The modern society’s continuous increasing mobility requirements have encouraged new transportation technological platforms. The so called Hyperloop concept, also described as the fifth mode of transport (rather than road, rail, water and air) for both passenger and/or freight) is supported on the idea of a pod like vehicle, running in a near vacuum environment (inside tubes) at near sonic speeds, higher than current air transport ones. This technological approach has played a prominent role in the modern transport scenario, with a potential to offer high service levels, associated with high speed, reliability and weather operational flexibility, as well as reduced environmental footprint and costs. This groundbreaking technological concept, albeit revolutionary, can not be seen as a novelty, with previous precursors being proposed in the last century. However, the concept has been reintroduced in 2012 with updated technologies, in an open sourced format, by the acknowledged entrepreneur Elon Musk, to instigate further improvement/development among interested companies worldwide, focused on its exploration on a commercial scale in the near future. The Hyperloop concept is envisioned to compete with both the High Speed Rail (HSR) and Maglev services, in the 160–640 km (100–400 mi) range, as well as air transport, for up to 1,000 km (625 mi) range, with alleged both environmental and cost advantages over their competitors. However, despite the technology’s high performance potential, given its multidisciplinary feature (sonic/high speed, near vacuum, linear motor propulsion, electric power storage, pod environment maintenance/cooling, air quality control, transport capacity, among others) and its inherent current low maturity from both the engineering, operational and cost perspectives, there are several major technological, regulatory, planning, financial and environmental challenges to be addressed, prior to reach the commercial service status. In this context, it is currently required a huge research effort to figure out technological barriers, followed by prototype tests, to set up the safety and operational requirements. Work is current under way, with a huge research effort (from both the academy and the industry) focused on basic technological concepts, as well as some prototype tests (currently unmanned) driven to test the specific main technological approaches in a real world condition. Given its revolutionary feature, Hyperloop technology is seemed as both ambitious and controversial by the general public and transport experts, with some optimistic bets in its medium term revolutionary role in the passenger transport market, focused on some niche segments currently serviced by the rail mode, as well as other skeptical bets in its restricted role to the freight market, given some inherent safety issues. This work is supposed to present a review (supported on the current available technical literature) of the groundbreaking Hyperloop technology concept and its potential to fill some specific rail niche markets, in both passenger and/or freight segments, with an assessment of the main technology’s hurdles/bottlenecks status and their perspectives, from a technological, environmental and cost focus, followed by a snapshot of some potential Hyperloop project candidates.

The ASME Rail Transportation Division submitted five nominations in 2019 for ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark status. The nominations are for examples of significant railway technologies involving mechanical engineering and built between 1920 and 1964: 1. SBB 14253 “Crocodile” locomotive (1920): pioneering electric heavy-duty Swiss mountain locomotive, with pioneering features found in many subsequent electric locomotives. 2. Winton 8-201 prototype diesel engine (1933): only surviving of two experimental engines which preceded all GM-Electro-Motive 2-stroke cycle diesel engines for locomotives and other applications; first locomotive diesel engine with lightweight welded steel crankcase and unitized fuel injectors. 3. B&O 50 locomotive (1935): sole surviving example of the first (5) standalone, modular, non-articulated high-speed diesel locomotives from Electro-Motive, functional prototypes for the later “E” passenger and “FT” freight locomotives. 4. Cooper-Bessemer prototype diesel engine (1953): sole surviving example of (4) predecessor 4-stroke cycle diesel engines built for GE Transportation for field test locomotives prior to GE becoming a domestic locomotive manufacturer. 5. SP 9010 locomotive (1964): sole surviving example of (21) experimental German-built diesel locomotives for heavy-duty US mountain railroad operation using a hydromechanical torque converter transmission instead of electric traction motors; proved concept of higher-power and improved wheel-to-rail adhesion. All five nominations were submitted to the ASME national History & Heritage Committee for review. This paper provides a description of each nomination and the status of each proposed railroad Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

Magnetic levitation (maglev) is a highly advanced technology which provides, through magnetic forces, contactless movement with no wear and friction and, hence, improved efficiency, followed by reduced operational costs. It can be used in many fields, from wind turbines to nuclear energy and elevators, among others. Maglev trains, which use magnetic levitation, guidance and propulsion systems, with no wheels, axles and transmission, are one of the most important application of the maglev concept, and represents the first fundamental innovation of rail technology since the launch of the railroad era. Due to its functional features, which replaces mechanical components by a wear free concept, maglev is able to overcome some of the technical restrictions of steel-wheel on rail (SWR) technology, running smoother and somewhat quieter than wheeled systems, with the potential for higher speeds, acceleration & braking rates and unaffected by weather, which ultimately makes it attractive for both high speed intercity and low speed urban transport applications. From a technical perspective, maglev transport might rely on basically 3 technological concepts: i) electromanetic suspension (EMS), based on the attraction effect of electromagnets on the vehicle body, that are attracted to the iron reactive rails (with small gaps and an unstable process that requires a refined control system); ii) Electrodynamic Levitation (EDL), which levitates the train with repulsive forces generated from the induced currents, resulted from the temporal variation of a magnetic field in the conductive guide ways and iii) Superconducting Levitation (SML), based on the so called Meissner Effect of superconductor materials. Each of these technologies present distinct maturity and specific technical features, in terms of complexity, performance and costs, and the one that best fits will depend on the required operational features of a maglev system (mainly speed). A short distance maglev shuttle first operated commercially for 11 years (1984 to 1995) connecting Birmingham (UK) airport to the the city train station. Then, high-speed full size prototype maglev systems have been demonstrated in Japan (EDL) (552 kph - 343 mph), and Germany (EMS) (450 kph - 280 mph). In 2004, China has launched a commercial high speed service (based on the German EMS technology), connecting the Pudong International Airport to the outskirts of the city of Shanghai. Japan has launched a low speed (up to 100 kph - 62.5 mph) commercial urban EMS maglev service (LIMINO, in 2005), followed by Korea (Incheon, in 2016) and China (Changsha, in 2016). Moreover, Japan is working on the high speed Maglev concept, with the so called Chuo Shinkansen Project, to connect Tokio to Nagoya, in 2027, with top speeds of 500 kph (310 mph). China is also working on a high speed maglev concept (600 kph - 375 mph), supported on EMS Maglev technology. Urban Maglev concept seeks to link large cities, with their satellite towns and suburbs, to downtown areas, as a substitute for subways, due to its low cost potential, compared to metros and light rail (basically due to their lower turning radius, grade ability and energy efficiency). High Speed Maglev is also seen as a promising technology, with the potential do provide high quality passenger transport service between cities in the 240–1,000 km (150–625 mi) distance range into a sustainable and reliable way. This work is supposed to present, based on a compilation of a multitude of accredited and acknowledged technical sources, a review of the maglev transport technology, emphasizing its potential and risks of the low and high speed (urban and intercity) market, followed by a brief summary of some case studies.

This study provides the results of research for obtaining track lubricity conditions through using laser/LED-based, optical sensors while onboard a push-cart. The resulting sensors are intended to be able to identify the lubricity condition of a rail network while moving onboard either a track metrology car or a Hy-rail vehicle. U.S. railroads invest a large sum of money and resources applying friction modifying material and flange lubricants to their rails to reduce rolling resistance in curves in an effort to reduce curving forces, reduce wheel and rail wear, and improve fuel efficiency. There exists, however, no effective ways of measuring the amount, adequacy, or even presence of top of rail (ToR) friction modifiers over continuous, extended distances of track except through quasi-empirical visual inspections that can be subject to a high amount of errors due to the very small layer thicknesses of ToR material (commonly, a few microns). This effort intends to bridge this gap by evaluating the application of laser/LED-based instruments in detecting the presence of ToR friction modifiers and flange lubricants on the rail. Specifically, the reflective and scattering properties of a laser beam directed against the rail surface are used to provide a qualitative “gloss”-based assessment of the presence of ToR friction modifiers. Additionally, a UV fluorescence sensor (LED source) is used to detect the presence of flange grease which has migrated to the top of rail by taking advantage of the grease’s fluorescence properties. The results of both laboratory and field testing of a prototype system with embedded laser and LED fluorescence sensors and supporting peripheral sensors are presented. The details of the instruments and their working principle are explained. The conditions for laboratory testing and field testing on revenue service tracks are detailed. The test results indicate that the laser/LED system is capable of successfully detecting the presence of ToR friction modifier and flange grease contamination on the rail.

In this study, a Secondary Impact Protection System (SIPS) consisting of an airbag and a deformable knee bolster for use on a modern freight locomotive was developed and tested. During rail vehicle collisions, a modern locomotive designed to current crashworthiness requirements should provide sufficient survival space to the engineer in cab. However, without additional protection against secondary impacts, a locomotive engineer could be subjected to head, neck, and femur injuries that exceed the limits specified in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 208). The SIPS study aimed to design a system that would control these injuries within the limiting criteria. Simulation results for the design concept showed that it would meet the FMVSS 208 criteria for the head, neck, chest, and femur, injuries and continuing to meet all existing functional requirements of the locomotive cab. A sled testing of the prototype showed that to optimize the SIPS, further airbag design modifications, characterization and testing are required.

The railroad industry currently utilizes two wayside detection systems to monitor the health of freight railcar bearings in service: The Trackside Acoustic Detection System (TADS™) and the wayside Hot-Box Detector (HBD). TADS™ uses wayside microphones to detect and alert the conductor of high risk defects. Many defective bearings may never be detected by TADS™ due to the fact that a high risk defect is considered a spall which spans more than 90% of a bearing’s raceway, and there are less than 20 systems in operation throughout the United States and Canada. Much like the TADS™, the HBD is a device that sits on the side of the rail tracks and uses a non-contact infrared sensor to determine the temperature of the train bearings as they roll over the detector. The accuracy and reliability of the temperature readings from this wayside detection system have been concluded to be inconsistent when comparing several laboratory and field studies. The measured temperatures can be significantly different from the actual operating temperature of the bearings due to several factors such as the class of railroad bearing and its position on the axle relative to the position of the wayside detector. Over the last two decades, a number of severely defective bearings were not identified by several wayside detectors, some of which led to costly catastrophic derailments. In response, certain railroads have attempted to optimize the use of the temperature data acquired by the HBDs. However, this latter action has led to a significant increase in the number of non-verified bearings removed from service. In fact, about 40% of the bearings removed from service in the period from 2001 to 2007 were found to have no discernible defects. The removal of non-verified (defect-free) bearings has resulted in costly delays and inefficiencies. Driven by the need for more dependable and efficient condition monitoring systems, the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) research team at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) has been developing an advanced onboard condition monitoring system that can accurately and reliably detect the onset of bearing failure. The developed system currently utilizes temperature and vibration signatures to monitor the true condition of a bearing. This system has been validated through rigorous laboratory testing at UTRGV and field testing at the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) in Pueblo, CO. The work presented here provides concrete evidence that the use of vibration signatures of a bearing is a more effective method to assess the bearing condition than monitoring temperature alone. The prototype bearing condition monitoring system is capable of identifying a defective bearing with a defect size of less than 6.45 cm 2 (1 in 2 ) using the vibration signature, whereas, the temperature profile of that same bearing will indicate a healthy bearing that is operating normally.

American Railroads are planning to complete implementation of their Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by 2020 with the primary safety objectives of avoiding inter-train collisions, train derailments and ensuring railroad worker safety. Under published I-ETMS specifications, the onboard unit (OBU) communicates with two networks; (1) the Signaling network that conveys track warrants to occupy blocks etc. and (2) the Wayside Interface Unit (WIU) network, a sensor network situated on tracks to gather navigational information. These include the status of rail infrastructure (such as switches) and any operational hazards that may affect the intended train path. In order to facilitate timely delivery of messages, PTC systems will have a reliable radio network operating in the reserved 220MHz spectrum, although the PTC system itself is designed to be a real-time fail safe distributed control systems. Both the signaling and the WIUs communicate their information (track warrants, speed restrictions, and Beacon status) using software defined radio networks. Given that PTC systems are controlled by radio networks, they are subjected to cyber-attacks. We show a design and a prototype implementation of a PTC Cyber Situational awareness system that gathers information from WIU devices and Locomotives for the use of rail operators. In order to do so, we designed secure IDS components to reside on the On Board Units (OBU), signaling points (SP) and the WIUs that gather real-time status information and share them with the Back Office system to provide the cyber-security health of the communication fabric. Our system is able to detect and share information about command replay, hash breaking guessing and message corruption attacks.

Freight railroad classification yards have been compared to large-scale manufacturing plants, with inbound trains as the inputs and outbound trains as the outputs. Railcars often take up to 24 hours to be processed through a railyard due to the need for manual inbound inspection, car classification, manual outbound inspection, and other intermediate processes. Much of the inspection and repair process has historically been completed manually with handwritten documents. Until recently, car inspections were rarely documented unless repairs were required. Currently, when a defect is detected in the yard, the railcar inspector must complete a “bad order” form that is adhered to each side of the car. This process may take up to ten minutes per bad order. To reduce labor costs and improve efficiency, asset management technology and Internet-of-Things (IoT) frameworks can now be developed to reduce labor time needed to record bad orders, increase inspection visibility, and provide the opportunity to implement analytics and cognitive insights to optimize worker productivity and facilitate condition-based maintenance. The goal of this project is to develop a low-cost prototype electronic freight car inspection tracking system for small-scale (short line and regional) railroad companies. This system allows car inspectors to record mechanical inspection data using a ruggedized mobile platform (e.g. tablet or smartphone). This data may then be used to improve inspection quality and efficiency as well as reduce inspection redundancy. Data collection will involve two approaches. The first approach is the development of an Android-based mobile application to electronically record and store inspection data using a smartphone or rugged tablet. This automates the entire bad order form process by connecting to IBM’s Bluemix Cloudant NoSQL database. It allows for the information to be accessed by railroad mechanical managers or car owners, anywhere and at any time. The second approach is a web-based Machine-to-Machine (M2M) system using Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and beacon technology to store car inspection data on a secure website and/or a cloudant database. This approach introduces the freight car inspection process to the “physical web,” and it will offer numerous additional capabilities that are not possible with the current radio frequency identification device (RFID) system used for freight car tracking. By connecting railcars to the physical web, railcar specifications and inspection data can be updated in real-time and be made universally available. At the end of this paper, an evaluation and assessment is made of both the benefits and drawbacks of each of these approaches. The evaluation suggests that although some railroads may immediately benefit from these technological solutions, others may be better off with the current manual method until IoT and M2M become more universally accepted within the railroad industry. The primary value of this analysis is to provide a decision framework for railroads seeking to implement IoT systems in their freight car inspection practices. As an additional result, the software and IoT source code for the mobile app developed for this project will be open source to promote future collaboration within the industry.

American Railroads are planning to complete implementing their Positive Train Control (PTC) systems by 2020. Safety objectives of PTC are to avoid inter-train collisions, train derailments and ensuring railroad worker safety. Under published specifications of I-ETMS (the PTC system developed by Class I freight railroads), the on-board PTC controller communicates with two networks; namely, the Signaling network and the Wayside Interface Unit network to gather navigational information such as the positions of other trains, the status of critical infrastructure (such as switches) and any hazardous conditions that may affect the train path. By design, PTC systems are predicated on having a reliable radio network operating in reserved radio spectrum, although the PTC system itself is designed to be a real-time fail safe distributed control systems. Secure Intelligent Radio for Trains (SIRT) is an intelligent radio that is customized to train operations with the aim of improving the reliability and security of the radio communication network. SIRT has two tiers. The upper tier has the Master Cognitive Engine (MCE) which communicates with other SIRT nodes to obtain signaling and wayside device information. To do so, the MCE communicates with cognitive engines at the lower tier of SIRT; namely the Cryptographic Cognitive Engine (CCE) (that provide cryptographic security and threat detection) and the Spectrum Management Cognitive Engine (SCE) (that uses spectrum monitoring, frequency hopping and adaptive modulation to ensure the reliability of the radio communication medium). We presented the architecture and the prototype development of the CCE in [1]. This paper presents the design of the MCE and the SCE. We are currently developing a prototype of the SCE and the MCE and testing the performance of our cognitive radio system under varying radio noise conditions. Our experiments show that SIRT dynamically switches modulation schemes in response to radio noise and switches channels in response to channel jamming.

The University of California at San Diego (UCSD), under a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Office of Research and Development (R&D) grant, is developing a system for high-speed and non-contact rail defect detection. A prototype using an ultrasonic air-coupled guided wave signal generation and air-coupled signal detection, paired with a real-time statistical analysis algorithm, has been realized. This system requires a specialized filtering approach based on electrical impedance matching due to the inherently poor signal-to-noise ratio of air-coupled ultrasonic measurements in rail steel. Various aspects of the prototype have been designed with the aid of numerical analyses. In particular, simulations of ultrasonic guided wave propagation in rails have been performed using a Local Interaction Simulation Approach (LISA) algorithm. The system’s operating parameters were selected based on Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, which provide a quantitative manner to evaluate different detection performances based on the trade-off between detection rate and false positive rate. The prototype based on this technology was tested in October 2014 at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado, and again in November 2015 after incorporating changes based on lessons learned.

Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) has been widely used in modern railway system for it provides smooth ride, higher freight speed, and less maintenance. A major safety concern with this type of structure is the absence of the expansion joints and the potential of buckling in hot weather. According to the FRA safety statistics, the track alignment irregularity is one of the leading factors responsible for the accidents and the most economic/environmental damages, among all the railway accident causes. However, the thermal stress measurement in the CWR for buckling prevention has been an unresolved problem in railroad maintenance. In this study, a method is introduced to determine the in-situ thermal stress of the in-service CWR by using the Hole-Drilling method. The ASTM Hole-Drilling test procedure, as one type of stress relaxation methods, was originally developed to measure the in-plane residual stresses close to the specimen surfaces. The residual stresses are typically computed based on the relieved strains with the calibration coefficients. Inspired by the stress relaxation philosophy, an investigation on the thermal stress measurement of the CWR using the Hole-Drilling test procedure is conducted in this paper. First, the feasibility of using the Hole-Drilling method of the thermal stress measurement is examined via a 3-D finite element model. The stress relaxation computed from the Hole-Drilling test is compared with the applied uniaxial thermal stress. To facilitate the implementation on the CWR, a new set of calibration coefficients with finer depth increment is computed with a novel three-dimensional finite element model for more realistic simulation. The updated coefficients are experimentally validated with an aluminum column specimen under uniaxial load. For the experimental studies, a roadside prototype is developed and two sets of tests are carried out on free-to-expand rail tracks and on rails subjected to controlled thermal loads at UCSD Powell Laboratories. The relieved stresses are computed using the updated calibration coefficients, and a linear relationship between the axial and vertical residual stresses at the neutral axis is observed for both 136RE and 141RE rails. Furthermore, the in-situ thermal stresses are estimated with the residual stress compensation and the neutral temperatures are predicted according to linear thermal expansion theory. These tests illustrate that the determination of the thermal stresses by the Hole-Drilling method is in principle possible, once ways are developed to compensate for the residual stress relaxation. One such compensation is proposed in this paper. A statistical interpretation on the proposed method is also given to provide a reference for railroad applications.

High Performance Concrete (HPC) with early strength development is the material of choice in the fabrication of prestressed concrete railroad ties. The higher strength of HPC results in significantly higher values of the Elastic Modulus and increases the brittleness and the rigidity of the material, leading to premature cracking and the deterioration of the railroad ties. A High-Strength Reduced-Modulus High Performance Concrete (HSRM-HPC) material has been developed by the authors and used in the fabrication of prototype concrete ties. Detailed models based on the Finite Element Method of the HSRM-HPC have been developed to simulate the ASTM-C469 tests for elastic modulus. The HSRM-HPC constituent materials, i.e. aggregates and cement mortar, have been explicitly modeled and assigned properties determined experimentally. Aggregates size and distribution is modeled using a combination of probabilistic distributions consistent with the results of an experimental sieve analysis. Details of the development of each model are discussed. The models are verified with experimental data. Assessment studies have been performed in order to optimize the models with respect to efficiency, the quality of the results and computational times.

This paper investigates the plausibility of a novel in-vehicle auditory alert system to warn drivers of the presence of railroad crossings. Train-Vehicle collisions at highway-rail grade crossings continue to be a major issue despite improvements over the past several decades. In 2014 there were 2,286 highway-rail incidents leading to 852 injuries and 269 fatalities. This marked the first time in the past decade that incident rates increased from the previous year. To prevent the overall trend in safety improvement from plateauing, interest is shifting towards novel warning devices that can be applied to all crossings at minimal cost. These novel warnings are intended to complement but not replace the primary visual warnings that are already in place at both active and passive crossings. Few in-vehicle warning systems have been described and tested in the rail safety literature. The ones that have been described only manipulate the modality or reliability of the warning message, and pay little attention to message content, timing of presentation, mappings between crossing events and warning logic, and driver habituation associated with long term use. To this end, a line of research has been being carried out to design in-vehicle auditory alerts and measure subjective preference and driver behavior in response to in-vehicle auditory alerts. The first study included a subjective evaluation of potential auditory cues. Cues rated as most effective and appropriate were included in the design of prototype systems in the follow up study. The second study will measure compliance rates in a driving simulator with and without in-vehicle auditory alerts. The results of first study and the study design for the second study are discussed.

In current rail inspection processes, following a detection of a suspected internal defect, an additional secondary detailed inspection is required to (1) confirm the presence of the flaw and (2) determine the severity of the flaw to allow for optimal post-detection rail maintenance planning. Current ultrasonic devices in this secondary inspection efforts heavily rely the expertise and experience of the test personnel’s judgement to confirm the rail flaw and to characterize the internal defect by analyzing reflected waveforms. To eliminate the uncertainties in this secondary inspection process and to provide the testing operators with better defect characterization such as the size and location of the flaw, a defect ultrasonic imaging device utilizing synthetic aperture focusing (SAF) techniques is proposed in this paper. These imaging techniques have been successfully demonstrated in medical imaging, providing quantitative characterization of internal components, allowing for a better prognosis. Ultimately, having a quantitative evaluation of the internal flaw can lead to an increase in the safety of train operations by preventing derailments. Thus, in this paper, a preliminary portable rail defect imaging concept is proposed by the University of California, San Diego, to provide three dimensional images of internal defects in the rail. The prototype reconstructs a three-dimensional volumetric image of the rail, utilizing multiple two-dimensional planar ultrasonic images. Improvements to the conventional tomographic imaging algorithms have been made by utilizing a mode-selective image reconstruction scheme that exploits the specific displacement field, respectively, of the longitudinal wave modes and the shear wave modes, both propagating simultaneously in the test volume. The specific mode structure is exploited by an adaptive weight assignment to the ultrasonic tomographic array. Such adaptive weighting forces the imaging array to look at a specific scan direction and better focus the imaging onto the actual flaw (ultrasound reflector). This preliminary study shows that the usages of the adaptive weights based on wave structure improves image dynamic range and spatial resolution, when compared to a conventional ultrasonic imaging technique such as Delay-And-Sum (DAS). Results will be shown both from numerical models and experimental tests of internal flaws in rails.

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing allows for scaled to full-scale evaluation of components without constructing full-scale vehicle prototypes. HIL is also a rapid means of performance evaluation of difficult to model components, in real-time simulation with up to full-scale components providing their own response in place of a model. HIL also provides a working tool for control algorithm refinements prior to full system integration. In hybrid and electric locomotive applications this is particularly important while choosing the battery chemistry and sizing the energy storage system. Energy storage HIL testing permits optimal sizing of battery power and energy density along with management algorithm tuning. In general, HIL provides insight into optimal locomotive powertrain design. After the development of full EV and HEV locomotive models, battery component models were replaced with real-time interfaces to lead carbon and lithium cobalt batteries, which validated the battery models and helped tune vehicle controllers for direct application onto the vehicle platform.

Knowledge of transfer length is critical for maintaining continuous production quality in the modern manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad ties. Traditional manual laboratory methods for measuring transfer length are simply not suitable for production operation. They are much too time-consuming to implement, and typically require extensive surface preparation in order to obtain the required surface strain measurements needed for determining the transfer length. In addition, the traditional 95% Average Maximum Strain (95% AMS) method of assessing transfer length from the measured surface strain profile has been shown to possess bias. The accuracy of transfer length assessment using this method is generally influenced by individual operator judgment; therefore, making it unsuitable for use as a reliable production quality-control parameter. This paper presents recent in-plant testing of a newly developed prototype multi-camera non-contact transfer length measurement system, representing a major improvement over the traditional manual methods. The testing was conducted on concrete railroad ties at a manufacturing facility in North America. Concrete ties tested included those which were manufactured using indented prestressing wire as well as with 7-wire strand. The new device represents a next generation version of the previously successful Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system developed by the authors. The multi-camera system is shown to provide nearly real-time surface strain profile measurements (subsequent to de-tensioning), with surface strain accuracy comparable to the mechanical Whittemore gage device, yet with little or no required surface preparation. Furthermore, with the previously demonstrated Zhao-Lee (ZL) transfer length processing algorithm built into a LabVIEW data acquisition and control interface, the multi-camera system is shown to provide assessments of transfer length within a nominal tolerance of +/− 1.5 inches using as few as six uniformly spaced surface strain measurements. This brings within reach the ultimate goal of providing the railroad tie manufacturer with the ability to measure the transfer length of every tie produced prior to leaving the plant, thereby ensuring that they are within an acceptable tolerance, and providing the means to quickly identify the need to modify production (e.g., concrete mix) if transfer length specifications fall out of desired range.

The primary purpose of this study is to develop a foot pulse electrical circuit that can be integrated into a LIDAR system used for measuring track speed and curvature. LI ght D etection A nd R anging (LIDAR) technology is used in a wide variety of applications because it is capable of reliably producing accurate and precise measurements. While application of LIDAR technology is vast, this particular study focuses on its ability to accurately measure velocity and track geometry of rail tracks. A research team at Virginia Tech (VT) has already developed, tested, and proven the capability of LIDAR technology to be used for railway applications [1,2]. Their analysis shows that a railcar-mounted LIDAR system can accurately measure track geometry, centerline velocity, car body dynamics, and several other useful parameters. While this system is reliable and multifunctional, the prototype used for testing is not easily upgraded to include additional features without augmenting the software currently used to analyze and record the LIDAR signal. However, the prototype LIDAR system lacks several capabilities that are desirable for integrating the system with typical commercial systems on trains. One signal that commercial train systems typically have, which the LIDAR prototype does not have, is a foot pulse. The foot pulse is usually generated by a tachometer on the wheel of the train and aims to send out a pulse every time the train has travelled a foot. This signal is used for multiple other systems on the train, so in order to simplify integration of the developed LIDAR prototype into commercial train systems, the prototype was upgraded to include additional features. Other than the foot pulse, the upgrade also included acceleration detection, direction indication, and laser-enable signals to have a more complete prototype. The upgrade was executed using an external microcontroller and accelerometer to provide proof of concept while leaving the current LIDAR prototype’s software (and already proven capabilities) untouched. This paper focuses on using the information generated by the current LIDAR system to implement the additional features in an inexpensive, reliable, and easily retrofittable manner.

The design development and analysis of a novel Light Rail Vehicle (LRV) end-mounted bumper concept is described. The purpose of the bumper is to improve crash compatibility of LRVs with shared right of way road vehicle traffic. Under a grant from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Transit IDEA program, the present project builds on previous Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) sponsored work by adapting a generic conceptual retrofit bumper design onto the CAF LRV currently in service with Sacramento Regional Transit (RT). The bumper system is designed to reduce the severity of collisions and to reduce injuries for passengers in the struck vehicles. The reusable bumper is also designed to survive common collision scenarios, thereby minimizing service interruptions and downtime. The adapted design takes into account the geometry, necessary clearances, and other requirements of the RT CAF LRV while also incorporating the lessons learned from the original bumper concept optimization. Detailed nonlinear finite element crash analysis was used to evaluate the adapted design for a suite of common collision scenarios. The efficacy of the bumper system was evaluated through struck vehicle occupant injury assessments. The analysis has shown significantly improved crash performance for the adapted bumper system compared to the current LRV configuration without a bumper. Ongoing effort and future plans in pursuit of fielding the system are discussed.

It has been hypothesized that surface contaminants, such as lubricants on prestressing wires or strands, influence the resulting transfer length. However, until recently, the extent of this possible influence has only been speculation, as has been the relative influence on wire in comparison to strand. With the recent development of the ability to rapidly assess transfer length using new non-contact optical methods, it is now possible to explore hypothetical scenarios such as this with nearly real-time capability in the manufacturing plant. This paper presents a recent attempt to determine the effect of lubricating oil on the transfer length of ties, by conducting nearly real-time in-plant transfer length measurements using a newly developed prototype multi-camera non-contact transfer length measurement system. The testing was conducted on prismatic concrete turnout ties manufactured at the Nortrak plant in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Two different types of turnout ties were investigated, one containing indented 5.32-mm-diameter wire reinforcement and the other containing 3/8-in.-diameter 7-wire strand. These ties were located near the end of the casting bed. Prior to casting, one end of the form was sprayed with a generic lubricant, literally saturating the prestressing wires or strands. The ties were then cast and de-tensioned following the normal manufacturing process. This clearly represented a highly worst-case scenario for the influence of surface contaminants. Measurements were made using the new multi-camera system, providing a detailed profile of surface strain over several feet along each end of the last three ties in the casting beds (one for strand and one for wire) — the last tie being the one subjected to the application of oil prior to casting. Hence, the influence of oil application on adjacent ties was also revealed by these tests. For the tie end with strand reinforcement subjected to oil soaking, the maximum compressive strain only reached about 400 microstrain, far below the nominal average maximum strain level of approximately 1000 microstrain. In fact, the associated transfer length for the oil-soaked end could not be definitively measured because the strain level never achieved the plateau level of strain. In contrast, the tie end with oil-soaked indented wire exhibited a significant increase in transfer length; however, the transfer length remained well below the distance to the rail seat. From these worst-case tests, one can conclude that smooth strand is potentially highly influenced by lubricating oils, whereas the influence on indented wire is likely small by comparison.

Knowledge of the payload of freight cars is of utmost importance to shippers and carriers, used for billing and ensuring compliance with overload regulations. Typically, rail cars are weighed at dedicated sites, using strain-gage based pit-type scales, or weigh-in-motion scales. Shippers often weigh the shipped payload using mass flow meters, or force transducers integrated into infrastructure such as hoppers. Although accuracy on the order of 0.2% is achievable with these weighing methods, they carry high installation and maintenance costs, are sparsely distributed, and often require re-routing and decoupling of rail cars. The need for a high-accuracy (less than 1% of full-scale) vehicle-mounted, standalone solution has been expressed by chemical, grain, and coal shippers. This paper presents the key benefits of a standalone system, including real-time monitoring of car filling, and periodic monitoring. Real-time monitoring during filling allows customers to monitor and control fill rates, optimize filling methods, and prevent over-loading assets. Weight penalties can thus be avoided and infrastructure damage can be reduced. Periodic monitoring, when combined with GPS tracking, allows the customer to monitor filling/emptying events and the subsequent location. Theft and tampering can be monitored using alerts to notify customers of events taking place outside of designated facilities. Additionally, the development and implementation of a proprietary weighing system is presented. The performance of several prototype instrumented bogies is shown, including: 1) the results of repeated calibration cycles using full-scale bogie loads in a load frame, and 2) field performance computed by comparing instrumented bogie readings to reference instrumentation used by a chemical shipper.