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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Interaction of Mechanical Systems with Structurally Significant Fire Events (UTI-UTC 25)
</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2543419</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This project explores the complex interplay between mechanical systems and the structural response of tunnel infrastructure during fire events. The research integrates fire dynamics modeling with structural and mechanical system simulations to assess how fire impacts tunnel linings, support systems, and embedded mechanical elements such as ventilation ducts, electrical conduits, and lighting. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA), the study evaluates temperature distribution, material degradation, and load redistribution during fire exposure. A key focus is placed on developing a fast-running, Matlab-based assessment tool that incorporates fire source characteristics, ventilation behavior, suppression methods, and tunnel geometry to predict structural vulnerabilities and support emergency response planning. The project aims to deliver actionable insights and modeling tools that improve tunnel design, resilience, and operational safety under fire-induced extreme conditions.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2025 17:52:24 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2543419</guid>
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      <title>Managing Vehicle-Rail Interface (VRI) Dynamics and Mechanics</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2446878</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The primary purpose of this study is to perform accurate dynamic measurements on a scaled roller rig designed and constructed by Virginia Tech and the Federal Railroad Administration (VT-FRA Roller Rig). The study also aims at determining the effect of naturally generated third-body layer deposits (because of the wear of the wheel and/or roller) on creep or traction forces. The wheel-rail contact forces, also referred to as traction forces, are critical for all aspects of rail dynamics. These forces are quite complex and they have been the subject of several decades of research, both in experiments and modeling. The primary intent of the VT-FRA Roller Rig is to provide an experimental environment for more accurate testing and evaluation of some of the models currently in existence, as well as evaluate new hypothesis and theories that cannot be verified on other roller rigs available worldwide.

The Rig consists of a wheel and roller in a vertical configuration that allows for closely replicating the boundary conditions of railroad wheel-rail contact via actively controlling all the wheel-rail interface degrees of freedom: angle of attack, cant angle, normal load and lateral displacement, including flanging. The Rig has two sophisticated independent drivelines to precisely control the rotational speed of the wheels, and therefore their relative slip or creepage. The Rig benefits from a novel force measurement system, suitable for steel on steel contact, to precisely measure the contact forces and moments at the wheel-rail contact.

Experimental studies will be conducted on the VT – FRA Roller Rig that involved varying the angle of attack, wheel and rail surface lubricity condition (i.e., wet vs. dry rail), and wheel wear, to study their effect on wheel-rail contact mechanics and dynamics. The wheel-rail contact is in between a one-fourth scale AAR-1B locomotive wheel and a roller machined to US-136 rail profile. A quantitative assessment of the creep-creepage measurements, which is an important metric to evaluate the wheel-rail contact mechanics and dynamics, is presented. A MATLAB routine is developed to generate the creep-creepage curves from measurements conducted as part of a broad experimental study. The shape of the contact patch and its pressure distribution have been discussed. An attempt is made to apply the results to full-scale wheels and flat rails. The research results will help in the development of better simulation models for non-Hertzian contact and non-linear creep theories for wheel-rail contact problems that require further research to more accurately represent the wheel-rail interaction.
]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:30:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2446878</guid>
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      <title>An Activity-based Toolbox for Planning Applications with Special Relevance to Transit</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1448971</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This research proposes to develop a comprehensive activity based travel demand forecast model that integrates different variations of discrete choice models, mathematical programming models of activity scheduling and travel choice, fuzzy concepts and machine learning techniques. The research is designed with a main goal of producing an activity-based travel demand toolbox that can be used in practical planning applications. As envisioned, the toolbox will enable users to predict activity patterns and trip chains at both disaggregate and aggregate levels for a study region, analyze public transportation market share, and evaluate the impacts of different policies on travel pattern of individuals. Core codes of the toolbox will be in Matlab and Python, and use Visual Basic for the user interface. The codes will be standalone executable files that have minimum software requirements for execution. As a demonstration of the toolbox, the project will apply the procedures to examine potential modifications to transit services provided by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Estimation and validation of the forecast tool will be based on a set of 78 household samples in Orange County, drawn from the California Household Travel Survey data. Scenarios for analysis will be developed in consultation with OCTA.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2017 11:09:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1448971</guid>
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