Field test program of the concrete crosstie and fastening system

Grasse, Justin

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/44161 Copy

Description

Title

Field test program of the concrete crosstie and fastening system

Author(s)

Grasse, Justin

Issue Date

2013-05-24T21:53:02Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Lange, David A.

Department of Study

Civil & Environmental Eng

Discipline

Civil Engineering

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• railroad engineering
• concrete crosstie
• fastening clip
• field instrumentation
• mechanistic design
• load path

Abstract

To adequately satisfy the demands placed on North America’s railway infrastructure through ever increasing freight tonnages and development of its high speed rail program, the design and performance of concrete crossties and elastic fastening systems must be upgraded. As a part of a study aimed at improving concrete crossties and fastening systems, field experimentation was performed at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). This paper focuses on the transfer of vertical and lateral loads through the system, demonstrating the demands of the fastening components (e.g. insulators, fastening clips) and concrete crossties. Measurements of strain and displacement are provided to quantify the flow of forces through critical interfaces and the physical response of the system under various parameters (track curvature, train speed, car weight, etc.). The data was collected synchronously with measurements of vertical and lateral loads to deterministically track the load path, target areas of uncertainty, and provide validation for a comprehensive finite element model developed by UIUC. Improvements to these instrumentation strategies will also be discussed, as the understanding of the load path and development of the computational model direct the focus to more purposeful measurements for testing to be conducted in May 2013. Finally, the analysis of this data will be used to guide future research in further quantifying the field loading demands, ultimately leading to a mechanistic design approach for the concrete crosstie and fastening system.

Graduation Semester

2013-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/44161

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2013 Justin Grasse

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