Plastic Ties Safety Performance Evaluation

Plastic composite ties’ use has increased significantly in recent years. A variety of material compositions and designs are available. This project is to continue support of the existing Government/Academia/Industry Partnership, and specifically to: 1) support triennail National Workshops under the auspices of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) Subcommittee on Engineered Composite Ties, for information sharing and research prioritization, 2) address safety concerns raised due to unknown failure modes and durability in service through testing at the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) and publication of reports through the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 3) document performance based on the testing and use by Class 1 railroads, and 4) update of the AREMA Engineering Manual’s section on plastic ties based on these results.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Program information: Track and Structures. Links to project: http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/42000/42700/42781/RR_Plastic_Composite_Ties_in_Revenue_Service_final.pdf and http://ntl.bts.gov/lib/54000/54200/54264/Construction_Loads_Experienced_by_Plastic_Composite_Ties_20140723_final_1_.pdf

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $400000
• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Railroad Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Fateh, Mahmood

• Performing Organizations:

  United States Army Corps of Engineers

  501 8th Street
  Huntington, WV  United States  25701

  BNSF Railway

  2650 Lou Menk Drive
  Fort Worth, TX  United States  76131

  CSX Transportation

  500 Water Street J350
  Jacksonville, FL  United States  32202

  Chicago Transit Authority

  Merchandise Mart Plaza, P.O. Box 3555
  Chicago, IL  United States  60654

  Rutgers University, New Brunswick

  New Brunswick, NJ  United States  08901

  Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated

  55500 DOT Road
  Pueblo, CO  United States  81001
• Start Date: 20041001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20091106

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Composite materials; Durability tests; Failure; Plastics; Railroad safety; Railroad ties
• Identifier Terms: American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association; Transportation Technology Center, Incorporated
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01573860
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Department of Transportation
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 27 2015 9:09AM