Rail Neutral Temperature Monitoring for Rail Transit

The project will further develop and test unique Intelligent Rail Integrity System (IRIS) to determine the conditions leading to changes in Rail Neutral Monitoring Temperature (RNT), and provide the means to continuously monitor RNT in critical curve and abutment locations, to measure this effect, and communicate the condition to an IRIS website for remote access. This program will result in safer rail transit operations by more definitive continuous reporting of rail conditions and allow for verification of field welds, distressing curves, and any rail cuts. Continuous welded rail at curves and at abutments experience changes in rail neutral temperature (RNT) over time as stiff supports inhibit redistribution and equalization of longitudinal rail force. Significant changes in neutral temperature contribute to rail buckling and derailments. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will be participating with staff, equipment and facility for testing on their transit facilities. The project will be performed in the following two contingent stages. Stage I- Program Initiation and Stage II- System Implementation.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3826

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $99448.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project J-04, IDEA 7

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Transit Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transit Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001
• Project Managers:

  Gause, Jo

• Performing Organizations:

  Protran Technology

  ,    
• Start Date: 20150429
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 39605

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buckling; Condition surveys; Continuous welded rail; Curved rail; Derailments; Monitoring; Railroad safety; Temperature measurement; Websites (Information retrieval)
• Identifier Terms: Maryland Transit Administration
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01562515
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project J-04, IDEA 7
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Apr 30 2015 1:00AM