Railroad Track Mechanics and Technology. Proceedings of a Symposium Held at Princeton University, April 21–23, 1975

425 Pages·1978·24.16 MB·English

by  A.D. Kerr

Railroad Track Mechanics
and Technology
Proceedings of a Symposium
Heid at Princeton University
April 21 -23,1975
Edited by
ARNOLD D.KERR
Princeton, New Jersey
PERGAMON PRESS
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First edition 1978
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Railroad track mechanics and technology.
"Sponsored jointly by the Federal Railroad
Administration and by Princeton University."
1. Railroads—Track—Congresses. 2. Railroads
—Trains—Dynamics—Congresses.
I. Kerr, Arnold D. II. United States, Federal Railroad
Administration. III. Princeton University.
TF240.R4 1976 625.1'4 77-548
ISBN 0-08-021923-3
in order to make this volume available as economically and as rapidly as possible
the typescript has been reproduced in its original form. This method unfortu-
nately has its typographical limitations but it is hoped that they in no way distract
the reader.
Printed in Great Britain by William Clowes & Sons, Limited
London, Beccles and Colchester
PREFACE
The timing and importance of this Symposium on railroad track
mechanics and technology cannot be overstressed. Today our railroads are in
dire need of technical as well as financial help — particularly in the
area of their track systems. We are indebted to Dr. Arnold D. Kerr for so
ably organizing what appears to be an excellent gathering of technical
railroad experts to address this key aspect of the railroad system. The
Federal Railroad Administration appreciates this effort and will seriously
consider the recommended approaches, observations, and findings.
I certainly appreciate the opportunity to convey a few personal
observations.
Even though being somewhat familiar with past FRA R&D programs
and problems from my former R&D planning position in the Office of the
Secretary, DOT, the first two months in my FRA position have made it
abundantly clear that Improved Track Structures is our highest priority
program.
Ifve had several policy sessions with FRA Administrator Hall in
which he stressed the importance of track related R&D. We are hopeful that
R&D can come up with solutions to turn around the high accident rate
attributed to track.
Although there are many important concerns in achieving a signifi-
cant improvement in the safety record, ITd like to briefly point out two
of the pertinent challenges.
First, a better technical understanding of the interactions at
the track/train interface is a prime requisite for both short and longer
term objectives. That is, we must be better equipped to define more pre-
cisely the classes of track structures which can interact safely with speci-
fied allowable distributions of dynamic loads, imposed by traversing rail
vehicles in trains. Of course, the allowable interactions can not create
excessive maintenance requirements on the components of the system —
including the track structure.
The second challenge is to achieve some immediate results by working
within the constraints of the more unchangeable portions of the present
system — which will be with us for some time. I hear a strong voice from
Congress urging progress in this respect. The various committees while
generally supportive of our track R&D goals are quite anxious to see early
results. They want solid evidence that government R&D financial investments
will yield practical returns in meeting existing problems. We can't argue
with this position as individual taxpayers. The burden to produce falls on
vu
viii Preface
all of us — we must focus on achieving near-term payoffs if we are to gain
continued Congressional support of our integrated efforts.
This symposium on railroad track mechanics and technology should go
a long way towards establishing the technical knowledge base our industry
needs to start its track rebuilding program. The stakes to our railroad
industry are great and the benefits of any improvement item identified here
will have far reaching implications on our national economy and the
economies of other countries.
Robert E. Parsons
Associate Administrator for R&D
Federal Railroad Administration
Washington, D.C.
INTRODUCTION
The recent revival of interest in our railroads by the public and by
the Federal Government is leading to an increasing research effort in a variety
of disciplines with the aim of improving the safety and efficiency of railroad
transportation.
Railroad track mechanics is one such discipline of interest. Its
task is to provide the basis for improved and more reliable performance of the
tracks and the rolling stock and for the establishment of rational and econom-
ical methods for their maintenance. Its importance is self-evident since the
railroad track is presently one of the main causes for limiting the operating
speeds of trains and its maintenance is a major expense to many railroads.
The railroad track has been a main cause for limiting the operating
speeds of trains for quite some time; essentially since the introduction of the
steam locomotive into regular service during the first half of the past century.
The subsequent rapid improvements of the locomotive resulted in progressively
increasing train speeds and higher wheel loads, which in turn continuously in-
creased the demand for better railroad tracks. Presently many U.S. railroad
companies have rolling stock that can move at 90 mph, but very few tracks are
suitable for continuous use at these speeds. The situation is essentially the
same in other countries, such as Great Britain, the Soviet Union, Japan, France,
and Germany.
During the past century both the longitudinal-tie-track and the cross-
tie- track were in use; yet the cross-tie-track prevailed. The cross-ties were
originally made out of wood. A number of railways also used metal ties. In
the past two decades the prestressed concrete tie has been increasingly util-
ized by many railroads abroad; its use in our country has not yet been estab-
lished.
Since World War II many tracks throughout the world have been built
using continuously welded rails (CWR). This method eliminates the expansion
joints which structurally weaken the track. It is anticipated that the CWR
will decrease the maintenance cost of the tracks and the trains and lower the
energy consumption. However, the complete elimination of the joints increases
the possibility of track buckling during the summer and/or rail rupture during
the winter.
To accommodate the increasing axle loads, the rail cross-section was
continuously increased and the tie spacing was decreased. However, the tie
spacing can not be reduced beyond a certain limit, nor can the rail cross-sec-
tion constantly be increased. Therefore an attempt was made recently to elim-
inate the tie spaces altogether by using, instead of discrete ties, a continu-
ous reinforced concrete slab. In this design the rails are secured by means
of fasteners that are anchored in the slab. It is anticipated that such tracks
will substantially reduce track maintenance, especially for high speed trains.
IX
X Introduction
However, in view of the high cost and the unsolved technical problems
involved in building such new tracks, many railroads are searching for ways to
upgrade the cross-tie-track, in order to make them suitable for heavier loads
and higher speeds.
The rapid increase of the axle loads, especially in the U.S. where
125-ton cars are being introduced into service, led to excessive rail wear and
an increase in rail failures. This situation suggests the question, because
of a variety of unsolved technical problems, of the economy of ever-increasing
axle loads.
The development of railroad tracks was mainly intuitive, based on the
trial and error approach. Early recorded attempts to analyze them go back to
the middle of the past century. With increasing wheel loads and train speeds
and changes in the track structure, the design engineer needs a good under-
standing of the effect of each change upon the track response in order to de-
sign rationally. The railroad engineer in charge of track utilization and
maintenance needs this knowledge in order to utilize them safely and economi-
cally. The railroad economist needs to know the cost of each change in order
to price the services rationally.
In the absence of up-to-date texts on the subject and the apparent
lack of generally accepted solutions to many important questions related to
the railroad track, it was conceived that a conference at which domestic and
foreign track experts would participate would be of great benefit.
The purpose of the Symposium was to present state-of-the-art reviews
in areas of track mechanics and technology of current interest, to supplement
these with accounts of ongoing research activities, and to provide a forum for
railroad engineers and researchers to exchange ideas about new developments and
old unsolved problems in this field. To achieve this aim, a number of experts
were invited to present papers in their fields of specialty. I would like to
express my appreciation for their enthusiastic response. Special thanks are
due to the speakers from abroad, whose extensive experience in track technology
and research greatly enhanced the presentations and the discussions.
The technical content of the Symposium was presented in six half-day
sessions. They covered the technology of high speed tracks (cross-tie and con-
crete slab tracks), the stability of tracks when subjected to thermal and mech-
anical forces, track dynamics, the mechanics and fracture of rails, and the
mechanics of the ballast. All presented papers and the pertinent parts of the
formal discussions are included in this volume.
This Symposium was sponsored jointly by the Federal Railroad Admini-
stration and by Princeton University. Their financial support and cooperation
are greatly appreciated.
Finally, it is a pleasure to express thanks to Mrs. Marion Stark and
Mr. William 0!Brien from the Conference Office of Princeton University, whose
efforts contributed greatly to the success of the Symposium.
Princeton, N.J. Arnold Ό. Kerr
Director of Symposium and
Editor of the Proceedings
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
Monday, April 21, 1975
8:30 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Opening Remarks: Arnold D. Kerr, Princeton University
9:20 a.m. Greetings: Aaron Lemonick, Dean of the Faculty, Princeton
University
9:30 a.m. Address: Myles B. Mitchell, Office of R&D, Federal Railroad
Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
9:50 a.m. Coffee Break
SESSION I
Chairman: A.D. Kerr, Princeton University
Co-Chairman: D.P. McConnell, Transportation Systems Center, DOT
10:00 a.m. RAILROAD TRACKS FOR HIGH SPEED LINES
J. Eisenmann, Technical University, Munich, West Germany
11:00 a.m. CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF WHEEL LOAD VARIATION ON THE HIGH SPEED
OPERATING LINE
Y. Sato and Y. Satoh, Japanese National Railways, Railway Tech-
nical Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
12:00 noon Luncheon
SESSION II
Chairman: G.C. Martin, Association of American Railroads
Co-Chairman: A. Kish, Transportation Systems Center, DOT
2:00 p.m. EFFECT OF LATERAL LOADS ON TRACK MOVEMENT
CO. Frederick, British Railways Technical Centre, Derby, England
3:00 p.m. LATERAL BUCKLING OF TRACKS DUE TO CONSTRAINED THERMAL EXPANSIONS-
A CRITICAL SURVEY
A.D. Kerr, Princeton University
4:00 p.m. THE EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF THE AXIAL AND LATERAL
TRACK-BALLAST RESISTANCE
P. Dogneton, Internation Union of Railways, Office for
Research and Experiments, Utrecht, Holland
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Dinner
8:00 p.m. After-Dinner Address: L.S. Crane, Southern Railway System
Xll Symposium Program
Tuesday, April 22, 1975
SESSION III
Chairman: H. Weinstock, Transportation Systems Center, DOT
Co-Chairman: R.M. McCafferty, Federal Railroad Administration, DOT
9:00 a.m. RECENT RESEARCH ON THE DYNAMIC ELASTIC MODULUS OF THE TRACK
IN BALLAST, IN VIEW OF HIGH VELOCITIES
F. Birmann, Technical University of Hanover and
Bundesbahn-Zentralamt, Munich, West Germany
10:00 a.m. THE PRESENT STATE OF TRACK VIBRATION MEASUREMENTS
L. Steinbeisser, Technical University, Munich, West
Germany
11:00 a.m. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL MODELS FOR RAILROAD TRACK
DYNAMICS
D. R. Ahlbeck, H. C. Meacham, and R. H. Prause; Battelle
Columbus Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.
12:00 noon Luncheon
SESSION IV
Chairman: R.M. Brown, Union Pacific Railroad
Co-Chairman: W.S. Lovelace, Southern Railway System
2:00 p.m. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT OF RAILROAD
RAIL IN SERVICE
R.K. Steele, Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, U.S.A.
3:00 p.m. A REVIEW OF RAIL-WHEEL CONTACT STRESS PROBLEMS
B. Paul, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
4:00 p.m. AN INTRODUCTION TO FRACTURE MECHANICS OF RAILROAD RAILS
D. H. Stone, Association of American Railroads, Chicago,
Illinois, U.S.A.
6:00 p.m. Reception
7:00 p.m. Dinner
8:00 p.m. FRA'S TRACK RESEARCH PROGRAM : ITS ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT
W.B. O'Sullivan, Federal Railroad Administration, DOT
Symposium Program xiii
Wednesday, April 23 197S
Λ
SESSION V
Chairman: R. Smith, Penn Central Railroad
Co-Chairman: L. Kurzweil, Transportation Systems Center, DOT
9:00 a.m. EXCITATIONS AND BEHAVIOR OF THE RAILROAD TRACK DURING
TRAIN PASSAGE AT VERY HIGH SPEEDS — NORMS ADOPTED
BY THE S.N.C.F. FOR FUTURE HIGH-SPEED RAILWAYS (250-
300 km/h)
A. Prud'homme, French National Railroads, Paris, France
10:00 a.m. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESTRESSED CONCRETE TIE IN THE U.S.A.
J,W. Weber, Portland Cement Association, Skokie, Illinois,
U.S.A.
11:00 a.m. THE MECHANICS OF RAIL FASTENERS FOR CONCRETE SLAB TRACKS
B. Bramall, International Union of Railways, Office for
Research and Experiments, Utrecht, Holland
12:00 noon Luncheon
12:45 p.m. Luncheon Speaker: R.E. Briggs, Association of American Railroads
SESSION VI
Chairman: G.H. Way, Jr., Association of American Railroads
Co-Chairman: N. Caldwell, Canadian National Railways System
2:00 p.m. SELECTION AND PERFORMANCE OF RAILROAD BALLAST
G.P. Raymond, P.N. Gaskin, and O. Svec, Queen1s University,
Canada
3:00 p.m. CONTRIBUTION TO THE MECHANICS OF BALLAST
K. Klugar, Technical University, Graz, Austria
4:00 p.m. DEFORMATION OF RAILWAY BALLAST UNDER REPEATED LOADING
CONDITIONS
M.J. Shenton, British Railways Technical Centre, Derby,
England
5:00 p.m. Concluding Remarks: A.D. Kerr
Proc. Symp. on Railroad Track Mechanics
Pergamon Press, 1975
GETTING DOWN TO BASICS*
L. Stanley Crane
President and Chief Administrative Officer, Southern Railway System
Washington, D.C.
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to be with you and to have
at least a small part in this valuable symposium. I began my railroad career
as a laboratory assistant in my company's research laboratories and research
has been one of my keener interests ever since.
It is always a treat for me to associate with people who are inter-
ested and involved in research. That is especially true of a gathering like
this, bringing together as it does some of the finest minds in railroad track
research from around this global world of ours.
The scope and depth of this three-day program makes it clear that
we have the opportunity here to learn a great deal from one another. And the
subject at hand — railroad track mechanics — indicates that what we are
doing here is something we ought to be doing a lot more of in the United
States.
We need to get down to basics in railroad research.
Wherever such research is carried on — here, or in Austria, Russia,
Canada, France, Japan, Germany, Holland, or the United Kingdom — the intent
is basically the same; to provide the most efficient, safe and reliable rail
system possible. And it all starts with the track structure on which we
operate.
Although we are seeking the same end, our differences in operation
often tend to lead us there by different routes. Railroads outside this
country are more concerned with high-speed passenger movement and relatively
low axle-load freight service. American railroad traffic, on the other hand,
is for the most part heavy tonnage freight business, with less emphasis on
passenger service.
Political and ownership considerations also affect our approaches
to research. Railroad operations outside the United States, with the partial
exception of Canada, are almost entirely government-owned.
Many of these governments have made a total commitment to railroad
After-dinner address.
3