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RAILWAY ENGINEERING–2005 Abstracts of the Eighth International Conference “Maintenance & Renewal of Permanent Way; Power & Signalling; Structures & Earthworks” www.railwayengineering.com

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RAILWAY ENGINEERING–2005

Abstracts of the EighthInternational Conference

“Maintenance & Renewal

of Permanent Way;

Power & Signalling;

Structures & Earthworks”

www.railwayengineering.com

1

RAILWAY ENGINEERING–2005

Abstracts of the Eighth

International Conference

on

'Maintenance & Renewal of Permanent Way;

Power & Signalling; Structures & Earthworks'

29th – 30th June 2005

Venue:University of Westminster

London

Edited by:

Professor M.C. Forde, PhD, FREng, CEng, FICE, FIEECarillion Chair

University of Edinburgh

www.railwayengineering.com

2

RAILWAY ENGINEERING–2005

First published in June 2005

by

ENGINEERING TECHNICS PRESS46 Cluny Gardens

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Tel: +44–(0)131–447 0447Fax: +44–(0)131–452 8596

www.railwayengineering.comemail: [email protected]

ISBN 0–947644–56–3

© The Contributorsnamed in the List of Contents 2005

Printed in Scotlandby

Meigle Colour Printers LtdTweedbank Industrial Estate, Galashiels

Tel: +44–(0)1896–753076

www.railwayengineering.com

3

RAILWAY ENGINEERING–2005

Conference Advisory Board:

Dr AN Beard, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UKWM Browder, Association of American Railroads, DC, USADr MR Clark, TRL Limited, Crowthorne, UKDr R Clark, University of Aston, Birmingham, UKPJ Fenning, VJ Geo-Consultants, Christchurch, UKProf MC Forde, University of Edinburgh, UKDr A Giannopoulos, University of Edinburgh, UKDr J Hyslip, Optram Inc, Hadley, MA, USAProf E Hohnecker, University of Karlsruhe, GermanyJ Hugenschmidt, EMPA, SwitzerlandDr GA Hunt, AEA Technology Rail, Derby, UKDr T Ishikawa, East Japan Railway Company, JapanDr J Jaiswal, Corus, Rotherham, UKB Kauf, Hz-Croation Railways, CroatiaJR Kennedy, Rail Services Australia, AustraliaDr B Kufver, Stockholm, SwedenA Lau, Mass Transit Corporation, Hong Kong, ChinaProf Q Leiper, Carillion plc, Wolverhampton, UKDr A Massel, Railway Scientific & Technical Centre, Warsaw, PolandH McAnaw, Metronet BCV Ltd, London, UKProf DM McCann, University of Edinburgh, UKM Miwa, Railway Technical Research Institute, JapanDr N O’Riordan, Ove Arup, London, UKJR Osborne, OLE & Distribution Alliance, Rugby, UKDr J Perry, Mott MacDonald, UKDr I Robertson, Alstom, FranceDr JG Rose, University of Kentucky, KY, USADr JL Rose, Penn State University, PA, USADr TR Sussman, US DOT, MA, USADr W Scoech, Speno International SA, Geneva, SwitzerlandDr S Schuhmacher, Deutsche Bahn AG, Brandenburg-Kirchmöser, GermanyMJ Taylor, FaberMaunsell, Beckenham, UKDr J Tunna, AREMA, CO, USADr D Utrata, Iowa State University, USAJ Wood, AEA Technology Rail, Derby, UKDr S-C Wooh, MIT, MA, USA

www.railwayengineering.com

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CONTENTS

Theme 1: Permanent Way

Day 1: Keynote Papers

UK West Coast Route Modernisation .........................................

Asset + Management ..................................................................

Rail Inspection ............................................................................

Rail Maintenance ........................................................................

Track Geometry + Railway Design ............................................

High Speed Railways – Issues ....................................................

Signalling + ATWS .....................................................................

Electrification + Lighting ...........................................................

Safety ..........................................................................................

Theme 2: Railway Structures + Earthworks

Day 2: Keynote Papers

Masonry Bridges .........................................................................

Concrete Bridges ........................................................................

Steel Bridges ...............................................................................

Tunnels .......................................................................................

Earthworks Investigation + Maintenance ...................................

Slope Stabilisation ......................................................................

Earthworks Stabilisation .............................................................

Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 2: Trackbed Inspection ...................................................................

Track Maintenance .....................................................................

Concrete Slab Track + Bituminous Track +Sleepers/Ties ...............................................................................

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Keynote Papers

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STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY IN THERAILWAY INDUSTRY

Prof RA SmithImperial College, Future Railway ResearchCentre, Department of Mechanical EngineeringLondon SW7 2BX, [email protected]

Keywords: Fatigue, railways, failures, axles,wheels, rails, inspection, contact fatigue

A wide ranging overview of fatigueproblems in railway applications ispresented. Concentration is focussed onfatigue problems specific to the railwayindustry, that is, those at or adjacent to thewheel/rail interface. Some reasons why,despite its long history, fatigue is still aproblem, are suggested.

XINSHISU – TILTING TRAINS ONCHINESE INFRASTRUCTURE

Dr B KufverFerroplan, Fasangatan 32, SE-582 37Linköping, [email protected] FlyktBombardier, Östra Ringvägen 2, SE-821 73Västerås, [email protected]

Keywords: Xinshisu, X2000, tilting train,China, freight railways, alignmentoptimisation.

The use of tilting train technology toincrease permissible speed was discussedin German literature as early as the 1930s.Countries like Japan, Italy and Sweden werethe first to bring the innovation into practicalapplication. In the Swedish case, tiltingtrains were first put into service on theprioritised passenger routes Stockholm –Göteborg and Stockholm – Malmö.

However, tilting trains are also requiredto operate on mixed traffic routes where

freight traffic is given high priority. InChina, freight traffic is given very highpriority as it forms an extraordinarilyimportant part of the rail traffic. TheSwedish X2000 tilting train technology hasbeen put into service on the Hong Kong -Guangzhou route, and various feasibilitystudies for introduction of tilting trains onother Chinese routes have been conducted.

The present paper discusses someexperiences gained from China, with aparticular focus on a gradual upgrading ofthe infrastructure and the specificadvantages of tilting trains on railways withheavy freight traffic.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

UK West Coast Route Modernisation

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASSETKNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT ONTHE WCRM PROGRAMME

RA MooreyParsons Brinckerhoff Ltd, Westbrook Mills,Godalming, Surrey GU7 2AZ, [email protected] D JiménezShell Espana SA, c/Río Bullaque, nº 2, 28034Madrid, Españ[email protected]

Keywords: Asset knowledge manage-ment, configuration management, railwaysystems engineering

Projects, particularly those where safety isparamount, are responsible for the deliveryof a product, system or service, which isusually defined in some form of contractualagreement between clients and suppliers.These products can be physical assets,documents, records, data, processes andsystems, standards, etc., a combination ofthem or all of them, depending on the natureof the project.

In construction and infrastructureprojects, such as the West Coast RouteModernisation (WCRM) Programme(Network Rail, U.K.), the main deliverablesare physical assets on the West Coast Route(London Euston to Glasgow, U.K.) and alsoall the necessary asset information that willfacilitate the most effective and safemanagement of those assets.

In meeting the objectives that willenable the successful completion of theWCRM Programme, many teams andprofessionals take part; one of those teamsis the West Coast Asset Knowledge(WCAK) team.

This paper addresses the WCRMProgramme and specifically the WCAKteam, its role and contributions to thesuccess of the Programme. It highlights theprocesses and systems it has developed in

line with Network Rail corporate aspirationsfor the improvement of asset informationand management to facilitate best practicesin infrastructure operation and maintenance.

CREATION OF THE WEST COASTTOOLSET

DP PriceNetwork Rail, Floor 2, Fitzroy House, [email protected]

Keywords: West coast, asset store,configuration management, documentmanagement, integration

The West Coast programme of works hadbeen on going for a number of years withno coherent approach to join up asset anddocument information to allow greatercontrol of the information that it was beingproduced as a result of the changinginfrastructure. The programme alsorecognised the need to introduceconfiguration control over this informationto demonstrate correct project controls toaid the meeting of the required safety cases.

The West Coast toolset was introducedto create one virtual system, which couldbe made available to all West Coast staff,to holds all documents and asset data. Thusremoving silos of information, which wherenot maintained and provide just onedefinitive source of information. Theinformation stores then required CMprocesses and tools applied to them to givethe level of data/information integrityrequired by the programme.

The paper shows the path that the WestCoast IT team took to achieve this requiredlevel of control and the path the West CoastToolset went through in order to produce asystem that achieved this aim and aided theWest Coast programme of work towardssuccessful completion.

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MOBILE COMPUTING ON THEWEST COAST PROGRAMME

DP PriceNetwork Rail, Floor 2, Fitzroy House, [email protected]

Keywords: West coast, mobile computing,technology

One of the key challenges on the West CoastProject has concerned the collection andvalidation of asset information. The existingpractices resulted in asset data staffspending a few days per week on track andthen a number of days entering the resultsinto a computer system back in the office.These practices were vulnerable to theintroduction of data quality errors and wereinefficient and costly.

The Information Management (IM) andAsset Data Management (ADM) teams arepart of the West Coast Asset KnowledgeManagement function and have workedtogether to develop a hand-held tool tocapture more accurate asset data in a moretime effective manor. The solution has beendeveloped with the help of the Network RailInformation Management team and basedon the company-wide connection backbonedeveloped for this type of mobiletechnology.

The paper will follow the steps takenby the West Coast Information Technology(WCIT) team to address the difficultiesassociated with asset data collection throughfrom conception and user requirements todelivering a device and the processesneeded to support it. The paper willhighlight the challenges faced in meetingthe demanding user requirements and inselecting the right technology from the widevariety of hardware and software productsthat are available and will describe thesolution selected.

WEST COAST ROUTEMODERNISATION IMPROVINGDELIVERY OF WORK ANDPOSSESSIONS

GM Hoffman, JW RifeParsons Brinckerhoff, 1 Eversholt Street,London NW1 [email protected]@networkrail.co.uk

Keywords: Railway access, possessionplanning and delivery, train delays

The most precious resource which a railwayinfrastructure operator such as Network Railhas to offer is track access, and the WestCoast Route Modernisation Programme(WCRM) programme has made significantprogress with regard to both the planningand efficient delivery of that access. Thispaper summarises the situation at thebeginning of the WCRM programme andthen describes the managerial actions takento address the issues and improve theefficiencies for Network Rail. A sample ofthe results are shown to prove theeffectiveness of the actions.

INTEGRATED ACCESS PLANNINGTO DELIVER THE WEST COASTROUTE MODERNISATION

B OakesNetwork Rail, 10 Holliday St, Birmingham B11TE, [email protected] LatifParsons Brinckerhoff, 1 Eversholt St, LondonNW1 2DN, [email protected]

Keywords: Access planning, integratedplanning, planning timescales, possessions,worksites

The West Coast Route Modernisationprogramme (WCRM) is one of the largestrenewal and re-engineering rail projects in

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the world, delivering £7.6 billion ofimprovements to Europe’s busiest mixed-traffic railway. Managing and co-ordinatingtrack access to meet the requirements in amulti-contractor environment has proved amajor challenge. This paper will describethe management approach to establishingan effective integrated access planningfunction. It will describe how this transitionoccurred in two phases, firstly creating ageographically grouped integrated planningfunction, and later evolving to a centralisedplanning function, co-ordinating thegeographical groups.

WEST COAST ROUTEMODERNISATION (WCRM) HOTAXLE BOX DETECTORS (HABD)

M.K HassettParsons Brinkerhoff Ltd (Network Rail),Westbrook Mills, Godalming, Surrey GU7 2AZ

Keywords: Hot Axle Box, Infrastructure,Single & Double FUES Systems, RADDisplay, Signal Boxes, Staging.

Rolling stock, which, for a variety of reasonsfrom time to time finds that axle bearingsin the wheel sets overheat. Themodernisation and upgrade of the WestCoast Mainline Line (WCML) with all theassociated infrastructure changes presentedan opportunity to renew the existingHABD’s with a modern system. A strategicview was taken regarding HABD coveragetaking due regards of resignalling,permanent way (Pway) realignment, linespeed improvements and the requirementsto provide rolling stock with diverse routing.It was concluded that supplementarycoverage was required. Existing WCMLHABD’s are supplied in two types, Servo7788’s and 9909’s. Both systems have,during the course of their lifespan, provento be reliable and consistent in detectingrolling stock hot axle bearings but are now

deemed to be life expired. Network Rail’spredecessor, Railtrack investigated thesupplier base by issuing a notice in theOfficial Journal of the EuropeanCommunity (OJEC) inviting expressions ofinterest from potential suppliers. The GETSFUES is able to detect bearing temperaturesin the target area as shown in figure 1 aboveand is fully compliant with the specificationof the Network Rail Group Standard RGSGE/RT 8014. The on-track equipment ispositioned in a steel hollow ‘tenconi’ sleeperbearer, which replaces an existing sleeperand is fixed to the track using fixingarrangements appropriate to the track type.System activation is made by rolling stocktriggering the entry wheel sensor, the systemthen records the temperature of the targetarea (T.1). The FUES system reports datafrom site utilising a dedicated 2 or 4 paircommunications link. The link transfers dataat 33kb per second into a control reportingPC known as a RAD (remote announcementdisplay). An activation alarm is raised at theRAD and on the signal panel should analarm button for example exist. The alarmitself identifies the rolling stock head code,speed of train, axle number and temperaturerecorded. The signalman will set his signalsto stop the train and initiates the agreedprocedure following the activation of anHABD alarm

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Assets + Management

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LINEAR REFERENCING ANDNETWORK RAIL’S CORPORATENETWORK MODEL INITIATIVE

P BurnettNetwork Rail Information Management,Fitzroy House, London, NW1 3AL, [email protected]

Keywords: Corporate network, information

In 2004, Network Rail embarked on aprogramme of work to design and developa Corporate Network Model (CNM).

As a key element of Network Rail’sInformation Management Strategy, CNMwill eventually form much of the core ofNetwork Rail’s systems and is expected todeliver fundamental improvements to manybusiness processes.

Two of the key objectives of CNM areto deliver:• The definitive repository for location

information of the railway.• The definitive linear referencing system

to provide a reliable, consistent methodfor transforming real world coordinatesinto Linear References and vice-versa.The final section of this paper provides

further details of some key features of CNM,and an overview of proposed applicationsof CNM.

This paper focuses on just one aspectof CNM – its ability to support a move tobetter methods of managing locationinformation, while continuing to support thetraditional engineering approach tolocations – Linear Referencing.

BENCHMARKING OFMAINTENANCE PROCESS:TWO CASE STUDY FROMBANVERKET, SWEDEN

T Åhrén, U Espling, U KumarLuleå Railway Research Center, LuleåUniversity of Technology,SE-971 87 Luleå, [email protected]

Keywords: Benchmarking, maintenanceperformance indicators, maintenance

Maintenance is an ongoing process for anysystem with the purpose to maintain itsgiven function during its lifetime. Sincemaintenance is an integrated part of thebusiness process, correctly performedmaintenance creates increased businessvalues. For this, the management must strivefor continuous improvement of maintenanceprocess. One powerful tool for this purposeis benchmarking, eg comparing ownperformance with best in the class or otherhigh performance organizations andlearning what they do to achieve their highlevel of performance. To make a successfulcomparison, common performanceindicators must be identified and used.Performance indicators can broadly beclassified as lead or lag indicators, wherelead indicators are performance drivers andlag indicators are outcome measures. Today,there is a lot of performance indicators inuse connected to maintenance, covering forexample the area of safety, asset conditionand asset reliability, maintenanceperformance and cost control.

This paper presents two case studies, thefirst one deal with benchmarking themaintenance process and where as thesecond one compares the use ofmaintenance performance indicators at theSwedish National Rail Administration(Banverket). We discuss some bench-marking results indicating for example how

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maintenance strategies, i.e. proactive orreactive, impact the maintenance costs andthe ratio of unplanned maintenance. We alsoemphasize that many of the maintenanceperformance indicators are used by variousorganizations abroad and thus provideBanverket an opportunity to benchmark itsoperation internationally to improve itsperformance. One of the findings in bothcase studies is that there are two criticalparameters that are missing from the list ofindicators, namely traffic volume andinfrastructure age. An attempt is also madeto analyze the impact of chosen indicators,as well as suggesting future maintenanceindicators for future benchmarking.

MOBILE DATA CAPTURE IN THERAILWAY ENVIRONMENT

RJ LoggieFirst Engineering Limited, 4th Floor AlphaTower, Suffolk Street Queensway, BirminghamB1 1TT, [email protected]

Keywords: Mobile handheld technology,data capture and management, efficiencies

With the wide range of assets within therailway environment, a programme of datagathering for the analysis and managementof those assets can involve the handling ofa huge bank of information. Traditionally,asset information is recorded on site bymanual methods then transferred to the backoffice for ‘download’, processing,compilation, reporting and archiving. Thisinvolves multiple handling of the data, islabour intensive and is inherently time andcost inefficient. First Engineering hasdeveloped customised mobile softwaresolutions, utilising handheld technology, todrive efficiencies and cost-benefit in dataacquisition and management in the railwayenvironment.

The mobile solutions utilise handheld

PCs with software that combinescustomised data capture forms with GPSand GIS applications. The data that iscaptured is downloaded to a centraldatabase, either remotely from site usingGPRS or Bluetooth technology or viadocking stations from any ‘dial-up’ location.The asset information then becomesinstantly accessible for interrogation and theautomatic generation of reports. This mobilesolution ensures a quality process to captureall data from site, allows the ‘live’ transferof data and facilitates easy access andutilisation of the data by the end-user. Todate First Engineering has developed andutilised mobile solutions for a Bridge StrikeManagement contract, for Track BedInvestigation works and for FacilitiesMaintenance management. The track bedinvestigation solution (Mobile SiteInvestigation Reporting – MSIR) wasnominated as a Finalist in the InformationManagement 2004 Awards, with it finallyreceiving ‘Highly Commended’ status.

A FUZZY APPROACH TO RISKASSESSMENT FOR TRACKMAINTENANCE INCORPORATEDWITH AHP

S Huang, M An, Prof C BakerSafety and Reliability Management ResearchGroup, School of Engineering (CivilEngineering), The University of Birmingham,B15 [email protected], [email protected],[email protected]

Keywords: Track maintenance, safetyassessment, fuzzy logic, analyticalhierarchy process (AHP)

Risk assessment provides useful decision-making support to manage risks for trackmaintenance. According to the new UKRailways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000and associated guidance, railway operators

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are required to provide a comprehensivesafety case to reduce risks to As Low AsReasonably Practicable (ALARP).However conventional risk assessmenttechniques may not be appropriate toevaluate risks with their high level ofuncertainty in track maintenance. Railwaysafety analysts need to develop and employnovel assessment approaches for their safetycase preparations.

This paper presents a new methodologyusing fuzzy logic and Analytical HierarchyProcess (AHP) for systematic safety riskassessment. Fuzzy logic has shown itsstrength to conduct risk assessment inindustries such as offshore and aviation. Thedeveloped safety risk model assesses thecomponent risk level of track system byfuzzy logic based approaches. An AHP isincorporated into the model to use itsadvantage in determining the relativeimportance of the risk factors so that theassessment can be progressed fromcomponent level to system level. Expert’sjudgment is also involved to deal with theuncertainty in the risk assessment. Anexample is used to illustrate the proposedmethodology for the track maintenancesafety risk assessment.

IMPROVED PUNCTUALITY –A FREIGHT TRAIN STUDY

B NyströmDivision of Machine Elements, SiriusLaboratory, Luleå University of TechnologySE-971 87 Luleå, [email protected]

Keywords: Punctuality, delay, data bases,railway infrastructure, maintenance, failure,freight train

A procedure to systematically find actionsto improve punctuality concerning railwayinfrastructure, and giving the greatestimprovement is illustrated. The transports

of a company producing steel slabs in onefactory and performing rolling in anotherare investigated. Reliable transportsbetween plants are crucial to marketcompetitiveness. The transport chain ofsteel slabs is described and the distance bytrain is investigated regarding punctuality,transportation times and causes for lack ofpunctuality. Pros and cons of the procedureemployed and ways to improve punctualityare discussed, including infrastructuremaintenance.

DEVELOPMENT OF RAILWAYSAFETY AND RISK ANALYSISSYSTEM USING FUZZYREASONING APPROACHES*

W Lin, M An, A StirlingSchool of Engineering, Civil EngineeringThe University of Birmingham{w.lin, m.an, a.b.stirling}@bham.ac.uk

Keywords: Railway safety risk analysis,fuzzy reasoning approach

Railway safety is a very complicated subjectdetermined by numerous aspects. TheQuantified Risk Assessment (QRA)approaches such as Fault Tree Analysis(FTA) and Even Tree Analysis (ETA) havebeen used in the railway safety analysis, butoften it may not be effective to deal withthe uncertainty information as they relyheavily on the supporting statisticalinformation that may not be available. Afuzzy reasoning approach may be moreappropriate to analyse the risks withincomplete safety information. It can copewith imprecision, ambiguous, qualitativeinformation as well as quantitative data ina uniform manner. The fuzzy reasoningapproach permits the safety analysts toevaluate the risk level associated with thefailure modes directly using linguistic terms.

This paper presents the development ofrailway safety risk assessment system using

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fuzzy reasoning approach. The developedsafety risk analysis system can processmultiple risk factors, for instance, frequencyof occurrence and consequence severity ofa hazard event. The outcomes of risks canbe represented in the terms of linguisticvariables with membership function valueswhich provide very useful safety riskinformation to railway designers andmaintainers. The basic principles of fuzzyreasoning approaches are described in thepaper. An example is given to demonstratethe application of the developed system inanalysing railway safety risk.*This work forms part of the project on ‘an intelligentsafety prediction system for rail design andmaintenance’ funded by Physical Sciences ResearchCouncil (EPSRC) under Grant No. GR/S07292

INTRODUCTION OF DISCRETEEVENT SIMULATION AND ITSAPPLICATION TO RAILWAYMAINTENANCE SYSTEM

H-S Mun, S-I Seo, J-C Doo, K-Y ChoiKorea Railroad Research Institute, 374-1,Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-DoKorea [email protected]

Keywords: Discrete event simulation,maintenance, technology improvement

A lot of manufacturing knowledge andmethod has been applied to increasemanufacturing efficiency in industry field.DES (Discrete Event Simulation) is one ofsolution to deal with manufacturingproblems in factory.

Beginning of this research to improverailway maintenance technology,maintenance knowledge of KNR (KoreaNational Railroad) and its technicalproblems are basically investigated. KNRhas been maintained railway vehicle withtheir own solution based on experience. Butvery advanced and modern railway vehiclessuch as KTX (Korea Train Express) and

TTX (Tilting Train Express) will be difficultto maintain with their old maintenancemethod.

In order to apply knowledge of DES,railway maintenance system must besystematically considered. Imaginarymaintenance machine are selected tovariable of DES. Maintenance capability ofeach machine will be evaluated base onimaginary data from imaginary machine.The machines to fix advanced train areconsisted of very advanced electrical partsand very expensive to replace.

So target of research is minimization ofnumber of machine in railway workshop.Basic knowledge of discrete eventsimulation is introduced. Five essentialstages of discrete event simulation areprovided. Each maintenance case definedas event. Each event is discrete andsimulated base on different case such as onemaintenance line with one machine and onemaintenance line with two machines inrailway workshop. Simple maintenancemethod, discrete event simulation, will become out very powerful in complicatemaintenance system and will be helpful toreduce maintenance cost as well asmaintenance labor.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NETWORKLEVEL RAILWAY TRACKCONDITION MODEL

S Naito, Dr MPN Burrow, Prof KBMadelinRailway Research Group, School ofEngineering, The University of BirminghamEdgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, [email protected]

Keywords: Network level, track condition,maintenance management, maintenancestandards

There are a variety of decision making toolswhich help engineers plan timely and cost

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effective maintenance. The majority of thesetools address project level maintenance,such as that required for a particular sectionof track, where the level of benefits tendsto be relatively discrete and definable.However, it is at the network level, wherethe benefits are less tangible, that theconsideration of the benefits of investmentin maintenance has an important role to playin helping frame policy. A major problemconcerns how network level benefits maybe presented in a simple and straightforwardmanner which is meaningful to politiciansand senior decision makers alike. Thisresearch reported herein investigates thenecessary components of a tool which maybe used to achieve this.

To this end the research seeks to developa numerical model which can describe therelationship between maintenance fundinglevels and subsequent track qualitycondition at the network level.

This paper describes the work effectedto date in producing such a model, andoutlines the key components of the modelincluding; the way in which track conditionis represented at the network level, themeasure of condition and the type oftreatments considered in the model, theprocess of treatment intervention and trackdegradation.

WEB-GIS INFORMATION SYSTEMFOR TRACK MAINTENANCE ONKOREAN URBAN TRANSIT

JR Shin, KJ Park, SY Han, Dr SC YangKorea Railroad Research Institute, Uiwang-city,Kyonggi-do, [email protected]

Keywords: Web, GIS, information system,track, maintenance, urban transit, urbanrailway

For efficient track-maintenance of urbantransit, web information system with which

workers can inquire necessary informationand record maintenance data on the web isrequired. Also, for track inforamtion ofurban transit which has geographic data,computerized system united withgeographic information system (GIS) thatoffers visual information is required. So,web-GIS information system has beendeveloped for past 2 years. This systemconsists of two big sub-system; webinformation system for track-maintenanceand GIS system for interfacing visualinformation with attribute information. Byweb information system, maintenanceprocess, that is, maintenance plan, datainquiry/record, data statistics/analysis, iscomputerized. In this paper, the web-GISinformation system for track maintenanceis presented. The objectives of this systemare to improve maintenance efficiency andto increase safety by improving reliabilitythrough the statistics and analysis ofmaintenance data. This system is now beingoperated by SMRT(Seoul MetropolitanRapid Transit Corporation) of Korea sinceJune 2005. And this system is going to beapplied by national standard model on theentire urban transit operating company inKorea since 2006.

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PUNCTUALITY MEASUREMENTSEFFECT ON THE MAINTENANCEPROCESS –A STUDY OF TRAINDELAY STATISTICS FOR THESWEDISH RAILWAY

R Granström, P SöderholmDivision of Operation and MaintenanceEngineering, Luleå Railway Research Centre,Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87Luleå , [email protected]@ltu.se

Keywords: Maintenance, railway,punctuality, statistics, incentive, risk, delay,train delay

Governmental regulations state that theSwedish national railway administratorBanverket has an overall responsibility fortrain punctuality, independent of whethertrain delays are caused by Banverket or thetrain operating companies. Banverket isresponsible for the functioning of therailway system as a whole, but can with ownmaintenance and reinvestment activitiesonly affect the infrastructure. Conflictsderive from the two stakeholders’ differentroles and interests. In order to effectivelyforecast maintenance needs and costs of theinfrastructure, Banverket want that theinfrastructure’s deterioration caused by therolling stock should be both as small and aspredictable as possible. However, the trainoperating companies look at the samesituation from the other point of view, witha focus on their rolling stock. Theinterrelationship between the twostakeholder roles and their combinedmaintenance process is complex, since it isdifficult to pinpoint the responsibility forthe whole transport system and separateassets. One essential approach, in order tomonitor low performance linked toresponsible stakeholder roles and causes isto follow up the two measures punctuality

and train delays.This paper explores the characteristics

of existing train delay statistics anddescribes risks when maintenance effortsand design of incentives for improvedrailway operation is based on statistics thatdoes not reflect the true root-causes ofproblems.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Rail Wear + Management

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ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE(RCF) – WHAT WE HAVE LEARNT

K TimmisRailway Safety & Standards Board, EvergreenHouse Euston Rd, London, [email protected] DemboskyNetwork Rail, 40 Melton St, London NW12EE, [email protected]

Keywords: Rolling contact fatigue (RCF),gauge corner cracking (GCC), whole liferail model (WLRM), WRISA, VT-SIC

Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) had attractedthe attention of British Rail engineers as farback as the early 1970s. At the time, thephenomenon was considered troublesomebut not of great risk. However, an increasein RCF was noted during 1999 causingconcern to Railtrack engineers. Researchinto the causes and means of control of RCFwas greatly accelerated after the fall 2000Hatfield derailment that occurred on theEast Coast Main Line.

Early studies did not identify a singlecause or ‘smoking gun’ that could haveinitiated the increase in RCF but suggestedthat a combination of factors wasresponsible. The Wheel Rail InterfaceSystems Authority (WRISA) embarked onfurther studies that were successful inidentifying key factors and suggestedcontrol mechanisms. These studies wereconducted in parallel with efforts managedby the Railway Safety & Standards Board(RSSB) who concentrated upon exposingunderlying mechanisms and subsequentpredictive tools. In 2004, WRISA wasreplaced by the Vehicle Track SystemsInterface Committee (VT-SIC) that hascontinued RCF research and development.

With this knowledge Railtrack beganimplementing changes in practice and useof new technologies to minimize RCF and

to and reduce remediation costs. The earlypractice of wide spread RCF railreplacement evolved to a program ofperiodic ultra-sonic inspections of RCF siteswith rail removal mandated only whencracks lengths become excessive orinspection results ambiguous. System-widerail grinding was introduced to reduce theprobability of RCF initiation in the firstplace and to reduce the growth rate ofexisting cracks.

As the research projects began to yieldresults, they were condensed into a ‘RCFInitiation Hypothesis’ that proposed ageneral initiation mechanism andsubsequent list of key variables. The anti-RCF practice of Railtrack – by nowNetwork Rail – and the key factors did notconflict but were shown to becomplimentary. The key factors alsosuggested other avenues of research thatincluded vehicle as well as shared interfaceattributes such as wheel/rail shapeinteraction and interface friction.

At present, emphasis is placed uponexploiting the knowledge gained to date inorder to develop anti-RCF tools such as theWhole Life Rail Model (WLRM) andgenerate best practice guides for both thetrack and vehicle halves of the interface.Research projects are primarily focused ongaining further insight into the crackinitiation process and the rate of crackgrowth, particularly for long cracks.

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A TOOL TO PREDICT ROLLINGCONTACT FATIGUE

MC BurstowAEA Technology Rail, Jubilee House, 4 St.Christopher’s Way, Pride Park, Derby, DE248LY, [email protected]

Keywords: Rolling contact fatigue (RCF),gauge corner cracking, crack initiation,vehicle dynamics

Over the last three years AEA TechnologyRail (AEATR), with support from the RailSafety and Standards Board (RSSB), havedeveloped a fatigue model to predict rollingcontact fatigue (RCF). Throughparticipation in a number of industryprojects it has been possible to test andvalidate the model against detailedobservations and measurements of RCF ata number of sites.

This paper describes the underlyingprinciples of the material fatigue model, andhow vehicle dynamics simulations are usedto predict the forces at the wheel/railinterface, which are used as input to themodel. Results are presented to show howthe model has been used to predict andunderstand the causes of RCF at a numberof sites, together with demonstrations as tohow the model can be used to assess theaffects of different RCF mitigationmeasures. Analyses are also presented toshow how the model can be applied to longsections of routes to highlight the curveswhich are most likely to develop RCF andidentify locations where improvements totrack geometry can reduce the risk of RCF.

RAIL DEFECTS MANAGEMENT INEAST JAPAN RAILWAY COMPANY

N TsunematsuEast Japan Railway Company, Shibuya,Tokyo, Japan

Keywords: Defects, management, rail

There are usually ten accidents in a yearcaused by broken rail in East Japan RailwayCompany (JR East). JR East runs very busylines in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, likeYamanote Line and Keihin-Touhoku Line.Thus, an accident caused by broken railshould confuse train schedule significantly.JR East has three Rail Defect Detectingvehicles (RIC-N) to prevent these criticalaccidents by finding rail defects in advance.According to the current rule, maintenancestaffs should identify rail defects that weredetected by RIC-N. However, checking railby hand is time consuming, so JR Eastimproves their policy about rail defectsmanagement. There are two major pointsin this improvement. First, we dare to stophandling small defects in order to focus onthe management of larger defects that maycause broken rail sooner or later. Second,we put an emphasis on the TokyoMetropolitan area to set the specificdeadline for replacing rail without fail.These are based on the analysis of‘Prediction Model of Growth Rate of RailTransverse Crack’ and cases of broken railaccidents in the past. The number of brokenrail is expected to decrease by half due tothis new policy.

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EMERGENCE OF GAUGE CORNERFATIGUE IN RAILS:UNDERSTANDING ANDEVALUATION OF CAUSES

RK UpadhyayCofmow/Indian Railways, Railway OfficeComplex, Tilak Bridge, New Dehli [email protected]

Keywords: Gauge corner fatigue, rail,theory

Gauge Corner fatigue has emerged as amajor area of concern in recent years.

In India at Sarai Banjara 46 passengersdied and 130 were injured due to accidentcaused by gauge corner fatigue. But railfractures, earlier in the fish plate joint days,used to be from the bolt hole due to stressconcentration and at rail foot due to tensilestress and fretting. The weld joint laterbecame another common area of fatigue dueto hammer loading caused by impact at jointand inherently higher stresses in weld areaand weakness in rail due to heat affectedzone.

But the emergence of gauge corner as afatigue point even on relatively new railscan not be explained by conventional theory.Also it is happening in several countries andcan not be due to any local factor.

UNDERSTANDING TRACKDEGRADATION FOR ASUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

S ThomasCorus Railway Infrastructure Services, MossBay, Derwent Howe, Workington CA14 4UP,[email protected]

Keywords: Rolling contact fatigue, RCF,wheel-rail interaction

The fundamental cause of rail degradationis of course the passage of traffic.

Understanding and managing the wheel/railinterface is of vital importance ifdegradation of the rail, both wear andfatigue is to be understood and managed.This requires a holistic approach since thetrack is a dynamic system. Corusunderstands this requirement and hastherefore been involved with boththeoretical and practical studies of trackdegradation. This paper describes thestrategies that Corus has adopted to movetowards an understanding of how the wheel/ rail interface can be managed moreeffectively, balancing the requirement tomaintain a safe infrastructure against thecosts of inspection, maintenance andrenewals. The paper discusses thetechniques developed by Corus to analysewheel/rail interface conditions, predict raildefect initiation and growth, and provideguidance on methods for controlling theduty cycle to enhance infrastructureperformance.

EMERGING ENGINEERINGMODELS FOR WHEEL/RAIL WEARSIMULATION

R Enblom, M BergRoyal Institute of Technology (KTH), Schoolof Engineering Sciences, Railway Technology,SE 100 44, Stockholm, [email protected], [email protected] Transportation Sweden, Mainlineand Metros Division, SE 721 73 Västerås,Sweden

Keywords: Wheel/rail contact, wearsimulation, Archard, friction work

During recent years methods for computeraided wear simulation have improved. Theevolving simulation methods seek to mergemethodologies from vehicle dynamics andtribology. The aim of this contribution is toexplore key properties of a few methods andcompare their performance. Focus is on

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possible differences between the twotribological approaches based on Archard’swear model and friction work respectively.

The vehicle model used is a commutertrain from Stockholm Transport. The EMUconsist is a Bo’ Bo’ + 2’ 2’ vehicle withmaximum axle load 10–15 tonnes and thetop speed 140 km/h. The multi-body systemmodel is based on the trailer car andincludes rigid bodies representing the carshell, bogie frames and wheel-sets.

In the first part of the paper severaloperating conditions are investigated. Curveradii, friction, and wheel-set guidingstiffness are varied. A few cases are selectedfor detailed studies. In the second part thecontact and wear parameters are studied atthe contact patch level. In the third part wearsimulations are accounted for. The resultsare shown as wear depth distribution acrossthe wheel profile.

The cases selected for detailedinvestigation are of moderate kind withrespect to contact conditions coveringsliding velocities up to 0.4 m/s and aHertzian contact pressures below 1.5 GPa.

Similarities and differences between thecompared methods are commented upon.Qualitatively better agreement between themore detailed Archard model appliedlocally to a discretisized contact patch andthe global application of the friction workmodel is achieved than when applying thefriction based model locally as well.

The local friction model shows aprincipally different behaviour whenfollowing the local distribution of thefriction energy throughout the contact area.The consequence seems to be a too strongdependence on the friction energy leadingto underestimation of tread wear andoverestimation of flange wear.

The condition of partial slip seems tobe more difficult to capture in a simulationmodel than full slip. The agreement between

the different methods is better for the lattercase. Partial slip requires assessment of thesliding zone and corresponding slidingvelocities, being an advantage for theArchard based approach.

REDUCING RAIL-WHEEL WEARBY NEW BOGIE DESIGN: THEENERGY CHOKE APPROACH

RK UpadhyayCofmow/Indian Railways, Railway OfficeComplex, Tilak Bridge, New Dehli [email protected]

Keywords: bogie design, energy chokeapproach, rail-wheel wear

There has been considerable research doneon the rail and wheel wear in the last threedecades. As a result, the rail life has almostdoubled and wheel life also increased.However the fact remains that most of theimprovement has come through:i) Head hardening and pummeling of rails

and perfection of track geometry.ii) Adoption of worn wheel profile and

radial bogies with frequent turning ofwheels.But these improvements are most

spectacular in countries like South Africaand Jordan where the percentage of curvedtrack is almost one third/ or more and hasmany curves of 8 degree or even more.

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AN INVESTIGATION TO THECOMBINATION EFFECT OFCONTACT MECHANICS ANDOPERATIONAL ASPECT ON THEWHEEL WEAR RATE ANDPATTERNS OF RAIL VEHICLES

AA LariIran University of Sci & Tech, RailwayEngineering School, Tehran 16844, [email protected] A KapoorUniv of Newcastle upon Tyne, Mechanical &System Engineering Dept, Newcastle NE17RU, [email protected] F SchmidUniversity of Sheffield, Dept of MechanicalEngineering, Mapping Building, Sheffield S13JD, UK

Keywords: BDR, rolling direction reversal(RDR), wheel wear rate, wheel wearpattern, failure mechanisms

Railway wheels are subject to high contactpressure and tangential stresses resulting inplastic deformation and wear. A series ofactivities is commonly employed by theoperators to decrease the wear rate, thoughnot addressing the hazardous failuremechanism of rolling contact fatigue (RCF).The present study has been focused on therunning-in period, and on a procedure ofbogie direction reversal (BDR) to show theimportance of two aspects in managing awheelset, which are contact mechanics andoperational issues. The authors presentwheel wear results within both the flangeand tread regions obtained in experimentalwork, which are then analysed.

DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OFSTRESSES AND EVALUATION OFSERVICE LIFE OF JOINTED RAILS

H Kataoka, Y Oikawa, N Abe,O WakatsukiTrack Structure & Component Group, RailwayTechnical Research Institute, 2-8-38,Hikaricho, Kokubunji-shi, TOKYO,185-8540,[email protected]

Keywords: Jointed rail, stress, fish bolthole, fatigue, service life

Jointed rails are replaced periodically inJapan. Their service life is governed mainlyby the fracture at the joints. To evaluate thefatigue life of jointed rails, it is necessaryto clarify the stress distribution around fishbolt holes and an S-N curve of jointed rails.Therefore, we carried out field tests, staticloading tests in a laboratory to measure thestresses around the fish bolt holes, andfurther dynamic stress analysis of jointedrails and bending fatigue tests of rails usedin the field.

The dynamic stress analysis model iscomposed of a beam model to calculatedynamic wheel/rail contact force and a solidmodel to calculate stress distribution fromthat contact force. These models werevalidated using field test data. Based on thestudy results, we established a method toevaluate the fatigue life of jointed rails. Inthis method, stresses are calculated forseveral combined conditions of jointed rail,vehicle type and vehicle speed.

The fatigue life was calculated byapplying the stresses to the S-N curve. As aresult, the rail replacement period have apotential to be extended except for the caseof heavy wear between fishplate and rail.

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STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF RAILBREAKAGE AND RAIL WELDINGFAILURES IN IRANIAN RAILWAYS

Dr JA ZakeriIran University of Science & Technology,School of Railway Engineering, Narmak 16844,Tehran 16844, [email protected]

Keywords: Rail, breakage, welding,failures, statistical anlysis

Weld and rail failure in railways happen dueto some factors including, unsuitablewelding, rail fatigue, heavy shocks resultfrom wheel defects and etc. Statistical studycan determine causes of arising of thedefects (failure), and also ways to preventor reduce them. It can be also used inplanning for track rehabilitation and renewaltasks.

In Iranian Railways, this happens dueto very old age of some track and also dueto ignoring welding operation manualduring welding operation. This paper dealswith statistical analysis of rails and weldsby considering three years data and theircauses and preventive methods have beendescribed.

RAIL VEHICLE WHEEL: PATTERNFORMATIONS GENERATED BYTANGENTIAL FORCES

AA LariIran University of Sci & Tech, RailwayEngineering School, Tehran 16844, [email protected] A KapoorUniv of Newcastle upon Tyne, Mechanical &System Engineering Dept, Newcastle NE17RU, UKF SchmidUniversity of Sheffield, Dept of MechanicalEngineering, Mapping Building, Sheffield S13JD, [email protected]

Keywords: Rail, wheel, forces, patterns

Railway wheels are subject to normal andtangential forces which are time andlocation dependent. These forces arefunctions of the vehicle weight, thesuspension and braking systems, tracktopography and irregularities, and thewheel/rail profiles. As a result, a variety ofpatterns is generated in the wheel surface.The authors of this paper describe thedevelopment of longitudinal and lateralpatterns in wheel surfaces and then presentsome measured patterns created on coachwheels under investigation.

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AN EXPERIMENTAL TEST RIGFOR SHORT PITCHCORRUGATION INVESTIGATION

P Belforte, A Collina, B PizzigoniPolitecnico di Milano, Dipartimento diMeccanica, Sezione Meccanica dei Sistemi,Via La Masa 34, Milano, [email protected] CervelloLucchini Sidermeccanica, Via Oberdan, 1/A,25128 Brescia, Italy

Keywords: Test rig, short pitch,corrugations, numerical model

The initiation and development of thecorrugation is a huge problem for UrbanTransportation Authorities, especially in thecase of rails in sharp radii curves. Thisphenomenon appears as a succession ofdark and light patterns in the rolling stripon the head of the inner rail: the corrugationprofile, in the vertical plane, is similar to asine waveform with wavelengths in the field2–20 cm.

The reasons of the beginning of suchphenomenon and its relationship with thedynamic properties of the wheelset and ofthe track, has not yet been completelyexplained; on the other hand, for differenttrack conditions (straight track and largeradius curve), some researchers (Grassie etal., 1993) have found some explanations.

Many researchers were involved in thestudy of corrugation, both from numericaland experimental points of view. Manynumerical models have been presented, inorder to explain some kind of corrugation,while, from the experimental point of view,many on line tests were carried outconsidering different superstructureconfigurations (ballasted tracks, directfastening tracks…). Nevertheless it was notpossible to succeed in a complete andexhaustive explanation of the corrugationbeginning and growth in order to prevent

or limit its formation. On the other side, itis possible to find only a few tests performedon test rigs: only some Japanese researchersperformed tests on a test rig leading tosuccessful results (Matsumoto et al., 2003).

The object of this work is the study ofthe corrugation phenomenon performed onthe test rig owned by LucchiniSidermeccanica, in Lovere, Italy. This testrig is able to perform test on a wheelsetrolling on the rail rings, applying suitabledynamic vertical and lateral loads, in orderto reproduce the real working condition(Bruni et al., 2003). This test rig wasappropriately modified implementingsuitable dynamic characteristics (stiffnessand damping) of the rail in order toreproduce typical phenomena involved incorrugation.

This test rig is composed by a couple ofrolling rail rings, moved by a c.c. engine;on the rail rings a complete wheelset (withdisk brake) is mounted: it is possible to setup the attitude of the wheelset (yaw angleand vertical and lateral loads as dynamicvariable parameters) in order to reproducethe operative condition of a wheelsetnegotiating a sharp radius curve.

One of the two rail rings has beensuitable designed, and fastened to therotating wheel: a discrete resilient supporthas been tuned up in order to reproduce thedynamic frequency response of a real track.

Tests were performed applying severecurving conditions (corresponding to curveradius 135 m and vehicle speed 50 km/h).During this test, the formation ofcorrugation on the rail profile was observed,with a wavelength in the field 7–8 cm.

The experimental set-up placed on thetest rig (accelerometers, laser displacementsensors) allow to follow the growing of thecorrugation, by means of its dynamiceffects. A numerical model of the coupledsystem (rail ring + wheelset) has been set

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up, by means of a mixed modalsuperposition approach: this model, whichincludes both the real frequency variablestiffness of the elastic fastening and thecontact forces at the wheel-rail interface,allows to understand the beginning of thecorrugation as a phenomenon due to thedynamic characteristics of the coupledsystems (wheelset and superstructure). Thusit will give more insights on the reason forthe phenomena of corrugation formation.

This work has been performed in theframe of the EU Corrugation Project.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Rail Inspection

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ADVANCES IN RAIL INSPECTIONTECHNOLOGYCR BirdTWI, Granta Park, Great Abington, CambridgeCB1 6AL, [email protected] BrayTube Lines, 15 Westferry Circus, CanaryWharf, London E14 4HD, [email protected]

Keywords: Rail inspection, reliability,ultrasonic, magnetic flux

The rail industry, the public and regulatoryauthorities all seek to see improvements inthe delivery of a safe, reliable railinfrastructure at affordable cost. This paperdescribes inspection techniques andmethods for the combination of data, whichhave been developed by TWI for theinspection of rail. The technology used inthese inspection techniques has benefitedfrom TWI’s experience developed withTube Lines and insight gained in otherindustrial sectors. This paper describesprogress in two inspection technologies:-1. The application of ultrasonic phased

array technology for train mountedwheel probe inspection to provideimproved signal to noise and continuouscompensation for the effects of rail wearon the performance of the inspection.

2. The application of magnetic fluxleakage for high speed inspection of railheads.This paper further discusses

complementary inspection technologies andhow, by careful combination of theseinspection technologies, a more powerfuland reliable inspection may be achievedwhen compared with simple analysis of theindividual inspection results.

THE USE OF TAMPING MACHINEFOR DIAGNOSTIC OFCONTINUOUS WELDED RAILTRACK

Prof W Koc, Dr Z Kêdra, S GrulkowskiGdansk University of Technology, Faculty ofCivil & Environmental Engineering, 11/12 G.Narutowicza Str, PL 80-952 Gdansk, [email protected] A Wilk, P Dobrowolski, G KostroGdansk University of Technology, Faculty ofElectrical and Control Engineering, 11/12 G.Narutowicza Str, PL 80-952 Gdansk, [email protected]

Keywords: CWR track, longitudinalforces, lateral displacements, tampingmachine, measuring apparatus

In the novel approach to the diagnostic testsof continuous welded rail (CWR) track bythe use of the tamping machine, thefundamental statement related to theregistration of the curvature with a definitevalue of the lateral displacement beingsubjected to verification, can provide a basisfor the determination of the longitudinalaxial force in the rail. An attempt has alsobeen made to define an alternative factorwhich by means of the measured signals,could be used for the determination of theaxial forces in the rail sections. A powerengineering approach has been adopted tothis concept.

The finally accepted and developedconcept of the measuring apparatus wasbased on the determination of the distancevector between the rail head and thereference point situated on the frame of thetamping machine. For this purpose sixdetecting elements were designed and made.To measure the vector modulus specialinduction sensors sliding along the topsurface of the rail head were prepared. Inorder to measure the angle created by thevector between the rail head and the

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reference point located on the tampingmachine frame, there were made inductionsensors with a cam mechanism close to theaxis of rotation of the instrument. Provisionwas also made for a central unit equippedwith electronic systems for processing andfiltering the signal. For the measuring dataacquisition the authors have elaborated theirown computer program in the Visual C++language.

Within the framework of theexperimental investigations, measurementswere carried out in the track test section.The investigations were based on stretchingthe rail sections by stretchers and on lateraldisplacements of the track by the tampingmachine. The operation of the measuringapparatus was also tested in theexperimental railway track section whilecarrying out the geometrical adjustments bythe tamping machine. This is of particularsignificance for the displacement sensorsoperating in an original way. They areadapted to cooperate with the tampingmachine in motion. Owing to them it ispossible to register also the operator’s work.

In order to adopt the right method forthe assessment of the curvature usingexperimental and numerical techniques, therigidity of the railway track under theinfluence of thermal forces has also beenconsidered.

RAIL INSPECTION USINGULTRASONIC SURFACE WAVES

D Hesse, P CawleyRCNDE, Department of MechanicalEngineering, Imperial College LondonLondon SW7 2AZ, [email protected]@imperial.ac.uk

Keywords: Rail inspection, surface waves,guided waves, RCF, gauge corner defects

Surface cracks induced by rolling contactfatigue are a common problem in modernrailways. In order to ensure that rail sectionscontaining critical defects are identified andreplaced in time, the rail network has to beinspected with efficient and reliablemethods. Conventional ultrasonic wheelprobes cannot always meet these criteria ifthe rail surface contains shallow damage(e.g. spalling or multiple small cracks) andtherefore does not allow sufficientpenetration of bulk waves into the material.In this case, the integrity of these ‘shadowzones’ cannot be assessed which might leadto unnecessary expensive rail replacementor critical defects remaining in the track.To overcome these problems the authors areinvestigating the use of short range guidedwaves which propagate along the railsurface and allow the inspection ofproblematic sections of rail from positionswith good coupling at the probe/railinterface. Suitable surface wave modes inrails have been identified and theirinteraction with different defect geometrieshas been studied. The potential of thismethod for complementing conventionalultrasonic rail inspection is discussed.

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PERFORMANCE OF A REAL TIMEL/V FORCE PREDICTION MODEL

G.W English, TW MoynihanTranSys Research Ltd, 682 Milford Drive,Kingston, ON K7M 6B4, [email protected], [email protected]

Keywords: Performance measures, trackgeometry, vehicle dynamics, wheel climb,derailment risk

This paper presents the results of the latestphase of a multiyear test and analysisresearch program with fundingcontributions from Canadian PacificRailway, Transport Canada and CanadianNational Railway. An engineering-based L/V predictor model has been developed,which can be run in real time on board thegeometry car to predict where theoccurrences of undesirable L/V will occur.In instrumented wheel set testing, thepredictor performed well in isolating trackconditions that will produce high L/Vs,while the existing track standards identifiedvery few sites. The model can predict L/Vratios in real time, for all axles, of multiplevehicles, at multiple speeds, for bothdirections of travel. The focus of this paperis on a case study evaluation of the model’sperformance in identifying geometryconditions that later contributed to wheelclimb derailments.

SCREENING OF SWITCH BLADESUSING GUIDED WAVES

Dr M Evans, Dr K VineGuided Ultrasonics (Rail) Ltd, 17 DoverbeckClose, Ravenshead, Nottingham NG15 [email protected]

Keywords: Switch blades, NDT, guidedwaves

Switchblades are considered as a very highpriority for non-destructive evaluation forseveral reasons. Firstly, the blade is

inherently weaker than the parent rail dueto its reduced cross section, reducedmechanical support and high lateraldynamic loading. Secondly, a rail break ata switch is very likely to cause derailmentof a train and thirdly, switches are veryprone to rolling contact fatigue.

The inspection of switchblades isinevitably more difficult than plain railinspection due to the continually changingprofile and shape of the blade as it tapersfrom root to tip. Traditional ultrasonicmethods such as U3 (walking stick) cannotreliably inspect the tip section where thehead width tapers down from 50% to 0%(of nominal head width). Electromagneticmethods have been employed to determinethe pocket length of surface emanatingcracks on the running surface for the entirelength of the switch. Neither method claimsto detect defects which are outside the headsection of the rail.

The G-Scan rail screening instrument byGuided Ultrasonics (Rail) Ltd uses guidedwaves which travel tens of metres down therail and reflect from changes in crosssection. Successful trials of the equipmenthave been carried out on Alumino-thermicwelds, plain rail defects and level crossingrails. It would be attractive to employ theinstrument for switchblade testing but thisis potentially difficult due to the varyingsection along the blade. This paperdescribes experiments carried out on anumber of switches with cracks anddeliberate saw cuts at various locations. Theresults are very promising and indicate thatdefects of 5% cross sectional area and aboveare detectable in the base of the blade.

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39

Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Rail Maintenance

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DEVELOPMENT OF BESTPRACTICE RAIL GRINDING FOREXTENDING SERVICE LIFE OFRAILS

T OnoderaJR East Group, Technical Center, 2-0 Nisshin-tyo, Kita-ku, Saitama-City, Saitama 331-8513,[email protected]

Keywords: Rail grinding, rolling contactfatigue, rail welds bending fatigue, servicelife of rails

Nowadays, rolling contact fatigue failureand rail welds bending fatigue failure aretwo main causes of rail renewal in Japan. Itis well-known that rail grinding extendsservice life of rails. More specifically, railgrinding prevents rolling contact fatigue, byrail grinding, decreasing the amount ofrunning surface irregularities on weld and /or weld heat-affected zone, reduce bendingfatigue. However, it was un-known that theoptimal grinding period,• @grinding pass,grinding angle and grinding equipment forextending service life of rails.

We investigated the depth of rollingcontact fatigue from surface and the growthrate of running surface irregularities on weldand /or weld heat-affected zone at varioustrack conditions. We also carried out testsfor measuring the transformation of runningsurface irregularities and vertical profile byrail grinding. As a result, we developed thebest practice rail grinding for extendingservice life of rails.

LASER PEENING – THE PROCESSFOR THE FUTURE TO SUPPRESS/PREVENT FAILURES

P O’HaraMetal Improvement Company, HambridgeLane, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5TU, [email protected]

Keywords: Laser peening, fatigue, stresscorrosion, crack propagation

In the past two years Metal ImprovementCompany (MIC) has been Laser Peeningin production, components that suffered inservice HCF/LCF problems. To date over10,000 components have been processedand the technique of Laser Peeningestablished as a reliable, production provenprocess. It offers quality control of the endproduct, a residual compressive stress, to alevel unknown previously.

It is clear that this process offers thetransport market, substantial benefits bothtechnically and commercially. However, forthe market to further adopt this processsubstantial testing needs to be conducted onspecific materials under specific conditions.MIC has commenced a programme of workon four high strength materials – aluminium,titanium, carburised and through hardenedsteel - to investigate the influence theadditional advantages of this process offersover other surface treatment techniques.

Laser Peening enables the introductionat the surface of metals, residualcompressive stresses up to 6mm, withvirtually no roughening and little cold work.This has in production already preventedpremature failures and extended periodsbetween repair and overhaul.

Laser Peening was invented in the1970’s, and it uses short bursts of intenselaser light to create pressure pulses on themetal surface, which generate shock wavesthat travel into the metal and compress it.MIC is using a Lawrence Livermore

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National Laboratory developedneodymium-doped glass laser that producesone billion watts of peak power, about theoutput of a large commercial power plant,in 20-billionth of a second bursts. With 125watts of average power, the laser can firefive pulses per second.

EFFECT OF RAIL GRINDING AND/OR BALLAST TAMPING ONTRACK DETERIORATION CAUSEDBY RAIL CORRUGATIONS

M IshidaRailway Technical Research Institute, 2-8-38,Hikari-cho, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, [email protected]

Keywords: Rail grinding, ballast tamping,corrugations, deterioration

Rail grinding has been currently one of mostimportant track maintenance works. Thereare three categories of rail grinding:preparative, preventive, and curative (orcorrective). Preparative grinding isperformed to remove decarburized layer,mill scale, and any construction damage torail materials. Preventive grinding isperformed to avoid the risk of rail breakthrough removal of potentially hazardousrail defects. Curative or corrective grindingis performed in order to improve the flatnessof longitudinal rail profile or remove railcorrugations and the rail surface irregularityof rail welds to reduce dynamic interactingforces between wheel and rail. On the otherhand, short pitch corrugations on low railsin sharp curves whose radius of curvatureis less than 600m pose very large problemsthat are noise and track deterioration causedby large vibration excited with interactingforces between rail and wheel in Japanesenarrow gauge tracks. The author establisheda track settlement prediction model whichconsists of a vehicle/track dynamic modeland a track settlement law proposed in the

draft of ballast track design standard. Theadequacy of the prediction model wasroughly verified by track site measurementscontinued for almost six years focused ontrack settlement. In this study, using theprediction model of track settlement, theeffect of curative rail grinding to removerail corrugations on track deterioration hasbeen evaluated as well as the effect of ballasttamping.

TRACK MAINTENANCE FROM ANOISE PERSPECTIVE IN THECONTEXT OF EUROPEANLEGISLATION, STANDARDS ANDRESEARCH

J BlockAEA Technology Rail, Jubilee House, 4 StChristopher’s Way, Pride Park, Derby DE248LY, [email protected]

Keywords: Railway noise, environmentalimpact, rail roughness, corrugations, railgrinding

The interaction between wheel and railgenerates the major contributor to the noiseproduced by a moving train. Therefore thequality of rails and track structure have adirect effect on the level of noise emitted.This noise affects drivers, passengers andpeople living alongside the railway. At aEuropean level, noise legislation andstandards are being introduced, includingthe Physical Agents Directive (Noise), theEnvironmental Noise Directive 2002/49/ECand the Technical Specifications forInteroperability. This paper summarisesthese and discusses their implications interms of track maintenance. In particular theEnvironmental Noise Directive hasspawned a number of research projects toexamine how the required noise mappingmay be achieved. A consequence of thisDirective is that Action Plans must be

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formulated for the control of environmentalnoise. One potential method of reducingnoise is the control of rail head roughnessand corrugations, typically through targetedrail head grinding. A number of toolsavailable for the measurement of roughnessare described.

INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWALSWITH A HEAVY LIFT RAIL CRANE

J Kelly, S JohnsonGrantRail Ltd, Carolina Court, Doncaster, [email protected]@grantrail.co.uk

Keywords: Track renewal, Kirow crane,structures, safety, efficiency

Since the privatisation of the National RailNetwork in the UK, contractors have beentasked with developing new safer and moreefficient ways of renewing the Networksageing infrastructure. The GrantRail Groupof companies have embraced this challengeand developed revised renewal techniquesusing heavy lift rail mounted track andbridge construction cranes. Since theintroduction of the Kirow 810 UK into theUK market place track renewals andassociated infrastructure projects havebenefited from the advantages offered bycontrolled, heavy lift rail mounted cranes.

Extensively used as an S&C renewalstool the Kirow crane can be used for avariety of additional engineering activitiesranging from OHLE mast installation tobridge construction and renewal. This paperwill demonstrate the possible potentialefficiencies and increased safetyconsiderations available when using thisextremely versatile item of plant.

TOTAL STATION MEASURINGSYSTEMS FOR SWITCH ANDCROSSING

P ShrubsallVortok International, 6-8 Haxter Close, BelliverIndustrial Estate, Roborough, Plymouth [email protected]

Keywords: Total station, switch & crossingmeasurement

In recent times, the accuracy and automaticlogging of measurements on total stationsurveying equipment have resulted inexcellent quality improvements in newlyinstalled track. On the West Coast MainLine in the UK, it is these qualities of thisnew technology, developed for surveyingin the construction industry that has enabledNetwork Rail to adopt the principle ofabsolute track geometry control. On plainline the adoption of the new technique hasachieved impressive improvements in trackgeometry, which leads better durabilityunder traffic. The ride quality for thepassengers is improved and track forces arereduced as well. These are major technicalbenefits but with real business gains too.

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45

Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Track Geometry + Railway Design

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47

DEVELOPMENT ANDIMPLEMENTATION OFPERFORMANCE-BASED TRACKGEOMETRY INSPECTIONTECHNOLOGY

Dr D Li, K Hass, A Meddah, S KalayTransportation Technology Center, Inc, Pueblo,Colorado 81001, [email protected]

Keywords: Track geometry, derailment,real-time inspection, and optimized trackmaintenance

The Transportation Technology Center, Inc.(TTCI), Pueblo, Colorado, has developeda new ‘add-on’ technology to conventionaltrack geometry inspection vehicles that isreferred to as the performance-based trackgeometry (PBTG) inspection technology.This new inspection technology relatesmeasured track geometry and vehicleoperating speed to vehicle performance ona real-time basis. This inspection technologyis intended to help prioritize track geometrymaintenance based on vehicle performance.The core of the PBTG technology is a groupof neural networks (NNs) developed fromactual vehicle track interaction test results,and the effects of other track conditions suchas lubrication, rail profile, and track stiffnessare indirectly considered based on theirstatistical distributions from test results.NNs have been trained for several freightvehicle types, including the tank car,covered hopper car, and coal gondola car,which were found to be the most sensitiveto track geometry inputs on North Americanrailroads. More NNs for other vehicle types,however, can be easily trained based on aprogram developed using actual vehicleperformance and track geometry test results.Currently, this inspection technology isbeing implemented by the North Americanrailroads.

NEW PERMANENT WAYSTANDARDS FOR THEDOCKLANDS LIGHT RAILWAY

BS HengHalcrow Group Limited, Vineyard House, 44Brook Green, London W6 7BY, [email protected] B KufverFerroplan, Fasangatan 32, SE-582 37Linköping, [email protected]

Keywords: Permanent way, light railway,track standards, track/vehicle interaction,best practice

In 2004, Serco Docklands Ltdcommissioned Halcrow to undertake thereview and revision of the Docklands LightRailway’s standards for Permanent WayEngineering. The revised standard is titledES-401 Permanent Way Standards and hasbeen approved by Docklands Light Railway(DLR).

The approach chosen by Halcrow was:1. Review and update the relevance of the

standards with respect to the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field ofdynamic track/vehicle interaction.

2. Review and adopt the existing bestpractice, both within the UK and inEurope, which may be applicable to theDLR.

3. Prepare standards that provide Designand Build concessionaires with clearmandatory requirements whereapplicable as well as guidance and somedegree of flexibility where necessary.This involves a close study of thelanguage and clearly distinguishingbetween the mandatory requirementsand recommendations.This paper provides an overview of the

most important revisions made and presentsthe details of certain fundamental changesin the standards.

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CALCULATION OF THE GAUGEWIDENING OF A TRACK WITHTHE AID OF MATHEMATICALMODELS

C PyrgidisAristotle University of Thessaloniki, 540 06Thessaloniki, [email protected]

Keywords: Track alignment, gaugewidening , inscription in curves

In this theoretical paper, the required gaugewidening in curves of a railway track, iscalculated, with the aid of mathematicalmodels that simulate the transversalbehaviour of a railway vehicle. The valuesof the widening are determined in relationwith the alignment curve radius and fordifferent values of the rigidity of the bogiesprimary suspension.

For a given alignment radius and rigidityof the springs of the primary suspension, aclearance is calculated and by extension, thegauge widening in order, during theinscription of the railway vehicle in curves:• To avoid simultaneously the slip of the

wheels (and by extension of the axles)and the wheel flange –rail contact

• If the above rolling conditions are notpossible to be satisfied, and guidanceforces are exerted by the wheel on therail, to keep the forces in an acceptablelevel.

The whole approach:• Refers to a track of normal gauge• Does not take account of the track’s

transversal rigidity and by extension, ofthe sleepers type

• Considers that the track is used byvehicles equipped with conventionalbogies of which the constructionalcharacteristics are given (bogiewheelbase, wheel diameter andequivalent conicity, etc)The results are evaluated and the

resulting gauge widening values arecompared to the ones suggested by theInternational Union of Railways (UIC) andby different railway networks.

IDENTIFYING SAFE VELOCITY INCURVES BY FIELD MEASURE-MENTS

N Sahebalzamani, P SahebalzamaniRailway Research Center, Tehran, [email protected], [email protected] GhalandarzadehUniversity of Tehran, Department of CivilEngineering, Faculty of Engineering, Tehran,Iran

Keywords: Safe, speed, velocity, curves,field measurements

In order to study the track performance, ithas been surveyed when an 80 tonslocomotive passed over the track in differentspeeds by means of proper tools. The fieldstudy has been made in a 35 meters curve,near Aprin station, and parameters such asdeformity of rail profile in three variousdimensions, rail displacement and sleeperdisplacement together with vibrations indifferent areas of track have been measured.The passing speed of locomotive has beenincreased from 30 km/h to about 75 km/h.The analysis of the registered data shows55 km/h the best passing speed that madethe lowest deformity and hence imposed thesmallest forces to rail in the studied curve.Speeds lower than this may increase theimposed forces on rail, e.g. if the speed isabout 40 km/h, there shall be an increasedpotential for derailment and abrasion ofrails.

The present article offers a part of resultsof the research to determine the speed oftrains movement in curves in Iran. Thereforeit is attempted that the situation of tests andmeasurements be as close to Iran’s situationas possible. The points to be measured have

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been selected in random and within differentdistances in proportionate to sleepers,installation tools and different parts ofcurves, so that every possible situation beconsidered. After recording measured data,they can be analyzed from different aspectsand forces, deformities, displacements andother effects can be achieved this way. Inorder to make these results applicable to allrailway curves with any radius, it isnecessary to repeat these tests on other testswith different radius in order to choose theoptimum and safe speed according topresent situation of curves.

OBTAINING TRACK GRADE ANDCURVE INFORMATION FROMAERIAL SURVEY DATA

LT Klauder JrTrack Shape & Use, LLC, 833 Galer Dr,Newtown Square, PA 19073, [email protected]

Keywords: Railroad track, curve, spiral,geometry, alignment, grade, vertical curve,survey

For several years Amtrak has had excellentaerial survey based 3-dimensional datagiving track centerline coordinates atapproximately 5.0 meter intervals along allof its surface tracks. Software has recentlybeen developed for relatively optimal andautomated analysis of the track coordinatedata to obtain vertical curves, grade lines,and horizontal curves that provide good fitsto the coordinate data. This paper describesthe manner in which Track Shape & UseLLC is processing track coordinate data forAmtrak, discusses some of the challengesthat have been encountered, and providesexamples of the results.

KINEMATICS ON VIRTUALTRANSITIONS

Dr B KufverFerroplan, Fasangatan 32, SE-582 37Linköping, [email protected] HengRail Link Engineering (Halcrow GroupLimited), Vineyard House, 44 Brook Green,London W6 7, [email protected]

Keywords: Virtual transition, lateral jerk,rate of change of cant deficiency,kinematics

It is a good practice to arrange transitioncurves between track elements with constantcurvature of different magnitude. Theminimum length for such a transition curveis defined by a criterion for lateral jerk (orrate of change of cant deficiency which isassumed to be proportional to lateral jerk).

However, at certain locations, it may notbe practical to insert transition curves. Thismay be the situation within or at the closeproximity to turnouts. At such locations, thepermissible speed must be defined by amodified criterion. Among Europeanrailways, two different approaches are used:1. The instantaneous change of cant

deficiency is compared with a limit.2. A fictitious rate of change of cant

deficiency is calculated, based on theassumptions of the principle of virtualtransitions, and compared with a limit.This paper investigates the theoretical

justification for the two approaches andbriefly discusses the relevance of the criteriaby means of simulations of dynamic vehicleresponse.

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51

Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

High Speed Railways – Issues

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53

TARGETED RESEARCH TOREDUCE UK CONSTRAINTS TOHIGH SPEED PASSENGER ANDFREIGHT TRAIN ROUTES

P NorrisMott MacDonald Ltd, St Anne House,Wellesley Road, Croydon CR9 [email protected] LaneRailway and Safety Standards Board, EvergreenHouse, 160 Euston Road, London NW1 [email protected]

Keywords: High speed, passenger, freight,constraints

The UK rail network is a mix of passengerand freight routes, including some ofEurope’s most heavily trafficked, such asthe West Coast Main Line. The introductionof new generation passenger trains withnovel axle configurations and the aspirationfor heavier freight vehicles travelling atincreased speeds, places demands upon theexisting infrastructure that have notpreviously been experienced.

Research is necessary to establish thekey track, structures and earthwork factorsthat constrain the operation of high speedpassenger and freight services and howthese can be addressed in a cost effectivemanner that retains or enhances currentlevels of safety.

MOVING MODEL RIG FOR HIGHSPEED TRAIN AERODYNAMICS

T JohnsonAEA Technology Rail, Jubilee House, 4 StChristopher’s Way, Pride Park, Derby [email protected]

Keywords: Aerodynamics, modelling,testing, high speed trains, pressures, airspeed, tunnels

The AEA Technology Rail Moving ModelRig is a unique facility for investigating andevaluating aerodynamic effects caused byhigh speed trains in the open air and intunnels. Model trains, usually at 1/25th scale,can be fired along the 150 m long test trackat full scale speeds up to 305 km/h. Thereare two parallel tracks which permitsimultaneous firings in opposite directionsand allow passing train effects to bemodelled. The Rig is suited formeasurements of passing pressures in theopen air, pressure waves in tunnels, as wellas slipstream air speeds at the trackside andon platforms.

This paper briefly describes the reasonsthe Rig was constructed and the technicalrequirements needed to ensure model scalemeasurements are representative of fullscale; it describes how the Rig works andprovides some case studies illustrating workthat has been undertaken using the Rig inthe past. The relevance of the Rig to newaerodynamic requirements being introducedinto railway TSIs is outlined. Finally, futuredevelopments planned for the Rig, whichenhance its capability in the field of highspeed train aerodynamics, are described.

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EVALUATION OF TILTING TRAINSRUNNING SPEED INCONVENTIONAL CURVED TRACKCONSIDERING TRANSITIONCURVE LENGTH

J-H Um, K-Y Eum, I-H Yeo, H-S MoonKorea Railway Research Institute, 374-1,Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-DoKOREA [email protected], [email protected],[email protected]

Keywords: Tilting car, alignment, centerof gravity, lateral displacement

The purpose of this paper is to present thealignment layout and the way of modifyingtransition curve for better operation oftilting trains. It is based on data from fieldinvestigation of all curves in conventionalline. In general, all curves have transitionparts in the beginning and end of the maincurve in order to improve the passenger’scomfort. The speed-up of conventional linemay need an extention of transition curves.This paper checked out whether thetransition curve should be modified or notand how to lengthen it. Then the maximumtrain speeds in curve prior to and after themodification of transition curve wereevaluated.

TRACK DETERIORATION INHIGH-SPEED RAILWAYS:INFLUENCE OF STOCHASTICPARAMETERS

Dr Eng L UbaldeCentre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT),Technical University of Catalonia, GranCapitán, s/n Módulo B.1 D-210, 08034Barcelona, [email protected] Dr Eng AL Pita, Dr Eng PF Teixeira,Adrina BachillerCentre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT),Technical University of Catalonia, GranCapitán, s/n. Módulo B.1 D-211, 08034Barcelona, [email protected]@[email protected] GallegoETS Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos,University of Castilla-La Mancha Avda. CamiloJosé Cela, s/n 13071 Ciudad Real, [email protected]

Keywords: High-speed, track, mainten-ance, levelling, dynamic control

In AVE Madrid – Seville high-speed line,data of dynamic tests (one test every threeweeks for the whole line) allow to study indetail the process of ballasted trackdeterioration and to find out the relatedparameters (maximum speed, axle load,traffic). The experience in operation of morethan ten years throws significant results,although they are characterized by a highdispersion.

In effect, descriptive formulas of needfor track maintenance are not reliableenough, because of influence of stochasticparameters, like quality of process ofconstruction or meteorology. Thiscircumstance affects especiallyinfrastructure, which might have problemsof high deformation in some sections.

Definition of resources for track

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maintenance in high-speed lines should takeinto consideration not only the parametersrelated to traffic, but also characteristics oflocation, quality of construction,meteorology and efficiency of correctivetasks on track. And, even more, success ofthat definition will depend on the fact thatrailway managers counter problems ofinfrastructure with tamping work on theballast layer or, contrary to this, withimproved drainage, jet grouting or otheradequate technical solutions in theinfrastructure itself.

CHARACTERISTICS OF TRACKAND TRAIN BEHAVIORS ONBRIDGE/ EMBANKMENTTRANSITION ZONE ON HIGH-SPEED TEST SECTION

I-W Lee, Y-S Kang, E KimTrack & Civil Engineering ResearchDepartment, Korea Railroad Research [email protected]

Keywords: Transition zone, bridge,embankment, HSR

It is very important to pay careful attentionto construction of bridge/embankmenttransition zone for high-speed railway. Thetransition zone of the railway is the sectionin which roadbed stiffness is suddenlyvaried. Differences in stiffness havedynamic effects and these increase theforces in the track and the extent ofdeformation. An abrupt change of stiffnessacross two adjacent track portions causeirregular settlement of roadbed, trackirregularity, lack of girder bending momentand reduction of lateral resistance.Especially on high-speed railway, trackirregularity at transition zone cause sincereeffect to track stability and train safety. Socontinuous maintenance is needed. Toverify this effect and to improve transitionzone capacity, in situ test, track irregularity

and train acceleration test were performedon high-speed railway bridge/embankmenttransition zone.

HIGH SPEED FREIGHT TRAINS:ASSESSING THEIR DYNAMICPERFORMANCE

KD Kang, Prof P Foyer, Dr M BlundellCoventry University, School of Engineering,Priory Street Coventry CV1 5FB, [email protected]

Keywords: TracTruc, dynamic, bimodal,ADAMS/rail, high speed freight trains

The future of freight on rail seems to bespeed, both to satisfy the needs of the JIT(Just in Time) services and to reduce indifferences between freight and passengertrains. This paper discusses a programmeof the experiments is to understand thesystem’s dynamic behaviour. A realisticdynamic model was created using ADAMS/Rail of the TracTruc bimodal system, anddesign rules developed for this type ofbimodal system to control its stability anddynamic envelope. There is little evidenceof other work on high-speed bimodal trains.

The paper discusses the use ofsimulators, such as ADAMS/Rail,VAMPIRE and SIMPACK to model andoptimise dynamic performance. Thepurpose of the experiments is to understandhow to reduce and control dynamicdeflections of the suspension (secondaryand primary). This will enable decisionswhich have to be made concerningparameters affecting the performance ofsuspensions and processes in the TracTrucproject. A set of experiments was designedusing Taguchi theory. The loss functionquantifies the effects of different designfactors on the performance of the system.

The paper presents a number ofexamples of tests on the virtual bimodalsystem taken from the TracTruc

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development project. In particular, theimplications of the very large gross/tareratio of freight trains and of majordiscontinuities in track construction andgeometry are discussed. This simulation wasstarted using four bogies with three nearstandard fifth wheel trailers which are fixedusing the fifth wheel trailer coupler system.

DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF KOREANTILTING TRAIN (TTX) ONCURVED TRACK

IH Yeo, KY Eum, UJ Hwan, MH SuckKorea Railroad Research Institute, 374-1,Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-Do,KOREA [email protected]

Keywords: Speed-up, tilting train,dynamic behavior, lateral force

Speed-up project for the conventional lineis being accomplished in Korea. The tiltingtrain is adapted to the project. Because thereare a lot of curved lines in the existing lanein Korea, it is expected that the effectiveimprovement in speed would be achievedby the tilting train. Tilting train suitable forKorean railroad is being developed byKRRI (Korea Railroad Research Institute),although several tilting systems are underthe operation in other countries.

The Korean tilting train has active tiltingsystem and self-steering wheel differentlyfrom existing trains. Especially the centerof mass of the car body is moved accordingto curvature. These characteristics have aneffect on the dynamic response of the trackwith the change on the speed and the loaddistribution of the train. As a result themaintenance regime of the track should beupdated for the operation of the tilting train.

Since the Korean tilting train is beingmanufactured now, experimental test datacannot be captured under the real situation.Therefore the dynamic behavior of the

Korean tilting train is estimated numericallywith commercial software. The main issueof this paper is to compare changes in lateralforce in cases which irregularity is not existon the track and the real irregularity isinjected to the curved track.

KEY TECHNOLOGIES OF SPEEDRAISING ON CHINESE EXISTINGRAILWAY

Dr Q LixinChina Academy of Railway Sciences, No2Daliushu Road, Haidian District, BeijingChina, [email protected]

Keywords: Chinese railways, speed-raising project, technology

A series of technological results have beenachieved for the speed-raising technologyof the Chinese railways, thus ensuring theoperation safety of speed-raising trains,accelerating the overall upgrading ofrailway industry and promoting the leapingdevelopment of the entire railway sector.The article elaborates the technicaldifficulties in speed-raising on Chineserailways, introduces the results in tacklingkey technical issues from 6 aspects andmakes comparison of the main technicalfeatures for the domestic speed-raisingequipment in China with the similaroverseas technical results.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Signalling + ATWS

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59

SIGNALLING SCHEME PROOF OFPERFORMANCE

B NeedleSiemens Transportation Systems, 4 HighlandsCourt, Cranmore Avenue, Shirley, Solihull B904LE, [email protected]

Keywords: performance proving, CBI,signalling systems, FRACAS, TRUST,FRAME

Recent years have shown that introductionof European CBIs for mainline UK use isnot simple; equally, to demonstrate that aninstalled CBI yields an improvedperformance given changes in operation,maintenance methods, and fault reportingmethods, has proved to be an intellectualchallenge.

Siemens have relatively recentlydelivered a CBI into the UK on Dorsetcoast; the supply contract for theinterlocking anticipated that performanceproving would take at least a year and itwas planned that this would consist of twophases, a performance improvement phasefollowed by a performance proving phase.Special provision was made for themonitoring of the system and for theexecution of any necessary remedial activityover this period.

Siemens successfully commissionedtheir CBI on 15th December 2003; sincethat date the performance of the system hasbeen closely monitored to determinewhether it meets its predefined acceptancecriteria. The new CBI introducedoperational changes to the signalling areawhile the FRACAS set up for performancemonitoring brought changes to the way inwhich faults were recorded and reported.The data against which the performance ofthe system was to be judged, out ofnecessity, was collated and collected yearsin advance of its eventual use for

performance proving.This paper identifies the difficulties of

using past information to judge theperformance of future systems, considersthe difficulties and pitfalls associated withthis process, and, using a practical example,shows how these difficulties may beovercome.

Since the original paper abstract waswritten the performance of the system hasbeen demonstrated; this occurred on the25th January 2005, a little over a year afterthe original commissioning, the minimumtime for demonstration of the system. BothNetwork Rail and Siemens are delightedwith the scheme as it continues tooutperform expectations.

BENEFICIAL APPLICATION OFCOMPUTER BASEDINTERLOCKINGS

N MuellerSiemens AG, Transportation Systems, P.O. Box3327, D-38023 Braunschweig, [email protected] BuckleySiemens Ltd, Transportation Systems, 4Highlands Court, Cranmore Avenue, Shirley,Solihull B90 4LE, [email protected]

Keywords: Computer based interlocking,CBI, SSI, application, UK standards

In the late nineties, Railtrack, who are nowNetwork Rail, decided to introduceinterlocking technology from continentalEurope, which was referred to as ComputerBased Interlocking (CBI) to differentiatethem from established SSI technology. Onemajor intention when introducing CBIs wasthe aim to learn from their new ideas bothin architecture and functionality. CBIs aredifferent from SSI Applying them to the UKwas to gain the most possible benefits fromthose differences, certainly without

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compromising the basic UK signallingprinciples.

The paper outlines the main differencesbetween SSI and a typical CBI, as recentlyintroduced in the UK. It follows adescription of the potential benefits, whicha CBI can yield for a railway operator, ifappropriately applied.

Examples of such appropriateapplication are given. Some CBIs have areputation of being particularly suitable forlarge and complex schemes, thus the firstexample describes a CBI application to acomplex terminus station. The secondexample looks at a less complex stretch ofUK railway and shows that CBIs are aviable alternative to SSI on such schemes,too.

Most of the existing UK standards wereoriginally based on the well known RRI andSSI technologies and therefore prescribedsolutions that were optimised for thesetechnologies. The paper gives examples onhow standards have evolved or challengingthe standards can enable CBI applicationin the most efficient manner.

TRACK WORKER SAFETY WITHMODERN TRACK WARNINGSYSTEMS: AN URGENT NEED TOMAINTAIN TODAY’S RAILWAYSYSTEMS

JG SchweizerSchweizer Electronic AG, Industriestrasse 3,CH-6410 Reiden, [email protected]

Keywords: Track safety, lookoutoperated warning systems, automatic trackwarning systems, signalling controlledwarning systems

More than 50’000 workplaces are openalong the European Railway network eachyear with duration of more than one week.About 52’000 employees and more than

750 Mio € are required to safeguard theseworkplaces. In addition to this many trainfree periods, night work or train speedreductions have to be given for track work,which increases the cost for constructionand train operators. All this also causes asignificantly high reduction of the networkavailability.

Experiences shows that with theconsequent use of cable and radio basedTrack Warning Systems (TWS), the networkavailability increases significantly and thereare almost no disruptions anymore. Thewarning for track workers are issued morethan 1000 times safer as by human beings,the amount of work done increasessignificantly, train free periods are reducedand the punctuality of trains influenced bywork places goes up.

Prerequisite to obtain all this advantagesis a change of track work protection processfrom low technology and many peoplebased methods to a few centralizedprofessional specialists and high technologytrack warning systems. Top railwaymanagement is asked to change the processwith the result to reduce track safety cost ofabout 5’000 € per kilometre railway line andyear down to 2’500 € per kilometre andyear, with all the other positive effects ofTWS not even included!

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Electrification + Lighting

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63

IMPROVED DESIGN OF ANOVERHEAD RAIL CURRENTCONDUCTOR FOR APPLICATIONIN UNDERGROUND LINES

Prof C VeraDepartment of Mechanical Engineering,College of Industrial Engineers (ETSII),Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM),SpainJ Paulin, B Suárez, P RodríguezRailway Technology Research Centre (CITEF),College of Industrial Engineers (ETSII), C/ JoséGutiérrez Abascal nº 2, ES-28006 Madrid,[email protected]

Keywords: Catenary and electrificationsystems, overhead conductor rail systems,optimisation, new design

Overhead rail current collector systems forrailway traction offer certain features, suchas low installation height and reducedmaintenance, which make thempredominantly suitable for use inunderground train infrastructures. Due to theincreased demands of modern catenarysystems and higher running speeds of newvehicles, a more capable design of theconductor rail is needed.

A new overhead conductor rail has beendeveloped and its design has been patented[13]. Modern simulation and modellingtechniques were used in the developmentapproach. The new conductor rail profilehas a dynamic behaviour superior to that ofthe system currently in use. Its innovativedesign permits either an increase of catenarysupport spacing or a higher vehicle runningspeed. Both options ensure savings ininstallation or operating costs.

The simulation model used to optimisethe existing conductor rail profile includedboth a finite element model of the catenaryand a three-dimensional multi-body systemmodel of the pantograph. The contact force

that appears between pantograph andcatenary was obtained in simulation. Asensitivity analysis of the key parametersthat influence in catenary dynamics wascarried out, finally leading to the improveddesign.

INFLUENCE OF THE AVERAGESTRESS ON FATIGUE PROPERTIESOF CONTACT WIRE

C Yamashita, A SugaharaRailway Technical Research Institute, 2-8-38,Hikari-cho, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, 185-0034,[email protected]

Keywords: Contact wire, fatigue life,average stress

The bending stress of the contact wire iscaused by the pantograph upward force andthe repeated occurrence of that stress willcause fatigue fracture. To evaluate thefatigue life of contact wire, railwayresearchers in Japan use an S-N curve thatis established for the average stress of88.2MPa. On the other hand, contact wiresare gradually worn by running contact strips.This decreases their sectional area and inturn increases the average stress that largelygoverns the fatigue life. To evaluate thefatigue life of worn contact wires correctly,therefore, it is not appropriate to depend onthe aforementioned S-N curve alone. In thisstudy, another S-N curve has been obtainedfor the conditions; sectional area 95mm2,tension 14.7kN and average stress154.2MPa. Application of Smith’stechnique integrates these two curves intoone that is applicable to the evaluation ofthe fatigue life of different worn contactwires.

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DESIGN OF TRACTION EARTHINGAND BONDING IN THE ST PANCRASAREA

D KelseyRail Link Engineering, CTRL House, 2Ossulston Street, London NW1 IHT, [email protected] Kadhim, J GreatbanksAEA Technology Rail, Central House, UpperWoburn Place, London WC1H [email protected]@aeat.co.uk

Keywords: CTRL, traction, DC, earthing,bonding

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link is being builtby Rail Link Engineering for Client UnionRailways. It will be Britain’s first major newrailway for over a century - a high-speedline running for 109km (68 miles) betweenSt Pancras station in London and theChannel Tunnel.

A key issue is the design of tractionearthing and bonding in the St Pancras area.This paper examines the complex issuesrelated to stray DC and touch and accessiblevoltages and the processes required toachieve an acceptable design solution tocompliance with the relevant national,international and corporate standards.

A NEW APPROACH TO OHL

Prof L LesleyTRAM Power Ltd, Liverpool L11 OEE, [email protected]

Keywords: Electrification, over head line(OHL), traction masts, bracket arms, parafilstrops, ground anchors, railways, tramways

This paper describes the philosophy andprocedures for installing a new OHL railwayelectrification system. This system is basedon a large diameter OHL, installed withoutcatenary from a simple bracket armassembly. After quotations from established

OHL installers, the work, for a pioneeringdemonstration line at Carnforth, wasundertaken by TRAM Power Ltd. The aimof this approach is to speed installations andreduce the need for track possessions,reduce first and maintenance costs, and toopen up the operational flexibility thatelectrification offers to many secondarylines, where improved services could makethe difference for long term survival. Thisnew systems also promises to reduce thecost of new tramways and light railways.

MEASUREMENT OF A DAMPINGRATIO USING WAVELETS

YH Cho, K Lee, S-Y Kwon, Y ParkKorea Railroad Research Institute, 360-1Woulam-dong, Kyonggi-do, Uiwang-city 437-050, [email protected] ParkSeoul National University, School ofMechanical & Aerospace Engineering, 301-dong 1402-hoAMED Lab, San 56-1 Shinlim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, Korea

Keywords: Morlet, wavelets, damping,contact wire

We proposed a damping extraction methodfor a contact wire using a continuouswavelet ransform(CWT). We used twokinds of complex Morlet wavelets as awavelet function. In order to show that theproposed method is valid, we extracteddamping ratios from the free response ofthe simulated system which have closenatural modes in a low frequency rangesimilar to the contact wire. According to theresults, the error is less than 8% at the firstnatural frequency (1Hz). The errors becomelarger at higher natural modes. However,the estimated damping ratios at highermodes are still agreed with the true valueswithin 20% errors. More errors at highernatural modes are mainly due to a poor

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frequency resolution of the wavelet functionused. For a reliable extraction of thedamping ratios, we presented how to adjusta frequency resolution of the complexMorlet wavelet and how to remove noisesin the free response in this paper. Becausethe CWT can decouple close natural modesof the contact wire, we can conclude thatdamping ratios can be extracted from thefree response of the contact wire using theproposed method.

ANALYSIS OF FLUORESCENTLAMPS, ELECTRONIC BALLASTSAND FACTORS AFFECTING LAMPLIFE

J HeskethLPA-Excil Electronics Ltd, Ripley Drive,Normanton, Wakefield WF6 1QT, [email protected]

Keywords: Fluorescent lamps, electronicballasts, lamp life

Fluorescent lamps are extensively used forillumination of passenger vehicle interiors.Although other light source technologiessuch as dichroic and LED have theirapplications within the vehicle interior, thefluorescent lamp remains the principlemethod of illumination and main providerof utility lighting.

In the vast majority of modern andrefurbished rolling stock, fluorescent lampsare driven by electronic ballasts rather thantraditional electromagnetic means. Indeed,the use of DC control supplies precludesthe use of electromagnetic ballasts.

Electronic ballasts have manyadvantages over their electromagneticpredecessors such as higher efficiency,reduced operating temperatures, increasedlamp life, reduced weight, improvedpassenger environment and the ability toemploy intelligent shut down facilities forlife expired lamps.

Electronic ballasts are extensivelyavailable for commercial and industrial use,however, products for use within the railwayindustry and compliant with the arduousrailway standards are only available from alimited number of specialist suppliers. LPA-Excil Electronics Ltd is such a supplier,designing and manufacturing an extensiveproduct range.

A key design factor with any electronicballast is ensuring that the lamp operatingparameters are precisely satisfied. Failureto satisfy the correct parameters for pre-heating, ignition and arc discharge willresult in significantly reduced lamp life.

In contrast, an optimally designedproduct will maximise and extend lamp lifeoften by significant factors. This is highlyadvantageous from a lighting systemmaintenance and vehicle operating costview-point as life cycle costs and serviceaffecting failures are significantly reduced.

This paper examines the factorsaffecting fluorescent lamp life and howthese factors are addressed and satisfied ina modern electronic ballast design.

A DEVELOPMENT OFPANTOGRAPH TEST FACILITY

K Lee, YH Cho, S-Y Kwon, Y Park,H-J Park#360-1, Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City,Kyonggi-Do, Republic of [email protected]

Keywords: Pantograph, Test Facility

This study presents a development ofpantograph test facility which is the testerto verify performance, endurance ofsuspension and dynamic characteristics ofpantograph. The test facility consists ofperformance, endurance and dynamicpantograph testers. With these testers, allkinds of pantograph, such as cross arm typeor single arm type, can be evaluated. Using

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the performance tester, measurement ofnominal static force, checking of theoperating system, transverse rigidity test, airtightness test, functional check of ADD(Automatic dropping device) and etc. canbe examined. With the dynamic tester, thedynamic behavior of pantograph accordingto the exciting frequency can be tested.Endurance behavior for pan-head springand continuous upward and downwardmovements can be evaluated using theendurance tester.

FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCEBETWEEN RELIABILITY ANDECONOMICS FOR BATTERIESUSED IN CRITICAL RAILTRACKSIDE APPLICATIONS

A GreenAlcad Ltd, 6th Floor, Westgate House, WestGate, Harlow CM20 1JN, [email protected]

Keywords: Batteries, trackside,economics, reliability

In looking at a critical system it is necessaryto look at the cost of failure of the system.This is likely to be far greater than the costof the emergency back-up system and so itcould be argued that the cost of theemergency back up system is not important.

However, this is very rarely the case andan analysis has to be made of the risks andthe costs to choose the right system. So, thedesign becomes a balance betweenreliability and economics.

Reliable systems should be ‘fault-free’systems but they may still fail because ofspecification or operational errors and theconcept of a ‘fail-safe’ system assumes animportant role. The costs of producingreliable systems grow exponentially asreliability requirements are increased.

The economics of the system should becalculated by life cycle costing. This is a

technique to establish a spend profile of aproduct over its life span. It does notcalculate the cost of an unexpected failureand the consequential cost.

The basic characteristics of a battery canbe split into those which are related to theirreliability e.g. predictable failure mode andtolerance to overcharge and over-discharge,and those important to the economics e.g.lifetime under application conditions andinstalled costs.

The different battery criteria arediscussed in terms of their importance toreliability and economics. These factors arethen used to examine how an acceptablebalance can be made to achieve aneconomically acceptable level of reliabilityin a critical system.

A STUDY ON QUALITYIMPROVEMENT OF TYPE-T RIGIDCONDUCTOR LINE

K Tokuda, S Harada, M ShimizuRailway Technical Research Institute, PowerSupply Technology Division, 2-8-38, Hikari-cho, Kokubunji-shi, Tokyo, [email protected]

Keywords: Rigid conductor line, currentcollection, undulating wear

Overhead contact lines as provided forpower supply through pantographs to trainsare required to have a simple structure andmaintenance-free characteristic whereinstalled at limited spaces at locations suchas underground or tunnels. Therefore, rigidconductor lines are often provided at suchlocations. In the case of type-T copper rigidconductor line of JR West Tozai Line,undulating wears with an interval of about60 mm were found on the sliding surface ofthe contact wire. Such wears will be a causeto prevent speedup while increasesmaintenance cost for contact wires. Thispaper describes an investigation of the

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cause, and proposes a countermeasure toimprove the quality of type-T rigidconductor line.

LIFE CYCLE COSTS ANDOPERATIONS MEET OVER HEADLINE ENGINEERING

T StephensBentley Systems, North Heath Lane, HorshamRH12 5QE, [email protected]

Keywords: Life cycle cost, over head lineengineering, OLE

This paper describes collaboration withSweden’s Banverket Engineering todevelop and release a new application torevolutionalise the design of over head lineengineering projects. This new system willsignificantly improve the cost effectivenessof OLE design and maintenance processesthrough automation and incorporation oflocal and national standards. Design dataso created will form the base for operations,management and long term maintenance ofthe asset.

This paper is part of an ongoing processof industry consultation and collaborationintended to ensure the application perfectlymatches the global industry needs whenreleased a little later this year.

APPLICATION OF NORMALPANTOGRAPH TO TILTINGVEHICLE WITH TECHNICALMODIFICATION OF VEHICLESYSTEM

H-S Mun, K-Y Eum, S-K Choi, W-H YouKorea Railroad Research Institute, 374-1,Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-Do,Korea [email protected]

Keywords: Pantograph, tilting train,modifications

On curved rail, the speed of train must bereduced in order to keep riding comfort. So,the train has the its speed limitation inconventional railway line. But if the trainhas the tilting mechanism, the speed of trainis increased while maintaining the ridingcomfort. Generally, the tilting train is fasterthan the non-tilting train about 30% incurve.

The tilting train technology andreduction of travel time has been carefullyinvestigated by KRRI (Korea RailroadResearch Institute). Based on the primaryresearch result from KRRI, tiltingpantograph and tilting bogie are consideredits core technologies.

Due to very complicate operationalmechanism and requirement of interfacetechnology between each subsystems oftilting vehicle, tilting pantographtechnology is considered most difficulttechnical field of tilting train developmentproject.

In this paper, previous efforts to applysimple tilting pantograph mechanism totilting system from foreign railwaymanufacture and operator are brieflyintroduced with tilting train technicalprinciple. All the technologies have itstechnical advantage and disadvantages topractically use.

Main target of this paper is to eliminate

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technical difficulties and design effort oftilting vehicle. Vehicle system and itsimportant parts such as coupler, high voltagecable and bogie frame are technicallymodified to apply regular pantograph totilting system. Maintenance solution andmethod of vehicle unit are explained withthis system.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 1:

Safety

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SAFETY AND WEATHERPROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN THERAILWAY INDUSTRY

J FindlayW L Gore & Associates (UK) Ltd, SimpsonParkway, Kirkton Campus, Livingston EH547BH, [email protected]

Keywords: Safety, EN 471, high visibility,EN343, waterproofness, breathable,durability, physiological stress, safetyengineer, clothing specification

The growth in the railway infrastructureactivity across the EU has seen manycompanies offering ‘orange jackets’. Thechange in the GATT rules will enable largenumbers of garments to arrive fromoverseas.

Potential customers are finding it hardto distinguish good from bad and have littleor no knowledge of why they should seekout performance. There have been revisionsin 2003 of the two key Norms EN 471 andEN 343

The revisions in some ways add someclarity to the safety aspect of breathableclothing (including non rainwear items) butexplanations covering restricted wear timesof low breathability clothing are not given

The performance demands ofwaterproofness have been left at a low levelwith no demands for industrial laundrydurability. Such durability is essential ifgarments are to be maintained as an EN 471High Visibility garments ensuring that thewearer remains visible. The author proposesvalues of durability and other technicalsolutions which will ensure a garment thatis fit for purpose.

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73

Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Keynote Papers

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AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TOFLOOD RISK ASSESSMENT OFRAILWAY STRUCTURES

J LaneRail Safety & Standards Board, EvergreenHouse, 160 Euston Road, London NW12DX,[email protected] BennJBA Consulting, South Barn, Broughton Hall,Skipton BD23 3AE,[email protected]

Keywords: Flood, risk, mapping,assessment

Floods present many risks to railwayinfrastructure, including track inundation,scour failure, blockage of culverts andembankment failure. While there are manyassessment techniques currently available,these can be self-contained and do not lookat the combined risk. In particular, they donot usually consider the particularcircumstances of linear assets such asrailways and the practicalities of assessinglarge numbers of structures, often in remotelocations.

This paper presents findings from twoRail Safety & Standards Board researchprojects, which look at integratedapproaches to the assessment and mitigationof flood risk. Case studies are presented,together with comment on current andproposed flood risk assessment of railwaystructures in the UK. The use of remotesensing and flood risk mapping,determination of acceptable levels of riskand the key elements of effective flood riskassessment are discussed.

REPEATED GPR MEASUREMENTSFOR THE RAILWAY CORRIDORVIENNA-WARSAW CONDUCTEDON THE TERRITORY OF THECZECH REPUBLIC, RAILWAYTRACK SEGMENT PETROVICE –STATE BORDER, KM 291.771 –292.602

Dr K HrubecG Impuls, Pristavni 24, 170 000 Prague 7,Czech [email protected]

Keywords: Track substructureinvestigation, ground penetrating radar,railway, corridor line

At present, on the territory of the CzechRepublic there proceed reconstructions ofpan-European corridor railway lines inorder to reach traffic speed of up to 160km/h. The process of taking over singletrack segments after the reconstruction alsoincludes GPR measurements. The resultsare stored in the GPR records database ofthe corridor railway lines and serve forinspection of the work handed over and fordetection of changes in the layers lyingbelow the sleepers in the next years.

Reconstruction of the VI pan-Europeancorridor railway line (Vienna–Breclav–Ostrava–Warsaw), in the track segmentbetween Petrovice and the state border wasperformed in 2001–2002. Already theprimary GPR record showed detection ofanomalous parts, however, the trackreceived an acceptance certificate and wasput into operation in May 2004. In the tracksegment between km 291.771 and km292.602, immediately after the opening,local problems with geometric position ofthe track started to occur. In spite ofcontinuous levelling of the track geometryby tamping, the problems fail to beeliminated. Repeated GPR measurementsconducted in 2003 and 2004 allowed us to

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locate the reason for the problems both inhorizontal and vertical directions and toquantitatively assess the extent of a defect.By comparing two different geometries ofmeasurement, stress was laid on thenecessity of standardized setting-up of theGPR apparatus. Fixed geometry of theantenna systems and precise positioning ofthe GPR records form a prerequisite forfurther processing of such records. OnCzech Railways, already since 1998 thisproblem has been addressed by amethodical regulation ‘Instructions for GPRApplication in the Track Recording Car’.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Masonry Bridges

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MASONRY ARCH RAILWAYBRIDGES IN AUSTRIA STATISTICS,MANAGEMENT & EXAMPLES

M MautnerOBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG, 1020 Vienna,Nordbahnstraße 50, [email protected]

Keywords: Masonry arch bridges,damages, inspection, repair, assessment

Masonry arches are among the oldest typesof load-bearing structures still in service,despite of increasing axle loads, train speedsand greater volume of traffic. Since mostof the railway lines in Austria date from the19th century, the Austrian Federal Railwaysare constantly faced with the task ofmaintaining and repairing its large stock ofmasonry arch bridges. This paper providesgeneral information on Railway Arches inAustria. A short overview of the bridgestock, especially masonry arches, of theAustrian Federal Railways is given. Somestatistics on the masonry arch railway bridgepopulation are shown such as span length,condition and age. Furthermore themaintenance strategies of this kind ofstructures, the practice of inspection, themain types of structural problems and therepair techniques are listed up. Shortdescriptions of the original historical designrules up to actual considerations arementioned. At last examples of significantmasonry arch bridges show the necessity tohave knowledge of material properties, thechange of condition and of repair andinterventions carried out over the years.

IMPLICATIONS OF BA86/04 ONMASONRY BRIDGE INSPECTION

I Kennedy-ReidAtkins, Woodcote Grove, Ashley Road, EpsomKT18 5BW, [email protected] R WoodwardTRL Limited, Crowthorne House, Nine MileRide, Wokingham RG40 3GA, [email protected] HillHighways Agency, Heron House, 49-53Goldington Road, Bedford MK40 3LL, [email protected] MC FordeUniversity of Edinburgh, The Kings Building,Edinburgh EH9 3JL, [email protected]

Keywords: Bridges, masonry, arch, NDT,advisory notes

This paper will examine the aspects ofHighways Agency Advisory Note BA86/04as they may be applied to masonry archrailway bridges.

BA86/04 was developed in order tomeet the perceived specific need for astructured approach to the NDT of all typesof bridges in the UK. This paper describesthe background to these Advice Notes, howthey were developed and trialled, what theirobjectives are, and how they will beextended in the future.

The contents are based on research workon various NDT techniques carried out atthe University of Edinburgh. The resultingreports have been worked up by theHighways Agency’s NDT SteeringCommittee into Advice Notes to enablethese techniques to be used in practice forthe investigation of Highway Structures.

The Advice Notes are formed of threetiers; the first tier consisting of GeneralGuidance on NDT; the second tiercomprising Areas of Application; and thethird tier covering NDT Techniques. This

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three tier format enables the Advice Notesto be readily extended in the future to coverfurther areas of application and other NDTtechniques.

The techniques relevant to masonry archbridges and wing walls will be reportedherein.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Concrete Bridges

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HEAVY HAUL TESTING OF TWOPRECAST CONCRETE RAILROADBRIDGES

Dr D Otter, B Doe, M Akhtar, Dr D Li,Dr A J ReinschmidtTransportation Technology Center Inc, 55500DOT Road, Box 11130, Pueblo, CO 81001,[email protected]

Keywords: Railway bridge, concretebridge, bridge testing, measurements,bridge impact loads

Two new concrete bridges were installed atthe Facility for Accelerated Service Testing(FAST) at the Transportation TechnologyCenter (TTC) in Pueblo, Colorado, USA inDecember 2003. A variety of tests are beingconducted under 39-ton (35-tonne) axleload traffic. One bridge features three state-of-the-art (SOA) spans. The second bridgefeatures two conventional spans. Testsunderway include measurements of strainand impact in the spans and foundations,centrifugal force issues, and the effects ofdifferent tie types on both impact and tracktransition issues. Long-term performanceevaluations include performance of thespans under heavy axle loads, field repairsto spans, and ballast puncture and abrasionresistance of waterproofing materials.

The paper describes the two FASTballasted deck concrete bridges, the testlayouts and objectives, and results to date.Comparisons to AREMA guidelines aremade where appropriate. Tonnageaccumulation on the bridge test sites as ofMarch 2005 is over 150 million gross tons(MGT) (130 million gross tonnes).

IMPLICATIONS OF BA86/04 ONCONCRETE BRIDGE INSPECTION

I Kennedy-ReidAtkins, Woodcote Grove, Ashley Road, EpsomKT18 5BW, [email protected] R WoodwardTRL Limited, Crowthorne House, Nine MileRide, Wokingham RG40 3GA, [email protected] HillHighways Agency, Heron House, 49-53Goldington Road, Bedford MK40 3LL, [email protected] MC FordeUniversity of Edinburgh, The Kings Building,Edinburgh EH9 3JL, [email protected]

Keywords: Bridges, concrete, NDT,advisory notes

This paper will examine the aspects ofHighways Agency Advisory Note BA86/04as they may be applied to railway bridges.

BA86/04 was developed in order tomeet the perceived specific need for astructured approach to the NDT of all typesof bridges in the UK. This paper describesthe background to these Advice Notes, howthey were developed and trialled, what theirobjectives are, and how they will beextended in the future.

The contents are based on research workon various NDT techniques carried out atthe University of Edinburgh. The resultingreports have been worked up by theHighways Agency’s NDT SteeringCommittee into Advice Notes to enablethese techniques to be used in practice forthe investigation of Highway Structures.

The Advice Notes are formed of threetiers; the first tier consisting of GeneralGuidance on NDT; the second tiercomprising Areas of Application; and thethird tier covering NDT Techniques. Thisthree tier format enables the Advice Notes

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to be readily extended in the future to coverfurther areas of application and other NDTtechniques.

The techniques relevant to concretebridges will be reported herein.

RAILWAY STRUCTURES –PECULIARITIES/DIFFERENCES INRELATION WITH ROADSTRUCTURES

C Pyrgidis, A Mouratidis, S TzavaraAristotle University of Thessaloniki540 06 Thessaloniki, [email protected]@[email protected]

Keywords: Railway structures, roadstructures, railway bridges, railway tunnels,railway overcrossings, railway noisebarriers

This paper examines from a technical andfunctional point of view, the application ofcivil engineering structures in railwaydomain. In particular, it covers the followingcategories of structures: bridges, tunnels,embankments/cuts, drainage systems,overcrossings, noise barriers and fences.

On many occasions, the methods andtechnical specifications in the constructionand maintenance of railway structures arethe same that are used for road structuresbut many differences are also observed. Thisfact is the main motivating factor embarkingthis paper.

The research is focused on the recordingand analyzing the main principles of theactivities (design, construction, operationand maintenance) related with the abovementioned structures, always taking in mindthe interurban railway system as the fieldof application. Great attention is placed ontracing the peculiarities/differences of theabove activities – for each category ofstructures – in relation to the ones of road

structures, as well as their justification.The paper concludes that there are

indeed peculiarities/differences in thedesign, construction, operation andmaintenance of the most of the railwaystructures that were examined and theirequivalent ones in road. Furthermore, itshows that these peculiarities/differencesare due to various causes, and in particularto the constructional and functionalcharacteristics of the two examined meansof transport. The conclusions of this papermay act as a push-factor for the writing-upof an all-inclusive regulation of the railwaycivil engineering structures.

STUDY OF COMPUTERIZEDBRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS(CBMS)

Dr R Abbasnia, M Ketabdar,AR EsmaeiliCivil Engineering Department, Iran Universityof Science & Technology, Narmak,Tehran, [email protected]

Keywords: Bridge management, computer,international, systems

In this paper, definition, goals and all basesof Bridge Management System (BMS) arepresented. In addition the main structure ofnew computerized bridge managementsystem (CBMS) is investigated and differentsystems used for CBMS are compared. TheComputerized Bridge ManagementSystems which are studied in detail are Cowiand Danbro (used in Danish roads and railroads respectively), Brutus (used inNorway) and Bridge_Asyst (used inAustralia). Through this study theadvantages and disadvantages of eachsystem is presented.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Steel Bridges

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EFFICENCY OF THE U-DECK –RECONSTRUCTION OF RAILUNDERBRIDGE DSN1/2, NEASHAMROAD, DARLINGTON

Andrew DugdaleHyder Consulting (UK) Ltd, Firecrest Court,Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 [email protected]

Keywords: Rail bridge, U-deck, steel,construction depth

The Government’s commitment toincreasing volumes of rail traffic combinedwith Network Rail’s desire to improvepunctuality of passenger services has led toa substantial investment in Britain’srailways in recent years. The need to removefreight traffic from the East Coast Main Lineto improve capacity for high-speedpassenger trains has led to improvementson a number of secondary routes to facilitatefreight traffic at increased speeds andweights. The associated improvements toload carrying capacity and line speed haveresulted in a number of bridge strengtheningand replacement schemes throughout theUK.

Hyder Consulting have been workingwith May Gurney Rail through the NetworkRail Structures Partnership in the LondonNorth Eastern territory since 1998 tostrengthen and replace bridges identified byNetwork Rail. Common features of thesestructures are the limitations on constructiondepth, the provision of collision protectionbeams and the need for speedy installationsduring limited possessions.

This paper reviews four of the bridgesdesigned by Hyder Consulting andsuccessfully installed by May Gurney Railover the past 2 years. Each bridge has asignificant factor that affected the choiceof structural form and the method ofinstallation. This paper reviews the generalparameters which should be reviewed at the

feasibility stage, provides an overview ofthe options available to the bridge designerwith regard to construction depths, withparticular attention given to the design ofthe modern U-deck solution, reviewsexperiences of crane lifts and installationusing the Heavy Duty Transporter (HDT)and finally reviews issues concerningbuildability by looking at 3D modellingmethods available to the designer.

STATIC AND DYNAMIC LOADINGTEST ON TALE ZANG BRIDGE

P Sahebalzamani, N SahebalzamaniRailway Research Center, Tehran, [email protected][email protected] MarefatUniversity of Tehran, Department of CivilEngineering, Faculty of Engineering, Iran

Keywords: Bridge, load test, static,dynamic, deck

Tale Zang bridge is located at km. 587 inLorestan railway between Dorood andAndimeshk. The bridge runs over anapproximately deep valley. The concretearched bridge is designed and constructedin 1935-1938, having a primary span of 60m and nine other ten meters span. Duringthe Holy Defense era, i.e. the war of Iraqand Iran, the primary span was destructedby air raid. In 1987 a new deck was designedand implemented by 6 metal beams in alength of 72m and a height of 2.5 m. Butunfortunately after operation, the deckshowed such deformities and vibrations thatmade it unsafe. Therefore in 1991, the firstplan of strengthening the deck wasimplemented by means of pre-stressing steelbeams applying 15 complete set of cables.

Although pre-stressing decreased stressand increased negative versed sine,relatively large vibrations persisted whichcaused problems in operation of the bridge.

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At the time being, the bridge should beoperated at a very trivial speed, i.e. 6 km/h,and yet its safety is under question.

In order to identify problems and findpossible solutions, a full-scale test on thebridge was suggested. After primaryanalysis and designing the test, bothdynamic and static loading tests werecarried out. In the static bridge test, 3 kindsof dynamic loads were used, including acombination of locomotives and vehiclesand it showed deformities at 56 points.

In dynamic test, various kinds oftrainloads transversed over the bridge bydifferent speeds and in showed accelerationat 32 points and deformities in 16 points.Studies indicated the deformities were 5times more than the limited amountspecified by UIC standards and Euro Code.Also the recorded acceleration rate was alarge number amounting to about 0.5 g. Theresults showed insufficient stiffness in thewidth of the deck and supporting situationis near the roller.

By measuring structure parameters, anew point of view is provided. This articleexplains how to design and perform thetests. Also it gives the results and studiesthe bridge behavior in present situationtogether with solutions.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Tunnels

90

91

SIMULATION OF TRAINMOVEMENT IN TUNNELS TOSTUDY THE CLEARANCE

R Naderi, P Sahebalzamani,N SahebalzamaniRailway Research Center, Tehran, [email protected], [email protected],[email protected]

Keywords: Simulation, train movements,tunnels

The vacant area around track is notrestricted to the geometrical dimensions ofrolling stock, but it has different definitionsdepending upon various parameters; suchparameters include geometricalspecifications of vehicle, elasticspecifications of suspension system, rollingstock velocity, curve radius, vehicledimensions, etc.

Since the clearance (i.e. the vacant area)is divided into two parameters, goodsclearance and structure clearance, everyvehicle should comply with the dimensionsof the clearance of the track for passing overthe railway. The safety of the movement isnot ensured by the compliance of the vehicledimensions with the clearance dimensionsof a track. One of the most important issuesabout the tunnel dimension is itscircumscribing the standard clearance of thestructure. In order to control and study thecross sections of tunnels in the presentresearch, the standard clearance inside thecross sections has been drawn for every 5meters. This is done by a TCRA1102camera. Then by creating a 3D drawing inCAD environment as the basis, everyacquired data is demonstrated in the formof points bearing CODE data, X, Y and Z.While drawing standard structure clearance,it was considered that the clearance andtrack axle be at the same length and alsothe superelevation in every section wastaken into account. After it was drawn, there

seemed to be some critical sections thatrequired more precise studies.

After increasing the width of theclearance, it was realized that in thesesections, the tunnel cross-section was notcircumbscribed by the widened clearance.And the structure clearance was in contactwith the tunnel walls. Therefore it is notpossible to increase the superelevation toadd up to speed, because it may increasethe exceeding of structure clearace fromtunnel walls and hence the possiblity ofvehicle collision into the tunnel walls shallbe more probable.

According to above study, a lot oftechnical questions can be answered andalso the results of this study can be used fortransportation of goods outside clearancearea.

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93

Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Earthworks Investigation + Management

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95

ACCEPTABLE LEVELS OF RISKWITH PARTICULAR APPLICATIONTO ROCK CUTTINGS

NGA YarwoodTony Gee and Partners, TGP House, 45-47 HighStreet, Cobham KT11 3DP, [email protected]

Keywords: Slope stability, rock cuttings,risk, safety

Network Rail have extensive sections of therailway throughout the UK that are at riskfrom rockfall and slab slides within deepcuttings or escarpments above the railway.The cost of remedial work to these elementsof the infrastructure is an order of magnitudegreater than typical earthwork remediationmeasures. Therefore a risk based approachis a logical route to take if best value is tobe achieved. However this approach is onlyhelpful if this can be linked in some way tothe requirements for the operation of a saferailway as perceived by the public at large.Network Rail have defined theirinterpretation of these perceptions in thepublished Safety Case and the Risk Analysisthat supports it. This paper is aimed atdefining and subsequently establishingquantifiable linkage between the risks setout in Network Rail’s Safety Case and thoseapparent on site; mainly in relation to sitesthat have already been identified as posinga high risk to the railway and are likely torequire remediation.

The main intention of this paper is toidentify where improvements can be madein defining the scope of works for theremediation of steep cuttings, whilstavoiding the introduction of unacceptablerisks to the railway. Whilst it is moredifficult to define absolute levels of risk ingeotechnical engineering the technique isvery useful in making comparisons betweendifference remediation schemes andgenerating consistency throughout the

network in the level of remediation affordedto each site.

Reference will be made to a series ofcase studies at Winterbourne, Dawlish andHarlech where quantitative risk analyseshave been carried out to define the mostappropriate level of remediation to beapplied to these sites. In addition, the riskreduction achieved by the introduction ofmonitoring systems and temporary speedrestrictions, particularly in emergencysituations, will be examined.

ASSET SURVEYING USING AERIALLASER SCANNING

E ColganHighways Agency, Broadway, Broad Street,Birmingham, B15 1BL, [email protected] DuffellHighways Agency, Sunley Towers, PiccadillyPlaza, Manchester M1 4BE, [email protected] RudrumArup, 13 Fitzroy Street, London, W1T 4BQ,[email protected]

Keywords: Highways, airborne laserscanning (LiDAR), topographical survey,infrastructure asset inventory, specificationand procurement of remote sensingtechniques, data archive

The Highways Agency (HA) is andexecutive agency of the Department forTransport, (DfT) and is responsible formanaging the 7,088 km motorway and trunkroad network in England on behalf of theSecretary of State for Transport.

DfT have set the HA the strategic targetof reducing congestion on the inter-urbantrunk road network significantly by 2010.To achieve this the HA is undertaking aprogramme of improvements to the strategicroad network including enhancements to theM1, M6 and M25 motorways.

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As part of the overall development ofdata management in the HA, Aerial LaserScanning (LiDAR) techniques have beenadopted to provide asset survey data. Thisdata is being used for both the design ofenhancements and for asset managementactivities.

This paper will describe theimplementation of the Highways AgencyNational Framework to undertake LiDARSurveys and how data from this frameworkis being used within the HA to improve theway in which the highways asset ismanaged.

In particular three topics will bedescribed namely:• The adoption of rapid remote sensing

techniques for asset surveying;• The development of topographic survey

and mapping requirements;• The storage, access and use of the

resultant asset survey data.The subject area addresses issues similar

to those encountered by operators of otherinfrastructure networks such as LondonUnderground Limited, Network Rail and theBritish Waterways Board, and recognisesthat similar techniques will have applicationin areas such as Flood Defences, CoastalManagement, Dams etc.

MAINTENANCE LIABILITY SITES:EARTHWORKS & SUBGRADEFAILURE CASE STUDIES,NEWHAM BOG & HAYWOODLEVEL CROSSING

S Middleton, Dr M Brough, R ArmitageScott Wilson Pavement Engineering, 10Faraday Building, Nottingham Science &Technology Park, University Boulevard,Nottingham, NG7 [email protected]@[email protected]

Keywords: Maintenance, earthworks, sub-grade, case studies

Intrusive Trackbed InvestigationTechniques are now well established in theUK, ranging from traditional methods ofTrial Pitting (TP) to Automatic BallastSampling (ABS). These techniques allowthe development of ‘intelligent’ renewalspecifications including ballastreplacement, ballast cleaning and choice ofappropriate geotextiles or geocomposites.However, intrusive techniques, when usedin isolation, do not always allow appropriatesolutions to be developed for ‘problem’sites, particularly those that are‘maintenance liabilities’ due to inadequatetransitions or varying subgrade support.This paper presents two case studies(Newham Bog and Haywood LevelCrossing in the London North Eastern[LNE] Territory), where the use of theFalling Weight Deflectometer highlightedstiffness variation and critical velocity asthe overriding causes of track qualitydeterioration. Subsequent novel renewalrecommendations could then be tailored tomatch the specific site conditions.

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QUANTITATIVE ESTIMATE OFEARTHWORK RISK

Dr B BenkoURS Corporation Ltd, St George’s House, 2ndFloor, 5 St. George’s Road, London, SW194DR, [email protected]

Keywords: Risk analysis, earthworks,slope stability, uncertainty

Quantitative estimate of risk is being usedsuccessfully in a number of fields andindustries and there are many exampleswhere its application has not onlyhighlighted critical issues but was alsoinstrumental in saving significant amountsof financial resources. The stability ofearthworks in the UK is associated withuncertainties and risks to passengers,workers, general public, tangible assets,traffic continuity, reputation and financialresources of the asset owners. A properlydetermined level of risk provides aneffective basis for decision-making on therelative merits of various approaches toconstruct, upgrade and/or mitigateearthworks in light of safety and cost.

GENERIC RISK ASSESSMENTMETHODOLOGY FOROPTIMISATION OF EXAMINATIONINTERVALS FOR RAILWAYSTRUCTURES AND EARTHWORKS

J LaneRail Safety & Standards Board, EvergreenHouse, 160 Euston Road, London NW1 2DX,[email protected] Hobbs, Lee CanningMouchel Parkman, West Hall, Parvis Road,West Byfleet KT14 6EZ, [email protected]

Keywords: Earthworks, structures,examinations, optimisation

This paper describes a project that is beingundertaken to develop a procedure forestablishing the optimum frequency forexaminations of railway structures andearthworks based on condition and risk offailure. It is primarily focussed on underlineand overline bridges, tunnels, retainingwalls and earthworks. It is intended that ageneric risk assessment method will bedeveloped for generic types of structure,which will then be supplemented to take intoaccount individual structure specificknowledge.

The currently prescribed normal periodsbetween examinations appear to have beeninherited as good practice, but without muchformal justification. A risk based approachwould assist engineers to justify extendingthe periods between detailed examinationswhere appropriate, and may also identifysituations where more frequentexaminations are warranted.

The first part of the project investigatedwhat information and research is currentlyavailable or underway, looking at currentpractice and the state of the art regardingrisk based determination of examinationintervals, particularly for detailedexaminations. This will be used to establishwhat gaps in knowledge exist, and whatfurther research will be necessary to supportthe proposed risk based approach. Theintended risk based methodology will bedeveloped following the completion ofresearch identified during the first phase ofthe work. The impact on annual visualexaminations of extending the periodsbetween detailed examinations will also beaddressed.

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APPLICATION OFOBSERVATIONAL METHODS INEMBANKMENT BUILT ON SOFTGROUND TO OVERCOMELIMITATIONS OF SLOPESTABILITY ANALYSES

MW BoFaber Maunsell, UK, 11/12 Eldon Place,Bradford BD1 3AZ, [email protected]

Keywords: Embankment, slope stability,observational methods

Construction of embankments on softground requires special attention. Twomajor problems encountered are stability ofslope and consolidation settlement. Amongthis two, the first one threaten the lost ofinfrastructure and in some cases humanbeing life. Therefore in this paper discussionwill be emphasized on the slope stability.In order to construct the embankment safelyand maintain the embankment in the stablecondition throughout its life, embankmentwas design with sufficient stability numbercalled factor of safety (FOS). Theoreticallythe FOS required for stability of slope isjust unity. However FOS of much greaterthan unity are generally adopted due to theuncertainties involved in the inputparameters such as geometry of slope, soiland ground water profiles, soil parametersand theories of slope stability and thestrength. Again what is the acceptable andappropriate number of FOS is uncertain andit could be varied depending upon thesituation. Nevertheless severalembankments have been failed due to onereason to another. Due to the fact thatengineers are increasingly applyingobservational method to overcome theseuncertainties. This paper discussed thelimitations of slope stability theories,uncertainties on the soil strength anddescribed the suitable observational

methods for construction control ofembankment built on the soft ground.

SUBGRADE GEOLOGY BENEATHRAILWAYS IN MANCHESTER

HJ Reeves, H Kessler, K Freeborough,M Lelliot, DA Gunn, LM NelderBritish Geological Survey, Kingsley DunhamCentre, Keyworth, Nottingham, [email protected]

Keywords: Subgrade, geology,engineering geology, geotechnical,Manchester, 3D modelling,

It is not sufficient to identify fine-grainedsoils as locations for potential subgradeproblems as could be done using atraditional 2D geological map. Moreinformation is required about the geologicalstructure, lithological variability,mineralogy, moisture content andgeotechnical properties of the soil, much ofwhich can be supplied by modern 3Dgeospatial databases. These databases canbe interrogated at key depths to show thewide variability of geological materials andconditions beneath the ground surface.Geological outcrop and thickness plus thepermeability and water table level arepredicted from the Manchester geospatialmodel based on 6500 borehole records.Geological sections along railway routes aremodelled and the locations of problem soilssuch as alluvium, till and glaciolacustrinedeposits at outcrop and shallow subcrop areidentified. Spatial attribution ofgeotechnical data and simple methods torecast sections in engineering geologicalterms are demonstrated.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Slope Stabilisation

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101

SIMULTANEOUS MULTI-SITERAILWAY EMBANKMENT STEEPSLOPES (BATTERS) EROSIONCONTROL FOR A NEW SPUR LINE

Y Gyasi-Agyei, S Bhattarai, J FoxCentre for Railway Engineering, CentralQueensland University, Rockhampton,[email protected]@cqu.edu.au, [email protected] NissenQueensland Rail Infrastructure Services Group,Rockhampton, [email protected]

Keywords: Embankment, steep slopes,batters, erosion, control

The Bauhinia Regional Rail Project(BRRP) is the construction of a 110 km spurline linking the Rolleston Coal Mine to theBlackwater rail network in CentralQueensland, Australia. It will generate railtraffic of 8Mt/year of coal from Rollestonmine by 2008. BRRP is currently underconstruction and is expected to becompleted by the end of 2005. The new spurline includes several embankments that needto be protected against erosion. Erosion ofunprotected railway embankments causesserious maintenance and environmentalproblems within the project region. Earlierresearch has demonstrated that revegetationof the batters minimises the erosion risksconsiderably. Therefore the cost-effectiveerosion control strategies of the ongoingHEFRAIL Research Project are integratedwith the earthworks construction. In orderto reduce the treatment costs, theembankment batters are categorised withdifferent levels of treatment. The top 3 mof batters of all embankment sectionsexceeding 4 m in height and embankmentbatters on the downstream side of the twomajor flood plains are receiving the fullHEFRAIL erosion control treatment. The

full HEFRAIL treatment involvestopsoiling, grass seeding and drip irrigationsystem set up to aid in the grassestablishment. The remaining embankmentbatters are receiving the full treatmentexcept for the drip irrigation. Water fromexisting dams and creek water holes, fromearthworks construction water tanks, andfrom road delivery to temporary tankslocated within the rail corridor is being usedto supply the irrigation water. The slowgermination process and low germinationrate of the preferred drought resistancebuffel grass impose a serious bottleneck forthe rapid grass establishment required forerosion control. Therefore an attempt hasbeen made to increase the germination rateand accelerate the germination process bysoaking seeds for 5 mins in water and pre-germinating in potting mix before spreadingon the batter surface. Sulphuric acidtreatment in the laboratory producedexcellent results but has limitations for masstreatment, and it is being furtherinvestigated for improvement. Goodemergence of buffel and Rhodes grass onthe railway batters within a week of seedingwith pre-germinated seeds has beenobserved where the irrigation water issecured. In general very good grasscoverage is being achieved within 8 weeksafter seeding with irrigation.

STABILISATION OF A CUTTINGON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND

Dr N Saffari, M EastonAtkins - Trans4m, Euston Tower, 286 EustonRoad, London NW1 3AT, [email protected]@trans4m.co.uk

Keywords: Earthworks, stabilisation,cutting

The earth structures design team at MetronetRail has been working on the design of

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remedial measures for cuttings andembankments of London Underground(LU) SSL (Sub-Surface Lines, opensections) and BCV (Bakerloo, Central andVictoria Lines, deep Tube tunnels). Verytight and limited construction space, limitedaccess, safety to the operation of railwayincluding the passenger trains and thelineside services present the biggestchallenge to the design of the improvementworks. The designs need to consider in thefirst instance construction of the worksduring railway traffic hours as workingduring engineering hours and possessiontime when the trains are not running willhave significant detrimental impact on thecost and programme of the projects.

An exciting and challenging projectundertaken is the improvement works for a10 m high and 500 m long cutting formedin London Clay between Chigwell andGrange Hill stations in East London. Resultsof slope stability analyses showed that thecutting, in many parts, has an inadequatefactor of safety against deep-seated slip andneed to be upgraded to meet therequirements of LUL standards.

A site-specific ground investigationcomprising undisturbed sampling, effectivestress triaxial testing and groundwatermonitoring was undertaken to determinedesign parameters for the design of theremedial works.

At the feasibility and concept designstage several solutions such as re-grading,soil nailing, piling and drainage wereconsidered for the remedial works to theearth structure. At this stage it wasacknowledged that working within a highcutting above a live operational railwaypresents a significant risk to the safety andoperation of the railway and needs to beconsidered very carefully. Hence,minimising risks to safety of the railway wasfundamental in arriving at the preferred

solution. A spaced bored pile solution wasconsidered as the most viable option interms of safety to railway operation, cost,environmental issues, ease of constructionand design life.

This paper presents the results of theground investigation and the designparameters obtained for the groundcondition at this site followed by adiscussion on the methodology adopted forthe design of the works. Details of theproposed scheme are presented includingconstruction safety and buildability issueswhich imposed significant constraints on thedesign. Details of the instrumentation andmonitoring proposed in order to monitor theperformance of the structure are discussed.

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Theme 2: Railway Structures+ Earthworks

Day 2:

Earthworks Stabilisation

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UNDERSTANDING GEOTECHNICALIMPACT OF VEGETATION ON UK’SRAILWAY EARTHWORKS

S HardyMott MacDonald, St Anne House, WellesleyRoad, Croydon CR9 2UL, [email protected] O’BrienMott MacDonald, St. Anne House, WellesleyRoad, Croydon CR9 2UL, [email protected] LaneRail Safety and Standards Board, EvergreenHouse, 160 Euston Road, London NW1 2DX,[email protected]

Keywords: Geotechnics, vegetation, slopestability, pore pressures, progressivefailure, strain softening, numerical analysis

The vast majority of railway embankmentsand cuttings in the UK are more than 100years old. Embankments were constructedusing non-engineered (“dumped”) clay filland cuttings were excavated at an anglebased on previous experience of failures orsimply the land take that was available.

Over time, there have been numerousrecorded incidents of slope instability andit is recognised that this is an area of ongoingrisk and source of disruption for the railwaynetwork. This paper discusses the effect thatvegetation has on the stability of earthworksthat make up the UK’s transportinfrastructure.

STABILISATION OF GERMANLANE RAILWAY EMBANKMENT ACOMBINED APPROACH

Dr M Raybould, JA RushtonScott Wilson Geotechnics, Royal Court, BasilClose, Chesterfield S41 5SL, [email protected]

Keywords: Embankment, stabilisation,piles, gabion wall

The West Coast Main Line (WCML)railway embankment at German Lane, nearEuxton in Lancashire, has a long history ofmovement and associated trackserviceability problems. Track deflection,a leaning overhead line electrification(OLE) gantry, loss of cess and over-steepened slopes were indicative of slopeinstability on the upside, and inclinometerdata confirmed the existence of a deep-seated slip.

In 2001, Scott Wilson wascommissioned by Edmund Nuttall Ltd(ENL) on behalf of Railtrack (which wasbought by Network Rail in October 2002)to undertake site inspections, design andsupervise a ground investigation andimplement a programme of monitoring.This was followed in 2003 by analysis andoutline design of a range of remedial optionsto improve stability of the embankment toan acceptable level. The remedial optionagreed with Network Rail comprised acombination of stabilising piles, gabionwalls and slope re-profiling, to address bothshallow and deep-seated slope failuremechanisms. Detailed design was thenundertaken be Scott Wilson withconstruction in the latter part of 2004 byENL, using its subcontractorsW.A.Developments (groundworks) andSkanska (piling).

This paper summarises the evaluation,design and construction processes of this£1.2 million project.

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REVIEW OF RAILWAYEARTHWORKS STABILISED BYSOIL NAILING

R JuppAtkins Environment, The Axis, 10 HollidayStreet, Birmingham B1 1TF, [email protected] WalkerBirse Rail, Lyndon House, 58-62 Hagley Road,Birmingham B16 8PE, [email protected] HarmsNetwork Rail, Rail House, Store Street,Manchester M60 7RT, [email protected]

Keywords: Railway earthworks, soil nails,assessment, performance, detailing

Since 1997, and as part of the Extended ArmContract (EAC) and then the StructuresFramework Contract (SFC), Birse Rail andAtkins have successfully designed andimplemented a number of slope stabilisationschemes using soil nails. Based on thisexperience and in agreement with NetworkRail, we have recently undertaken a reviewof soil nailing practice of twenty earthworksacross the former Midland Region, with theaim of learning from the schemesimplemented.

This paper discusses the benefits offeredfrom adopting soil nail remediationsolutions, the performance of soil nailedrailway earthworks with reference to trackmonitoring data, and good nailing practicesthat have been developed.

CASE STUDIES OF THEAPPLICATION OF NUMERICALMETHODS TO THE DESIGN OFEMBANKMENT REMEDIALSCHEMES

RP Hillier, JM BeresfordEDGE Consultants UK Ltd, Atlas House,Simonsway, Manchester M22 5PP, [email protected]

Keywords: Embankments, remedialanalysis, finite element

Limit equilibrium analysis has traditionallybeen the mainstay of slope assessmentmethods and continues to be the principletechnique referred to in standardengineering texts. The application ofpowerful numerical analysis codes, such asfinite element or finite differenceprogrammes, can also enable the efficientevaluation of embankment and slopestabilisation schemes. At present the mainreferences to numerical methods appear tobe either research orientated or reserved forhigh profile projects, not routine design.

Numerical methods can provide thedesigner with considerable insight intocomplex soil, water and structuralinteractions for a broad range of physicalproblems. Whilst the potential benefits ofadvanced analysis methods are broadlyrecognised, the application of such methodswithin routine geotechnical engineering iseither avoided or considered withscepticism, often based on outdated pre-conceptions.

This paper considers recent examplesin the application of numerical methods toremedial scheme designs for railwayembankment slopes. The exampleshighlight the potential benefits of numericalmethods and some potential issues inrespect of the calculation of global factorsof safety for embankments and slopes.

The examples presented demonstrate

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that the application of numerical methodscan be routine, cost effective and can resultin greater efficiency and confidence in theremedial design solution for embankments.

DEVELOPMENT OF RUGLEISYSTEM TO STABILISE ANDWIDEN A RAILWAY CESS

R RüeggerRüegger Systems Ltd, Vonwilstrasse 9, 9000 –St. Gallen, [email protected] EgliGLEISAG, Mühlegutstrasse 6, 9403 Goldach,[email protected] SmithElwood International Ltd, Elwood House,Cross Road, Albrighton, Wolverhampton WV73RA, [email protected]

Keywords: Railway, cess, stabilisation,widening, angular grid, pile, tie-back,Ruglei

Many of the world’s railway networksestablished some 150 years ago haveperformed remarkably well but it is commonto see deterioration at the crest of theembankments with fill migrating down theslope causing narrowing and instability ofthe cess. Support to line side services andmaintenance access is endangered.Traditional methods used to remedy thissituation include vertical posts driven intothe embankment with horizontal laggingusually of timber sleepers or concrete planksor driven trench sheets. Whilst effective inthe short term they often gradually yield,become unstable and require frequentreplacement. Modern rail constructionrequires engineered solutions withpermanence. A common solution has beento install concrete piles topped with arectangular or L shaped reinforced concretecapping beam but this is expensive. In

Switzerland, GLEISAG, a major railwayconstruction company and RüeggerSystems, experts in geotechnicalengineering, took another look at thisproblem and developed the Ruglei system,with encouragement from the Swiss FederalRail Authorities. Used rail piles combinedwith a galvanised steel L mesh, and ifnecessary a soil anchor, provide aneconomical permanent engineered supportwith its advantages of widening the cess,permeability etc. Since the first structure in1998 some 32 km of Ruglei system is insuccessful service and is now beingintroduced into France and in the UnitedKingdom & Ireland by ElwoodInternational. The paper will describe thedevelopment of the system, including Swisscase histories with details of deformationmonitoring and show its adaption to UKconditions.

INNOVATION AND RAILWAYEARTHWORKS

M WalkerBirse Rail Ltd, Lyndon House, 58-62 HagleyRoad, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B16 8PE, [email protected] HarmsNetwork Rail LNW Territory, Rail House, StoreStreet, Manchester M60 7RT, [email protected]

Keywords: Innovation, earthworks,efficiency

This paper describes how Birse Rail hasdeveloped a number of innovative schemesto produce measurable efficiencies forearthworks renewals. Throughcollaboration with Network Rail LNWTerritory and by working closely with theirkey suppliers, a number of innovativesolutions have been developed toearthworks related problems that arecommonly experienced and therefore

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applicable across the railway network. Thispaper describes the specific developmentsand quantifies the efficiencies that havebeen provided or that are estimated.

Specific developments and aims of thepaper:• Cement bentonite shear trenches with

combined earthworks (undertaken inSept 03’) – review of actual worksdesigned, implemented and assessmentof cost savings.

• Kingpost retaining wall – applicationand efficiencies by embedment inconcrete filled trenches.

• Soil mixed columns to stiffen foundation(a first time for UK rail, implementationMarch/April 05’) – embankmentfounded on soft alluvial soils. Reviewof design development with indicationof estimated cost savings.This paper also considers future areas

for development and potential further costsavings.

STABILISATION OF EMBANKMENTSHOULDERS ON THE LONDONUNDERGROUND

Dr N SaffariAtkins - Trans4m, Euston Tower, 286 EustonRoad, London NW1 3AT, [email protected] SmithElwood International Ltd, Elwood House,Cross Road, Albrighton, Wolverhampton WV73RA, [email protected]

Keywords: Embankment, shoulders,earthworks, stabilisation

The Earth Structures design team inMetronet Rail has been working on thedesign of remedial measures for cuttingsand embankments of London UndergroundSSL (Sub-Surface Lines – open sections)and BCV (Bakerloo, Central and Victoria

Lines – deep Tube). Very tight and limitedconstruction space, limited access, safety tothe operation of railway including thepassenger trains and the lineside servicespresent the biggest challenge to the designof the improvement works. The designsneed to consider in the first instanceconstruction of the works during traffichours as working during engineering hoursand possession time will have significantimpact on cost and programme of theprojects.

An important design undertaken is thestabilisation works for approximately 600m of embankment between Dagenham Eastand Elm Park. The design is aimed atimproving and widening the shoulder of theembankments as well as mitigating againstdeep-seated instability and minimising trackdifferential movement. The design consistsof separate sections of earthwork berm,anchored bored pile wall and a Swissshoulder support system called “RugleiVerge Protection System”.

The Ruglei system consists of an angulargalvanised steel grid and a grid insert tocontain and support the fill which can berecycled ballast or coarse granular fill.Vertical piles and in some cases inclinedanchors are used to provide support to thesystem and to stabilise the system againstrotation. Used rail sections are proposed tobe used as dowels at a spacing of between1.0 m and 2.5 m.

This system, which has beensuccessfully used by the Swiss FederalRailway for stabilisation of shoulders ofembankments, provides a very cost effectivesolution for embankment shoulderstabilisation. A team of engineers from theUK visited Switzerland in 2004 to inspectthe system in operation and underconstruction. If the construction works forDagenham project goes ahead according tothe programme which is due to start in

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spring 2005, this would be the firstimplementation of the Ruglei system in theUK.

This paper presents the details of theproposed scheme, including health andsafety and buildability issues, which imposesignificant constraints on the system. Detailsof the instrumentation and monitoringproposed in order to monitor theperformance of the structure are discussed.

EMERGENCY RE-CONSTRUCTIONOF THE CONWY VALLEY LINEEMBANKMENT

Dr MJ Raybould, IM Shelley, S WilsonGeotechnics, Royal Court, Basil Close,Chesterfield, S41 7SL, [email protected]@scottwilson.com

Keywords: Railway earthworks,emergency works, flood damage,embankment remediation, climate change

Heavy rainfall in the Conwy Valley on 3rdand 4th February 2004 caused very highdischarges in the River Conwy and led toovertopping and breaching of existingEnvironment Agency flood defence banks.Significant damage occurred to sections ofthe railway embankment that carries theConwy Valley Railway Line (a bi-directional line carrying mostly passengertrains) near to the town of Llanrwst. Thedamage was principally concentrated in twosections of 2.5 to 3.5 m high railwayembankment approximately 1350 m and1200 m long respectively, resulting in someareas of embankment being completelywashed away, leaving the track suspendedin mid-air.

The repair strategy was to excavate thefailed sections of earthwork and rebuild theembankment with well-graded locallysourced limestone granular fill and protectthe re-built embankment with rip-rap scour

protection comprising high qualityPenmaenmawr diorite. The unsuitableexcavated materials arising on site werereused to provide additional floodprotection. Flood relief culverts (up to 1800mm diameter) were installed to reduce therisk of future overtopping of theembankment. Site remedial workscommenced within 1 week of thefloodwaters receding. Full time sitesupervision enabled preliminary designs tobe modified, as dictated by the actualconditions encountered on site (observedmethod), and allowed the line to be re-opened within 3 months. This papersummarises the emergency design andconstruction of this £3.5M project to re-open the line.

CHALLENGING THE FACTOR OFSAFETY: THE PROBABILITY OFSLOPE FAILURE

Dr B BenkoCorus Railway Infrastructure Services, PO Box298, York YO1 6YH, [email protected] HellawellCorus Railway Infrastructure Services, PO Box298, York YO1 6YH, [email protected]

Keywords: Slope stability, factor of safety,probability of failure, uncertainty,earthworks

Stability of cuttings and embankments isinherently associated with uncertainty thatis derived from geological anomalies,variability of material properties, scarcityof data, adopted simplifications and others.Conventional engineering practice uses afactor of safety to assess the stability ofearthwork slopes, however, this practicedoes not explicitly address the uncertainty.Probabilistic analysis of slope stabilityprovides a rational method how to

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incorporate uncertainty into the designprocess and is a useful alternative/additionto the current engineering practice. The useof probabilistic analysis is beneficial todesign/mitigation of railway cuttings andembankments, enhances the quality ofdecision-making process and allows fordirect input into quantitative riskassessment. This paper critically re-examines the current practice of using factorof safety in earthworks and discusses theadvantages of the probabilistic approach.The paper also presents a case study whereslope design based on a target factor ofsafety proved expensive and a probabilisticanalysis was utilized to obtain increasedknowledge regarding the stability andexpected performance of the slopes.

CHARACTERISTICS OFBEHAVIOR OF SOFT ROADBEDTHROUGH LONG-TERMINSTRUMENTATION-FLELD TEST

JW Lee, CY Choi, Dr SH LeeTrack & Civil Engineering Research Dept,Research Facilities Construction Corp, KoreaRailroad Research Institute, #360-1, Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-Do, South [email protected], [email protected]@krri.re.kr

Keywords: Soft roadbed, geotextiles, mudpumping, settlement, earth pressure

In this study, several types of geotextile wasused on the selected track-bed. The use ofgeotextile prove a economical and efficientmean to prevent the problem of mud-pumping and settlement.

Field testing sections from Mock-haengto Dong-ryang in the Jeolla lines in Koreawere selected to investigate in currentcondition the of track and roadbed. Andthree places were chosen among 1,700 spotswhere mud-pumping was often observedand maintenance was required. At the

curved section with a radius of 500mbetween Mock-haeng and Dong-ryang. Thistesting site was divided into 5 sections. Inthe four sections, different types ofgeotextiles were installed. Fifth areremained with. Total length of the test sitewas 200m and individual length of eachsecton was 40 m.

In order to understand the condition andthe strength of prepared roadbed, thestiffness and physical properties of roadbedsoils were evaluated and analyzed. Also,after the installation, the mud-pumping,settlement of elastic or plastic sleeper,failure of track, wheel-loads, lateral force,and earth pressures were investigated.

NUMERICAL ANAYSES ON THEEFFECTS OF MICRO PILEINSTALLATION BENEATH SLABTRACK

S-H Lee, D-S Kim, I-W LeeKorea Railroad Research Insititute, 360-1,Woulam-dong, Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do, 437-050, [email protected] ChungSchool of Civil, Urban and Geosystem Eng,Seoul National University, San 56-1, Shillim-dong, Kwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, Korea

Keywords: Slab track, micro pile,settlement, bending moment, pilearrangement

The bending moment and settlement of theslab track can be reduced by the installationof a small number of micro piles beneaththe track. This paper presents the effect ofmicro pile installation on the reduction ofbending moment and settlement of slabtrack, estimated by a numerical method. Theslab track is modeled as a plate based onthe Mindlin’s theory, and soil and piles aremodeled as Winkler and coupled springs,respectively. The stiffness of piles is

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obtained by the approximate analyticalmethod proposed by Randolph and Wroth,and the modulus of subgrade reaction isadopted to evaluate Winkler springconstant. From the analysis results, theeffect of the micro pile installation issignificant to considerably reduce thesettlement of slab track. However, for theproper reduction of bending moments in aslab track, the pile arrangement should bereasonably taken into account to prevent thestress concentration at the pile location.

CONSTRUCTION OF AUTOMATICRAINFALL ALERT SYSTEM FORRAILWAY DISASTER PREVENTION

J Lee, S Lee, H KimKorea Railroad Research Institute, Track &Civil Engineering Research Dept, ResearchFacilities Construction Corp, #360-1, Woulam-Dong, Uiwang-City, Kyonggi-Do, South [email protected], [email protected]@krri.re.kr

Keywords: Slope, failure, rainfall,monitoring, alert, automatic

Heavy rainfall has given rise to track sweptaway, slope failure and bridge failure andhas brought on the train accidents, its servicesuspension and delay. To predict andprevent these disasters by heavy rainfall, itneeds constructing rainfall alert system anddatabase system with data from the properprogram and devices. However, KoreaNational Railroad (KNR) had operated onlyseventy rain gauges with data measured andtransmitted manually and thus, it isimpossible to predict risks and hazards forlack of both real-time transferring systemsand accumulated rainfall data. Even thoughthe data from Korea MeteorologicalAdministration have been utilized until now,it has been insufficient to prepare fordisasters by every local heavy rainfallbecause of long distances between rainfall

gauges and railroad. This paper shows thatthe newly developed Automatic RainfallAlert System indicating the local heavyrainfall and alarm threshold values for thesafe train operation during the regular hours.The rainfall disaster prevention system wasestablished on the basis of the automaticrainfall alert system.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 2:

Trackbed Inspection

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NDT INSPECTION OF RAILWAYTRACKS EMBEDDED INCONCRETE

J HugenschmidtEMPA, Überlandstrasse 129, CH-8600Dübendorf, [email protected] KasaVAP, Suracherstrasse 6, CH-8142 Uitikon/Zürich, [email protected]

Keywords: NDT, GPR, tracks embeddedin concrete

Information on the present condition ofinfrastructure is of particular interest withinthe framework of rehabilitation or in theevent of damage. In order to obtain therequired information an increasing numberof non-destructive methods is available.Many of these methods are still in a phaseof development, whereas the applicabilityof others has been shown for many differentproblems. Ground-Penetrating-Radar(GPR) has been applied successfully to awide range of objects and applications,some of which are closely related to tracksembedded in concrete, such as theinspection of concrete bridge decks [1] orthe inspection of railway ballast [2]. GPRis a method of interest because of itsversatility and because of the fact that resultsare quasi-continuous. Moreover it has beenproven to be economical for manyapplications.

The case-study presented here describesthe application of GPR for the inspectionof tracks embedded in concrete on anindustrial site. The radar survey was carriedout because traditional methods were unableto provide the information required forexplaining causes of damage. In addition,the process of discussion between thebuilding contractor and the client had cometo a halt. In this pilot study with a very basic

set-up for data acquisition, the combinationof the radar survey with a very limitednumber of boreholes provided all theinformation required for the assessment ofthe problems on the whole site.

FAST INSPECTION OF RAILWAYBALLAST BY MEANS OF IMPULSEGPR EQUIPPED WITH HORNANTENNAS

Dr A KathageGSSI, North Salem, N.H., [email protected] NiessenGBM Wiebe, Achim, GermanyG White, N BellAllied Associates Geophysical Ltd, Dunstable,UK

Keywords: GPR, horn antennas, ballastinspection, computer analysis

The inspection of railways ballast by use ofground penetrating radar devices has beenperformed for several years now. Acontinuous and non destructive profiling ofthe ballast and subsoil offers obviouslysignificant advantages compared with thetraditional way of coring and sampling. Thelatter method is appropriate for layeredstructures which can be described bystatistical methods but for example localstructural defects can easily be overlookedbecause statistical drilling patterns can notbe used for addressing this kind of problem.Last but not least it is well known that theapplication of non destructive inspectionmethods like GPR is reducing the inspectioncosts compared with the traditionalapproach.

One serious handicap for the applicationof GPR on railways is survey speed.Exploiting the full economical potential ofGPR would allow users to fit the surveys inbetween regular train schedules. This wasnot possible until newly developed

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equipment became available. The risk ofhitting switches or similar obstacles closeto the ground was the main reason for slowdata collection speed with bow-tie antennas.Bow-ties need to be operated within aquarter of a GPR-signal wavelength.Practically this forced the GPR operatorsto mount their antennas not higher than 10cm above the ballast. This low heightallowed a maximum data collection velocityof only 30 km/hour.

The operation of horn antennas avoidsthis problem because they can be mountedabout half a metre above the ballast. Thedevelopment of a new 400 MHz hornantenna for railways ballast and subsoilinspection was additionally triggered by theavailability of new GPR control units likethe GSSI SIR-20. These units allow datacollection rates of several hundred scans persecond with a time resolution of 5picoseconds for 512 or 1024 samples perscan. Using the 400 MHz horns with 50nanoseconds time range offers surveyvelocities of more than 100 km/hour with20 scans per metre. This scan separation hasbeen identified to be an important parameterfor good data quality. Less scans per meterwould mean less information between thesleepers.

The use of the newly developedhardware and software for collecting highspeed GPR data in combination with othersensors like RTK-GPS, Doppler radar,video as well as the streamlined dataprocessing and data interpretation routineswill be presented in this paper. Examplesof typical survey data and the final surveyresults will be shown for demonstrating thehigh performance of this new technology.

RAIL STRAINS, DISPLACEMENTS& GROUND VIBRATIONMONITORING OF BALLASTEDTRACK AT CREWE

Dr D Bowness, Prof W Powrie, Prof CRIClayton, Dr DJ Richards, Dr AC LockSchool of Civil Engineering and theEnvironment, University of Southampton,Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, [email protected]

Keywords: Track, displacements, strains,geophones, site monitoring

As part of a Rail Research UK projectinvestigating the behaviour of sub-ballastand formation, instrumentation is beingdeveloped by the University ofSouthampton and used at a variety of liverailway sites to measure in-situ trackbedperformance. This paper reports some initialsite work carried out in conjunction withBalfour Beatty Rail at Crewe. Rail strainswere measured that quantified the effect ofsome adjacent hanging sleepers. A remotevideo monitoring system for themeasurement of rail displacements wastested. The system, combining a telescopeand webcam, successfully measured raildisplacements by monitoring a small targetattached to the side of the railhead. Tomeasure ground vibrations and dynamicdisplacements, geophones were placed atthe ballast/subgrade interface adjacent to thetrack. Geophone results also showed thatthese seismic sensors are effective atdetecting wheel-flats.

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EMPLOYING HADGPS TO SURVEYTRACK AND MONITOR MOVE-MENT AT CURVES

TB SzwilskiCollege of Information Technology andEngineering, Marshall University, Huntington,WV, [email protected] Dailey, Z Sheng, R BegleyNJ Rahall Appalachian Transportation Institute,Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA

Keywords: HADGPS RTK, tracksurveying, track shift, monitoring curves

Together with railway engineeringexpertise, high-accuracy differential globalpositioning system (HADGPS) real-timekinetic (RTK) technology is proving to bea promising accurate and economic tool tomonitor track position, and measure trackshift, to an accuracy of 2 cm. Theapplications discussed are the rapidsurveying of a classification rail yard andmeasuring track shift at curves, inaccordance with Federal RailAdministration (FRA) requirements. Usinga hy-rail mobile platform, track can besurveyed and monitored safely, quickly, alsoduring adverse weather conditions.

PRELIMINARY STUDIES INTOTHE EFFECTS OF PRINCIPALSTRESS ROTATION ON RAILWAYSUBGRADE BEHAVIOUR

Dr LA Yang, Prof CRI Clayton, Prof WPowrie, Dr D BownessSchool of Civil Engineering and theEnvironment, University of Southampton,Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ, [email protected]

Keywords: Railway subgrade, principalstress rotation, hollow cylinder apparatus,FLAC modelling

There are many design codes for ballastedrailway track. Some codes, such as UIC719R, have a more empirical basis whilstothers, such as that of Li & Selig, are moretheoretically based requiring themeasurement of the engineering propertiesof the subgrade. However, even the moretheoretical design methods were derivedfrom cyclic laboratory testing that did nottake the effects of principal stress rotation(PSR) into account.

PSR occurs in the subgrade due to themoving axle loads. Previous research hasshown that, for certain types of material,PSR can have a detrimental effect on boththe resilient modulus and permanentdeformations.

This paper reports some initial work onPSR carried out as part of the RRUK project‘An appraisal of railway track/sub-basedesign using modern geotechnicalprinciples’. A FLAC numerical model isfirst used to simulate the stresses in thesubgrade due to a passing train. Thecalculated stress conditions for a soilelement in the subgrade are used in HollowCylinder Apparatus (HCA) tests, and theresults of two different stress path tests arecompared.

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VOID DETECTION BENEATHRAILWAY BALLAST USINGGROUND PENETRATING RADARAND RESISTIVITY

F Drossaert, D Parker, E Robertson, AGiannopoulos, PJ Fenning & MC FordeUniversity of Edinburgh, Institute forInfrastructure & Environment, The KingsBuilding, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, [email protected]@ed.ac.uk, [email protected]

Keywords: Voids, cavities, geophysics,ground penetrating radar, resistivity

This paper discusses the issues related tovoids beneath railway track ballast. Anexperiment at the University of Edinburghis described where a 40 litre plasticcontainer is buried beneath a full scalerailway track. The canister is connected withthe surface by a plastic pipe which makes itpossible to simulate air filled and waterfilled voids.

Data is presented using resistivity andground penetrating radar methods. Theresults show that resistivity was reasonablyeffective to detect the canister, but radar wasless effective to detect the presence of theplastic container. It is shown that thepresence of the sleepers can seriously limitthe performance of the ground penetratingradar in certain circumstances. Furthermorethe canister has been inserted in highconductive material which limits thepenetration depth of the radar signal. Theinterpretation of the results is discussed indetail.

INSTRUMENTATION TESTINGAND GEOPHYSICS ON THERICHARDS BAY COAL LINE,SOUTH AFRICA

Dr JA Priest, Prof CRI Clayton,Dr D Bowness, Prof W Powrie, Dr DJRichardsSchool of Civil Engineering and theEnvironment, University of Southampton,Southampton, SO17 1BJ, [email protected] PJ Gräbe, JS MareeSPOORNET, Railway Engineering (TrackTechnology), Room 716,138 Eloff Street,Braamfontein 2017, South Africa

Keywords: Instrumentation, geophysics,trackbed, inspection, heavy haul

To further develop the field instrumentationwork being carried out as part of the RRUKproject on railway track/sub-base design, anew testing site has been established on theRichards Bay Coal Line in South Africa.The Coal Line, operated by Spoornet, is aheavy haul line with regular trainscomprising 200 wagons with 26 tonne axleloads. To allow different types ofinstrumentation to be tested, a pit has beenconstructed next to the track from whichhorizontal boreholes, lined with flexiblepipes, may be accessed. An instrumentationcage has been developed on to which avariety of instrumentation may be attachedto record data in orthogonal planes. Thisinstrumentation cage can be pushed into theboreholes facilitating measurements atdifferent locations under the track. So far,accelerometers and two different geophonetypes have been tested yielding acceleration,velocity and dynamic displacement resultsas well as providing geophysicalinformation about the subgrade. Thisinstrumented site is adjacent to a section oftrack monitored by Spoornet. Thus, theresults from the trial site have been

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compared with Spoornet’s instrumentation,including their Multi Depth Deflectometers(chains of LVDTs).

GEOPHYSICAL MONITORING OFTHE SUBGRADE WITH EXAMPLESFROM LEOMINSTER

DA Gunn, LM Nelder, JE Chambers,H Reeves, K Freeborough, P JacksonBritish Geological Survey, Kingsley DunhamCentre, Keyworth, Nottingham, [email protected] StirlingThe Railway Research Centre, School ofEngineering, University of BirminghamPritchatts Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B152TT, [email protected] BroughScott Wilson Pavement Eng. Ltd, 9/10 FaradayBuilding, Nottingham Sci & Tech Park,University Boulevard, Nottingham, NG7 2QP,[email protected]

Keywords: Subgrade, geophysical,stiffness, geology, geotechnical,Leominster

Shear wave velocity, sleeper accelerationand vibration data have been gathered at asite in Leominster in response to passengerand freight traffic and other data show thesite to be on poorly performing subgrade.Acceleration data indicated sleepermovements of a few millimetres. Thevibration data are shown to respond todynamic loading in key intervals of thesubgrade at shallow depths. These dataindicate far greater loading from freighttraffic and also increased loading with depthin the subgrade at sub-10 Hz frequencies.The velocity of shear waves through thesubgrade changed in response to freighttraffic and also over the long term after thedry summer of 2003. The application ofgeophysics to the development of subgrade

models is discussed and a simplegeotechnical model is presented where theballast is of far greater stiffness than thesubgrade immediately below. Finally, thepotential of 3D geospatial databases inassessing the subcrop of problem soils alongrailway routes is discussed.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 2:

Track Maintenance

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DEVELOPMENT OF LOW-MAINTENANCE TRACKS FOREXISTING LINES

H AiharaEast Japan Railway Company, Research &Development Center of JR East GroupTechnical Center, 2-0 Nisshin-cho, Kita-ku,Saitama-shi, Saitama, Japan

Keywords: Low-maintenance tracks,cement filling material, dynamic loadingtest machine

East Japan Railway Company (JR EAST)has introduced the Technical Center (TC)type low-maintenance rail track forrelatively light load rails to reducemaintenance costs since 1998. JR East hasintroduced this type of track to very busylines in the Tokyo metropolitan area, suchas the Yamanote Line and the Keihin-Touhoku Line. This type of trackincorporates 400mm wide pre-stressedconcrete (PC) sleepers, with 200mm thickballast supporting the sleeper fromunderneath. The ballast includes a cementfilling material.

To extend the line with low-maintenancetrack, JR EAST successfully completed thedevelopment of the new type of low-maintenance track, by using the full-size railtrack dynamic loading test machine installedin the laboratory block of the Research andDevelopment Center of JR East. Wereinforced the cement filling material byimproving the composition. Theperformance test results of the new type oftrack with the improved compositionconfirmed the durability of the new type oftrack with the dynamic loading test machine.As a result, we successfully developed thenew type of low-maintenance track forvarious load track structures.

SUPER RESILIENT RAIL FIXATIONSYSTEMS TO REDUCE SQUEALNOISE, VIBRATION AND RAILCORRUGATION

P Vanhonacker, A Van LeuvenD2S International, Jules Vandenbemptlaan 71,B-3001 Heverlee, [email protected]@d2sint.com

Keywords: Rail, fixation, noise, vibration

Metros running in a tunnel generatevibrations that propagate, through the soilto nearby buildings, causing vibrations and/or ground borne noise inside thesebuildings. This is aggravated by vehiclesrunning over corrugated rails. Tramwaysrunning in streets through tight curvesgenerally produce wheel squeal that canreach significant noise levels in theenvironment. In order to find solutions atthe track level to reduce these annoyances,a complete dynamic study of thesephenomena was carried out under the ECresearch programs SQUEAL andCORRUGATION. These studies are basedon site measurements and numericalsimulations. This has lead to thedevelopment of a resilient pre-loaded railfixation system (APT-ST system). Itsignificantly reduces noise and vibration atthe source whilst maintaining track stability.A super resilient pre-loading process hasbeen further developed, enabling to obtaina very low dynamic stiffness (6 kN/mm) forthe complete rail fixation system (APT-BFsystem). Three applications of theseresilient preloaded rail fixation systems arediscussed: squeal noise reduction in a pavedtramway track (Antwerp), superior vibrationmitigation in a metro tunnel (New York) andcorrugation growth reduction in a curvedmetro track (Milan).

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PREDICTION OF BALLASTRETURN FROM HIGH OUTPUTBALLAST CLEANERS (HOBC)

Dr WL Lim, Dr M Brough, S MiddletonScott Wilson Pavement Engineering, 10Faraday Building, Nottingham Science &Technology Park, University Boulevard,Nottingham, NG7 2QP, [email protected]@[email protected]

Keywords: Ballast, cleaners, high output

Network Rail has recently acquired HighOutput Ballast Cleaners (HOBC) toincrease the effectiveness and output oftrack renewals in the UK. One of the mostimportant criteria to ensure efficientprogramming, correct application andutilisation of the HOBC plant is toaccurately predict the volume of ballastreturned to track and the subsequent amountof new ballast required for the renewal.Therefore, the rate of return of ballast tothe track needs to be determined accuratelyprior to any renewal using HOBC.

This paper presents an extensive siteinvestigation to evaluate ballast return on aplanned HOBC site. Current recommendedsite investigation methods to evaluateballast return, utilising trial pitting and sub-sampling are discussed. It was consideredthat a more rigorous approach should beadopted to identify locations along the trackthat give a more representative sample forballast return assessment. It was also notedthat pitting and sub-sampling is timeconsuming and is subject to human error.Thus, Automatic Ballast Sampling (ABS)was conducted in addition to the moretraditional methods of sample recovery ina closely monitored site investigation. Thepredicted ballast recovery results based onboth the ABS and trial pitting are comparedand discussed, and the relative merits of

both techniques identified.

THE INFLUENCE OF FINESMIGRATION ON TRACKBEDPERFORMANCE: DEVELOPMENTAND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Dr I Alobaidi, PG GilbertAtkins Geotechnics, The Axis, 10 HollidayStreet, Birmingham B1 1TF, [email protected]@atkinsglobal.comDr GS GhataoraThe University of Birmingham, School ofEngineering, Birmingham B15 2TT, [email protected]

Keywords: Fines migration, pumping,trackbed, ballast, criteria, drainage,geotextile, geogrid, blanketing sand

The migration of fines into the ballast is oneof the main causes of the deterioration oftrack structural performance normallyassociated with reduction in ride quality,limiting the speed of trains and increasingthe risks of track malfunctioning such asderailment.

This paper presents the developmentprocess taking place over many yearsincluding research undertaken at theUniversity of Birmingham into themechanisms of pumping, development ofcriteria to reduce pumping through to thepractical application of research findingsinto trackbed design.

The paper shows the differentmechanisms involved in the formation ofslurry with and without geotextile separatorsand the effects of fundamental parameterssuch as cyclic and mean pore waterpressures and cyclic and mean deformationof subgrades. The paper also comments onthe difference in performance between sandblankets and commercially availablegeosynthetics.

The paper provides practical examples

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on fines migration and how lessons learnedfrom recent trackbed renewals can be usedto improve trackbed design and reduce the‘whole life cost’.

VERIFICATION OF XITRACKREINFORCEMENT OVER WEAKALLUVIAL SOILS AT DEEP WHARFLEVEL CROSSING, PURFLEET

Dr PK WoodwardHeriot-Watt University & XiTRACK Limited,School of Built Environment, RiccartonCampus, Edinburgh EH14 4AS, [email protected] NichollXiTRACK Limited, Station Road, Birch Vale,High-Peak, Derbyshire SK22 1BR, UKD Thompson, R SmithBalfour Beatty Rail Technologies Limited,Midland House, Nelson Street, Derby DE12SA, UK

Keywords: Ballast, reinforcement, levelcrossing, alluvial soil

In this paper the application of theXiTRACK technique to the reinforcementof the foundations at Deep Wharf LevelCrossing, Purfleet is presented. The paperis particularly relevant as the level crossingforms part of the Tilbury Loop Line andCoblefret Port which are among the mostimportant freight routes in the UK. Thepaper describes how both the bearingstrength and settlement profile of the levelcrossing site was improved by deepeningthe granular formation depth andreinforcing the ballast using insitu polymertechnology to form a flexible, but resilient,geopavement. This was considerednecessary as the line is built over very softAlluvial soils which cause significant trackand road maintenance problems. TheXiTRACK solution provided significantsavings in both construction costs and trackdowntime and allowed for track transitions

to be built for gradual changes in trackstiffness. These issues are then discussedand verification results are presented basedon actual track measurements taken bothbefore and after treatment usingaccelerometers.

TRACK DETERIORATION ANDCOUNTERMEASURE AFTERRUNNING 10,000-TONNE HEAVYHAUL FLEET ON DAQIN COALLINE OF CHINA

Z LiuRailway Technology R&D Center, ChinaAcademy of Railway Sciences, 2 Daliushulu,Haidian District, Beijing 100081, [email protected]

Keywords: Heavy haul railway, railwaytrack structure, track maintenance

Based on the practice of Daqin line, themost typical heavy haul line in China, byobserving, collecting statistics andanalyzing track deterioration under thespecial conditions of further increasingheavier axle load, traffic and rated tractiontonnage, especially after regularly running10,000-ton heavy haul trains, the studyfocuses on the track deterioration patternsand mechanism under the special heavy haulperformances in China through field study,theoretical and computing analysis. Thepaper puts forward the countermeasures toretard track deterioration and bringsforward an applicable track maintenancemethod that is suitable to the heavy haulcontext in China.

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MODELLING DYNAMICBEHAVIOUR OF VERY HIGH-SPEED RAILWAYS TO EVALUATETRACK VIBRATION ANDDETERIORATION

PA FerreiraTechnical Superior Institute (IST), TechnicalUniversity of Lisbon, PortugalProf A López-PitaCENIT (Center for Innovation in Transport),Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona,Spain

Keywords: track dynamics, very highspeed, dynamic modelling, ballastvibrations, deterioration

The new high-speed lines actually underconstruction in Spain are designed to enablemaximum speeds of 350 km/h oncommercial operation. The consequences oftravelling at such high speeds may presentsome concerns in terms of track geometrydeterioration, and thus in track maintenancecosts, due to the known increase of trackvibration levels. In fact, it is known that atvery high speeds, ballast vibrations, togetherwith particles friction, leads to importantsettlements and, consequently, to ballastdeterioration and changes in track geometryquality.

This paper focuses on this particularconcern by first reviewing someconsiderations in how the dynamicbehaviour of the track has been studied tillnowadays by several authors. Multiple typesof ways to model dynamical behaviour ofthe track and its platform are exposed. Withthe purpose of predicting long term anddifferential settlements under cyclic loadswith increasing speed, a variety of existingdynamic train/track models are identifiedand described. Furthermore, the resultsobtained with these models are analysed andsynthesised, in order to attain severallimitations and recommendations on

nowadays state on dynamic track modelling.The main aim is to dispose of the correct(and more realistic) tools to access a firstindication on how dynamic behaviour oftrack at speeds above 300 km/h (includingballast vibration) influences trackdegradation. In the presence of such a tool,it would then be possible to establish limitvalues for new high speed lines andmeasures for reducing unwanted vibrations.

ADVANCED NON-LINEARDYNAMIC FINITE ELEMENTMODELLING OF RAILWAY TRACKBEHAVIOUR

Dr PK WoodwardXiTRACK Limited & Heriot-Watt University,Station Road, Birch Vale, High-Peak,Derbyshire SK22 1BR, [email protected] Zettor, A Kaddouri, M BanimahdHeriot-Watt University, School of BuiltEnvironment, Riccarton Campus, EdinburghEH14 4AS, UK

Keywords: Railway track, finite element,behaviour, dynamic behaviour

This paper describes the numericalmodelling process used in the dynamicanalysis of railway track foundations usingadvanced 3-dimensional finite elementtechniques. The developed programs areshown to reproduce the dynamic behaviourof railway track using the data from real sitemeasurements and from an exampledynamic bridge problem, in which atransition track fault is simulated. The paperdescribes how the computer models can beused to predict track behaviour when, forexample, increases in axle weight and speedare proposed or when the XITRACK 3-dimensional ballast reinforcementtechnique is applied to stabilise track. Theconstitutive models used in the dynamicanalysis vary from non-linear elastic to full

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elasto-plastic in three-dimensions. Inaddition, the paper presents the results offinite element simulations of granular soilcompaction using a multi-surface kinematicelasto-plastic constitutive soil model. Thismodel is capable of simulating the entiretrack loading history and hence can be usedto predict the future settlement behaviourof the track when changes in track loads orspeeds are proposed. The paper describesthe kinematic model and presents the resultsof example simulations of subballastsamples under both drained and undrainedcyclic loading.

RESEARCH ON RATIONAL TRACKSTRUCTURE STIFFNESS ANDTRACK PART STIFFNESS OFPASSENGER-DEDICATEDRAILWAY LINE

H WangRailway Civil Engineering Research Institute,China Academy of Railway Sciences, Beijing100081, [email protected]

Keywords: Passenger-dedicated railwayline, railway track, track stiffness, track partstiffness, allowable track displacementmethod, track displacement distributionmethod

The paper describes the development planof China passenger-dedicated railway linein 2020. The effect of track stiffness on highspeed railway train is discussed. Based onanalyzing the relationship of the powerdissipated by displacement of the track andthe vertical dynamic stresses of theunsprung weight, and also the relationshipof track maintenance and ride comfort, threemethods for determining track stiffnesswhich include allowable rail bending stressmethod, allowable track verticaldisplacement method and critical speedmethod are analyzed. The paper indicates

that determination of track stiffness by usingallowable track vertical displacementmethod is suitable to high speed railwaytrack. After determination of the trackstiffness, reasonable rail fastening stiffnessand ballast stiffness can be calculatedthrough distributing their displacement forensuring transport safety and decreasingtrack maintenance. Applied allowable trackvertical displacement method and trackdisplacement distribution method, the trackstructure stiffness and track part stiffnessof passenger-dedicated railway ballastedtrack and ballastless track are calculated.The optimal track stiffness is given.

TRACK DETERIORATION INHIGH-SPEED RAILWAYS:INFLUENCE OF LONGITUDINALVARIATION OF THE VERTICALSTIFFNESS IN THE EMBANK-MENT-STRUCTURE TRANSITIONS

I GallegoETS Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puertos,University of Castilla- La Mancha, Avda.Camilo José Cela, s/n 13071 Ciudad Real,[email protected] Dr Eng A López-Pita, Dr Eng PFTeixeiraCentre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT),Technical University of Catalonia, GranCapitán, s/n. Módulo B.1 D-211, 08034Barcelona, [email protected]@upc.esL UbaldeCentre for Innovation in Transport (CENIT),Technical University of Catalonia, GranCapitán, s/n. Módulo B.1 D-210, 08034Barcelona, [email protected]

Keywords: High-speed, track,maintenance, stiffness, embankment-structure transition

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In high-speed railway lines, designing aninfrastructure with the least possible costof conservation is an important economicobjective to take into account. In all railwaytracks designs there arise situations in whichit is necessary to introduce a structure tothe track. This circumstance is even morefrequent in high-speed lines where thelayout criteria are stricter than forconventional lines. The introduction of astructure gives rise the occurrence of anabrupt change in the vertical stiffness of atransverse section of the track.

This paper explains, firstly, the bearingthe longitudinal variation of verticalstiffness has on the deterioration of the trackand, consequentially, to the maintenancecosts. Here, the embankment-structuretransitions are points that are highlysusceptible to suffering a great deteriorationover a long period, and therefore needfrequent maintenance. Secondly, the paperanalyses the results of study of the Madrid-Seville high-speed line, where there hasbeen an appreciable increase in thedeterioration of the track in areas wherethere exist strong changes in stiffness.

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Theme 1: Railway Track

Day 2:

Concrete Slab Track +Bituminous Track +

Sleepers/Ties

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ACHIEVING S3 OR THEDEVELOPMENT OF A HIGHLYRESILIENT HIGH-SPEED SLABTRACK FOR THE CHANNELTUNNEL RAIL LINK

J-P BergoendAlstom Transport – ACT JV, Gate 10H, ChoatsRoad, Dagenham RM9 6PX, [email protected] PetinTSO – ACT JV, Gate 10H, Choats Road,Dagenham RM9 6PX, [email protected] RobertsonAlstom Transport, 33, Rue des Bateliers, 93400Saint-Ouen, [email protected]

Keywords: Slab track, noise and vibrationmitigation, high speed, railway constraints

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) willprovide a high speed rail link between StPancras Station in London and the ChannelTunnel portal near Folkestone in Kent.Section 2 of the CTRL comprises the mainline route connecting Section 1 at SouthfleetJunction and running to St Pancras inLondon via open routes and bored tunnels.

For the London Tunnels 1 and 2stretching between Dagenham and the StPancras terminal station (see CTRL Projectroute on figure 1), a highly resilient concreteslab track development is necessary to meetvery severe vibration mitigationrequirements.

This paper describes the specificapproach adopted by the Alstom Transport-Carillion Rail-TSO JV (ACT JV) and theengineering works undertaken to develop ahigh speed slab track system providing ahigh vibration mitigation.

JAPANESE EXPERIENCES INUSING AND FABRICATINGSYNTHETIC SLEEPER

H TakaiTrack Technology Division, Railway TechnicalResearch Institute-RTRI, 2-8-38, Hikari-cho,Kokubunnji-shi, Tolyo 185-8540, [email protected] Eng Y SatoRailway Track System Institute-RTSI, 1-11-8,Kurosunadai, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba-ken263-0041, [email protected] SatoFFU Division, Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd, 2-3-17, Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8450,[email protected]

Keywords: Sleeper, synthetic material,durability, bridge, turnout

To ameliorate the characteristics of woodensleeper, especially durability, and topreserve the natural environment, thesynthetic sleeper has been developed andfabricated in Japan since 1980. In thesetwenty five years 1.3 million of sleepers arein the track replacing the wooden sleepersin turnout and on steel bridges and workingas the new part of directly fastened track.About 100 thousand synthetic sleepers aresupplied per year now.

They are made of hard type foamedpolyurethane and continuously long glassfiber, having much more superiorcharacteristics than the wooden sleeper.They have been automatically fabricated inthe factory. It is verified that the syntheticsleeper can maintain its physical strengthfor more than 500years. Actually, it has beenin service for 25 years.

The specialties of them are infollowings: (1) High mechanical strength;(2) High resistance to rotting depending onlittle water absorption; (3) Small variationin form; (4) High electrical insulation; (5)

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High fastening force for dog and screwspikes; (6) High weather resistance; (7)Fabrication of large sleeper with highprecision; (8) Workable as well as wood and(9) Long life.

‘OLYMPIC’ TRAM IN ATHENS2004: EMBEDDED RAIL ANDFLOATING SLABTRACK FOR FASTEXECUTION OF EARTHQUAKERESISTANT TRACKINFRASTRUCTURE

Prof C VogiatzisUniversity of Thessaly, Dept of CivilEngineering, Pedion Areos, G-38821 Volos,[email protected] CarelsCDM nv/sa, Reutenbeek 9B-3090, Overijse,[email protected]

Keywords: Slabtrack, embedded rail,earthquake, noise, vibration

The Athens Tramway is a 48km light railsystem that dramatically improves theaccess from the city centre to the coastalregion, where many of the important‘Athens Olympic Venues’ are situated. Thedesign and installation of this new Tramsystem required extreme care with regardto noise and vibration.

A simple and efficient, low noise andvibration embedded track solution, usingfastener-less PREFARAIL® technologywas implemented. The concept is based onthe rails being completely encapsulated inan elastic jacket with special shape andstiffness characteristics.

Three types of track solution, withdifferent track moduli, were designed tomeet the relevant noise and vibrationcriteria:• For receptor distances L>30m the

PREFARAIL CLASSIC® system was

implemented• For receptor distances 10m<L<30m the

PREFARAIL COMFORT® system wasimplemented

• For receptor distances L<10m thePREFARAIL COMFORT® system wasused along with the CDM-DFMA-L10® Floating slab-trackThe in-situ measurements showed full

compliance with the specifications.

NEW POSSIBILITIES TO REDUCETRACK MAINTENANCE COSTSON HIGH-SPEED LINES BY USINGA BITUMINOUS SUB-BALLASTLAYER

PF Teixeira, Prof A López-Pita, L UbaldeCENIT (Center for Innovation in Transport),Technical University of CataloniaBarcelona, [email protected] GallegoUniversity of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Keywords: High-speed, track design,vertical stiffness, sub-ballast, bituminouslayer.

The establishment of very high-speeds oncommercial operation will be possible in aclose future thanks to the improvementsmade both on the vehicle and track design.Concerning the high-speed track structuraldesign, the aim is to fulfil the highest qualitystandards at the lowest life cycle cost. Inthe case of ballasted tracks, railway researchhas been focusing lately on the possibilitiesof reducing its maintenance costs. Thosetrack maintenance costs can be verysignificant at higher speeds, specially if wetake into account not only the ballasttamping operations, but also the frequentlyrequired subgrade improvements and thenecessary renewals of track components.From a design perspective, even if mostparameters are pretty well homogenised for

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conventional ballasted high-speed tracks,some previous work have shown that thereis still some possible optimization relatedto a better understanding the influence ofthe track vertical stiffness parameter, andthe adoption of an adequate vertical stiffnessfor the railpads. In another hand, one of theother possible solutions to reducemaintenance costs is to improve the sub-structure behaviour by using other materialsrather than the traditional granular layers.Following this reasoning, this paperdiscusses the possible interest of using abituminous sub-ballast layer on the newSpanish high-speed lines.

STRESS MEASUREMENT IN THERAILWAY SUBSTRUCTUREIN THE TURNOUT

J Smutny, O PlasekDepartment of Railway Constructions andStructures, Faculty of Civil EngineeringUniversity of Technology Brno, Veveri 95, 60200 Brno, Czech [email protected]@fce.vutbr.cz

Keywords: Stress measurement, turnout,sensors

The paper is focused on the stressmeasurement in the railway substructure inthe turnout prototype designed for a highspeed. The aim of the measurement and itsevaluation was to compare the resultsobtained with theoretical presumptions. Themethods of the measurement and itsevaluation are described. The conclusionsof the stress in the railway substructureincluded its relation with the train speed. Itmay also be stated that the qualityelaboration of the measurementconsiderably contributed to modern meansof the signal analysis.

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT &IMPLEMENTATION OF A HIGHPERFORMANCE FST SYSTEM FORDIRECT FIXATION TURNOUTS INTHE ATHENS 2004 OLYMPICSINFRASTRUCTURE EXTENSIONPROGRAM OF ATHENS METRO

Prof C VogiatzisUniversity of Thessaly, Dept of CivilEngineering, Pedion Areos, G-38821 Volos,[email protected] ir P VanhonackerD2S International, J. Vandenbemptlaan 71, B-3001 Heverlee, [email protected] CarelsCDM sa, Reutenbeek 9, B-3090 Overijse,[email protected]

Keywords: FST System, turnouts, directfixation, metro

This paper describes the prediction methodsand analysis tools used to predict re-radiatednoise levels in buildings above turnouts intunnels in the new Athens Metro. The resultsof the analyses were used to recommend thenoise and vibration mitigation measuresrequired to achieve an internal re-radiatednoise level of less than 40dB(A).

The 4 metro extensions, located intunnels, were divided into homogeneoussections, i.e. sections along which thetunnel, soil types, depth and distance fromnearby buildings can be considered as beingconstant. Various analyses were then carriedout focussing on the turnout region in thetunnels.

A full floating slab solution over thecomplete length of the turnout was predictedto achieve a re-radiated ground-borne noiselevel of 15-16dB(A) in buildings at the soilsurface. A limited floating slab solution onlyat the frog area was predicted to have an

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acceptable noise level with the bogie in themiddle of the frog area, but a level of49.3dB(A) was on the turnout but not onthe floating slab track.

CDM-ISO-DFMAâ floating slab tracktechnology was used to manufacture abespoke system called CDM-ISO-DFSA-MA-M5,COMBISTRIP; which wasspecifically designed to achieve theperformance requirements derived from theanalyses.

In situ vibration and noise measurementsare presented that verify that the installedfloating slab track solutions are performingas expected, with buildings very near to thesource not suffering from ground-bornenoise problems.

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