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Technical Reports

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An Evaluation of Performance Requirements for Cross Ties and Fasteners

This report was prepared as part of the Improved Track Structures Research Program managed by the Transportation Systems Center. This program is sponsored by the Office of Rail Safety Research, Improved Track Structures Research Division, of the Federal Railroad Administration. The report...

Vertical Shaker System Laboratory Tests of Trailer on a Flatcar (CR-124)

This report describes full scale Trailer on a Flatcar (TOFC) optimization tests performed during 1976 on the Vertical Shaker System at the Rail Dynamics Laboratory, Pueblo, CO. The purpose of these tests was to evaluate the effect of TOFC system component changes on lading vibration levels and...

Users' Manual for Kalker's Simplified Nonlinear Creep Theory

The conversion of the computer program, "Simplified Theory of Rolling Contact," (used for calculation of a nonlinear creep force-creepage relationship) from the original Algol language to Fortran is considered. The Algol program was written by Professor J. J. Kalker and was derived from the paper...

Users' Manual for Asymmetric Wheel/Rail Contact Characterization Program

Wheel/rail geometric constraint relationships, such as the effective conicity and gravitational stiffness, strongly influence the lateral dynamics of railway vehicles. The principal curvatures of wheel and rail profiles are important parameters in the determination of creep coefficients used in...

TLV Status Report

The worldwide status of Tracked Levitated Vehicle (TLV) technology and an assessment of its development, sponsored by the Advanced Technology Program within the Office of Research and Development in FRA, is presented here. This report along with a TLV Technology Workshop sponsored by the Office of...

Refurbishment of Railroad Crossties: a Technical and Economic Analysis

An analysis of the principal modes of failure for wooden railroad crossties was conducted and an evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of refurbishing these ties was conducted. Among the principal modes of structural deterioration, only spike-killed tie repair was identified as...

Railroad Research Bulletin - Autumn 1977 Volume 4, Number 2

This publication contains 1,269 abstracts of journal articles and research reports and descriptions of computer programs and magnetic data tapes. It also has 581 summaries of ongoing research activities in the railroad field. The material, selected from current railroad literature and other...