The rail seat load distribution is critical for analysing failure mechanisms associated with rail seat deterioration (RSD), the degradation of concrete surface at the sleeper rail seat. RSD can lead to wide gauge, cant deficiency, and an increased risk of rail rollover. Previous experimentation with matrix-based tactile surface sensors (MBTSS) at the University of Illinois…

Examination of the effect of concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration on rail seat load distribution

Greve, M.J., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards, C.P.L. Barkan, H. Thompson, T.R. Sussmann, Jr. and M.T. McHenry. 2015. Examination of the effect of concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration on rail seat load distribution. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2476: 1-7. doi:10.3141/2476-01.

One of the more critical failure modes of concrete crossties in North America is the degradation of the concrete surface at the crosstie rail seat, also known as rail seat deterioration (RSD). Loss of material beneath the rail can lead to wide gage, cant deficiency, reduced clamping force of the fastening system, and an increased…

Determining the stress pattern in the HH railroad ties due to dynamic loads

Liegner, N. 2002. Determining the stress pattern in the HH railroad ties due to dynamic loads. Periodica Polytechnica Civil Engineering. 46 (1): 125-148.

This paper deals with the determination of the stress propagation in the HH10 type of steel railroad ties under dynamic loads. The HH10 type of steel ties were tested for fatigue at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Simultaneously with the laboratory fatigue tests, I was modelling the stress distribution in the tie due to…

Load quantification of the wheel-rail interface of rail vehicles for the infrastructure of light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail transit

Lin, X., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch, T.A. Roadcap and C.J. Ruppert, Jr. 2018. Load quantification of the wheel-rail interface of rail vehicles for the infrastructure of light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail transit. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 232 (2): 596-605. doi:10.1177/0954409716684266.

The type and magtude of loads that pass through the track superstructure have a great impact on both the design and the performance of the concrete crossties and fastening systems. To date, the majority of North American research that focus on quantifying the rail infrastructure loading conditions has been conducted on heavy-haul freight railroads. However,…

Characterizing and inspecting for progressive epoxy debonding in bonded insulated rail joints

Peltier, D.C. and C.P.L. Barkan. 2009. Characterizing and inspecting for progressive epoxy debonding in bonded insulated rail joints. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2117: 85-92.

Progressive epoxy debonding is a common factor in many failures of bonded, insulated joints (IJs) in heavy axle load railroad service. This paper describes a study in which IJs with different amounts of debonding were visually inspected and measured and then disassembled. The shape and area of the debonded region for each IJ was quantified…

Performance of triangular aperture geogrid-reinforced base courses over weak subgrade under cyclic loading

Qian, Y., J. Han, S.K. Pokharel and R.L. Parsons. 2013. Performance of triangular aperture geogrid-reinforced base courses over weak subgrade under cyclic loading. ASCE Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 25 (8): 1013-1021. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0000577.

Geogrid (uniaxial or biaxial) is one type of geosynthetics that has been successfully used in slopes, walls, roads, and other applications. The main application of biaxial geogrid is to stabilize soft subgrade and reinforce weak base courses by providing lateral confinement. The confinement due to the interaction between aggregates and the ribs of biaxial geogrid…

Stress analysis on triangular aperture geogrid-reinforced bases over weak subgrade under cyclic loading – an experimental study

Qian, Y., J. Han, S.K. Pokharel and R.L. Parsons. 2011. Stress analysis on triangular aperture geogrid-reinforced bases over weak subgrade under cyclic loading - an experimental study. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2204: 83-91.

Geogrids have been successfully used to improve soft subgrade and reinforce weak base courses for low-volume roads by providing lateral confinement. However, uniaxial and biaxial geogrids with rectangular or square apertures cannot provide uniform resistance in all directions. A new geogrid product with triangular apertures was developed and introduced into the market to overcome this…

Investigation of material improvements to mitigate the effects of abrasion mechanisms of concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration

Shurpali, A.A., J.R. Edwards, R.G. Kernes, D.A. Lange and C.P.L. Barkan. 2014. Investigation of material improvements to mitigate the effects of abrasion mechanisms of concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration. ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering. 140 (2): 04013009. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)TE.1943-5436.0000616.

Rail seat deterioration (RSD) continues to be identified as one of the primary factors limiting concrete crosstie service life in North America. RSD refers to the degradation of material at the contact interface between the concrete crosstie rail seat and the rail pad that protects the bearing area of the crosstie. Industry experts consider abrasion…

Methods for quantifying rail seat loads and a review of previous experimentation

Van Dyk, B.J., A.J. Scheppe, J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch and C.P.L. Barkan. 2016. Methods for quantifying rail seat loads and a review of previous experimentation. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 230 (3): 935-945. doi:10.1177/0954409715569862.

A railroad sleeper and fastening system is composed of many unique parts that, when assembled, attempt to distribute train wheel loads through the system without damaging the components while providing a safe running surface and track geometry for trains to operate on. In order to evaluate the health of the sleeper and fastening system, there…

Evaluation of dynamic and impact wheel load factors and their application in design processes

Van Dyk, B.J., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch, C.J. Ruppert, Jr. and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Evaluation of dynamic and impact wheel load factors and their application in design processes. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 231 (1): 33-43. doi:10.1177/0954409715619454.

A sustained increase in heavy axle loads and cumulative freight tonnages, coupled with increased development of high-speed passenger rail, is placing an increasing demand on railway infrastructures. Some of the most-critical areas of the infrastructure in need of further research are track components used in high-speed passenger, heavy haul and shared infrastructure applications. In North…

Temperature-induced curl behavior of prestressed concrete and its effect on railroad crossties

Wolf, H., Y. Qian, J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch and D.A. Lange. 2016. Temperature-induced curl behavior of prestressed concrete and its effect on railroad crossties. Construction and Building Materials. 115 (2016): 319-326. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.04.039.

Warping or curling due to temperature gradients is a well-documented behavior in concrete pavements, girders, and slab-track, but this behavior has not been documented in concrete crossties. As concrete crossties begin to be used more frequently in heavy-haul lines in North America in both new construction and replacement projects, it becomes even more critical to…

Gradation effects influencing mechanical properties of aggregate base/granular subbase materials in Minnesota

Xiao, Y., E. Tutumluer, Y. Qian and J.A. Siekmeier. 2012. Gradation effects influencing mechanical properties of aggregate base/granular subbase materials in Minnesota. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2267: 14 - 16.

Aggregate gradation effects on strength and modulus characteristics of aggregate base–granular subbase materials used in Minnesota are described. The importance of specifying proper aggregate grading or particle size distribution has long been recognized for achieving satisfactory performance in pavement applications. In the construction of dense-graded unbound aggregate base–subbase layers, well-graded gradation bands were often established…

Hydraulic pressure cracking in rail seats of concrete crossties

Zeman, J.C., J.R. Edwards, D.A. Lange and C.P.L. Barkan. 2012. Hydraulic pressure cracking in rail seats of concrete crossties. ACI Materials Journal. 109 (6): 639-646.

Rail seat deterioration (RSD) is the deterioration of the crosstie concrete underneath the rail that causes track geometry problems and weakens the track structure. RSD may have up to five potential mechanisms, and this research investigates one of them: hydraulic pressure cracking. A laboratory test apparatus and procedure were devised to measure the surface water…

Finite element analysis of rail end bolt-hole and fillet stress on bolted rail joints

Zhu, K., Y. Qian, J.R. Edwards and B.O. Andrawes. 2017. Finite element analysis of rail end bolt-hole and fillet stress on bolted rail joints. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2607: 33-42.

A rail joint typically is one of the weakest elements of a track super-structure, primarily because of discontinuities in its geometric and mechanical properties and the high-impact loads induced by these discontinuities. The development of continuously welded rail has significantly reduced the number of rail joints, but many bolted joints remain installed in rail transit…

Finite element analysis of the effects of bolt condition on bolted rail joint stresses

Zhu, K., J.R. Edwards, Y. Qian and B.O. Andrawes. 2016. Finite element analysis of the effects of bolt condition on bolted rail joint stresses. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2545: 36-45. doi:10.3141/2545-05.

The rail joint is typically considered to be one of the weakest locations in the track superstructure. Defects and failures—including bolt hole cracks, head–web cracking or separation, broken or missing bolts, and joint bar cracking—have been found to start at rail joints and the area surrounding these joints. The initiation and propagation of these defects…