The mechanics of abrasion on concrete crosstie rail seats

A sustained increase in gross rail loads and cumulative freight tonnages on heavy haul railways, as well as increased interest in high and higher-speed passenger rail development, is placing an increasing demand on railway infrastructure and its components. Several failure mechanisms are limiting the service life of track components as this demand increases. Rail seat deterioration (RSD) continues to be identified as one of the primary factors limiting concrete crosstie service life, particularly in heavy-haul freight operations. RSD refers to the degradation of the material at the contact interface between the concrete crosstie rail seat and the rail pad assembly that protects the bearing area of the crosstie from the rail base. Abrasion is widely considered to be a viable mechanism leading to RSD. The factors that control the abrasion mechanism (i.e. relative slip at the rail seat, normal and shear stresses, presence of abrasive fines, and moisture) are frequently encountered on primary heavy-haul corridors in North America. This thesis includes results from several laboratory experiments using test setups and protocols that were designed to isolate the abrasion mechanism and facilitate the acquisition of quantitative and qualitative data related to the severity of deterioration and the frictional properties of rail pad assembly materials sliding on concrete surfaces. The results of these experiments have shown that abrasion is a feasible RSD mechanism. Frictional characteristics at the contact interface between a rail pad assembly and concrete rail seat vary, and influence the transfer of forces and relative slip. Concrete rail seats and pad assemblies should be designed based on the considerations for mitigating the abrasion mechanism. The most feasible way of mitigating abrasion may be to reduce the amount of relative slip at the rail seat.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Kernes, Ryan

Contributors dc:contributor

• Edwards, John R.
• Barkan, Christopher P.L.
• Lange, David A.

• Rail seat deterioration
• Abrasion
• fastening system
• fastener
• rail pad
• rail pad assembly
• crosstie
• concrete crosstie
• concrete tie
• concrete sleeper
• rairoad track
• track components
• railway track
• coefficient of friction
• tie pad
• shear design
• frictional force
• abrasive wear

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2013 Ryan Kernes

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/46641

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/46641