Customer satisfaction factors for light rail: what can we learn from a successful case?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marin MARINOV

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The main goal of this paper is to analyze customer satisfaction factors for Light Rail, identify a successful case and compare the level of service of this case with another system so that improvements in terms of price, time of journey and connectivity can be elaborated and suggested. The Docklands Light Railway (London, UK has been identified as a successful case, which service levels have been compared to ‘Metro Sul do Tejo, MST’ (Almada, Portugal. As a result, a set of solutions to improve MST are proposed.

Rail inspection system based on iGPS

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xiaoyan; Wang, Mulan; Wen, Xiuping

2018-05-01

Track parameters include gauge, super elevation, cross level and so on, which could be calculated through the three-dimensional coordinates of the track. The rail inspection system based on iGPS (indoor/infrared GPS) was composed of base station, receiver, rail inspection frame, wireless communication unit, display and control unit and data processing unit. With the continuous movement of the inspection frame, the system could accurately inspect the coordinates of rail; realize the intelligent detection and precision measurement. According to principle of angle intersection measurement, the inspection model was structured, and detection process was given.

49 CFR 38.175 - High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. 38....175 High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. (a) All cars for high-speed rail systems, including... monorail systems operating primarily on dedicated rail (i.e., not used by freight trains) or guideway, in...

Sectional Rail System as Base for a Plate Covering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2015-01-01

The present invention concerns a sectional rail system which is constructed with the known outer rails with U-shaped cross-section and intermediate rails with C-shaped cross-section, and which is peculiar in that each of the retention means of the outer rail includes at least one stop pin which i...

Rail transport systems approach

CERN Document Server

2017-01-01

This book shows how the systems approach is employed by scientists in various countries to solve specific problems concerning railway transport. In particular, the book describes the experiences of scientists from Romania, Germany, the Czech Republic, the UK, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. For many of these countries there is a problem with the historical differences between the railways. In particular, there are railways with different rail gauges, with different signaling and communication systems, with different energy supplies and, finally, with different political systems, which are reflected in the different approaches to the management of railway economies. The book’s content is divided into two main parts, the first of which provides a systematic analysis of individual means of providing and maintaining rail transport. In turn, the second part addresses infrastructure and management development, with particular attention to security issues. Though primarily written for professionals involved...

Long term energy and emission implications of a global shift to electricity-based public rail transportation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaturvedi, Vaibhav; Kim, Son H.

2015-01-01

With high reliance on light-duty vehicles in the present, the future of global transportation system is also geared towards private modes, which has significant energy and emission implications. Public transportation has been argued as an alternative strategy for meeting the rising transportation demands of the growing world, especially the poor, in a sustainable and energy efficient way. The present study analyzes an important yet under-researched question – what are the long-term energy and emission implications of an electric rail based passenger transportation system for meeting both long and short distance passenter transportation needs? We analyze a suite of electric rail share scenarios with and without climate policy. In the reference scenario, the transportation system will evolve towards dominance of fossil based light-duty vehicles. We find that an electric rail policy is more successful than an economy wide climate policy in reducing transport sector energy demand and emissions. Economy wide emissions however can only be reduced through a broader climate policy, the cost of which can be reduced by hundreds of billions of dollars across the century when implemented in combination with the transport sector focused electric rail policy. Moreover, higher share of electric rail enhances energy security for oil importing nations and reduces vehicular congestion and road infrastructure requirement as well. -- Highlights: •Economy wide carbon price policy will have little impact on transportation emissions. •Focused energy and emission mitigation policies required for transportation sector. •Large global shift towards electric rail based public transport is one possible option. •Transport sector focused policy will have marginal impact on total global emissions. •A combined transport sector and economy wide policy can reduce costs significantly

36 CFR 1192.175 - High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

..., monorails and systems. 1192.175 Section 1192.175 Parks, Forests, and Public Property ARCHITECTURAL AND... TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Other Vehicles and Systems § 1192.175 High-speed rail cars, monorails and systems. (a... steel-wheel-on-steel-rail technology, and monorail systems operating primarily on dedicated rail (i.e...

An Improved Energy Management Strategy for Hybrid Energy Storage System in Light Rail Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Long Cheng

2018-02-01

Full Text Available A single-objective optimization energy management strategy (EMS for an onboard hybrid energy storage system (HESS for light rail (LR vehicles is proposed. The HESS uses batteries and supercapacitors (SCs. The main objective of the proposed optimization is to reduce the battery and SC losses while maintaining the SC state of charge (SOC within specific limits based on the distance between consecutive LR stations. To do this, a series of optimized SOC limits is used to prevent the SC from becoming exhausted prematurely instead of the standard SC SOC penalty term in the cost function. Meanwhile, a rule-based EMS (RB-EMS is used to give the SCs charging priority over the batteries when the vehicle is braking. Moreover, a simplified method for the optimization is proposed to reduce the computational burden. Simulation and experimental results for the proposed EMS and a standard SC SOC penalty-based cost function optimization are provided to evaluate losses. As a result, it is shown that the proposed EMS, compared with standard SC SOC penalty-based cost function optimization, decreases losses and prevents the SOC from reach the discharging limits.

An automated system for rail transit infrastructure inspection.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

This project applied commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) : technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), laser, GIS, and GPS to passenger rail : inspections. An integrated rail inspection system that can be mounted on hi...

A systems approach to reduce urban rail energy consumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Gil, A.; Palacin, R.; Batty, P.; Powell, J.P.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • An insightful overview of energy usage in urban rail systems is given. • The principal measures to reduce urban rail energy consumption are appraised. • A methodology is proposed to help implement energy saving schemes in urban rail. • Regenerative braking is shown to offer the greatest energy saving potential. - Abstract: There is increasing interest in the potential of urban rail to reduce the impact of metropolitan transportation due to its high capacity, reliability and absence of local emissions. However, in a context characterised by increasing capacity demands and rising energy costs, and where other transport modes are considerably improving their environmental performance, urban rail must minimise its energy use without affecting its service quality. Urban rail energy consumption is defined by a wide range of interdependent factors; therefore, a system wide perspective is required, rather than focusing on energy savings at subsystem level. This paper contributes to the current literature by proposing an holistic approach to reduce the overall energy consumption of urban rail. Firstly, a general description of this transport mode is given, which includes an assessment of its typical energy breakdown. Secondly, a comprehensive appraisal of the main practices, strategies and technologies currently available to minimise its energy use is provided. These comprise: regenerative braking, energy-efficient driving, traction losses reduction, comfort functions optimisation, energy metering, smart power management and renewable energy micro-generation. Finally, a clear, logical methodology is described to optimally define and implement energy saving schemes in urban rail systems. This includes general guidelines for a qualitative assessment and comparison of measures alongside a discussion on the principal interdependences between them. As a hypothetical example of application, the paper concludes that the energy consumption in existing urban

Transit Use, Physical Activity, and Body Mass Index Changes: Objective Measures Associated With Complete Street Light-Rail Construction

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Carol M.; Tribby, Calvin P.; Miller, Harvey J.; Smith, Ken R.

2015-01-01

Objectives. We assessed effects on physical activity (PA) and weight among participants in a complete street intervention that extended a light-rail line in Salt Lake City, Utah. Methods. Participants in the Moving Across Places Study resided within 2 kilometers of the new line. They wore accelerometers and global positioning system (GPS) loggers for 1 week before and after rail construction. Regression analyses compared change scores of participants who never rode transit with continuing, former, and new riders, after adjustment for control variables (total n = 537). Results. New riders had significantly more accelerometer-measured counts per minute than never-riders (P transit ridership in the complete street area, research should address how to encourage more sustained ridership. PMID:25973829

77 FR 2077 - Intent To Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: Rail...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-13

... carriers, including each carrier operating light rail or heavy rail transit service on track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation and rail transit systems. Also, these persons are... any threat information. In addition, freight railroad carriers and the affected shippers and receivers...

High pressure common rail injection system modeling and control.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, H P; Zheng, D; Tian, Y

2016-07-01

In this paper modeling and common-rail pressure control of high pressure common rail injection system (HPCRIS) is presented. The proposed mathematical model of high pressure common rail injection system which contains three sub-systems: high pressure pump sub-model, common rail sub-model and injector sub-model is a relative complicated nonlinear system. The mathematical model is validated by the software Matlab and a virtual detailed simulation environment. For the considered HPCRIS, an effective model free controller which is called Extended State Observer - based intelligent Proportional Integral (ESO-based iPI) controller is designed. And this proposed method is composed mainly of the referred ESO observer, and a time delay estimation based iPI controller. Finally, to demonstrate the performances of the proposed controller, the proposed ESO-based iPI controller is compared with a conventional PID controller and ADRC. Copyright © 2016 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal energy management of urban rail systems: Key performance indicators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Gil, A.; Palacin, R.; Batty, P.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • An overall picture of urban rail energy use is provided. • Performance indicators are developed for urban rail system energy optimisation. • A multi-level methodology for assessing energy efficiency measures is presented. - Abstract: Urban rail systems are facing increasing pressure to minimise their energy consumption and thusly reduce their operational costs and environmental impact. However, given the complexity of such systems, this can only be effectively achieved through a holistic approach which considers the numerous interdependences between subsystems (i.e. vehicles, operations and infrastructure). Such an approach requires a comprehensive set of energy consumption-related Key Performance Indicators (KEPIs) that enable: a multilevel analysis of the actual energy performance of the system; an assessment of potential energy saving strategies; and the monitoring of the results of implemented measures. This paper proposes an original, complete list of KEPIs developed through a scientific approach validated by different stakeholders. It consists of a hierarchical list of 22 indicators divided into two levels: 10 key performance indicators, to ascertain the performance of the whole system and complete subsystems; and 12 performance indicators, to evaluate the performance of single units within subsystems, for example, a single rail vehicle or station. Additionally, the paper gives a brief insight into urban rail energy usage by providing an adequate context in which to understand the proposed KEPIs, together with a methodology describing their application when optimising the energy consumption of urban rail systems

Delphi's new direct acting common rail injection system; Das neue Direct Acting Common Rail System von Delphi

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, Detlev; Zuelch, Stefan; Geurts, Derk; Gris, Christian; Jorach, Rainer W. [Delphi Diesel Systems, Europe (United Kingdom)

2009-07-01

With the serial start of the Direct Acting Common Rail injection system with 2.000 bar Delphi Diesel Systems could supplement its product portfolio with a valuable component. In Delphi's directly propelled Common Rail injector, the Injection needle directly is set in operation with the help of a piezo-ceramic actuator instead of only controlling this with a conventional servo-hydraulic circuit indirectly. This enables a fast opening and closing of the nozzle needle possible independently from the rail pressure. The process of injection is controllable accurately at any time with the again developed two-stage needle movement amplifier. The additionally in the injector integrated fuel storage works as a 'Rail in the Injector' and improves the quality particularly during multiple injection. The injector completely works leakage-free and thereby helps to reach the future CO{sub 2} targets. The use of piezo-actuators as driving force behind the directly working injector leads to a set of requirements to the electronics. A control electronics was developed in order to head optimally the Direct Acting Injector. The sum of all advantages of the Direct Acting of CR systems enables lowest emissions with simultaneously small fuel consumption while new dimensions are reached with power density and engine torque. The authors of the contribution under consideration report on the construction, on the work principle of the Direct Acting CR system and on its performance characteristics as a basis for the premium diesel engine.

Ten years of common-rail injection systems for passenger cars; Gemeine Drucksache. Zehn Jahre Common-Rail-Einspritzsystem fuer Pkw

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hohenthal, M.Y. von

2007-07-15

The future of the diesel engine started in 1997 with the Bosch common rail injection system which provided higher power, higher rotary momentum, lower consumption, lower noise and lower pollutant emissions. Since then, high-pressure common-rail injection systems have become state of the art. (orig.)

A novel permanent magnetic rail for HTS levitation propulsion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, F.; Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J.

2009-01-01

The Halbach Array has a characteristic advantage that the spatial fundamental field is canceled on one side of the array while the field intensity on the other side is enhanced. So this array could be used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent magnetic levitation rail to improve the surface magnetic field and levitation force. This paper compared the surface magnetic field of the Halbach Array rail and two conventional levitation rails at first. Then proposed the potential advantages of Halbach Array applied in permanent magnetic rail system. But the Halbach Array rail is mechanical instability. An novel improved Halbach Array rail is proposed in this paper. The new structure combined the advantages of traditional structure and Halbach Array structure, solved the problem of mechanical instability, and carried on the advantage of Halbach Array on the magnetic field distribution at the same time.

System diagnosis using finite memory observers: Common Rail application; Diagnostic des systemes a l'aide d'observateurs a memoire finie: application au Common Rail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graton, G.

2005-12-15

The aim of this work was to propose a fault detection method on the high pressure direct injection system (called Common Rail system) set up on Diesel vehicles. The importance of the fault detection procedure implementation was highlighted thanks to the description of the stakes (lowers consumption, reduction in the pollutant emissions and sound, increase of performances) and constraints dependent on Common Rail (high pressure, high frequency, gas oil lubrication, high precision machining, standards EURO respect,...) but also through a listing of failures which can occur on Common Rail. A synthesis on the different diagnosis methods of systems contributed to select a fault detection method with expected performances (detection of fault beginning, detection speed, isolation and characterization of detected fault and minimizing false alarm and bad detections). After a detailed study (properties, sequential formulations and sensitivity study) of the selected detection method (finite memory observers) and a modeling of the Common Rail various bodies behavior, the algorithm of detection was tested on three different models of the system Common Rail. Moreover, the comparison between the finite memory observer and a Luenberger observer and a Kalman filter allow to appreciate the residual robustness degree. Obtained results allow to conclude on good detection of actuator and sensor faults. (author)

Calibration of robotic drilling systems with a moving rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian Wei

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Industrial robots are widely used in aircraft assembly systems such as robotic drilling systems. It is necessary to expand a robot’s working range with a moving rail. A method for improving the position accuracy of an automated assembly system with an industrial robot mounted on a moving rail is proposed. A multi-station method is used to control the robot in this study. The robot only works at stations which are certain positions defined on the moving rail. The calibration of the robot system is composed by the calibration of the robot and the calibration of the stations. The calibration of the robot is based on error similarity and inverse distance weighted interpolation. The calibration of the stations is based on a magnetic strip and a magnetic sensor. Validation tests were performed in this study, which showed that the accuracy of the robot system gained significant improvement using the proposed method. The absolute position errors were reduced by about 85% to less than 0.3 mm compared with the maximum nearly 2 mm before calibration.

System and prospects of China's intercity rail transit technology

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Ming

2018-06-01

City clusters and metropolitan areas in China are flourishing in the midst of the deepening urbanization in the country, thereby resulting in the emergence of intercity rail transit. Intercity railways connect mainline and urban railways for an integrated regional transportation system that underpins and leads the development of city clusters and metropolitan areas. This study explores the development mode and service characteristics of intercity rail transit, as well as proposes overviews on this system and prospects of its future technology in China.

In-Service Performance and Costs of Methods to Control Urban Rail System Noise

Science.gov (United States)

1979-12-01

This study evaluates the acoustic and economic effectiveness of five methods of controlling wheel/rail noise and vibration on urban rail transit systems, namely: rail grinding, wheel truing, resilient wheels, ring-damped wheels, and welded vs. jointe...

Privatisation of fixed-rail transit systems : a case study of Malaysia's STAR and PUTRA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdul-Aziz, A.R. [St. Malaysia Univ., (Malaysia). School of Housing, Building and Planning

2006-06-15

Malaysia was the first developing country to embrace the idea of privatizing its public utilities in an effort to reduce public expenditure and improve services. Many public utilities were sold in the early 1980s under Malaysia's privatization program. Some, however, have returned to government hands. Among them are the two light-rail transit (LRT) systems in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The main objective of privatization had been to expand transportation capabilities to keep pace with economic development. The private sector was allowed to construct various rail-based mass transportation systems to alleviate vehicular traffic congestion in the city. The STAR and PUTRA light-rail transit systems were built in the 1990s by 2 concession companies at a total cost of US$2.27 billion with the bulk of the expenditure going into infrastructure and rolling stock. Generous financial incentives were offered by the Malaysian government. However, the 2 LRTs suffered below-expectation ridership right from the beginning. Even a reduction in rates to promote greater public use, failed to meet projected ridership figures. The concession companies began defaulting on their loan servicing obligations within months of becoming operational. In 2002, the government took over the operation of the 2 LRT systems. The pre- and post-privatization events of both facilities were chronicled in this paper. It examined how the entire process was administered and tried to rationalize why private ownership of the 2 LRT systems was short-lived. Based on publicly available material, this paper argued that neither the quality of government negotiators nor the length of time devoted to negotiating could be attributed to the bailout. There was no indication that political favouritism and corruption were at play. Rather, the 2 projects proved to be financially unviable, despite the large financial incentives provided to the two concession companies. 83 refs., 5 tabs.

Review on Malaysian Rail Transit Operation and Management System: Issues and Solution in Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Masirin, Mohd Idrus Mohd; Salin, Aminah Mohd; Zainorabidin, Adnan; Martin, David; Samsuddin, Norshakina

2017-08-01

In any context, operation and management of transportation systems are key issues which may affect both life quality and economic development. In large urban agglomerations, an efficient public transportation system may help abate the negative externalities of private car use such as congestion, air and noise pollution, accident and fuel consumption, without excessively penalizing user travel times or zone accessibility. Thus, this study is conducted to appraise the Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system, which are considered important as there are many issues and solution in integration of the services that need to be tackled more conscientiously. The purpose of this paper is to describe some of the most important issues on integration of services and rail transit system in Malaysian and how to solve or reduce these problems and conflicts. In this paper, it consists of the historical development of rail transit construction in Malaysia. This paper also attempts to identify the important issues related to rail transit services and integration in Malaysian rural rail operation and management system. Comparison is also conducted with other countries such as UK, France, and Japan. Finally, a critical analysis is presented in this paper by looking at the possible application for future Malaysian rail transit operation system and management, especially focusing on enhancing the quality of Malaysian rural rail transit. In conclusion, this paper is expected to successfully review and appraise the existing Malaysian rural rail transit operation and management system pertaining to issues & solution in integration. It is also hoped that reformation or transformation of present service delivery quality of the rail transit operation and management will enable Malaysia to succeed in transforming Malaysian transportation system to greater heights.

Rail Brake System Using a Linear Induction Motor for Dynamic Braking

Science.gov (United States)

Sakamoto, Yasuaki; Kashiwagi, Takayuki; Tanaka, Minoru; Hasegawa, Hitoshi; Sasakawa, Takashi; Fujii, Nobuo

One type of braking system for railway vehicles is the eddy current brake. Because this type of brake has the problem of rail heating, it has not been used for practical applications in Japan. Therefore, we proposed the use of a linear induction motor (LIM) for dynamic braking in eddy current brake systems. The LIM reduces rail heating and uses an inverter for self excitation. In this paper, we estimated the performance of an LIM from experimental results of a fundamental test machine and confirmed that the LIM generates an approximately constant braking force under constant current excitation. At relatively low frequencies, this braking force remains unaffected by frequency changes. The reduction ratio of rail heating is also approximately proportional to the frequency. We also confirmed that dynamic braking resulting in no electrical output can be used for drive control of the LIM. These characteristics are convenient for the realization of the LIM rail brake system.

Impact of the rail-pad multi-discrete model upon the prediction of the rail response

Science.gov (United States)

Mazilu, T.; Leu, M.

2017-08-01

Wheel/rail vibration has many technical effects such as wear of the rolling surfaces, rolling noise, settlement of the ballast and subgrade etc. This vibration is depending on the rail pad characteristic and subsequently, it is important to have an accurate overview on the relation between the rail pad characteristic and the level of the wheel/rail vibration. To this end, much theoretical and experimental research has been developed in the past, and for the theoretical approach the track model, in general, and, particularly, the rail pad model is of crucial importance. Usually, the rail pad model is discrete model one, neglecting the length of the rail pad. This fact is questionable because the sleepers span is only 4 times the rail pad length. Using the rail pad discrete model, the rail response is overestimated when the frequency of the excitation equals the pinned-pinned resonance frequency. In this paper, a multi-discrete model for the rail pad, consisting in many Kelvin-Voigt parallel systems, is inserted into an analytical model of the track. The track model is reduced to a rail taken as infinite Timoshenko beam, discretely supported via rail pad, sleeper and ballast. The influence of the number of Kelvin-Voigt systems of the rail pad model on the rail response is analysed.

idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferro, L

2016-01-01

idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl (paper)

idRHa+ProMod - Rail Hardening Control System

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, L.

2016-03-01

idRHa+ProMod is the process control system developed by Primetals Technologies to foresee the thermo-mechanical evolution and micro-structural composition of rail steels subjected to slack quenching into idRHa+ Rail Hardening equipments in a simulation environment. This tool can be used both off-line or in-line, giving the user the chance to test and study the best cooling strategies or letting the automatic control system free to adjust the proper cooling recipe. Optimization criteria have been tailored in order to determine the best cooling conditions according to the metallurgical requirements imposed by the main rail standards and also taking into account the elastoplastic bending phenomena occurring during all stages of the head hardening process. The computational core of idRHa+ProMod is a thermal finite element procedure coupled with special algorithms developed to work out the main thermo-physical properties of steel, to predict the non-isothermal austenite decomposition into all the relevant phases and subsequently to evaluate the amount of latent heat of transformation released, the compound thermal expansion coefficient and the amount of plastic deformation in the material. Air mist and air blades boundary conditions have been carefully investigated by means of pilot plant tests aimed to study the jet impingement on rail surfaces and the cooling efficiency at all working conditions. Heat transfer coefficients have been further checked and adjusted directly on field during commissioning. idRHa+ is a trademark of Primetals Technologies Italy Srl

Emulation study on system characteristic of high pressure common-rail fuel injection system for marine medium-speed diesel engine

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qinpeng; Yang, Jianguo; Xin, Dong; He, Yuhai; Yu, Yonghua

2018-05-01

In this paper, based on the characteristic analyzing of the mechanical fuel injection system for the marine medium-speed diesel engine, a sectional high-pressure common rail fuel injection system is designed, rated condition rail pressure of which is 160MPa. The system simulation model is built and the performance of the high pressure common rail fuel injection system is analyzed, research results provide the technical foundation for the system engineering development.

Optimization Design of Multi-Parameters in Rail Launcher System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujiao Zhang

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Today the energy storage systems are still encumbering, therefore it is useful to think about the optimization of a railgun system in order to achieve the best performance with the lowest energy input. In this paper, an optimal design method considering 5 parameters is proposed to improve the energy conversion efficiency of a simple railgun. In order to avoid costly trials, the field- circuit method is employed to analyze the operations of different structural railguns with different parameters respectively. And the orthogonal test approach is used to guide the simulation for choosing the better parameter combinations, as well reduce the calculation cost. The research shows that the proposed method gives a better result in the energy efficiency of the system. To improve the energy conversion efficiency of electromagnetic rail launchers, the selection of more parameters must be considered in the design stage, such as the width, height and length of rail, the distance between rail pair, and pulse forming inductance. However, the relationship between these parameters and energy conversion efficiency cannot be directly described by one mathematical expression. So optimization methods must be applied to conduct design. In this paper, a rail launcher with five parameters was optimized by using orthogonal test method. According to the arrangement of orthogonal table, the better parameters’ combination can be obtained through less calculation. Under the condition of different parameters’ value, field and circuit simulation analysis were made. The results show that the energy conversion efficiency of the system is increased by 71.9 % after parameters optimization.

Scheduling freight trains in rail-rail transshipment yards

OpenAIRE

Nils Boysen; Erwin Pesch

2008-01-01

Transshipment yards, where gantry cranes allow for an effcient transshipment of containers between different freight trains, are important entities in modern railway systems and facilitate the general shift from point-to-point transport to hub-and-spoke railway systems. Modern rail-rail transshipment yards accelerate container handling, so that multiple smaller trains with equal destination can be consolidated to a reduced number of trains without jeopardizing on time deliveries. An important...

77 FR 17121 - RailAmerica, Inc., Palm Beach Rail Holding, Inc., RailAmerica Transportation Corp., RailTex, Inc...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

...% of the Class A Common Units of TransRail, giving RailTex a 70% ownership interest in TransRail and control of W&C through TransRail. The MG Principals will retain the Class B Common Units of TransRail... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35605] RailAmerica, Inc...

Implications of rail electrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolader, G.E.; Jamison, K.A.

1990-01-01

A model is developed to investigate possible effects of rail electrodynamics on the performance of railguns. This model describes the oscillatory nature of the rail motion in response to the Lorentz force and the compressive restoration force of material which is behind the rails. In this simple model the rails are found to oscillate with a frequency of β. The rail dynamic behavior induces local electric fields. The authors investigate the significance of these electric fields on stationary particles (lab frame) and on particles moving at the velocity of the plasma/projectile system (projectile frame)

Pressure-amplified Common Rail System for commercial vehicles; Druckuebersetztes Common-Rail-System fuer Nutzfahrzeuge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonhard, Rolf; Parche, Marcus; Alvarez-Avila, Carlos [Bosch AG, Stuttgart (Germany). Diesel Systems; Krauss, Jost; Rosenau, Bernd [Bosch AG, Stuttgart (Germany). Common-Rail-Systeme

2009-05-15

The key to a successful layout of a combustion system for commercial vehicles is in the management of peak torque operation points. For this purpose, Bosch has enhanced its Common Rail System with increasing degrees of freedom - i.e. with flexible rate shaping. A second solenoid valve activates a pressure-amplifier inside the injector, an optimized offset of nozzle needle timing reduces the injection rate by half right at the start of injection, and the formation of nitrogen oxide is reduced considerably. This enables the engine manufacturer to adhere to the emission limits while further reducing fuel consumption and the engine-related effort for the air sytem. (orig.)

Investigation of a Resonant dc–dc Converter for Light Rail Transportation Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bor-Ren Lin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available A high efficiency dc–dc converter is studied for light rail transportation applications on DC microgrid systems. The adopted structure includes two series-connected resonant circuits with single isolated transformer from input 750 V to output 48 V. Two half-bridge resonant circuits and one voltage balance capacitor are used to reduce voltage rating of active devices and to realize split voltages balance. Two series resonant circuits are connected with input-series by single transformer to reduce primary root-mean-square currents. Therefore, power devices with low voltage rating are selected in studied circuit to reduce power loss on sower devices and transformer winding of the isolated transformer. Frequency control approach is adopted to adjust load voltage under different voltage condition and current variations. Since the equivalent resonant tank of the studied circuit is activated under inductive load, active devices are easily operated at zero-voltage switching over wide voltage and current operation range. The feasibility of the studied circuit has been verified with a 1 kW prototype.

Impact of light rail transit on traffic-related pollution and stroke mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Eun Sug; Sener, Ipek Nese

2017-09-01

This paper evaluates the changes in vehicle exhaust and stroke mortality for the general public residing in the surrounding area of the light rail transit (LRT) in Houston, Texas, after its opening. The number of daily deaths due to stroke for 2002-2005 from the surrounding area of the original LRT line (exposure group) and the control groups was analyzed using an interrupted time-series analysis. Ambient concentrations of acetylene before and after the opening of LRT were also compared. A statistically significant reduction in the average concentration of acetylene was observed for the exposure sites whereas the reduction was negligible at the control site. Poisson regression models applied to the stroke mortality data indicated a significant reduction in daily stroke mortality after the opening of LRT for the exposure group, while there was either an increase or a considerably smaller reduction for the control groups. The findings support the idea that LRT systems provide health benefits for the general public and that the reduction in motor-vehicle-related air pollution may have contributed to these health benefits.

Experimental investigation into the fault response of superconducting hybrid electric propulsion electrical power system to a DC rail to rail fault

Science.gov (United States)

Nolan, S.; Jones, C. E.; Munro, R.; Norman, P.; Galloway, S.; Venturumilli, S.; Sheng, J.; Yuan, W.

2017-12-01

Hybrid electric propulsion aircraft are proposed to improve overall aircraft efficiency, enabling future rising demands for air travel to be met. The development of appropriate electrical power systems to provide thrust for the aircraft is a significant challenge due to the much higher required power generation capacity levels and complexity of the aero-electrical power systems (AEPS). The efficiency and weight of the AEPS is critical to ensure that the benefits of hybrid propulsion are not mitigated by the electrical power train. Hence it is proposed that for larger aircraft (~200 passengers) superconducting power systems are used to meet target power densities. Central to the design of the hybrid propulsion AEPS is a robust and reliable electrical protection and fault management system. It is known from previous studies that the choice of protection system may have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the AEPS. Hence an informed design process which considers the key trades between choice of cable and protection requirements is needed. To date the fault response of a voltage source converter interfaced DC link rail to rail fault in a superconducting power system has only been investigated using simulation models validated by theoretical values from the literature. This paper will present the experimentally obtained fault response for a variety of different types of superconducting tape for a rail to rail DC fault. The paper will then use these as a platform to identify key trades between protection requirements and cable design, providing guidelines to enable future informed decisions to optimise hybrid propulsion electrical power system and protection design.

Outcome of rail fixator system in reconstructing bone gap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit Lakhani

2014-01-01

Conclusion: All patients well tolerated rail fixator with good functional results and gap reconstruction. Easy application of rail fixator and comfortable distraction procedure suggest rail fixator a good alternative for gap reconstruction of limbs.

Sustainable urban rail systems: Strategies and technologies for optimal management of regenerative braking energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González-Gil, Arturo; Palacin, Roberto; Batty, Paul

2013-01-01

Highlights: • Review of principal regenerative braking strategies and technologies for urban rail. • Different energy storage technologies are assessed for use in urban rail. • Optimising timetables is a preferential measure to improve energy efficiency. • Energy storage systems improve efficiency and reliability of urban rail systems. • Reversible substations allow for a complete recovery of braking energy. - Abstract: In a society characterised by increasing rates of urbanisation and growing concerns about environmental issues like climate change, urban rail transport plays a key role in contributing to sustainable development. However, in order to retain its inherent advantages in terms of energy consumption per transport capacity and to address the rising costs of energy, important energy efficiency measures have to be implemented. Given that numerous and frequent stops are a significant characteristic of urban rail, recuperation of braking energy offers a great potential to reduce energy consumption in urban rail systems. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the currently available strategies and technologies for recovery and management of braking energy in urban rail, covering timetable optimisation, on-board and wayside Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) and reversible substations. For each measure, an assessment of their main advantages and disadvantages is provided alongside a list of the most relevant scientific studies and demonstration projects. This study concludes that optimising timetables is a preferential measure to increase the benefits of regenerative braking in any urban rail system. Likewise, it has been observed that ESSs are a viable solution to reuse regenerative energy with voltage stabilisation and energy saving purposes. Electrochemical Double Layer Capacitors has been identified as the most suitable technology for ESSs in general, although high specific power batteries such as Li-ion may become a practical option for on

In-Service Performance and Costs of Methods for Control of Urban Rail System Noise : Experimental Design

Science.gov (United States)

1976-05-01

This report presents an experimental design for a project to evaluate four techniques for reducing wheel-rail noise on urban rail transit systems: (a) resilient wheels, (b) damped wheels, (c) wheel truing, and (d) rail griding. The design presents th...

Superconducting augmented rail gun (SARG)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Homan, C.G.; Cummings, C.E.; Fowler, C.M.

1986-01-01

Superconducting augmentation consists of a superconducting coil operating in the persistent mode closely coupled magnetically with a normally conducting rail gun. A theoretical investigation of the effect of this system on a rail gun has shown that two benefits occur. Projectile velocities and launch efficiencies increase significantly depending on the magnetic coupling between the rail and augmentation circuits. Previous work evaluated an idealized system by neglecting energy dissipation effects. In this paper, the authors extend the analysis to include the neglected terms and show improved actual launch efficiencies for the SARG configuration. In this paper, the authors discuss details of projectile design in depth and present preliminary results of rail gun performance

Preliminary analysis of the postulated changes needed to achieve rail cask handling capabilities at selected light water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konzek, G.J.

1986-02-01

Reactor-specific railroad and crane information for all LWRs in the US was extracted from current sources of information. Based on this information, reactors were separated into two basic groups consisting of reactors with existing, usable rail cask capabilities and those without these capabilities. The latter group is the main focus of this study. The group of reactors without present rail cask handling capabilities was further separated into two subgroups consisting of reactors considered essentially incapable of handling a large rail cask of about 100 tons and reactors where postulated facility changes could result in rail cask handling capabilities. Based on a selected population of 127 reactors, the results of this assessment indicate that usable rail cask capabilities exist at 83 (65%) of the reactors. Twelve (27%) of the remaining 44 reactors are deemed incapable of handling a large rail cask without major changes, and 32 reactors are considered likely candidates for potentially achieving rail cask handling capabilities. In the latter group, facility changes were postulated that would conceptually enable these reactors to handle large rail casks. The estimated cost per plant of required facility changes varied widely from a high of about $35 million to a low of <$0.3 million. Only 11 of the 32 plants would require crane upgrades. Spur track and right-of-way costs would apparently vary widely among sites. These results are based on preliminary analyses using available generic cost data. They represent lower bound values that are useful for developing an initial assessment of the viability of the postulated changes on a system-wide basis, but are not intended to be absolute values for specific reactors or sites

Cooled electronic system with thermal spreaders coupling electronics cards to cold rails

Science.gov (United States)

Chainer, Timothy J; Gaynes, Michael A; Graybill, David P; Iyengar, Madhusudan K; Kamath, Vinod; Kochuparambil, Bejoy J; Schmidt, Roger R; Schultz, Mark D; Simco, Daniel P; Steinke, Mark E

2013-07-23

Liquid-cooled electronic systems are provided which include an electronic assembly having an electronics card and a socket with a latch at one end. The latch facilitates securing of the card within the socket or removal of the card from the socket. A liquid-cooled cold rail is disposed at the one end of the socket, and a thermal spreader couples the electronics card to the cold rail. The thermal spreader includes first and second thermal transfer plates coupled to first and second surfaces on opposite sides of the card, and thermally conductive extensions extending from end edges of the plates, which couple the respective transfer plates to the liquid-cooled cold rail. The thermally conductive extensions are disposed to the sides of the latch, and the card is securable within or removable from the socket using the latch without removing the cold rail or the thermal spreader.

Excitation of Surface Electromagnetic Waves on Railroad Rail

Science.gov (United States)

1978-03-31

UMTA's Office of Rail Technology research programs aim to improve urban rail transportation systems safety. This rail-transit research study attempts to develop an onboard, separate and independent obstacle-detection system--Surface Electromagnetic W...

Rail-guided robotic end-effector position error due to rail compliance and ship motion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Borgerink, Dian; Stegenga, J.; Brouwer, Dannis Michel; Woertche, H.J.; Stramigioli, Stefano

2014-01-01

A rail-guided robotic system is currently being designed for the inspection of ballast water tanks in ships. This robotic system will manipulate sensors toward the interior walls of the tank. In this paper, the influence of rail compliance on the end-effector position error due to ship movement is

Active current management for four-rail railguns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beno, J.H.; Weldon, W.F.

1991-01-01

In this paper a system of auxiliary conductors designed to reduce current density peaks in railgun rails for four-rail, round-bore railguns is described. The effects on rail current density and projectile force are discussed. Railgun cross-sectional designs are presented for round-bore, four-rail railguns which operate at lower peak current densities and develop greater projectile forces than conventional two-rail, round-bore railguns

Linear and/or curvilinear rail mount system

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Jackie D. (Inventor); Harris, Lawanna L. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

One or more linear and/or curvilinear mounting rails are coupled to a structure. Each mounting rail defines a channel and at least one cartridge assembly is engaged in the channel. Each cartridge assembly includes a housing that slides within the channel. The housing defines a curvilinearly-shaped recess longitudinally aligned with the channel when the housing is in engagement therewith. The cartridge assembly also includes a cleat fitted in the recess for sliding engagement therealong. The cleat can be coupled to a fastener that passes through the mounting rail and the housing when the housing is so-engaged in the channel. The cleat is positioned in the recess by a position of the fastener.

Improving Resource Allocation Decisions to Reduce the Risk of Terrorist Attacks on Passenger Rail Systems

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

Rails: Analyzing Current Challenges, and Future Solutions (Syracuse: Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, 2008), 18. 3 U.S. Department...Nicholas Armstrong et al., Securing America’s Passenger Rails: Analyzing Current Challenges, and Future Solutions (Syracuse: Maxwell School of Citizenship ...as a broken rail, a faulty wire connection, or an act of terrorism, could result in a shutdown. Communication systems use centralized digital

Rail-suicide prevention: Systematic literature review of evidence-based activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Emma; Kolves, Kairi; De Leo, Diego

2017-09-01

Rail-related suicide is a relatively rare but extremely lethal method of suicide that can have far-reaching consequences. The aim of the systematic literature review was to analyze the existing literature on the effectiveness of rail-suicide prevention activities. Databases used were Scopus, Medline, and ProQuest. The search terms used were "suicid*," "prevent*," "rail*," or "train." English-language studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1 January 1990 and 30 April 2015 that presented an overview of rail-related suicide prevention activities and included an analysis of effectiveness were used. We retrieved 1,229 results in the original search with nine papers presenting empirical evidence. Three studies in the review analyzed the effectiveness of platform screen doors and another three analyzed the installation of blue lights, two papers analyzed the effectiveness of suicide pits, and one included the influence of media reporting guidelines. Platform screen doors, suicide pits, blue lights, and improved media guidelines all have the potential to reduce rail-related suicide events and deaths. The review was restricted to English-language peer-reviewed papers published within the chosen time period. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Markets and system developments in rail-guided passenger transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koch, Guenter [DB International GmbH, Karlsruhe (Germany); Grein, Ottmar [DB International GmbH, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2013-03-01

The way people are transported is an ever-changing process - and that applies to the railway systems too. If anything, this process of change has sped up in recent years. The authors of this report present an overview of the markets for rail-guided forms of transport and the various systems that exist. (orig.)

Management and Evaluation System on Human Error, Licence Requirements, and Job-aptitude in Rail and the Other Industries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, In Soo; Suh, S. M.; Park, G. O. (and others)

2006-07-15

Rail system is a system that is very closely related to the public life. When an accident happens, the public using this system should be injured or even be killed. The accident that recently took place in Taegu subway system, because of the inappropriate human-side task performance, showed demonstratively how its results could turn out to be tragic one. Many studies have shown that the most cases of the accidents have occurred because of performing his/her tasks in inappropriate way. It is generally recognised that the rail system without human element could never be happened quite long time. So human element in rail system is going to be the major factor to the next tragic accident. This state of the art report studied the cases of the managements and evaluation systems related to human errors, license requirements, and job aptitudes in the areas of rail and the other industries for the purpose of improvement of the task performance of personnel which consists of an element and finally enhancement of rail safety. The human errors, license requirements, and evaluation system of the job aptitude on people engaged in agencies with close relation to rail do much for development and preservation their abilities. But due to various inside and outside factors, to some extent it may have limitations to timely reflect overall trends of society, technology, and a sense of value. Removal and control of the factors of human errors will have epochal roles in safety of the rail system through the case studies of this report. Analytical results on case studies of this report will be used in the project 'Development of Management Criteria on Human Error and Evaluation Criteria on Job-aptitude of Rail Safe-operation Personnel' which has been carried out as a part of 'Integrated R and D Program for Railway Safety'.

Management and Evaluation System on Human Error, Licence Requirements, and Job-aptitude in Rail and the Other Industries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, In Soo; Suh, S. M.; Park, G. O.

2006-07-01

Rail system is a system that is very closely related to the public life. When an accident happens, the public using this system should be injured or even be killed. The accident that recently took place in Taegu subway system, because of the inappropriate human-side task performance, showed demonstratively how its results could turn out to be tragic one. Many studies have shown that the most cases of the accidents have occurred because of performing his/her tasks in inappropriate way. It is generally recognised that the rail system without human element could never be happened quite long time. So human element in rail system is going to be the major factor to the next tragic accident. This state of the art report studied the cases of the managements and evaluation systems related to human errors, license requirements, and job aptitudes in the areas of rail and the other industries for the purpose of improvement of the task performance of personnel which consists of an element and finally enhancement of rail safety. The human errors, license requirements, and evaluation system of the job aptitude on people engaged in agencies with close relation to rail do much for development and preservation their abilities. But due to various inside and outside factors, to some extent it may have limitations to timely reflect overall trends of society, technology, and a sense of value. Removal and control of the factors of human errors will have epochal roles in safety of the rail system through the case studies of this report. Analytical results on case studies of this report will be used in the project 'Development of Management Criteria on Human Error and Evaluation Criteria on Job-aptitude of Rail Safe-operation Personnel' which has been carried out as a part of 'Integrated R and D Program for Railway Safety'

A comparative assessment of PM2.5 exposures in light-rail, subway, freeway, and surface street environments in Los Angeles and estimated lung cancer risk.

Science.gov (United States)

Kam, Winnie; Delfino, Ralph J; Schauer, James J; Sioutas, C

2013-01-01

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 570000+ commuters in Los Angeles travel for over 60 minutes to work. Studies have shown that a substantial portion of particulate matter (PM) exposure can occur during this commute. This study represents the integration of the results from five commute environments in Los Angeles. Personal PM exposures are discussed for the: (1) METRO gold line, a ground-level light-rail route, (2) METRO red line, a subway line, (3) the 110, a high volume freeway with low heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) fraction, (4) the 710, a major corridor for HDVs from the Port of Los Angeles, and (5) Wilshire/Sunset Boulevards, major surface streets. Chemical analysis including total and water-soluble metals and trace elements, elemental and organic carbon (EC/OC), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was performed. The focus of this study is to compare the composition and estimated lung cancer risk of PM2.5 (dp subway), most likely from abrasion processes between the rail and brakes; elements associated with tire and brake wear and oil additives (Ca, Ti, Sn, Sb, and Pb) were elevated on roadways. Elemental concentrations on the gold line (light-rail) were the lowest. For water-solubility, metals observed on the red line (subway) were the least soluble. PAHs are primarily derived from vehicular emissions. Overall, the 710 exhibited high levels of PAHs (3.0 ng m−3), most likely due to its high volume of HDVs, while the red and gold lines exhibited low PAH concentrations (0.6 and 0.8 ng m−3 for red and gold lines, respectively). Lastly, lung cancer risk due to inhalation of PAHs was calculated based on a commuter lifetime (45 years for 2 hours per workday). Results showed that lung cancer risk for the 710 is 3.8 and 4.5 times higher than the light-rail (gold line) and subway (red line), respectively. With low levels of both metal and PAH pollutants, our results indicate that commuting on the light-rail (gold line) may have potential health benefits when

RailSiTe® (Rail Simulation and Testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Johne

2016-10-01

Full Text Available RailSiTe® (Rail Simulation and Testing is DLR’s rail simulation and testing laboratory (see Figure 1. It is the implementation of a fully modular concept for the simulation of on-board and trackside control and safety technology. The RailSiTe® laboratory additionally comprises the RailSET (Railway Simulation Environment for Train Drivers and Operators human-factors laboratory, a realistic environment containing a realistic train mockup including 3D simulation.

A survey of wheel-rail contact models for rail vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Meymand, Sajjad Z.; Keylin, Alexander; Ahmadian, Mehdi

2016-03-01

Accurate and efficient contact models for wheel-rail interaction are essential for the study of the dynamic behaviour of a railway vehicle. Assessment of the contact forces and moments, as well as contact geometry provide a fundamental foundation for such tasks as design of braking and traction control systems, prediction of wheel and rail wear, and evaluation of ride safety and comfort. This paper discusses the evolution and the current state of the theories for solving the wheel-rail contact problem for rolling stock. The well-known theories for modelling both normal contact (Hertzian and non-Hertzian) and tangential contact (Kalker's linear theory, FASTSIM, CONTACT, Polach's theory, etc.) are reviewed. The paper discusses the simplifying assumptions for developing these models and compares their functionality. The experimental studies for evaluation of contact models are also reviewed. This paper concludes with discussing open areas in contact mechanics that require further research for developing better models to represent the wheel-rail interaction.

A Survey on the HFE-related Technologies for the Improvements of Human Performance of Safety Personnel in Rail System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koo, I. S.; Park, G. O.; Suh, S. M.; Sim, Y. R.; Go, J. H.; Jeong, J. H.; Son, C. H.

2005-08-01

Many studies have shown that the most cases of rail accidents have occurred because of performing his/her tasks in inappropriate way. It is generally recognised that the rail system without human element could never be happened quite long time. So human element in rail system is going to be the major factor to the next tragic accident. This state-of-the-art report describes three major HFE-related technologies, training simulator, the integrated test facility for human factors engineering, and human performance evaluation system, that are used in the other industries including nuclear power industry for the purpose of increasing rail safety through out the improvement of human task performance. Base on this report, the way of developing those technologies that should be applied to the korean rail system is presented

A Survey on the HFE-related Technologies for the Improvements of Human Performance of Safety Personnel in Rail System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koo, I. S.; Park, G. O.; Suh, S. M.; Sim, Y. R.; Go, J. H.; Jeong, J. H.; Son, C. H

2005-08-15

Many studies have shown that the most cases of rail accidents have occurred because of performing his/her tasks in inappropriate way. It is generally recognised that the rail system without human element could never be happened quite long time. So human element in rail system is going to be the major factor to the next tragic accident. This state-of-the-art report describes three major HFE-related technologies, training simulator, the integrated test facility for human factors engineering, and human performance evaluation system, that are used in the other industries including nuclear power industry for the purpose of increasing rail safety through out the improvement of human task performance. Base on this report, the way of developing those technologies that should be applied to the korean rail system is presented.

BIM Interoperability Limitations: Australian and Malaysian Rail Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenley Russell

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Building information modelling (BIM is defined as a process involving the generation and management of digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. The purpose of interoperability in integrated or “open” BIM is to facilitate the information exchange between different digital systems, models and tools. There has been effort towards data interoperability with development of open source standards and object-oriented models, such as industry foundation classes (IFC for vertical infrastructure. However, the lack of open data standards for the information exchange for horizontal infrastructure limits the adoption and effectiveness of integrated BIM. The paper outlines two interoperability issues for construction of rail infrastructure. The issues are presented in two case study reports, one from Australia and one from Malaysia. The each case study includes: a description of the project, the application of BIM in the project, a discussion of the promised BIM interoperability solution plus the identification of the unresolved lack of interoperability for horizontal infrastructure project management. The Moreton Bay Rail project in Australia introduces general software interoperability issues. The Light Rail Extension project in Kuala Lumpur outlines an example of the integration problems related to two different location data structures. The paper highlights how the continuing lack of data interoperability limits utilisation of integrated BIM for horizontal infrastructure rail projects.

How do light railways fit Sustainably-Safe?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

2006-01-01

Light rail vehicles (tram-like trains or train-like trams) are a new vehicle type that falls outside the current sustainably safe vehicle types. Because of the increase in the number of light rail vehicles, there will be an increase in the number of crashes if they mix with other traffic. Light rail

Intercity passenger rail : the congress faces critical decisions about the role of and funding for intercity passenger rail systems

Science.gov (United States)

2001-07-25

With the growth in the nation's highway and aviation systems in the : previous decades, intercity passenger rail service lost its competitive edge. Highways have enabled cars to be competitive with conventional passenger trains (those operating up to...

Modelling of the work processes high-pressure pump of common rail diesel injection system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Botwinska Katarzyna

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Common rail injection systems are becoming a more widely used solution in the fuel systems of modern diesel engines. The main component and the characteristic feature of the system is rail injection of the fuel under high pressure, which is passed to the injector and further to the combustion chamber. An important element in this process is the high-pressure pump, continuing adequate pressure in the rail injection system. Common rail (CR systems are being modified in order to optimise their work and virtual simulations are a useful tool in order to analyze the correctness of operation of the system while varying the parameters and settings, without any negative impact on the real object. In one particular study, a computer simulation of the pump high-pressure CR system was made in MatLab environment, based on the actual dimensions of the object – a one-cylinder diesel engine, the Farymann Diesel 18W. The resulting model consists of two parts – the first is responsible for simulating the operation of the high-pressure pump, and the second responsible for simulation of the remaining elements of the CR system. The results of this simulation produced waveforms of the following parameters: fluid flow from the manifold to the injector [m3/s], liquid flow from the manifold to the atmosphere [m3/s], and manifold pressure [Pa]. The simulation results allow for a positive verification of the model and the resulting system could become a useful element of simulation of the entire position and control algorithm.

Future Parking Demand at Rail Stations in Klang Valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Phooi Wai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Klang Valley, Malaysia is currently undergoing a massive development of rail transportation system expansion where the current integrated rail transit system will see new extensions of two MRT lines and an LRT line by year 2020. By year 2017, the first MRT line will be ready to run with 31 new rail stations connected to the current passenger rail network. The existing Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley are commonly known as being unable to sufficiently cater for the current parking space demand. Therefore, with the expansion of many additional rail stations which are rapidly under construction, there are doubts that the future parking space at rail stations will be able to accommodate the sudden rise of rail passengers. Although the authorities are increasing parking bays at various locations, will the future parking demand at rail stations be sufficient? This paper studies the factors influencing parking demand in terms of population, car ownership, new car registrations and passenger rail ridership and estimating the future parking demand using Linear Regression method. Result shows that the forecasted parking demand at rail stations after the implementation of the first new MRT system in 2017 is 2.7 times more than in 2014.

Decision-Oriented Project Ranking for Asset Management System: Rail Net Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Salling, Kim Bang; Moshøj, Claus Rehfeld; Timm, Henrik

2007-01-01

is to apply a modified project ranking methodology: Asset Management System Priority Module (AMS-PM), which is a practical tool for assessing and ranking various project proposals in a straightforward manner. The methodology is set-out by a multi-criteria approach where weights are applied ultimately...... resulting in priority indices for the state-of-repair data. This paper is disposed as follows; firstly, a description of the Asset Management system is set-up including an overview of the state-of-repair data and the case study. Secondly, is the AMS-PM software model implemented through an exploratory case......The Danish rail net operator, Rail Net Denmark, has through the past years built up an Asset Management system, containing a certain percentile of all the company’s assets. This paper contains an elaborate overview on how to strengthen the system seen from a decision-support perspective. The focus...

Common rail fuel injection system for improvement of engine performance and reduction of exhaust emission on heavy duty diesel engine; Common rail system ni yoru seino haishutsu gas no kaizen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kato, T; Koyama, T; Sasaki, K; Mori, K; Mori, K [Mitsubishi Motor Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

With the objective of improvement of engine performance and reduction of exhaust emissions, influence of control method to decrease initial injection rate and effect of injector types on fuel leakage of common rail fuel injection system (Common Rail System) were investigated. As a results, it became clear that injector with 2-way valve brings improvement of engine performance and reduction of exhaust emissions as compared with injector with 3-way valve because injector with 2-way valve has lower fuel leakage and is able to use higher injection pressure than injector with 3-way valve. 5 refs., 13 figs., 1 tab.

Mock-up tests of rail-mounted vehicle type in-vessel transporter/manipulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oka, K.; Kakaudate, S.; Fukatsu, S.

1995-01-01

A rail-mounted vehicle system has been developed for remote maintenance of in-vessel components for fusion experimental reactor. In this system, a rail deploying/storing system is installed at outside of the reactor core and used to deploy a rail transporter and vehicle/manipulator for the in-vessel maintenance. A prototype of the rail deploying/storing system has been fabricated for mockup tests. This paper describes structural design of the prototypical rail deploying/storing system and results of the performance tests such as payload capacity, position control and rail deployment/storage performance

Fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Jie; Lu, Kaixia

2018-02-01

The condition detection of rails in high-speed railway is one of the important means to ensure the safety of railway transportation. In order to replace the traditional manual inspection, save manpower and material resources, and improve the detection speed and accuracy, it is of great significance to develop a machine vision system for locating and identifying defects on rails automatically. Rail defects exhibit different properties and are divided into various categories related to the type and position of flaws on the rail. Several kinds of interrelated factors cause rail defects such as type of rail, construction conditions, and speed and/or frequency of trains using the rail. Rail corrugation is a particular kind of defects that produce an undulatory deformation on the rail heads. In high speed train, the corrugation induces harmful vibrations on wheels and its components and reduces the lifetime of rails. This type of defects should be detected to avoid rail fractures. In this paper, a novel method for fast rail corrugation detection based on texture filtering was proposed.

Complex eigenvalue analysis of railway wheel/rail squeal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DR OKE

Squeal noise from wheel/rail and brake disc/pad frictional contact is typical in railways. ... squeal noise by multibody simulation of a rail car running on rigid rails. ... system, traditional complex eigenvalue analysis by finite element was used.

Rail inspection using noncontact laser ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Nak Hyeon; Sohn, Hoon; Han, Soon Woo

2012-01-01

In this study, a noncontact laser ultrasonic system is proposed for rail defect detection. An Nd Yag pulse laser is used for generation of ultrasonic waves, and the corresponding ultrasonic responses are measured by a laser Doppler vibrometer. For the detection of rail surface damages, the shape of the excitation laser beam is transformed into a line. On the other hand, a point source laser beam is used for the inspection of defects inside a rail head. Then, the interactions of propagating ultrasonic waves with defects are examined using actual rail specimens. Amplitude attenuation was mainly observed for a surface crack, and reflections were most noticeable from an internal damage. Finally, opportunities and challenges associated with real time rail inspection from a high speed train are discussed

Optimal trajectory planning and train scheduling for urban rail transit systems

CERN Document Server

Wang, Yihui; van den Boom, Ton; De Schutter, Bart

2016-01-01

This book contributes to making urban rail transport fast, punctual and energy-efficient –significant factors in the importance of public transportation systems to economic, environmental and social requirements at both municipal and national levels. It proposes new methods for shortening passenger travel times and for reducing energy consumption, addressing two major topics: (1) train trajectory planning: the authors derive a nonlinear model for the operation of trains and present several approaches for calculating optimal and energy-efficient trajectories within a given schedule; and (2) train scheduling: the authors develop a train scheduling model for urban rail systems and optimization approaches with which to balance total passenger travel time with energy efficiency and other costs to the operator. Mixed-integer linear programming and pseudospectral methods are among the new methods proposed for single- and multi-train systems for the solution of the nonlinear trajectory planning problem which involv...

Investigation on the Nonlinear Control System of High-Pressure Common Rail (HPCR) System in a Diesel Engine

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Le; Mao, Xiaobing; Ma, Zhexuan

2018-02-01

This study first constructed the nonlinear mathematical model of the high-pressure common rail (HPCR) system in the diesel engine. Then, the nonlinear state transformation was performed using the flow’s calculation and the standard state space equation was acquired. Based on sliding-mode variable structure control (SMVSC) theory, a sliding-mode controller for nonlinear systems was designed for achieving the control of common rail pressure and the diesel engine’s rotational speed. Finally, on the simulation platform of MATLAB, the designed nonlinear HPCR system was simulated. The simulation results demonstrate that sliding-mode variable structure control algorithm shows favorable control performances and overcome the shortcomings of traditional PID control in overshoot, parameter adjustment, system precision, adjustment time and ascending time.

Design of a Rail Gun System for Mitigating Disruptions in Fusion Reactors

Science.gov (United States)

Lay, Wei-Siang

Magnetic fusion devices, such as the tokamak, that carry a large amount of current to generate the plasma confining magnetic fields have the potential to lose magnetic stability control. This can lead to a major plasma disruption, which can cause most of the stored plasma energy to be lost to localized regions on the walls, causing severe damage. This is the most important issue for the $20B ITER device (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) that is under construction in France. By injecting radiative materials deep into the plasma, the plasma energy could be dispersed more evenly on the vessel surface thus mitigating the harmful consequences of a disruption. Methods currently planned for ITER rely on the slow expansion of gases to propel the radiative payloads, and they also need to be located far away from the reactor vessel, which further slows down the response time of the system. Rail guns are being developed for aerospace applications, such as for mass transfer from the surface of the moon and asteroids to low earth orbit. A miniatured version of this aerospace technology seems to be particularly well suited to meet the fast time response needs of an ITER disruption mitigation system. Mounting this device close to the reactor vessel is also possible, which substantially increases its performance because the stray magnetic fields near the vessel walls could be used to augment the rail gun generated magnetic fields. In this thesis, the potential viability on Rail Gun based DMS is studied to investigate its projected fast time response capability by design, fabrication, and experiment of an NSTX-U sized rail gun system. Material and geometry based tests are used to find the most suitable armature design for this system for which the desirable attributes are high specific stiffness and high electrical conductivity. With the best material in these studies being aluminum 7075, the experimental Electromagnetic Particle Injector (EPI) system has propelled

Economic evaluation of current conditions of competition and efficiency of automotive and rail systems in Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasco Correa, Carlos Andrés

2012-01-01

This study uses microeconomic data from the transportation systems of land cargo in Colombia: rail and trucking, to determine their degree of allocative efficiency through the non-parametric method Data Envelopment Analysis DEA. The average overall efficiency found was 74.4% for trains and 20.56% for trucks. These figures indicate that rail is more efficient in the allocation of resources. This means that trains in Colombia use their input better than trucks to maximize their production, given the costs and technological characteristics of each system. This is a signal for the design of a public policy for investment in transportation infrastructure that seeks to raise the competitiveness of Colombian exports, investing not only in roads but in complementary systems such as railways too. - Highlights: ► Colombia is currently undergoing a backlog of transport infrastructure and high export costs. ► We perform a microeconomic study of transportation systems in Colombia: rail and trucking. ► As a result we found that the rail is much more efficient than the automotive system. ► As policy recommendation the government should consider the investment in railways. ► It is necessary to take into account the strategic value that investment in railways would bring.

A symmetrical rail accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igenbergs, E.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the symmetrical rail accelerator that has four rails, which are arranged symmetrically around the bore. The opposite rails have the same polarity and the adjacent rails the opposite polarity. In this configuration the radial force acting upon the individual rails is significantly smaller than in a conventional 2-rail configuration and a plasma armature is focussed towards the axis of the barrel. Experimental results indicate a higher efficiency compared to a conventional rail accelerator

Environmental risk analysis of hazardous material rail transportation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saat, Mohd Rapik, E-mail: mohdsaat@illinois.edu [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Werth, Charles J.; Schaeffer, David [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States); Yoon, Hongkyu [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87123 (United States); Barkan, Christopher P.L. [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1243 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (United States)

2014-01-15

Highlights: • Comprehensive, nationwide risk assessment of hazardous material rail transportation. • Application of a novel environmental (i.e. soil and groundwater) consequence model. • Cleanup cost and total shipment distance are the most significant risk factors. • Annual risk varies from $20,000 to $560,000 for different products. • Provides information on the risk cost associated with specific product shipments. -- Abstract: An important aspect of railroad environmental risk management involves tank car transportation of hazardous materials. This paper describes a quantitative, environmental risk analysis of rail transportation of a group of light, non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) chemicals commonly transported by rail in North America. The Hazardous Materials Transportation Environmental Consequence Model (HMTECM) was used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of environmental characteristics to develop probabilistic estimates of exposure to different spill scenarios along the North American rail network. The risk analysis incorporated the estimated clean-up cost developed using the HMTECM, route-specific probability distributions of soil type and depth to groundwater, annual traffic volume, railcar accident rate, and tank car safety features, to estimate the nationwide annual risk of transporting each product. The annual risk per car-mile (car-km) and per ton-mile (ton-km) was also calculated to enable comparison between chemicals and to provide information on the risk cost associated with shipments of these products. The analysis and the methodology provide a quantitative approach that will enable more effective management of the environmental risk of transporting hazardous materials.

Environmental risk analysis of hazardous material rail transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saat, Mohd Rapik; Werth, Charles J.; Schaeffer, David; Yoon, Hongkyu; Barkan, Christopher P.L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Comprehensive, nationwide risk assessment of hazardous material rail transportation. • Application of a novel environmental (i.e. soil and groundwater) consequence model. • Cleanup cost and total shipment distance are the most significant risk factors. • Annual risk varies from $20,000 to $560,000 for different products. • Provides information on the risk cost associated with specific product shipments. -- Abstract: An important aspect of railroad environmental risk management involves tank car transportation of hazardous materials. This paper describes a quantitative, environmental risk analysis of rail transportation of a group of light, non-aqueous-phase liquid (LNAPL) chemicals commonly transported by rail in North America. The Hazardous Materials Transportation Environmental Consequence Model (HMTECM) was used in conjunction with a geographic information system (GIS) analysis of environmental characteristics to develop probabilistic estimates of exposure to different spill scenarios along the North American rail network. The risk analysis incorporated the estimated clean-up cost developed using the HMTECM, route-specific probability distributions of soil type and depth to groundwater, annual traffic volume, railcar accident rate, and tank car safety features, to estimate the nationwide annual risk of transporting each product. The annual risk per car-mile (car-km) and per ton-mile (ton-km) was also calculated to enable comparison between chemicals and to provide information on the risk cost associated with shipments of these products. The analysis and the methodology provide a quantitative approach that will enable more effective management of the environmental risk of transporting hazardous materials

Development and application of resilient wheels in urban rail transit vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan WEN

Full Text Available Urban rail transit vehicles have been more and more attractive to people as a kind of fast, comfortable, energy-saving, environmental protection and safe transportation. But because of the vehicle noise and vibration, urban rail vehicles also face severe challenges. The research of resilient wheels has been continuously developed and improved. Based on the review of development background and structure sorts of resilient wheels, the advantages of resilient wheels are described, and the research status of noise and vibration reducing, infinite element strength analysis, vehicle dynamic analysis and the wheel-rail wear of resilient wheels are discussed. Taking the low-floor LRVs (light rail vehicles in domestic and overseas as example, the development and application of the resilient wheels in city rail transit is described, and the application prospects of the resilient wheels in LRVs in domestic and the future research direction of elastic wheel are discussed.

The systems of automatic weight control of vehicles in the road and rail transport in Poland

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2011-09-01

Full Text Available . Condition of roads in Poland, despite the on-going modernisation works is still unsatisfactory. One reason is the excessive wear caused by overloaded vehicles. This problem also applies to rail transport, although to a much lesser extent. One solution may be the system of automatic weight control of road and rail vehicles. The article describes the legal and organizational conditions of oversize vehicles inspection in Poland. Characterized current practices weighing road vehicles, based on measurements of static technology. The article includes the description of the existing applications of the automatic dynamic weighing technology, known as systems WIM (Weigh in Motion. Additionally, the weighing technology and construction of weighing stands in road and rail are characterized. The article ends with authors' conclusions indicating the direction and ways of improving the weighing control systems for vehicles.

High Speed Rail Learning System (HSRLS – Taking Advantage of Online Technologies in Railway Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pasi T. Lautala, Ph.D., P.E.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The United States has taken initial steps toward developing a high speed rail (HSR network, but the domestic workforce experience and institutional knowledge necessary for the planning, design, construction, and operations of HSR is underdeveloped. This paper describes and provides preliminary assessment of the High Speed Rail Learning System (HSRLS, a demonstration project that seeks to address gaps in HSR knowledge and skills in the US. The HSRLS developers designed an online education system to serve as a clearinghouse for rail-related information and content, connect teachers, trainers, and students at pre-, and postgraduate levels, and to collect demographic and professional information on groups and individuals interested in HSR. The paper explores the technology review, selection process, and content developed. Website visits and demographic information from over 4,000 unique individuals and 600 HSRLS course registrations are analyzed and assessed.

Ride performance of a high speed rail vehicle using controlled semi active suspension system

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Sunil Kumar; Kumar, Anil

2017-05-01

The rail-wheel interaction in a rail vehicle running at high speed results in large amplitude vibration of carbody that deteriorates the ride comfort of travellers. The role of suspension system is crucial to provide an acceptable level of ride performance. In this context, an existing rail vehicle is modelled in vertical, pitch and roll motions of carbody and bogies. Additionally, nonlinear stiffness and damping parameters of passive suspension system are defined based on experimental data. In the secondary vertical suspension system, a magneto-rheological (MR) damper is included to improve the ride quality and comfort. The parameters of MR damper depend on the current, amplitude and frequency of excitations. At different running speeds, three semi-active suspension strategies with MR damper are analysed for periodic track irregularity and the resulting performance indices are juxtaposed with the nonlinear passive suspension system. The disturbance rejection and force tracking damper controller algorithms are applied to control the desired force of MR damper. This study reveals that the vertical vibrations of a vehicle can be reduced significantly by using the proposed semi-active suspension strategies. Moreover, it naturally results in improved ride quality and passenger’s comfort in comparison to the existing passive system.

Robotics virtual rail system and method

Science.gov (United States)

Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Few, Douglas A [Idaho Falls, ID; Walton, Miles C [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-07-05

A virtual track or rail system and method is described for execution by a robot. A user, through a user interface, generates a desired path comprised of at least one segment representative of the virtual track for the robot. Start and end points are assigned to the desired path and velocities are also associated with each of the at least one segment of the desired path. A waypoint file is generated including positions along the virtual track representing the desired path with the positions beginning from the start point to the end point including the velocities of each of the at least one segment. The waypoint file is sent to the robot for traversing along the virtual track.

Optimal Placement Method of RFID Readers in Industrial Rail Transport for Uneven Rail Traflc Volume Management

Science.gov (United States)

Rakhmangulov, Aleksandr; Muravev, Dmitri; Mishkurov, Pavel

2016-11-01

The issue of operative data reception on location and movement of railcars is significant the constantly growing requirements of the provision of timely and safe transportation. The technical solution for efficiency improvement of data collection on rail rolling stock is the implementation of an identification system. Nowadays, there are several such systems, distinguished in working principle. In the authors' opinion, the most promising for rail transportation is the RFID technology, proposing the equipping of the railway tracks by the stationary points of data reading (RFID readers) from the onboard sensors on the railcars. However, regardless of a specific type and manufacturer of these systems, their implementation is affiliated with the significant financing costs for large, industrial, rail transport systems, owning the extensive network of special railway tracks with a large number of stations and loading areas. To reduce the investment costs for creation, the identification system of rolling stock on the special railway tracks of industrial enterprises has developed the method based on the idea of priority installation of the RFID readers on railway hauls, where rail traffic volumes are uneven in structure and power, parameters of which is difficult or impossible to predict on the basis of existing data in an information system. To select the optimal locations of RFID readers, the mathematical model of the staged installation of such readers has developed depending on the non-uniformity value of rail traffic volumes, passing through the specific railway hauls. As a result of that approach, installation of the numerous RFID readers at all station tracks and loading areas of industrial railway stations might be not necessary,which reduces the total cost of the rolling stock identification and the implementation of the method for optimal management of transportation process.

Characteristics of pressure wave in common rail fuel injection system of high-speed direct injection diesel engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Reza Herfatmanesh

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The latest generation of high-pressure common rail equipment now provides diesel engines possibility to apply as many as eight separate injection pulses within the engine cycle for reducing emissions and for smoothing combustion. With these complicated injection arrangements, optimizations of operating parameters for various driving conditions are considerably difficult, particularly when integrating fuel injection parameters with other operating parameters such as exhaust gas recirculation rate and boost pressure together for evaluating calibration results. Understanding the detailed effects of fuel injection parameters upon combustion characteristics and emission formation is therefore particularly critical. In this article, the results and discussion of experimental investigations on a high-speed direct injection light-duty diesel engine test bed are presented for evaluating and analyzing the effects of main adjustable parameters of the fuel injection system on all regulated emission gases and torque performance. Main injection timing, rail pressure, pilot amount, and particularly pilot timing have been examined. The results show that optimization of each of those adjustable parameters is beneficial for emission reduction and torque improvement under different operating conditions. By exploring the variation in the interval between the pilot injection and the main injection, it is found that the pressure wave in the common rail has a significant influence on the subsequent injection. This suggests that special attentions must be paid for adjusting pilot timing or any injection interval when multi-injection is used. With analyzing the fuel amount oscillation of the subsequent injections to pilot separation, it demonstrates that the frequency of regular oscillations of the actual fuel amount or the injection pulse width with the variation in pilot separation is always the same for a specified fuel injection system, regardless of engine speed

Rails on Windows

CERN Document Server

Hibbs, Curt

2007-01-01

It's no secret that the entire Ruby onRails core team uses OS X as their preferreddevelopment environment. Becauseof this, it is very easy to findauthoritative information on the webabout using Rails on OS X. But the truthis that Windows developers using Railsprobably outnumber those using otherplatforms. A Windows development environmentcan be just as productive asany other platform. This is a guide to developing with Rubyon Rails under Windows. It won't teachyou how to write Ruby on Rails web applications,but it will show you what toolsto use and how to set them up to createa complete Rail

Rail Vehicle Vibrations Control Using Parameters Adaptive PID Controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muzaffer Metin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In this study, vertical rail vehicle vibrations are controlled by the use of conventional PID and parameters which are adaptive to PID controllers. A parameters adaptive PID controller is designed to improve the passenger comfort by intuitional usage of this method that renews the parameters online and sensitively under variable track inputs. Sinusoidal vertical rail misalignment and measured real rail irregularity are considered as two different disruptive effects of the system. Active vibration control is applied to the system through the secondary suspension. The active suspension application of rail vehicle is examined by using 5-DOF quarter-rail vehicle model by using Manchester benchmark dynamic parameters. The new parameters of adaptive controller are optimized by means of genetic algorithm toolbox of MATLAB. Simulations are performed at maximum urban transportation speed (90 km/h of the rail vehicle with ±5% load changes of rail vehicle body to test the robustness of controllers. As a result, superior performance of parameters of adaptive controller is determined in time and frequency domain.

The influence of friction coefficient and wheel/rail profiles on energy dissipation in the wheel/rail contact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Idarraga Alarcon, G.A.; Burgelman, N.D.M.; Meza Meza, J.; Toro, A.; Li, Z.

2015-01-01

This work investigates the energy dissipation in a wheel/rail system through friction work modeling. In order to identify the effect of the friction coefficient on the energy dissipation in the wheel/rail contact, several simulations were performed using a 3D multibody model of a railway vehicle

Electrodynamic wear of rails in high current density rail gun discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, W.T.; Caldwell, S.G.

1984-01-01

Significant advances in high current, high speed power sources, has in recent years allowed rail guns to produce very high velocity (> 10 km/sec) macroscopic particles (> 1/10 grams). A continuing problem is the structural integrity of the components under these loadings and in particular, the rail wear due to the high current density plasma contacts. In this investigation a small bore rail gun (6x5 mm) was used with a 10.6 kjoule capacitor energy source to examine the modes of rail damage. The rails were constructed of 110 copper base material. These rails were used in an uncoated condition and also with plasma sprayed coatings of W and W/WC. The resulting surface wear was characterized by standard metallurgical techniques and analyzed for the various coatings

SELF-DIAGNOSIS METHOD FOR CHECKING THE WAYSIDE SYSTEMS FOR WHEEL-RAIL VERTICAL LOAD MEASUREMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele CORTIS

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, wayside measurement systems of wheel-rail contact forces have acquired great relevance for the monitoring of rolling stock, especially for freight trains. Thanks to these solutions, infrastructure managers can check and monitor the status of rolling stock and, when necessary, impose corrective actions for the railway companies. On the other hand, the evaluation of contact forces is part of the rolling stock authorisation process [1] and a mainstone for the study of the running stability. The data provided by these measurements could give useful information to correlate the wear of the track with the frequency of applied loads, helping in the development of a better maintenance strategy of railway networks [2]. In this paper, the monitoring of vertical forces is based on the SMCV (Vertical Loads Monitoring System method, where shear strains of the rail web are measured with a simple combination of four electrical strain gauges, placed on both sides of the rail web along each span. The research has identified self-diagnosis methods for the SMCV system to ensure the reliability and the quality of the measurements and to extend the knowledge of the system. The recorded signals have been processed and converted into easily interpretable physical quantities by means of MATLAB® algorithm.

Flex Cargo Rail. Developing new service, collection and distribution concepts for the transport of freight by rail.; Flex Cargo Rail. Wege zu neuen Bedien-, Sammel- und Verteilkonzepten im Schienengueterverkehr

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kochsiek, Joachim [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Materialfluss und Logistik (IML), Dortmund (Germany). Gruppe Multimodale Logistik

2010-07-01

FlexCargoRail is a concept for self propelled electric freight wagons. This will enhance rail operations on first and last mile. The concept can be integrated in the existing rail system, so migration is possible without any lost investments. Standard components from industry and rail are used to realise the FCR wagon. Motors, transmissions, control and batteries are available and approved. One of the effects is to enhance service for loading terminals. This can become independent from factory siding operation. From the economic point of view, FCR is realisable. This is shown by target costing. Efficiency of FCR is dependent from high frequent use of FCR rail cars and the use of the possibility to shunt also conventional freight wagons with FCR wagons. Migration should be carried out in logistical networks with frequent operations between plants and sidings with a closed wagon pool. (orig.)

How to Park Freight Trains on Rail-Rail Transshipment Yards: The Train Location Problem

OpenAIRE

Michael Kellner; Nils Boysen; Malte Fliedner

2010-01-01

In modern rail-rail transshipment yards huge gantry cranes spanning all railway tracks allow for an efficent transshipment of containers between different freight trains. This way, multiple trains loaded with cargo for varying destinations can be consolidated to a reduced number of homogeneous trains, which is an essential requirement of hub-and-spoke railway systems. An important problem during the daily operations of such a transshipment yard is the train location problem, which assigns eac...

Impact of physical properties of biodiesel on the injection process in a common-rail direct injection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudy, Frederic; Seers, Patrice

2009-01-01

This paper presents the influence of biodiesel fuel properties on the injection mass flow rate of a diesel common-rail injection system. Simulations are first performed with ISO 4113 diesel fuel on a four-cylinder common-rail system to evaluate a single and triple injection strategies. For each injection strategy, the impact of modifying a single fuel property at a time is evaluated so as to quantify its influence on the injection process. The results show that fuel density is the main property that affects the injection process, such as total mass injected and pressure wave in the common-rail system. The fuel's viscosity and bulk modulus also influence, but to a lessen degree, the mass flow rate of the injector notably during multiple injection strategies as individual properties change the fuel's dampening property and friction coefficient.

Electric rail gun application to space propulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, J.P.

1979-01-01

The paper examines the possibility of using the DC electric gun principles as a space vehicle propulsion system, capable of producing intermediate thrust levels. The application of an electromagnetic launch technique, called the DC electric rail gun, to the space propulsion concept of O'Neill, is examined. It is determined that the DC electric rail gun offers very high projectile accelerations and a very significant potential for reducing the size and mass of a reaction motor for space application. A detailed description of rail gun principles is given and some simple expressions for the accelerating force, gun impedance, power supply requirements, and system performance are discussed

Determination of the primary technical parameters of the test bench for controlling the temperature of rails and rail bars of continuous welded rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tertychnyi Vitalii

2017-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most important factors determining the reliability and safety of operation of the continuous welded rail track is the temperature of the rails. All conditions of laying, repair and maintenance of the track during the entire cycle of rails operation depend on it. The existing rail temperature monitoring method does not take into account a few significant factors and that leads to significant errors in determining the actual temperature of the rail bar. The authors propose a new rail temperature measurement method on a special test bench which maximally simulates possible environmental operating conditions for the rail bars, the profile of the roadway (embankment or cut, as well as the actual spatial latitude and meridian location of the rail slabs. At the bench, the studied rails are fastened with the help of rail braces on half ties, in the ballast bed, with sizes in accordance with the existing reference documents. At the first stage, the most common KB-65 intermediate fastener for the continuous welded rail in Ukraine will be used, while in subsequent stages KPP-5 fastening will be used.

Managing rail service life

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Popović

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The service life of rails depends especially on the operational loads and speeds on the railway lines, as well as on the rail maintenance policy. There are multiple aspects of rail maintenance optimization. The following article considers optimisation of rail maintenance activities relating to rail head surface condition in order to reduce corrective work on track geometry, as well as to minimize the overall costs for track maintenance. The objects of this research are issues and challenges related to rail and track maintenance in curves on modern conventional railway lines for mixed traffic.

Rail passengers rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Đurđev Dušanka J.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The legal framework of rail passengers rights is set out in a combination of international and European law: an international measure, the rather unwieldy Uniform Rules concerning the Contract for International Carriage of Passengers and Luggage by Rail, forming part of the Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail of 9 May 1980 (as amended by the Vilnius Protocol of 3 June 1999 ['CIV'], lays down a basic framework which is then fleshed out by more recent EU legislation, Regulation (EC No 1371/2007 on Rail Passengers ' Rights and Obligations. Regulation 1371/2007/EC on rail passenger rights and obligations sets out minimum quality standards that have to be guaranteed to all passengers on all lines. .

Using real time traveler demand data to optimize commuter rail feeder systems.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

"This report focuses on real time optimization of the Commuter Rail Circulator Route Network Design Problem (CRCNDP). The route configuration of the circulator system where to stop and the route among the stops is determined on a real-time ba...

Some design aspects of a two-stage rail-to-rail CMOS op amp

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gierkink, Sander L.J.; Holzmann, Peter J.; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Wassenaar, R.F.

1999-01-01

A two-stage low-voltage CMOS op amp with rail-to-rail input and output voltage ranges is presented. The circuit uses complementary differential input pairs to achieve the rail-to-rail common-mode input voltage range. The differential pairs operate in strong inversion, and the constant

Urban freight distribution: council warehouses & freight by rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksander SŁADKOWSKI

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Rail is the one of the highly underused form of freight transportation in the European Union. Majority of the freightage are distributed by trucks and HGVs. With new regulations and socio-environmental concerns urban logistics is facing a new challenge which can be tackled using innovative transport mechanisms and streamline operations. This article sheds light on a system which integrates freight distribution via metro lines in the closest vicinity of the customer, use of council warehouses and further innovative transport mechanisms for final delivery. This system uses existing infrastructure effectively without impacting its surroundings and triggers the reduction of polluting carriers. This system offers the option of immediate implementation which will enable EU to compete with a global freight distribution market.

Preliminary rail access study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Yucca Mountain site, located on the southwestern edge of the Nevada Test Site, is an undeveloped area under investigation as a potential site for nuclear waste disposal by the US Department of Energy. The site currently lacks rail service and an existing rail right-of-way. If the site is suitable and selected for development as a disposal site, rail service is desirable to the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program because of the potential of rail to reduce number of shipments and costs relative to highway transportation. This preliminary report is a summary of progress to date for activities to identify and evaluate potential rail options from major rail carriers in the region to the Yucca Mountain site. It is currently anticipated that the rail spur will be operational after the year 2000. 9 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs

Large scale implementation of guided wave based broken rail monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Francois A.; Loveday, Philip W.; Long, Craig S.

2015-03-01

A guided wave ultrasound system has been developed over the past 17 years to detect breaks in continuously welded rail track. Installation of the version 4 system on an 840 km long heavy duty freight line was conducted between January 2013 and June 2014. The system operates in pitch - catch mode with alternate transmit and receive transducers spaced approximately 1km apart. If the acoustic signal is not received at the receive station an alarm is triggered to indicate a break in the rail between the transmit station and the receive station. The system is permanently installed, powered by solar panels and issues broken rail alarms using the GSM network where available, and digital radio technology in other areas. A total of 931 stations were installed and the entire length of rail is interrogated every fifteen minutes. The system operates reliably although some problems involving unreliable GSM communication and theft of solar panels have been experienced. In the first two months of operation four broken rails were detected and train operation was halted temporarily for repairs.

Atlanta Rail Yard Study: Evaluation of local-scale air pollution ...

Science.gov (United States)

Intermodal rail yards are important nodes in the freight transportation network, where freight is organized and moved from one mode of transport to another, critical equipment is serviced, and freight is routed to its next destination. Rail yard environments are also areas with multiple sources of air pollutant emissions (e.g., heavy-duty vehicles, locomotives, cranes), which may affect local air quality in residential areas nearby. In order to understand emissions and related air quality impacts, two field studies took place over the time span of 2010-2012 to measure air pollution trends in close proximity to the Inman and Tilford rail yard complex in Atlanta, GA. One field study involved long-term stationary monitoring of black carbon, fine particles, and carbon dioxide at two stations nearby the rail yard. In addition, a second field study performed intensive mobile air monitoring for a one month period in the summer of 2012 at a roadway network surrounding the rail yard complex and measured a comprehensive array of pollutants. Real-time mobile particulate measurements included particle counts, extinction coefficient, black carbon via light-absorption and particle incandescence, and particle composition derived by aerosol mass spectrometry. Gas-phase measurements included oxides of nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and air toxics (e.g., benzene). Both sets of measurements determined detectable local influence from rail yard-related emissions.

Kinematic analysis on rail development into vacuum vessel for ITER blanket maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, Satoshi; Shibanuma, Kiyoshi

2006-01-01

The vehicle manipulator system for blanket maintenance is used as a main driving mechanism for rail development, and three driving mechanisms d1, d2 (or d2') and d3 are used as cycle sequence of the repeated operations for rail development. This repeated operation can develop the articulated rail into the vacuum vessel. The rail development scenario, kinematic analysis model for rail development without any driving mechanisms in the rail joints, equations defined the angular between two rail links, identification of rail link at repeated operation, numerical analysis results on rail deployment under the forced position control of l i+1 , new rail development scenario using two driving mechanisms d1 and d2''under one cycle sequence of the repeated operations, and rail development test are reported. (S.Y.)

Rail Base Corrosion and Cracking Prevention: Phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

2018-04-09

EWI was engaged by the Federal Railroad Administration to research rail treatments to prevent rail base corrosion in corrosive environments. A coating system was selected in Phase 1 and recommended for field trials. In Phase 2, four railroads sponsor...

Structural parameter optimization design for Halbach permanent maglev rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, F.; Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J.

2010-01-01

Maglev rail is an important part of the magnetic levitation launch system. Reducing the manufacturing cost of magnetic levitation rail is the key problem for the development of magnetic levitation launch system. The Halbach permanent array has an advantage that the fundamental spatial field is cancelled on one side of the array while the field on the other side is enhanced. So this array used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent maglev rail could improve the surface magnetic field and the levitation force. In order to make the best use of Nd-Fe-B (NdFeB) material and reduce the cost of maglev rail, the effect of the rail's structural parameters on levitation force and the utilization rate of NdFeB material are analyzed. The optimal ranges of these structural parameters are obtained. The mutual impact of these parameters is also discussed. The optimization method of these structure parameters is proposed at the end of this paper.

Structural parameter optimization design for Halbach permanent maglev rail

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guo, F., E-mail: guofang19830119@163.co [R and D Center of Applied Superconductivity, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Tang, Y.; Ren, L.; Li, J. [R and D Center of Applied Superconductivity, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2010-11-01

Maglev rail is an important part of the magnetic levitation launch system. Reducing the manufacturing cost of magnetic levitation rail is the key problem for the development of magnetic levitation launch system. The Halbach permanent array has an advantage that the fundamental spatial field is cancelled on one side of the array while the field on the other side is enhanced. So this array used in the design of high temperature superconducting permanent maglev rail could improve the surface magnetic field and the levitation force. In order to make the best use of Nd-Fe-B (NdFeB) material and reduce the cost of maglev rail, the effect of the rail's structural parameters on levitation force and the utilization rate of NdFeB material are analyzed. The optimal ranges of these structural parameters are obtained. The mutual impact of these parameters is also discussed. The optimization method of these structure parameters is proposed at the end of this paper.

Affordability Assessment to Implement Light Rail Transit (LRT for Greater Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anjang Nugroho

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The high population density and the increasing visitors in Yogyakarta aggravate the traffic congestion problem. BRT (Bus Rapid Transit services, Trans Jogja has not managed to solve this problem yet. Introducing Light Rail Transit (LRT has been considered as one of the solutions to restrain the congestion in Greater Yogyakarta. As the first indication that the LRT can be built in Greater Yogyakarta, the transportation affordability index was used to understand whether the LRT tariff was affordable. That tariff was calculated based on government policy in determining railway tariff. The forecasted potential passengers and LRT route have been analyzed as the previous steps to get LRT tariff. Potential passenger was forecasted from gravity mode, and the proposed LRT route was chosen using Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA. The existing transportation affordability index was calculated for comparison analysis using the percentage of the expenditures for transportation made by monthly income of each household. The result showed that the LRT for Greater Yogyakarta was the most affordable transport mode compared to the Trans Jogja Bus and motorcycle. The affordability index of Tram Jogja for people having average income was 10.66% while another people with bottom quartile income was 13.56%. Keywords: Greater Yogyakarta, LRT, affordability.

The rail abandonment process: A southern perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-12-01

One factor in evaluating the desirability of rail transport for high-level radioactive wastes or spent fuels is the frequency, or lack thereof, with which railroad and railroad lines have been, and are, abandoned. If DOE makes a decision to use the rail option and a line is subsequently abandoned, the choice results in increased cost, time delays and possibly safety problems: Information is therefore needed prior to the decision-making process to evaluate the desirability of the rail shipping option. One result of the abandonments mentioned herein, as well as other later abandonments, is the creation of a US rail system undergoing an evolutionary process in the 1980s as far-reaching as the changes that occurred when the industry was in its infancy a century and-a-half ago. The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors leading to some of these changes by tracing the historical development of the rail abandonment process, with particular emphasis on the rise of regional railroads, their problems in the modern era and current trends in rail abandonments as well as their effects on the southeastern United States

Common rail technology for future low emission diesel vehicles; Common Rail Technologie fuer zukuenftige Diesel Fahrzeuge mit niedrigen Emissionswerten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, D.; Bercher, P.; Guerrassi, N.; Spadafora, P.

2004-07-01

The diesel fuel injection equipment will remain a key element for diesel engine technology evolution. Achieving emission targets at competitive prices has been and will continue to be a major technical challenge to the engine manufacturer. Delphi is continuously developing its common rail system and its components to fulfill future stricter emission legislation while simultaneously improving performance on noise, fuel consumption and power output. This paper will describe the latest developments that delphi introduced into the market in their common rail system to comply with future legislative emission targets. Further, a novel common rail injector will be presented, that uses a revolutionary, direct acting operating principle, where the nozzle is directly operated by a piezo actuator, without the use of a servo-hydraulic flow circuit. The superior performance of this injector concept will be shown, especially in minimum quantity capability as well as multiple injection performance. The direct acting operating principle allows rapid opening and closing of the injector, without compromising pilot quantity capability. The emission benefit obtained by such opening and closing behavior will be shown. Finally, based on the findings discussed, the paper will conclude on key features of future common rail systems. (orig.)

Field monitoring of rail squats using 3D ultrasonic mapping technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaewunruen, S.; Ishida, M.

2014-01-01

Rail squats and studs are typically classified as the propagation of any cracks .that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface. Some of the cracks could propagate to the bottom of rails transversely, which have branched from the initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The rail defects are commonly referred to as 'squats' when they were initiated from a damage layer caused by rolling contact fatigue, and as 'studs' when they were associated with a white etching layer caused by the transformation from pearlitic steel due to friction heat generated by wheel sliding or excessive traction. Such above-mentioned rail defects have been often observed in railway tracks catered for either light passenger or heavy freight traffics and for low, medium or high speed trains all over the world for over 60 years except some places such as sharp curves where large wear takes place under severe friction between the wheel flange and rail gauge face. It becomes a much-more significant issue when the crack grows and sometimes flakes off the rail (by itself or by insufficient rail grinding), resulting in a rail surface irregularity. Such rail surface defects induce wheel/rail impact and large amplitude vibration of track structure and poor ride quality. In Australia, Europe, and Japan, rail squats/studs have occasionally turned into broken rails. The root cause and preventive solution to this defect are still under investigation from the fracture mechanics and material sciences point of view. Some patterns of squat/stud development related to both curve and tangent track geometries have been observed and squat growth has been monitored for individual squats using ultrasonic mapping techniques. This paper highlights the field monitoring of squat/stud distribution and its growth. Squat/stud growth has been detected and scanned using the ultrasonic measurement device on a grid applied to the rail surface. The depths of crack paths at each grid node form a

Field monitoring of rail squats using 3D ultrasonic mapping technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kaewunruen, S., E-mail: sakdirat.kaewunruen@transport.nsw.gov.au [NSW, Transport, Sydney (Australia); Ishida, M., E-mail: ishida-mk@n-koei.jp [Nippon Koei Co. Ltd., Railway Div., Railway Engineering Dept., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan)

2014-11-15

Rail squats and studs are typically classified as the propagation of any cracks .that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface. Some of the cracks could propagate to the bottom of rails transversely, which have branched from the initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The rail defects are commonly referred to as 'squats' when they were initiated from a damage layer caused by rolling contact fatigue, and as 'studs' when they were associated with a white etching layer caused by the transformation from pearlitic steel due to friction heat generated by wheel sliding or excessive traction. Such above-mentioned rail defects have been often observed in railway tracks catered for either light passenger or heavy freight traffics and for low, medium or high speed trains all over the world for over 60 years except some places such as sharp curves where large wear takes place under severe friction between the wheel flange and rail gauge face. It becomes a much-more significant issue when the crack grows and sometimes flakes off the rail (by itself or by insufficient rail grinding), resulting in a rail surface irregularity. Such rail surface defects induce wheel/rail impact and large amplitude vibration of track structure and poor ride quality. In Australia, Europe, and Japan, rail squats/studs have occasionally turned into broken rails. The root cause and preventive solution to this defect are still under investigation from the fracture mechanics and material sciences point of view. Some patterns of squat/stud development related to both curve and tangent track geometries have been observed and squat growth has been monitored for individual squats using ultrasonic mapping techniques. This paper highlights the field monitoring of squat/stud distribution and its growth. Squat/stud growth has been detected and scanned using the ultrasonic measurement device on a grid applied to the rail surface. The depths of crack paths at each

75 FR 76520 - Tennessee Southern Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-08

... family by converting two of its subsidiaries from corporations into limited liability companies: (1... Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.--Corporate Family... Railroad Company (TSRR), Patriot Rail, LLC (PRL) and its subsidiaries, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC (PRH) and...

Singular point analysis during rail deployment into vacuum vessel for ITER blanket maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, Satoshi; Shibanuma, Kiyoshi

2007-05-01

Remote maintenance of the ITER blanket composed of about 400 modules in the vessel is required by a maintenance robot due to high gamma radiation of ∼500Gy/h in the vessel. A concept of rail-mounted vehicle manipulator system has been developed to apply to the maintenance of the ITER blanket. The most critical issue of the vehicle manipulator system is the feasibility of the deployment of the articulated rail composed of eight rail links into the donut-shaped vessel without any driving mechanism in the rail. To solve this issue, a new driving mechanism and procedure for the rail deployment has been proposed, taking account of a repeated operation of the multi-rail links deployed in the same kinematical manner. The new driving mechanism, which is deferent from those of a usual 'articulated arm' equipped with actuator in the every joint for movement, is composed of three mechanisms. To assess the feasibility of the kinematics of the articulated rail for rail deployment, a kinematical model composed of three rail links related to a cycle of the repeated operation for rail deployment was considered. The determinant det J' of the Jacobian matrix J' was solved so as to estimate the existence of a singular point of the transformation during rail deployment. As a result, it is found that there is a singular point due to det J'=0. To avoid the singular point of the rail links, a new location of the second driving mechanism and the related rail deployment procedure are proposed. As a result of the rail deployment test based on the new proposal using a full-scale vehicle manipulator system, the respective rail links have been successfully deployed within 6 h less than the target of 8 h in the same manner of the repeated operation under a synchronized cooperation among the three driving mechanisms. It is therefore concluded that the feasibility of the rail deployment of the articulated rail composed of simple structures without any driving mechanism has been demonstrated

AN ANALYSIS OF SPATIAL EQUITY CONCERNING INVESTMENTS IN HIGH-SPEED RAIL SYSTEMS: THE CASE STUDY OF ITALY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca PAGLIARA

2016-09-01

Full Text Available It is recognised in the literature that spatial accessibility is a measure of spatial equity and can be represented by the ease of travelling from an origin to a given destination via a given mode or set of transport modes. Although urban areas can benefit from improvements in accessibility when a new high-speed rail line is built, equity issues may arise. This manuscript describes a methodology for evaluating equity impacts due to an extension of the High Speed Rail network in Italy. A joint Revealed/Stated Preference survey has been carried out, collecting socioeconomic and travel data. Specifically, nine hypothetical scenarios have been submitted to Italian users aiming at understanding the motivations for not choosing the High Speed Rail as an alternative. The main outcome is that the access/egress travel costs connected with the High Speed Rail have a strong impact on spatial equity. The main policy implications of this study are that investors in high-speed rail should not only take into account the economic benefits brought by them, but also the spatial imbalance that these systems can bring.

Identification and prioritization of rail squat defects in the field using rail magnetisation technology

Science.gov (United States)

Kaewunruen, Sakdirat

2015-04-01

Inevitably, rail squats and studs are continuing to be a serious problem for railway organisations around the world in the 21st century. They are typically classified as the growth of any cracks that have grown longitudinally through the subsurface and some of the cracks propagating to the bottom of rails transversely, and have branched from initial longitudinal cracks with a depression of rail surface. The horizontal crack, which results in a depression of rail surface, induces increased maintenance level, more frequent monitoring, compromised rail testing (as the crack shields the signal echoes), and possible broken rails. This paper presents field investigations using a magnetised-rail testing device developed by MRX Technologies to identify and prioritise the rail squats. Most of the in situ squats were found on the high rail of the transition (variable-radius curved track), which is associated with rolling contact fatigue (RCF). This investigation highlights the field performance of the MRX's surface crack detection technology in comparison with the traditional ultrasonic method and detailed walking inspection. Visually, it was found in the field that the size of the RCF squats varies from very small to moderate. The predicted crack data were obtained by scanning the magnitised rails. The comparison of the actual crack depths (ultrasonic) and the predicted crack depths (MRX device) shows: • A possible correlation for small RCF/ squat cracks. • Poor interpretation of larger defects and welds. The field assessment also suggests some practical issues required for further development, including the detection of rail spalling, deep transverse crack, welding, and so on.

The Homogeneity Research of Urban Rail Transit Network Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Fu-jian

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Urban Rail Transit is an important part of the public transit, it is necessary to carry out the corresponding network function analysis. Previous studies mainly about network performance analysis of a single city rail transit, lacking of horizontal comparison between the multi-city, it is difficult to find inner unity of different Urban Rail Transit network functions. Taking into account the Urban Rail Transit network is a typical complex networks, so this paper proposes the application of complex network theory to research the homogeneity of Urban Rail Transit network performance. This paper selects rail networks of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou as calculation case, gave them a complex network mapping through the L, P Space method and had a static topological analysis using complex network theory, Network characteristics in three cities were calculated and analyzed form node degree distribution and node connection preference. Finally, this paper studied the network efficiency changes of Urban Rail Transit system under different attack mode. The results showed that, although rail transport network size, model construction and construction planning of the three cities are different, but their network performance in many aspects showed high homogeneity.

Bronze railing from Mediana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasić Miloje R.

2003-01-01

Full Text Available The hoard containing components of bronze railing was discovered in trench 7 during excavations at Mediana in 2000. Railing consists of cancelli and herms with busts of deities between them. Railing was constructed in such a way that it was possible to disassemble and reassemble it. Three cancelli one fragmented semicancellus cast together with herm and herms, one with bust of Aesculapius and other with bust of Luna. It could be concluded that railing consisted of two segments with passage between them. Male deities were represented on the left segment of the railing and female deities on the right segment. Detailed analysis revealed that Aesculapius as well as Luna bear strong mark of classical Greek and Hellenistic art, which experienced some kind of renaissance in the time of Constantine I. It is very probable that we can recognize the portrait of Faustina, Constantine’s wife in the portrait of Luna. According to the historical events the railing could have been produced before 325 AD when Constantine definitively accepted Christianity at Council of Nicaea. It is difficult to say where the railing had been produced. It had been most probably brought to Mediana during the stay of emperor Julian in Niš in 361. The sculptures found in one room of the villa with peristyle had probably been brought at the same time. The apse of triclinium of this villa had most likely been arranged as small shrine with bronze railing at its entrance. The railing was buried in 378 after battle of Adrianople and invasion of Goths in diocese Dacia.

Rail-Guided Multi-Robot System for 3D Cellular Hydrogel Assembly with Coordinated Nanomanipulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huaping Wang

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The 3D assembly of micro-/nano-building blocks with multi-nanomanipulator coordinated manipulation is one of the central elements of nanomanipulation. A novel rail-guided nanomanipulation system was proposed for the assembly of a cellular vascular-like hydrogel microchannel. The system was equipped with three nanomanipulators and was restricted on the rail in order to realize the arbitrary change of the end-effectors during the assembly. It was set up with hybrid motors to achieve both a large operating space and a 30 nm positional resolution. The 2D components such as the assembly units were fabricated through the encapsulation of cells in the hydrogel. The coordinated manipulation strategies among the multi-nanomanipulators were designed with vision feedback and were demonstrated through the bottom-up assembly of the vascular-like microtube. As a result, the multi-layered microchannel was assembled through the cooperation of the nanomanipulation system.

Acceleration Feedback-Based Active and Semi-Active Seismic Response Control of Rail-Counterweight Systems of Elevators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rildova

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the observations in the past earthquake events, the traction elevators in buildings are known to be vulnerable to earthquake induced ground motions. Among several components of an elevator, the counterweight being heaviest is also known to be more susceptible than others. The inertial effects of the counterweight can overstress the guide rails on which it moves. Here we investigate to use the well-known acceleration feedback-based active and semi-active control methods to reduce stresses in the rails. The only way a control action can be applied to a moving counterweight-rail system is through a mass damper placed in the plane of the counterweight. For this, a part of the counterweight mass can be configured as a mass damper attached to a small actuator for an active scheme or to a magneto-rheological damper for a semi-active scheme. A comprehensive numerical study is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed configuration of control system. It is observed that the two control schemes are effective in reducing the stress response by about 20 to 25% and improve the system fragility over a good range of seismic intensities.

A low-voltage Op Amp with rail-to-rail constant-gm input stage and a class AB rail-to-rail output stage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Botma, J.H.; Wassenaar, R.F.; Wiegerink, Remco J.

1993-01-01

In this paper a low-voltage two-stage Op Amp is presented. The Op Amp features rail-to-rail operation and has an @put stage with a constant transconductance (%) over the entire common-mode input range. The input stage consists of an n- and a PMOS differential pair connected in parallel. The constant

Can urban rail transit curb automobile energy consumption?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Boqiang; Du, Zhili

2017-01-01

With the rapid development of China's economy and the speed of urbanization, China's automobile sector has experienced rapid development. The rapid development of the automobile sector has increased energy consumption. According to the results of this paper, automobile energy consumption accounted for about 10.73% of total energy consumption in China in 2015, about 3.6 times the proportion a decade ago. With the deterioration of urban traffic conditions, relying on expanding the amount of vehicles and city road network cannot solve the problem. Urban rail transit is energy-saving and less-polluting, uses less space, has large capacity, and secure. Urban rail transit, according to the principle of sustainable development, is a green transportation system and should be especially adopted for large and medium-sized cities. The paper uses the binary choice model (Probit and Logit) to analyze the main factors influencing the development of rail transit in Chinese cities, and whether automobile energy consumption is the reason for the construction of urban rail transit. Secondly, we analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption using DID model. The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly, with continuous impact in the second year. - Highlights: • Investigate the main factors influencing the building of rail transit for Chinese cities. • Analyze the influence of urban rail transit on automobile energy consumption by DID model. • The results indicate that the construction of urban rail traffic can restrain automobile energy consumption significantly.

Rail vehicle dynamics

CERN Document Server

Knothe, Klaus

2017-01-01

This book on the dynamics of rail vehicles is developed from the manuscripts for a class with the same name at TU Berlin. It is directed mainly to master students with pre-knowledge in mathematics and mechanics and engineers that want to learn more. The important phenomena of the running behaviour of rail vehicles are derived and explained. Also recent research results and experience from the operation of rail vehicles are included. One focus is the description of the complex wheel-rail contact phenomena that are essential to understand the concept of running stability and curving. A reader should in the end be able to understand the background of simulation tools that are used by the railway industry and universities today.

Návrh Rail-to-Rail proudového konvejoru v technologii CMOS

OpenAIRE

Hudzik, Martin

2016-01-01

Diplomová práca sa zaoberá návrhom rail-to-rail prúdového konvejora druhej generácie v technológii CMOS. Opisuje princípy funkcie jednotlivých generácii prúdových konvejorov a taktiež základný princíp návrhu prúdového konvejora druhej generácie založeného na operačnom zosilňovači. Venuje sa obvodovému riešeniu vstupného rail-to-rail stupňa a koncového stupňa v triede AB. Cieľom tejto práce je navrhnúť, charakterizovať vlastnosti a vytvoriť topológiu prúdového konvejora druhej generácie s rail...

Design of Low Voltage Low Power CMOS OP-AMPS with Rail-to-Rail Input/Output Swing

OpenAIRE

Gopalaiah, SV; Shivaprasad, AP; Panigrahi, Sukanta K

2004-01-01

A novel input and output biasing circuit to extend the input common mode (CM) voltage range and the output swing to rail-to-rail in a low voltage op-amp in standard CMOS technology is presented. The input biasing circuit uses a Switched Capacitor Based Attenuator (SCBA) approach to establish rail-to-rail common mode input voltage range. And the output biasing circuit uses an Output Driver (OD), with floating bias to give the rail-to-rail swing at output stage. Three different OD schemes in op...

Three-dimensional rail cooling analysis for a repetitively fired railgun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, H.P.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on a three-dimensional (3-D) rail cooling analysis for fabrication and demonstration of a stand-alone repetitive fire compulsator driven 9 MJ gun system which has been performed to assure the entire rail can be maintained below its thermal limit for multiple shots. The 3-D rail thermal model can predict the temperature, pressure, and convective heat transfer coefficient variations of the coolant along the 10 m long copper rail. The 9-MJ projectiles will be fired every 20 s for 3 min. Water cooling was used in the model for its high cooling capacity. Single liquid phase heat transfer was assumed in the cooling analysis. For multiple shots, the temperature difference between the rail and the water was enhanced due to accumulated heat in the rail. As a result, the heat removal by water increased from shot-to-shot. The rail temperature initially increased and finally stabilized after a number of shots

Multiphysics modeling of a rail gun launcher

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y W Kwon

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A finite element based multiphysics modeling was conducted for a rail gunlauncher to predict the exit velocity of the launch object, and temperaturedistribution. For this modeling, electromagnetic field analysis, heat transferanalysis, thermal stress analysis, and dynamic analysis were conducted fora system consisting of two parallel rails and a moving armature. In particular,an emphasis was given to model the contact interface between rails andthe armature. A contact theory was used to estimate the electric as well asthermal conductivities at the interface. Using the developed model, aparametric study was conducted to understand effects of variousparameters on the exit velocity as well as the temperature distribution in therail gun launcher.

High speed rails. Fatigue behaviour

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duart, J. M.; Pero-Sanz, J. A.; Verdeja, J. I.

2005-01-01

In recent years, passenger train speed and freight train load have increased to enhance efficiency of rail road transportation. These trends have increased the severity of rail service conditions, calling for rails with greater wear resistance, strength and fatigue behaviour. In the United Stated and Europe, track site weld rails are made entirely by aluminothermic process. This work describes the results of experimental study conducted on bending fatigue strength of plain rails and aluminothermic welded rails with preheating procedures (oxipropane and air-induced propane) approved by railways authorities. Compliance with the required fatigue strength shall be ascertained by 4 point pulsating bending test in accordance with European standards by aluminothermic welding in rails. The locati method, based in the empirical Miner's law about the cumulative damage on a fatigue tested material, allows, once known the Wohler curve of the welding process in use to settle the fatigue tensile limit at 50% with only one test. The values obtained at 2.10''6 cycles for plain rails (S f =353 MPa), oxipropane preheated aluminothermic weld rails (S f =225 MPa), and propane-air induced aluminothermic weld rails (S f =210 MPa) are very similar to those resulting from test method stated in the European Standard. From our point of view and due to its ease, speediness and savings, this is the most suitable test to check the quality and compare the aluminothermic processes in use. (Author) 15 refs

Pressure Fluctuations in a Common-Rail Fuel Injection System

Science.gov (United States)

Rothrock, A M

1931-01-01

This report presents the results of an investigation to determine experimentally the instantaneous pressures at the discharge orifice of a common-rail fuel injection system in which the timing valve and cut-off valve were at some distance from the automatic fuel injection valve, and also to determine the methods by which the pressure fluctuations could be controlled. The results show that pressure wave phenomena occur between the high-pressure reservoir and the discharge orifice, but that these pressure waves can be controlled so as to be advantageous to the injection of the fuel. The results also give data applicable to the design of such an injection system for a high-speed compression-ignition engine.

A Methodology for Long-Term Analysis of Innovative Signalling Systems on Regional Rail Lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca D'Acierno

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A rail system may be considered a useful tool for reducing vehicular flows on a road system (i.e. cars and trucks, especially in high-density contexts such as urban and metropolitan areas where greenhouse gas emissions need to be abated. In particular, since travellers maximise their own utility, variations in mobility choices can be induced only by significantly improving the level-of-service of public transport. Our specific proposal is to identify the economic and environmental effects of implementing an innovative signalling system (which would reduce passenger waiting times by performing a cost-benefit analysis based on a feasibility threshold approach. Hence, it is necessary to calculate long-term benefits and compare them with intervention costs. In this context, a key factor to be considered is travel demand estimation in current and future conditions. This approach was tested on a regional rail line in southern Italy to show the feasibility and utility of the proposed methodology.

To the question of modeling of wheels and rails wear processes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S.V. Myamlin

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose. There is a need of wear process modeling in the wheel-rail system. This is related to the fact that the wear processes in this system are absolutely different in the initial and final stages. The profile change of rail and, especially, of the wheels caused by the wear significantly affects the rolling stock dynamics, traffic safety and the resource of the wheels and rails. Wear modeling and the traffic safety evaluation requires the accounting of the low frequency component forces (including the modeling of transitional areas affecting the wheel on the side of the rail and carriage in motion of rolling stock, so the statistical analysis is not possible. Methodology. The method of mathematical modeling of the wheel set and the rail interaction was used during the research conducting. Findings. As a result of the modeling of the wheel set motion on the rail track, the mathematic model with 19 freedom degrees was obtained. This model takes into account the axle torque and studies wheels constructions as the components of the mechanical systems, consisting of a hub and tire. Originality. The mathematic model allows evaluating the wear degree of the wheels and rails when using on the rolling stock not only all-metal wheel sets, but also compound ones with the use of spring wheels and independent rotation of semi-axes with the wheels. Practical value. The development of the improved mathematical model of freight car wheel set motion with differential rotation of the wheels and compound axles allows studying the wear processes of wheels and rails.

Simply rails 2 the ultimate beginner's guide to Ruby on rails

CERN Document Server

Lenz, Patrick

2008-01-01

Want to learn all about Ruby on Rails 2.0, the web application framework that is inspiring developers around the world? The second edition of this practical, hands on book will: show you how to install Ruby on Rails on Windows, Mac, or Linux walk you, step by step, through the development of a Web 2.0 social news application, just like digg.com show you how to test, debug, benchmark, and deploy your Rails application Unlike other Rails books, this book doesn't assume that you are an experienced web developer, or that you've used Ruby before. An entire chapter is devoted to learning Ruby in a fun way, using the interactive Ruby console, so you can follow along at home. You'll be an accomplished Ruby programmer in no time! The example application that the book builds - a user-generated news web site - is built upon with each following chapter, and concepts such as sessions, cookies and basic AJAX usage are gradually introduced. Different aspects of Rails, such as user authentication, session cookies, and automa...

Appraisal on Rail Transit Development: A Review on Train Services and Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Nordin, Noor Hafiza binti; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Ghazali, Mohd Imran bin; Azis, Mohd Isom bin

2017-08-01

The ever increasing problems faced by population around the world have made demands that transportation need to be improved as an effective and efficient communication means. It is considered as a necessity especially when rapid development and economic growth of a country is the agenda. Among the transportation modes being focused as critical facilities are the bus system, rail system, road network, shipping system and air transportation system. Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In Malaysia, the railway network has evolved tremendously since its inception in the early 19th century. It has grown proportionally with the national development. Railway network does not only mean for rural transportation, but it also considered as a solution to urban congestion challenges. Currently, urban rail transit is the most popular means of urban transportation system especially as big cities such as Kuala Lumpur. This paper presents the definition of rail transportation system and its role in urban or sub-urban operation. It also describes the brief history of world railway transportation including a discussion on Malaysian rail history perspective. As policy and standard are important in operating a railway system, this paper also illustrates and discusses some elements which have an impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of train operation. Towards the end, this paper also shares the importance of railway safety based on real case studies around the world. Thus, it is hoped that this paper will enable the public to understand the rail transit development and appreciate its existence as a public transportation system.

Revisiting the reasons for contact fatigue defects in rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darenskiy Alexander

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As it is known rail is one of the most significant elements of the whole railway construction. Operation under alternating loads from wheels of the rolling stock and different ambient temperatures lead to appearance and development of rail defects and damages. A great variety of operational factors (freight traffic density, axial loads, traffic speeds, track layout and profile as well as special features of manufacturing and thermal treatment of rails create certain difficulties while identifying reasons for defects and damages. The article deals with an attempt to estimate influence of track layout and lateral forces on appearance of defects and damages in rails on the base of long-term observations of rail operation in Kharkiv Metro. On the basis of the vehicle/track mathematical model which considers structural features of both rolling stock and permanent way in underground systems, the level of lateral forces in curves was calculated. The coefficients of correlation between the track curvature, the level of forces and the amount of defected rails removed were later obtained, that made it possible to determine the dominant factor which may lead to appearance and development of contact fatigue defects in rails laid in curves.

Phase I development of an aesthetic, precast concrete bridge rail.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

Precast concrete bridge rail systems offer several advantages over traditional cast-in-place rail designs, including reduced construction : time and costs, installation in a wide range of environmental conditions, easier maintenance and repair, impro...

Optimization of wheel-rail interface friction using top-of-rail friction modifiers: State of the art

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, M. Roshan; Dasaka, Satyanarayana Murty

2018-05-01

High Speed Railways and Dedicated Freight Corridors are the need of the day for fast and efficient transportation of the ever growing population and freight across long distances of travel. With the increase in speeds and axle loads carried by these trains, wearing out of rails and train wheel sections are a common issue, which is due to the increase in friction at the wheel-rail interfaces. For the cases where the wheel-rail interface friction is less than optimum, as in case of high speed trains with very low axle loads, wheel-slips are imminent and loss of traction occurs when the trains accelerate rapidly or brake all of a sudden. These vast variety of traction problems around the wheel-rail interface friction need to be mitigated carefully, so that the contact interface friction neither ascents too high to cause material wear and need for added locomotive power, nor be on the lower side to cause wheel-slips and loss of traction at high speeds. Top-of-rail friction modifiers are engineered surface coatings applied on top of rails, to maintain an optimum frictional contact between the train wheels and the rails. Extensive research works in the area of wheel-rail tribology have revealed that the optimum frictional coefficients at wheel-rail interfaces lie at a value of around 0.35. Application of top-of-rail (TOR) friction modifiers on rail surfaces add an extra layer of material coating on top of the rails, with a surface frictional coefficient of the desired range. This study reviews the common types of rail friction modifiers, the methods for their application, issues related with the application of friction modifiers, and a guideline on selection of the right class of coating material based on site specific requirements of the railway networks.

Head first rails a learner's companion to ruby on rails

CERN Document Server

Griffiths, David

2009-01-01

Ready to transport your web applications into the Web 2.0 era? Head First Rails takes your programming -- and productivity -- to the max. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals of Rails scaffolding to building customized interactive web apps using Rails' rich set of tools and the MVC framework. By the time you're finished, you'll have learned more than just another web framework. You'll master database interactions, integration with Ajax and XML, rich content, and even dynamic graphing of your data -- all in a fraction of the time it takes to build the same apps with Java, PHP, ASP.NE

Rail deployment and storage procedure and test for ITER blanket remote maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kakudate, S.; Shibanuma, K.

2003-01-01

A concept of rail-mounted vehicle manipulator system has been developed to apply to the maintenance of the ITER blanket composed of ∼400 modules in the vacuum vessel. The most critical issue of the vehicle manipulator system is the feasibility of the deployment and storage of the articulated rail, composed of eight rail links without any driving mechanism in the joints. To solve this issue, a new driving mechanism and procedure for the rail deployment and storage has been proposed, taking account of the repeated operation of the multi-rail links deployed and stored in the same kinematical manner. The new driving mechanism, which is different from those of a usual articulated manipulator or 'articulated boom' equipped with actuators in every joint for movement, is composed of three external mechanisms installed outside the articulated rail, i.e. a vehicle traveling mechanism as main driver and two auxiliary driving mechanisms. A simplified synchronized control of three driving mechanisms has also been proposed, including 'torque-limit control' for suppression of the overload of the mechanisms. These proposals have been tested using a full-scale vehicle manipulator system, in order to demonstrate the proof of principle for rail deployment and storage. As a result, the articulated rail has been successfully deployed and stored within 6 h each, less than the target of 8 h, by means of the three external driving mechanisms and the proposed synchronized control. In addition, the overload caused by an unexpected mismatch of the synchronized control of three driving mechanisms has also been successfully suppressed less than the rated torque by the proposed 'torque-limit control'. It is therefore concluded that the feasibility of the rail deployment and storage of the vehicle manipulator system has been demonstrated

Rail inspection of RCF defects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Popović

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Rail defects due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF threaten the traffic safety around the world. That hazard is more distinct on railways without adequate maintenance strategy. Realization of interoperability of European railway network demands from every infrastructure manager to have a maintenance plan for the infrastructure subsystem. Besides that, this plan includes rail inspection and strategy against RCF defects. This paper emphasizes the importance of rail inspection and early detection of RCF because the most of RCF crack should be removed in rail grinding campaigns (preventive, cyclical and corrective activities during the whole rail service life.

75 FR 55631 - U. S. Rail Corporation-Construction and Operation Exemption-Brookhaven Rail Terminal

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-13

... the proposed construction is to enable U. S. Rail to serve the BRT as a common carrier and to deliver... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35141] U. S. Rail Corporation--Construction and Operation Exemption-- Brookhaven Rail Terminal AGENCY: Surface Transportation...

Performance criteria for EM rail launchers with solid or transition armatures and laminated rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, T.E.

1991-01-01

Velocity limitations of EM Rail Launchers with solid armatures due to the velocity skin-effect are assessed for a range of homogeneous materials (copper, aluminium, molybdenum and tungsten). Performance criteria as limited by armature melting in the region adjacent to the rail/armature contact surface and by rail surface melting are deduced analytically based on defined electro-thermal reference conditions. The performance criteria predict the reference transition velocity at which the solid contact surface changes to mainly a melted contact surface which is shown to be a fundamental property of the materials. The paper shows that the critical factors in obtaining a high transition velocity are a relatively high resistivity armature material combined with high temperature rail surface coatings. For example a transition velocity of >2.0 km/s for a molybdenum armature and a tungsten rail surface coating on a copper rail are predicted compared with <0.5 km/s for the aluminium/copper combination frequently used

Rail-induced Traffic in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nan He

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The rapid development of China’s railway has exerted an enormous influence on the intercity passenger transport structure in recent years. However, it has not satisfied the passengers’ travel demand due to induced traffic. This paper is committed to solving such issue, with the aim of satisfying the current travel demand, and of anticipating the demand of the predicted traffic growth over the next 20 to 30 years. The paper has considered the increase in rail passenger kilometres caused by the growth of rail kilometres as rail-induced traffic. Based on the concept and former research of induced traffic, the panel data of 26 provinces and 3 municipalities of China between the year 2000 and 2014 were collected, and the elasticity models (including elasticity-based model, distributed lag model, high-speed rail (HSR elasticity model and rail efficiency model have been constructed. The results show the importance of model formation incorporation of rail-induced traffic. It is better to get the correct value in divided zones with different train frequencies or incorporation rail efficiency in cities or provinces. The lag time and rail types also need to be considered. In summary, the results analysis not only confirms the existence of rail-induced traffic, but also provides substantial recommendations to train operation planning.

Social exclusion and high speed rail: The case study of Spain

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagliara, F.; Menicocci, F.; Vassallo, J.M.; Gomez, J.

2016-07-01

Very few contributions in the literature have dealt with the issue of social exclusion related to High Speed Rail systems. The objective of this manuscript is to understand what are the factors excluding users from choosing High Speed Rail services considering as case study Spain. For this purpose, a Revealed Preference survey was employed in November and December 2015. A questionnaire was submitted to users of the Spanish transport systems travelling for long distance-journeys. The aim was that of investigating their perception of High Speed Rail system and the factors inhibiting passengers or excluding them from its use. Data about their socioeconomic characteristics were collected as well. The main result of the survey has been that a relationship between social exclusion and High Speed Rail in Spain is present, especially in terms of geographical exclusion. (Author)

Structural analysis of a rehabilitative training system based on a ceiling rail for safety of hemiplegia patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kyong; Song, Won Kyung; Chong, Woo Suk; Yu, Chang Ho

2018-04-17

The body-weight support (BWS) function, which helps to decrease load stresses on a user, is an effective tool for gait and balance rehabilitation training for elderly people with weakened lower-extremity muscular strength, hemiplegic patients, etc. This study conducts structural analysis to secure user safety in order to develop a rail-type gait and balance rehabilitation training system (RRTS). The RRTS comprises a rail, trolley, and brain-machine interface. The rail (platform) is connected to the ceiling structure, bearing the loads of the RRTS and of the user and allowing locomobility. The trolley consists of a smart drive unit (SDU) that assists the user with forward and backward mobility and a body-weight support (BWS) unit that helps the user to control his/her body-weight load, depending on the severity of his/her hemiplegia. The brain-machine interface estimates and measures on a real-time basis the body-weight (load) of the user and the intended direction of his/her movement. Considering the weight of the system and the user, the mechanical safety performance of the system frame under an applied 250-kg static load is verified through structural analysis using ABAQUS (6.14-3) software. The maximum stresses applied on the rail and trolley under the given gravity load of 250 kg, respectively, are 18.52 MPa and 48.44 MPa. The respective safety factors are computed to be 7.83 and 5.26, confirming the RRTS's mechanical safety. An RRTS with verified structural safety could be utilized for gait movement and balance rehabilitation and training for patients with hemiplegia.

The Effect of Light Rail Transit on Physical Activity: Design and Methods of the Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Durand, Casey P; Oluyomi, Abiodun O; Gabriel, Kelley Pettee; Salvo, Deborah; Sener, Ipek N; Hoelscher, Deanna M; Knell, Gregory; Tang, Xiaohui; Porter, Anna K; Robertson, Michael C; Kohl, Harold W

2016-01-01

Use of mass transit has been proposed as a way to incorporate regular physical activity into daily life because transit use typically requires additional travel to access and depart the stop or station. If this additional travel is active, a small but potentially important amount of physical activity can be achieved daily. Although prior research has shown that transit use is associated with physical activity, important questions remain unanswered. Utilizing a major expansion of the Houston, TX, USA light-rail system as a natural experiment, the Houston Travel-Related Activity in Neighborhoods (TRAIN) Study was developed to address these unanswered questions. The purpose of the TRAIN Study is to determine if the development of light-rail lines in Houston, TX, USA will prospectively affect both transit use and physical activity over 4 years. We also aim to understand how contextual effects (i.e., moderators or interaction effects), such as the neighborhood built environment and socioeconomic factors, affect the primary relations under study. The TRAIN Study is a longitudinal cohort design, in which participants are recruited at baseline from a 3-mile buffer around each of the three new lines and measured annually four times. Recruitment is accomplished via telephone contact, ads in newspapers and advertising circulars, and targeted community outreach. Data are collected via mail and include questionnaire-assessed factors, such as perceived neighborhood characteristics, attitudes about transportation, demographics, and reported physical activity; a travel diary; and accelerometry. Additionally, field-based neighborhood audits are conducted to capture micro-scale environmental features. To assess macro-scale environmental characteristics, we utilize GIS mapping and spatial analyses. Statistical analyses will be conducted using latent growth curve modeling and discrete choice models, with a focus on identifying moderating factors (i.e., statistical interaction

Causal analysis of passenger train accidents on freight rail corridors.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-01

A number of economic, technical and political factors have limited the development of new, dedicated, very-high-speed rail systems in North America. Consequently, most, near-term development of improved or expanded passenger rail service in the U.S. ...

46 CFR 169.329 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 169.329 Section 169.329 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) NAUTICAL SCHOOLS SAILING SCHOOL VESSELS Construction and Arrangement Rails and Guards § 169.329 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

Risk of transporting plutonium dioxide and liquid plutonium nitrate by truck and rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, L.D.; Hall, R.J.

1976-07-01

Results are summarized of the risk assessments of shipping PuO 2 powder and liquid Pu nitrate by truck and rail in the U.S. In the analysis method used, the system is described, potential release sequences are identified and evaluated (fault tree used), and the system risk is assessed. It is concluded that: there is little difference in risk in shipping PuO 2 by rail and by truck; there also is little change in risk in shipping PuO 2 by rail and by truck; there also is little change in risk for liquid shipment; the vermiculite loss is somewhat less important in rail shipment; and the response of the L-10 container to crush is more important in rail transport

46 CFR 177.920 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 177.920 Section 177.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS (UNDER 100 GROSS TONS) CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 177.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be...

46 CFR 127.320 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 127.320 Section 127.320 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) OFFSHORE SUPPLY VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENTS Rails and Guards § 127.320 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails must be installed in each passageway and at...

Rail abandonments in the South and their effect on NWPA rail shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-02-01

The railroad industry will have a very critical role in the eventual shipping of commercial spent fuel and defense high-level waste as provided under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and the 1987 amendments. The transport of spent fuel is expected to be accomplished by rail from 19 of the South's 27 reactor sites to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository or possible monitored retrievable storage facility. The decline in total track availability, however, could significantly impact the federal government's transportation program. Particularly the situation of continuing abandonments may limit rail opportunities at numerous reactor locations. Commercial nuclear reactor sites have the unfortunate problem of not being located on Class I railroad mainline tracks. The reactor sites are generally located in areas with limited rail traffic and thus vulnerable to rail abandonment procedures. The general deregulation of the railroad industry under the Staggers Act of 1980 also assisted in making rail abandonment, through the Interstate Commerce Commission, a rather simple and quick process. The effects of deregulation, however, have provided alternatives to abandonment. In particular, the Staggers Act has led to an enormous surge in the growth of short line and regional railroads. Such railroads have been able to effectively operate rail lines which Class I railroads found unprofitable. The short lines and regionals were also encouraged to competitively negotiate contracts directly with shippers. While these railroads may help reduce the number of abandonment applications, they may also represent higher shipping costs. The South has experienced a great number of abandonments since the 1960's. Many of the abandonments have been significant in length and have affected areas near nuclear plants expected to ship by rail

Field homogeneity improvement of maglev NdFeB magnetic rails from joints.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Y J; Dai, Q; Deng, C Y; Sun, R X; Zheng, J; Chen, Z; Sun, Y; Wang, H; Yuan, Z D; Fang, C; Deng, Z G

2016-01-01

An ideal magnetic rail should provide a homogeneous magnetic field along the longitudinal direction to guarantee the reliable friction-free operation of high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev vehicles. But in reality, magnetic field inhomogeneity may occur due to lots of reasons; the joint gap is the most direct one. Joint gaps inevitably exist between adjacent segments and influence the longitudinal magnetic field homogeneity above the rail since any magnetic rails are consisting of many permanent magnet segments. To improve the running performance of maglev systems, two new rail joints are proposed based on the normal rail joint, which are named as mitered rail joint and overlapped rail joint. It is found that the overlapped rail joint has a better effect to provide a competitive homogeneous magnetic field. And the further structure optimization has been done to ensure maglev vehicle operation as stable as possible when passing through those joint gaps. The results show that the overlapped rail joint with optimal parameters can significantly reduce the magnetic field inhomogeneity comparing with the other two rail joints. In addition, an appropriate gap was suggested when balancing the thermal expansion of magnets and homogenous magnetic field, which is considered valuable references for the future design of the magnetic rails.

46 CFR 108.221 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 108.221 Section 108.221 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Construction and Arrangement Rails § 108.221 Storm rails. Each unit must have a storm rail in the following...

Wireless Communications in Smart Rail Transportation Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

César Briso-Rodríguez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Railway, subway, airplane, and other transportation systems have drawn an increasing interest on the use of wireless communications for critical and noncritical services to improve performance, reliability, and passengers experience. Smart transportation systems require the use of critical communications for operation and control, and wideband services can be provided using noncritical communications. High speed train (HST is one of the best test cases for the analysis of communication links and specification of the general requirements for train control and supervision, passenger communications, and onboard and infrastructure wireless sensors. In this paper, we analyze in detail critical and noncritical networks mainly using the HST as a test case. First, the different types of links for smart rail transportation are described, specifying the main requirements of the transportation systems, communications, and their applications for different services. Then, we propose a network architecture and requirements of the communication technologies for critical and noncritical data. Finally, an analysis is made for the future technologies, including the fifth-generation (5G communications, millimeter wave (mmWave, terahertz (THz, and satellites for critical and high-capacity communications in transportation.

The QoS Indicators Analysis of Integrated EUHT Wireless Communication System Based on Urban Rail Transit in High-Speed Scenario

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoxuan Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, in urban rail transit systems, train wayside communication system uses Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN as wireless technologies to achieve safety-related information exchange between trains and wayside equipment. However, according to the high speed mobility of trains and the limitations of frequency band, WLAN is unable to meet the demands of future intracity and intercity rail transit. And although the Time Division-Long Term Evolution (TD-LTE technology has high performance compared with WLAN, only 20 MHz bandwidth can be used at most. Moreover, in high-speed scenario over 300 km/h, TD-LTE can hardly meet the future requirement as well. The equipment based on Enhanced Ultra High Throughput (EUHT technology can achieve a better performance in high-speed scenario compared with WLAN and TD-LTE. Furthermore, it allows using the frequency resource flexibly based on 5.8 GHz, such as 20 MHz, 40 MHz, and 80 MHz. In this paper, we set up an EUHT wireless communication system for urban rail transit in high-speed scenario integrated all the traffics of it. An outdoor testing environment in Beijing-Tianjin High-speed Railway is set up to measure the performance of integrated EUHT wireless communication system based on urban rail transit. The communication delay, handoff latency, and throughput of this system are analyzed. Extensive testing results show that the Quality of Service (QoS of the designed integrated EUHT wireless communication system satisfies the requirements of urban rail transit system in high-speed scenario. Moreover, compared with testing results of TD-LTE which we got before, the maximum handoff latency of safety-critical traffics can be decreased from 225 ms to 150 ms. The performance of throughput-critical traffics can achieve 2-way 2 Mbps CCTV and 1-way 8 Mbps PIS which are much better than 2-way 1 Mbps CCTV and 1-way 2 Mbps PIS in TD-LTE.

49 CFR 214.523 - Hi-rail vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Hi-rail vehicles. 214.523 Section 214.523..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD WORKPLACE SAFETY On-Track Roadway Maintenance Machines and Hi-Rail Vehicles § 214.523 Hi-rail vehicles. (a) The hi-rail gear of all hi-rail vehicles shall be inspected for...

Rail-to-rail low-power fully differential OTA utilizing adaptive biasing and partial feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

A fully differential rail-to-rail Operational Transconductance Amplifier (OTA) with improved DC-gain and reduced power consumption is proposed in this paper. By using the adaptive biasing circuit and two differential inputs, a low stand-by current can be obtained together with reduced power...... consumption. The DC-gain of the proposed OTA is improved by adding a partial feedback loop. A Common-Mode Feedback (CMFB) circuit is required for fully differential rail-to-rail operation. Simulations show that the OTA topology has a low stand-by power consumption of 96μW and a high FoM of 3.84 [(V...

THE BAINITIC STEELS FOR RAILS APPLICATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivo Hlavatý

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Actual trends of worldwide railway transport development are characterized by increasing speed and growth of railway’s axels load. Increasing load together with transverse, longitudinal wheel displacement and braking on the rails results into heavy surface tension. One of many applications for bainitic steel is in railway transport for highly strength and wear resistant rails. Rail steel must be designed to be able to resist plastic deformation, wear, rolling contact fatigue, bending stress and thermal stress during rail welding process and rails resurfacing.

Toward quantifying metrics for rail-system resilience : Identification and analysis of performance weak resilience signals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Regt, A. de; Siegel, A.W.; Schraagen, J.M.C.

2016-01-01

This paper aims to enhance tangibility of the resilience engineering concept by facilitating understanding and operationalization of weak resilience signals (WRSs) in the rail sector. Within complex socio-technical systems, accidents can be seen as unwanted outcomes emerging from uncontrolled

Rail Track Detection and Modelling in Mobile Laser Scanner Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Oude Elberink

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We present a method for detecting and modelling rails in mobile laser scanner data. The detection is based on the properties of the rail tracks and contact wires such as relative height, linearity and relative position with respect to other objects. Points classified as rail track are used in a 3D modelling algorithm. The modelling is done by first fitting a parametric model of a rail piece to the points along each track, and estimating the position and orientation parameters of each piece model. For each position and orientation parameter a smooth low-order Fourier curve is interpolated. Using all interpolated parameters a mesh model of the rail is reconstructed. The method is explained using two areas from a dataset acquired by a LYNX mobile mapping system in a mountainous area. Residuals between railway laser points and 3D models are in the range of 2 cm. It is concluded that a curve fitting algorithm is essential to reliably and accurately model the rail tracks by using the knowledge that railways are following a continuous and smooth path.

Passenger train emergency systems : development of prototype railEXODUS software for U.S. passenger rail car egress.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), is sponsoring a research program, which includes investigation of the applicability of time-based egress performance requirements to U.S. passenger rail cars. Th...

Determination of rail wear and short-time wear measurements of rails applying radioisotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grohmann, H.D.

1981-01-01

An energetic model has been developed for calculating rail wear. Short-time wear tests on rails after surface activation and following activity measurements showed a good agreement with the calculated values

Mechatronic modeling of real-time wheel-rail contact

CERN Document Server

Bosso, Nicola; Gugliotta, Antonio; Somà, Aurelio

2013-01-01

Real-time simulations of the behaviour of a rail vehicle require realistic solutions of the wheel-rail contact problem which can work in a real-time mode. Examples of such solutions for the online mode have been well known and are implemented within standard and commercial tools for the simulation codes for rail vehicle dynamics. This book is the result of the research activities carried out by the Railway Technology Lab of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. This book presents work on the project for the development of a real-time wheel-rail contact model and provides the simulation results obtained with dSpace real-time hardware. Besides this, the implementation of the contact model for the development of a real-time model for the complex mechatronic system of a scaled test rig is presented in this book and may be useful for the further validation of the real-time contact model with experiments on a full scale test rig.

Rail projects gather steam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-01-15

The global recession hit rail companies hard, as demand for bulk commodities such as coal was affected. But green shoots of recovery are now appearing, with many rail companies announcing new haulage contracts. 3 figs.

Potential development of an intercity passenger transit system in Texas : final project report.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-05-01

This report describes the findings of a research study of the potential for development of an intercity rail and : express bus system in the state of Texas. Rather than focus on regional commuter or light rail systems : radiating from urban areas, th...

Rail Access to Yucca Mountain: Critical Issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halstead, R. J.; Dilger, F.; Moore, R. C.

2003-01-01

The proposed Yucca Mountain repository site currently lacks rail access. The nearest mainline railroad is almost 100 miles away. Absence of rail access could result in many thousands of truck shipments of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Direct rail access to the repository could significantly reduce the number of truck shipments and total shipments. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) identified five potential rail access corridors, ranging in length from 98 miles to 323 miles, in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Yucca Mountain. The FEIS also considers an alternative to rail spur construction, heavy-haul truck (HHT) delivery of rail casks from one of three potential intermodal transfer stations. The authors examine the feasibility and cost of the five rail corridors, and DOE's alternative proposal for HHT transport. The authors also address the potential for rail shipments through the Las Vegas metropolitan area

Rail base corrosion and cracking prevention

Science.gov (United States)

2014-07-01

Rail base corrosion combined with fatigue or damage can significantly reduce rail life. Studies were done to examine the relative contribution of damage, corrosion, and fatigue on rail life. The combined effects can be separated into constituent fact...

49 CFR 210.9 - Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Movement of a noise defective locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. 210.9 Section 210.9 Transportation Other Regulations... locomotive, rail car, or consist of a locomotive and rail cars. A locomotive, rail car, or consist of a...

The Rail Alignment Environmental Impact Statement: An Update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, R.

2005-01-01

scenario, the DOE would rely on a combination of rail, truck and possibly barge to transport to the repository site at Yucca Mountain up to 70,000 MTHM of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, with most of the spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste being transported by rail. This will ultimately require construction of a rail line in Nevada to the repository. In addition, the DOE has decided to select the Caliente rail corridor in which to examine potential alignments within which to construct that rail line. A corridor is a strip of land, approximately 400 meters (0.25 miles) wide, that encompasses one of several possible routes through which DOE could build a rail line. An alignment is the specific location of a rail line in a corridor, and would likely be 60 meters [200 feet] or less in width. Also on April 8, 2004, DOE issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Alignment, Construction, and Operation of a Rail Line to a Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV. In the Notice of Intent, the Department announced its intent to prepare a Rail Alignment EIS to assist in selecting a possible alignment for construction of a rail line that would connect the repository at Yucca Mountain to an existing main rail line in Nevada. The Rail Alignment EIS also would consider the potential construction and operation of a rail-to-truck intermodal transfer facility, proposed to be located at the confluence of an existing mainline railroad and a highway, to support legal-weight truck transportation until the rail system is fully operational. This corridor is approximately 513 kilometers (319 miles) long and would cost an estimated $880 million (2001 dollars). Should DOE decide to build the Caliente corridor, it may be the longest rail line built in the United States since the Transcontinental Railroad was constructed in 1869. Some of the challenges in building this rail corridor are steep grades (the corridor

A multimedia streaming system for urban rail environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poderys, Justas; Farooq, Jahanzeb; Soler, José

2017-01-01

using the Wi-Fi Direct connectivity and data exchange is coordinated by using the Peer-to-Peer Streaming Peer Protocol. This work presents the solution and evaluates it in the scope of urban rail deployment. Network emulation tests are used to analyze the factors impacting the number of concurrent users...

Undergraduate Certificate in Rail Transportation/Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-05

A shift in the U.S. transportation environment has led to a revival in rail transport, especially in : freight rail1. In the meantime, an aging rail employee demographic presents a severe threat to : sufficient level of individuals equipped to handle...

HRTPO strategic campaign and vision plan for passenger rail : phase 1 overview.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-17

SUBJECT: : TEMS (Transportation Economics & Management Systems, Inc.), the consultant specializing in : passenger rail planning, was secured by the HRTPO and its partner DRPT to evaluate the potential : passenger rail service alternative defined by t...

Rail security : some actions taken to enhance passenger and freight rail security, but significant challenges remain : testimony before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, U.S. Senate

Science.gov (United States)

2004-03-23

Passenger and freight rail services are important links in the nation's transportation system. Terrorist attacks on passenger and/or freight rail services have the potential to cause widespread injury, loss of life, and economic disruption. The recen...

Ruby on Rails for dummies

CERN Document Server

Burd

2007-01-01

Quickly create Web sites with this poweful tool Use this free and easy programming language for e-commerce sites and blogs If you need to build Web and database applications quickly but you don''t dream in computer code, take heart! Ruby on Rails was created for you, and this book will have you up and running in no time. The Ruby scripting language and the Rails framework let you create full-featured Web applications fast. It''s even fun! Discover how toInstall and run Ruby and RailsUse the RadRails IDECreate a blog with RubyConnect your Web site to a databaseBuild a shopping cartExplore Ruby'

A Current-Mode Common-Mode Feedback Circuit (CMFB) with Rail-to-Rail Operation

Science.gov (United States)

Suadet, Apirak; Kasemsuwan, Varakorn

2011-03-01

This paper presents a current-mode common-mode feedback (CMFB) circuit with rail-to-rail operation. The CMFB is a stand-alone circuit, which can be connected to any low voltage transconductor without changing or upsetting the existing circuit. The proposed CMFB employs current mirrors, operating as common-mode detector and current amplifier to enhance the loop gain of the CMFB. The circuit employs positive feedback to enhance the output impedance and gain. The circuit has been designed using a 0.18 μm CMOS technology under 1V supply and analyzed using HSPICE with BSIM3V3 device models. A pseudo-differential amplifier using two common sources and the proposed CMFB shows rail to rail output swing (± 0.7 V) with low common-mode gain (-36 dB) and power dissipation of 390 μW.

Train Dwell Time Models for Rail Passenger Service

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

San Hor Peay

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, more studies had been conducted about train dwell time as it is a key parameter of rail system performance and reliability. This paper draws an overview of train dwell time models for rail passenger service from various continents, namely Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. The factors affecting train dwell time are identified and analysed across some rail network operators. The dwell time models developed by various researches are also discussed and reviewed. Finally, the contributions from the outcomes of these models are briefly addressed. In conclusion, this paper suggests that there is a need to further study the factors with strong influence upon dwell time to improve the quality of the train services.

USDOE Top-of-Rail Lubricant Project; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohumad F. Alzoubi; George R. Fenske; Robert A. Erck; Amrit S. Boparai

2002-01-01

Lubrication of wheel/rail systems has been recognized for the last two decades as a very important issue for railroads. Energy savings and less friction and wear can be realized if a lubricant can be used at the wheel/rail interface. On the other hand, adverse influences are seen in operating and wear conditions if improper or excessive lubrication is used. Also, inefficiencies in lubrication need to be avoided for economic and environmental reasons. The top-of-rail (TOR) lubricant concept was developed by Texaco Corporation to lubricate wheels and rails effectively and efficiently. Tranergy Corporation has been developing its SENTRAEN 2000(trademark) lubrication system for the last ten years, and this revolutionary new high-tech on-board rail lubrication system promises to dramatically improve the energy efficiency, performance, safety, and track environment of railroads. The system is fully computer-controlled and ensures that all of the lubricant is consumed as the end of the train passes. Lubricant quantity dispensed is a function of grade, speed, curve, and axle load. Tranergy also has its LA4000(trademark) wheel and rail simulator, a lubrication and traction testing apparatus. The primary task of this project was collecting and analyzing the volatile and semivolatile compounds produced as the lubricant was used. The volatile organic compounds were collected by Carbotrap cartridges and analyzed by adsorption and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The semivolatile fraction was obtained by collecting liquid that dripped from the test wheel. The collected material was also analyzed by GC/MS. Both of these analyses were qualitative. The results indicated that in the volatile fraction, the only compounds on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Superfund List of Analytes detected were contaminants either in the room air or from other potential contamination sources in the laboratory. Similarly, in the semivolatile fraction none of the detected

Rail transportation of Fernald remediation waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fellman, R.T.; Lojek, D.A.; Motl, G.P.; Weddendorf, W.K.

1995-01-01

Remediation of the Department of Energy (DOE) Fernald site located north of Cincinnati will generate large quantities of low-level radwaste. This volume includes approximately 1,050,000 tons of material to be removed from eight waste pits comprising Operable Unit 1 (OU-1). The remedial alternative selected includes waste material excavation, drying and transportation by rail to a burial site in the arid west for disposal. Rail transportation was selected not only because rail transportation is safer than truck transportation, but also because of the sheer magnitude of the project and the availability of bulk rail car unloading facilities at a representative disposal site. Based upon current waste quantity estimates as presented in the Feasibility Study for OUI, a fully-loaded 47-car unit train would depart the Fernald site weekly for five years. This paper illustrates the steps taken to obtain agency and public acceptance of the Record of Decision for the remedy which hinged on rail transportation. A preliminary, but detailed, rail transportation plan was prepared for the project to support a series of CERCLA public meetings conducted in late 1994. Some of the major issues addressed in the plan included the following: (1) Scope of project leading to selection of rail transportation; (2) Waste classification; (3) Rail Company overview; (4) Train configuration and rail car selection; (5) Routing; (6) Safety; (7) Prior Notification Requirements (8) Emergency Response. A series of three public meetings identified a number of issues of prime concern to Fernald stakeholders. Following resolution of these issues during the public comment period, a Record of Decision (ROD) approving implementation of the rail transportation strategy was approved pending incorporation of EPA and State of Ohio comments on December 22, 1994

Parking Space Occupancy at Rail Stations in Klang Valley

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Phooi Wai

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The development of Klang Valley Integrated Rapid Transit system in Klang Valley, Malaysia has been quickly gaining momentum during the recent years. There will be two new MRT lines (MRT Line 1 and MRT Line 2 and one new LRT line (LRT Line 3 extended from the current integrated rail transit system by year 2020 with more than 90 new rail stations. With the substantial addition of potential rail passengers, there are doubts whether the existing Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley are able to accommodate the future parking space demand at rail stations. This research studies the parking occupancy at various Park and Ride facilities in Klang Valley namely Taman Jaya, Asia Jaya, Taman Paramount, Taman Bahagia and Kelana Jaya by applying the non-conventional method utilizing Google Earth imageries. Results showed that the parking occupancy rate at these LRT stations were 100% or more before the commencement of LRT extension (Kelana Jaya and Ampang Lines in 2016 and in the range of 36% to 100% after the commencement of LRT extension due to the additionally built car parks and changes in parking pattern with dispersed passenger traffic.

Rail electrodynamics in a plasma armature railgun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rolader, G.E.; Jamison, K.A.; Villecco, R.A.; Graham, F.R.

1991-01-01

A model is developed to investigate rail electrodynamics in a plasma armature railgun. This model describes the rail motion in response to the transitory Lorentz force and the compressive restoration force from the material which is between the rails and the containment structure. In this model the distance between the rails is found to oscillate with a frequency of β. The magnetic field and the dynamic behavior of the rails induce local electric fields. We investigate the significance of these electric fields in the laboratory frame and in the projectile frame. In the lab frame, rail electrodynamics induces local electric fields which have maximums spaced behind the projectile at locations where βt p is an odd multiple of π, where t p is the time since the projectile has passed an axial location on the rails. When the projectile is accelerating, rail dynamics induce electric fields in the projectile frame which have maximums where βt p is an even multiple of π. As the projectile velocity increases, the locations of the peak voltages move farther behind the projectile. For the CHECMATE railgun, calculations indicate that the rail displacement is on the order of 2 mm, the rail velocity is on the order of 50 m/s, and the voltages induced in the projectile frame are on the order of 20--40 V

46 CFR 190.25-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 190.25-10 Section 190.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 190.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

46 CFR 72.40-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 72.40-10 Section 72.40-10 Shipping COAST... and Guards § 72.40-10 Storm rails. (a) Suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where passengers or crew might have normal access. Storm rails shall be...

46 CFR 92.25-10 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 92.25-10 Section 92.25-10 Shipping COAST... ARRANGEMENT Rails and Guards § 92.25-10 Storm rails. (a) On vessels in ocean and coastwise service, suitable storm rails shall be installed in all passageways and at the deckhouse sides where persons on board...

High-strength chromium--molybdenum rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Y.E.; Sawhill, J.M. Jr.; Cias, W.W.; Eldis, G.T.

1976-01-01

A laboratory study was conducted with the aim of developing an as-rolled rail of over 100 ksi (689 N/mm 2 ) yield strength. A series of compositions providing both pearlitic and bainitic microstructures was evaluated. A fine pearlitic structure was developed in a 0.73 percent C -- 0.83 percent Mn -- 0.16 percent Si -- 0.75 percent Cr -- 0.21 percent Mo steel by simulating the mill cooling rate of 132-lb/yd (65.5-kg/m) rail. Two 100-ton commercial heats were made of this approximate composition and processed into 132-lb/yd (65.5-kg/m) rail. Samples tested in the laboratory ranged from 109 to 125 ksi (750 to 860 N/mm 2 ) in yield strength. The chromium-molybdenum rails also exhibited excellent fracture toughness and fatigue properties. Sections of the rail were joined by both flash-butt welding and thermite welding. The hardness peaks produced in the flash-butt welds could be reduced by applying either a postweld current or an induction heating cycle. The high-strength chromium-molybdenum rails have been in service for over eight months in curved sections of an ore railway that carries over 55 million gross long tons per year. 7 tables, 18 figs

Rail freight transportation concerns of developing economies: A Namibian perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fanny Saruchera

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Although rail transport appears to be well established and outperforming other transport modes in Europe and beyond, in the majority of developing economies it was observed that firms and travellers were, on the contrary, shunning from the rail. Despite considerable infrastructural investments in the African rail systems, the sector has been deteriorating over the years. Objectives: This study identifies the freight rail transportation problems faced by African developing economies, focusing on Namibia, and examines the potential actions and factors for minimising such problems, drawing lessons from some of the developed world’s success stories. Method: The objectives of this study are achieved through a survey of Windhoek-based industrial and logistics firms operating in Namibia. Self-administered survey questionnaires were distributed through the aid of trained research assistants. Results: The study’s results show that some of the reasons of shunning rail transport are a matter of attitude, whereas some are related to operational challenges. The study confirms that the transport mode used and ownership of the freight transport services used can affect the degree of satisfaction for the transportation of goods in Namibia. Conclusion: Namibian industrial and logistics firms avoid using rail, owing to its low level of satisfaction obtained from its use. Besides engaging in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs in rail transport operations, the study contends that rail transport should receive attention similar to that given to other transport modes for African economies such as Namibia to overcome the costs associated with the increasing road congestion.

Computation of wheel-rail contact force for non-mapping wheel-rail profile of Translohr tram

Science.gov (United States)

Ji, Yuanjin; Ren, Lihui; Zhou, Jinsong

2017-09-01

Translohr tram has steel wheels, in V-like arrangements, as guide wheels. These operate over the guide rails in inverted-V arrangements. However, the horizontal and vertical coordinates of the guide wheels and guide rails are not always mapped one-to-one. In this study, a simplified elastic method is proposed in order to calculate the contact points between the wheels and the rails. By transforming the coordinates, the non-mapping geometric relationship between wheel and rail is converted into a mapping relationship. Considering the Translohr tram's multi-point contact between the guide wheel and the guide rail, the elastic-contact hypothesis take into account the existence of contact patches between the bodies, and the location of the contact points is calculated using a simplified elastic method. In order to speed up the calculation, a multi-dimensional contact table is generated, enabling the use of simulation for Translohr tram running on curvatures with different radii.

Analysis of rail welding methods for mine rail access with the use of modern technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Usoltsev, A. A.; Shevchenko, R. A.; Kozyrev, N. A.; Kriukov, R. E.; Shishkin, P. E.

2017-09-01

Welded joint zones are weak sections of the railway track for all traffic cases (in the case of high-speed traffic and heavy traffic). In the paper advantages and disadvantages of the basic ways of rails welding, which are widely used today, are considered: electrocontact and aluminothermic. Carefully selected mode of differentially thermally strengthened rails string will allow the process of correction after heat treatment to be minimized and internal residual compressive stresses to be kept. Particular attention should be paid to the method of rails welding, in which after rails welding during their cooling it is offered to perform quasi-isothermal exposure in the temperature range of fine structure formation by passing pulses of alternating electric current through the welded joint maintaining this temperature until the end of the transformation. The use of quasi-isothermal exposure at a temperature of 600 - 650 °C makes it possible to obtain a finely dispersed structure of the welded seam of rails without additional heat treatment.

Hydrogen Fueled Hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine (SOFC-GT) System for Long-Haul Rail Application

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Justin Jeff

Freight movement of goods is the artery for America's economic health. Long-haul rail is the premier mode of transport on a ton-mile basis. Concerns regarding greenhouse gas and criteria pollutant emissions, however, have motivated the creation of annually increasing locomotive emissions standards. Health issues from diesel particulate matter, especially near rail yards, have also been on the rise. These factors and the potential to raise conventional diesel-electric locomotive performance warrants the investigation of using future fuels in a more efficient system for locomotive application. This research evaluates the dynamic performance of a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell-Gas Turbine (SOFC-GT) Hybrid system operating on hydrogen fuel to power a locomotive over a rail path starting from the Port of Los Angeles and ending in the City of Barstow. Physical constraints, representative locomotive operation logic, and basic design are used from a previous feasibility study and simulations are performed in the MATLAB Simulink environment. In-house controls are adapted to and expanded upon. Results indicate high fuel-to-electricity efficiencies of at least 54% compared to a conventional diesel-electric locomotive efficiency of 35%. Incorporation of properly calibrated feedback and feed-forward controls enables substantial load following of difficult transients that result from train kinematics while maintaining turbomachinery operating requirements and suppressing thermal stresses in the fuel cell stack. The power split between the SOFC and gas turbine is deduced to be a deterministic factor in the balance between capital and operational costs. Using hydrogen results in no emissions if renewable and offers a potential of 24.2% fuel energy savings for the rail industry.

Modelling of contact problems involved in ensuring the safety of rail transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Rydygier

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Mathematical modelling aids diagnostics the track and rolling stock, as it often for technical reasons it is not possible to obtain a complete set of measurement data required to diagnose the rail and wheel deformation caused by the impact of a rail vehicle on the track. The important issue in a railway diagnostics is to study the effects of contact wheel and rail. Diagnostics investigations of track and rolling stock have a fundamental role in ensuring the safety of transport of passengers and goods. The aim of the study presented in the paper was to develop simulation methods of mathematical modelling of the wheel-rail system useful in the diagnostics of the track and a railway vehicle. Methods: In the paper two ways of modelling were presented and discussed. One of these ways is the method which consists in reducing the contact issue to field issue and solving the identification of the field source in 2-D system. Also presented a different method designed on the basis of the methods using one period energy concept. This method is adapted for modelling the dynamics of the contact wheel-rail for the normal force. It has been shown that the developed modelling methods to effectively support the study on the effects of mechanical and thermal of contact wheel-rail and contribute to the safety of operations.  Results and conclusions:  In the case of field sources identifications two specific issues were examined: the issue of rail torsion and the identification of heat sources in the rail due to exposure the rolling contact wheel-rail. In the case of the method using one period energy concept it was demonstrated the usefulness of this method to the study of energy processes in the contact wheel-rail under the normal periodic force. The future direction of research is to establish cooperation with research teams entrusted with the diagnostic measurements of track and rolling stock.  

Effects of new bus and rail rapid transit systems – an international review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ingvardson, Jesper Bláfoss; Nielsen, Otto Anker

2018-01-01

areas surrounding the transit line with increasing property values. Such effects are traditionally associated with attractive rail-based public transport systems. However, a statistical comparison of 41 systems did not show significant deviations between effects on property values resulting from BRT...... time, ridership and modal shifts, and (ii) the indirect strategic effects in terms of effects on property values and urban development. The review confirms the existing literature suggesting that BRT can attract many passengers if travel time reductions are significantly high. This leads to attractive...

Model for predicting the frequency of broken rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Vesković

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Broken rails can cause train delays, trains cancelations and, unfortunately, they are common causes of accidents. This affects planning of a resources, budget and organization of railway track maintenance. Planning of railway track maintenance cannot be done without an estimation of number of rails that will be replaced due to the broken rail incidents. There are many factors that influence broken rails and the most common are: rail age, annual gross tonnage, degree of curve and temperature in the time of breakage. The fuzzy logic model uses acquired data as input variables to predict the frequency of broken rails for the certain rail types on some Sections.

46 CFR 116.920 - Storm rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Storm rails. 116.920 Section 116.920 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) SMALL PASSENGER VESSELS CARRYING MORE THAN 150... and Guards § 116.920 Storm rails. Suitable storm rails or hand grabs must be installed where necessary...

Discussion on stochastic braking for a single-rail rope-driven lifter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1987-02-01

This paper discusses the braking and control of a A-2/73 clip type friction brake system made in FRG - a clamp type brake system made in USSR and an eccentric wheel type brake system made in Poland. Then it analyses a ZGZ auto increasing force type braking system of a single-rail rope driven lifter. The braking principle of the ZGZ system is that the braking blocks insert along the brake base and contact with the ribs of the single-rail. Then the braking would be realized as a function of increasing frictional force.

46 CFR 177.900 - Deck rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

...) high. (4) While engaged in big game angling, the minimum rail height may be reduced to not less than... section as applicable must be installed when big game angling is not being conducted. (e) Where the... that a higher rail would interfere with the fishing operation and the lower rail would not...

Evolving diesel common rail technology for future low emission standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schoeppe, D.; Bercher, P.; Guerrassi, N.; Spadafora, P. [Delphi Diesel Systems, Paris (France)

2005-07-01

The Diesel fuel injection equipment will remain a key element for Diesel engine technology evolution. Achieving emission targets at competitive prices has been and will continue to be a major technical challenge to the engine manufacturer. Delphi is continously developing its Common Rail System and its components for fulfill future stricter emission legislation while simultaneously improving performance on noise, fuel consumption and power output. The outstanding and unique injector concept combined with innovative control strategies has largely contributed to the improvement of exhaust emission and performance, consumption and NVH over the lifetime of Diesel vehicles. Recently, Euro 4 common rail applications have been introduced on several applications by adding further capability such as multiple injection, small-injected quantity control and improved atomization. This papers will describe the latest Common Rail System developments that Delphi will introduce into the market to comply with future legislative emission targets. Further, a novel common rail injector will be presented, that uses a revolutionary, direct acting operating principle, where the nozzle is directly operated by a piezo actuator, without the use of a servo-hydraulic flow circuit. The superior performance of this injector concept will be shown, especially with regard to it's near square rate injection shape, minimum quantity capability as well as multiple injection performance. The direct acting operating principle allows rapid opening and closing of the injector, without compromising pilot quantity capability. The emission benefit obtained by such opening and closing behavior will be shown. Finally, based on the findings discussed, the papers will conclude on key features of future common rail systems. (orig.)

The experimental determination of the relationship between the energising time of the common rail injector and the set fuel quantity and rail pressure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietras Dariusz

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the issue of experimentally determining the relationship between the energising time of the common rail electromagnetic injector and the set fuel quantity and rail pressure. Experimental studies according to the assumed methodology were made on a test bench enabling the dynamic flow rate measurement of the injector. The fuel system mounted on the test bench was controlled by the laboratory CI engine control unit based on the original concept of one of the authors of the article. The results of the experimental studies have made it possible to determine many of the characteristics of the fuel flow rate depending on the specified rail pressure and the energising time of the injector. An analysis was then performed followed by extrapolation of the obtained results. The data obtained from these analyses are the basis for the development of the energising time control algorithm based on a set fuel quantity and rail pressure.

APPLICATION OF NFC TECHNOLOGY IN PASSENGER RAIL TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henryk KOMSTA

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the possibility of the application of the NFC technology as a system of selling tickets in passenger rail transport. The NFC (Near Field Communication technology is a wireless and contactless technology of transmission of radio data over short distances (max. 5 cm. This technology is very similar to the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification technology. It is assumed that this technology will spread rapidly and that already in 2015 around 85% of the payments in the EU will be made via mobile phones. This paper presents a research of passenger interest in this method of payment for tickets in the passenger rail transport in Slovakia. Further, an analysis of the applications of the NFC technology as a system of selling tickets in passenger rail transport, including the protection of data in mobile phones, the processes in case of losing a mobile phone and ensuring the communication between both parties was presented in the article. The last part of this analysis shows the possibility of purchasing tickets regardless of the carrier and the transport type.

Assessment of Rail Seat Abrasion Patterns and Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

Rail seat abrasion (RSA) of concrete ties is manifested by the loss of material under the rail seat area and, in extreme cases, results in loss of rail clip holding power, reverse rail cant, and gauge widening. RSA was measured in several curves on t...

Applying the polluter-pays principle to rail: Environmental differentiation of rail access charges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pons-Rigat, A.; Turro Calvet, M.; Ubalde Claver, Ll.

2016-07-01

Environmental charges to rail service operators are still at an early stage of implementation in Europe. Current schemes are dissimilar and most of them have a very limited scope or do not provide effective incentives to abate environmental impacts. This is due to several practical difficulties in implementing internalisation pricing schemes in the railway sector. The first difficulty arises from the lack of internalisation in other transport modes and the small competitive margin of railways. Increasing the overall level of rail charges could affect their survival. A second difficulty is due to the uncertainties in the valuation of external costs and in the establishment of the optimal level of charges. On top of that, the imperfect competition in the rail market and its operational and financial rigidities imply that pricing decisions could be unfair and produce undesired demand effects. These difficulties should not prevent, however, advancing towards the application to rail of adequate charging methods for its environmental costs. This paper addresses the problem of setting environmentally differentiated rail charges through an analytical approach. A generalised formulation is developed that sets the level of charges as a function of the degree of internalisation in other modes. Then, the optimal trade-off in the level of differentiation is assessed to extract general guidelines. Based on this, both the derived overall costs and benefits and the impacts on each agent are quantified. (Author)

On-rail solution for autonomous inspections in electrical substations

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Bruno P. A.; Ferreira, Rafael A. M.; Gomes, Selson C.; Calado, Flavio A. R.; Andrade, Roberto M.; Porto, Matheus P.

2018-05-01

This work presents an alternative solution for autonomous inspections in electrical substations. The autonomous system is a robot that moves on rails, collects infrared and visible images of selected targets, also processes the data and predicts the components lifetime. The robot moves on rails to overcome difficulties found in not paved substations commonly encountered in Brazil. We take advantage of using rails to convey the data by them, minimizing the electromagnetic interference, and at the same time transmitting electrical energy to feed the autonomous system. As part of the quality control process, we compared thermographic inspections made by the robot with inspections made by a trained thermographer using a scientific camera Flir® SC660. The results have shown that the robot achieved satisfactory results, identifying components and measuring temperature accurately. The embodied routine considers the weather changes along the day, providing a standard result of the components thermal response, also gives the uncertainty of temperature measurement, contributing to the quality in the decision making process.

Policies Towards Suburban Rail Services in Britain and West\\ud Germany – A Comparison.

OpenAIRE

Nash, C.A.

1984-01-01

In 1981, the eight S-Bahn systems of the Federal Republic of Germany carried around 7,000m passenger kilometres of traffic. By contrast, the local rail services operated by British Rail on behalf of the British Passenger Transport Executives were expected to carry around 2,000m passenger kilometres. (Table 1). The aim of this paper is to explore some of the reasons for this enormous difference is the role played by suburban rail systems between the two countries. As illustration, the particul...

The information activity of rail passenger information staff: a foundation for information system requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Rose

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. This paper examines the goal-directed information activity of passenger information staff, working in the dynamic environment of rail network control. The explicit aim is to define a meaningful set of information system requirements. The report shows how dynamic situations may lead us to question a number of established theories of information science. Method. Passenger information officers (PIOs were observed on duty within the rail command and control headquarters. Observation sessions totally eight hours involved the manual recording of sequential information flows and the associated activity of PIOs. A semi-structured management interview was also conducted to provide further insight into the organizational context. Analysis. A viewpoint-oriented analysis technique was used to analyse sequential data captured during observation sessions. Event sequences that represent and explain the viewpoints were identified and elaborated into detailed scenario descriptions. Results. The analysis both supports and contests a number of established theories from information science. Additionally, a range of 'mandatory' and 'desirable' system requirements are derived from the scenario and viewpoint analyses. Conclusion. Dynamic situations have a significant impact on information behaviour which is not always predicted by current theories of information science.

Systems-on-chip approach for real-time simulation of wheel-rail contact laws

Science.gov (United States)

Mei, T. X.; Zhou, Y. J.

2013-04-01

This paper presents the development of a systems-on-chip approach to speed up the simulation of wheel-rail contact laws, which can be used to reduce the requirement for high-performance computers and enable simulation in real time for the use of hardware-in-loop for experimental studies of the latest vehicle dynamic and control technologies. The wheel-rail contact laws are implemented using a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device with a design that substantially outperforms modern general-purpose PC platforms or fixed architecture digital signal processor devices in terms of processing time, configuration flexibility and cost. In order to utilise the FPGA's parallel-processing capability, the operations in the contact laws algorithms are arranged in a parallel manner and multi-contact patches are tackled simultaneously in the design. The interface between the FPGA device and the host PC is achieved by using a high-throughput and low-latency Ethernet link. The development is based on FASTSIM algorithms, although the design can be adapted and expanded for even more computationally demanding tasks.

A low power and low distortion rail-to-rail input/output amplifier using constant current technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Zhao Yiqiang; Zhang Shilin; Zhao Hongliang

2011-01-01

A rail-to-rail amplifier with constant transconductance, intended for audio processing, is presented. The constant transconductance is obtained by a constant current technique based on the input differential pairs operating in the weak inversion region. MOSFETs working in the weak inversion region have the advantages of low power and low distortion. The proposed rail-to-rail amplifier, fabricated in a standard 0.35 μm CMOS process, occupies a core die area of 75 x 183 μm 2 . Measured results show that the maximum power consumption is 85.37 μW with a supply voltage of 3.3 V and the total harmonic distortion level is 1.2% at 2 kHz. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Rail gun powered by an integral explosive generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, D.R.; Fowler, C.M.

1979-01-01

We propose the use of a rail gun powered by an explosive magnetic flux compression generator built into the rail gun itself in which the rails of the gun are driven together behind the projectile by explosives. The magnetic field established between the rails by an initial current supplied by an external source at the breech of the gun is trapped and compressed by the collapsing rails to accelerate the projectile down the bore of the gun

49 CFR 1580.101 - Rail security coordinator.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... system of transportation, when notified by TSA in writing, that a threat exists concerning that operation.... This section applies to: (1) Each freight railroad carrier that operates rolling equipment on track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation. (2) Each rail hazardous materials...

Do road planners produce more 'honest numbers' than rail planners?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Næss, Petter; Flyvbjerg, Bent; Buhl, Søren L.

2006-01-01

Based on a review of available data from a database on large-scale transport infrastructure projects, this paper investigates the hypothesis that traffic forecasts for road links in Europe are geographically biased with underestimated traffic volumes in metropolitan areas and overestimated traffic...... volumes in remote regions. The present data do not support this hypothesis. Since previous studies have shown a strong tendency to overestimated forecasts of the number of passengers on new rail projects, it could be speculated that road planners are more skilful and/or honest than rail planners. However......, during the period when the investigated projects were planned (up to the late 1980s), there were hardly any strong incentives for road planners to make biased forecasts in order to place their projects in a more flattering light. Future research might uncover whether the change from the ‘predict...

78 FR 57450 - State Rail Plan Guidance

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... of impact assessment required for the rail infrastructure, facilities, and service improvements contained in State rail plans. Other issues raised by commenters included the importance of involving... to emphasize the importance of preparing State rail plans within the policy and procedural contexts...

Reduction of Sleep Deprivation and Fatigue in Mass Transit Rail Operators.

Science.gov (United States)

Haynes, Ajeenah L

2017-08-01

Sleep and work schedules differ considerably between rail workers and the broader U.S. workforce. Due to extended work hours and night shift schedules, train and engine service workers who operate passenger trains or move freight are most vulnerable to fatigue. This article addresses the need for comprehensive fatigue risk management systems (FRMS) for rail operators. Using a transactional ergonomic perspective, FRMS are discussed with a focus on fatigue education and administrative controls to reduce feelings of tiredness, low motivation, poor concentration, and low physical activity among mass transit rail operators. Recommendations for intervention implementation and evaluation are provided.

Performance of Rail Fastening Systems on an Open-Deck Bridge

Science.gov (United States)

2018-02-01

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) monitored the performance of rail fasteners on an open-deck bridge and its approaches, located at Norfolk Southern Corporations (NS's) eastern mega site. The project was co-sponsored by the Federal Rai...

Momentum equation for arc-driven rail guns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Batteh, J.H.

1984-01-01

In several models of arc-driven rail guns, the rails are assumed to be infinitely high to simplify the calculation of the electromagnetic fields which appear in the momentum equation for the arc. This assumption leads to overestimates of the arc pressures and accelerations by approximately a factor of 2 for typical rail-gun geometries. In this paper, we develop a simple method for modifying the momentum equation to account for the effect of finite-height rails on the performance of the rail gun and the properties of the arc. The modification is based on an integration of the Lorentz force across the arc cross section at each axial location in the arc. Application of this technique suggests that, for typical rail-gun geometries and moderately long arcs, the momentum equation appropriate for infinite-height rails can be retained provided that the magnetic pressure term in the equation is scaled by a factor which depends on the effective inductance of the gun. The analysis also indicates that the magnetic pressure gradient actually changes sign near the arc/projectile boundary because of the magnetic fields associated with the arc current

Description and operating performance of a parallel-rail electric-arc system with helium driver gas for the Langley 6-inch expansion tube

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, J. A.

1976-01-01

A parallel-rail arc-discharge system to heat and pressurize the initial helium driver gas of the Langley 6-inch expansion tube is described. This system was designed for a 2.44-m-long driver vessel rated at 138 MPa, with a distance between rails of 20.3 cm. Electric energy was obtained from a capacitor storage system rated at 12,000 V with a maximum energy of 5 MJ. Tests were performed over a range of energy from 1.74 MJ to the maximum value. The operating experience and system performance are discussed, along with results from a limited number of expansion-tube tests with air and carbon dioxide as test gases.

Electron emission at the rail surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thornhill, L.; Battech, J.

1991-01-01

In this paper the authors examine the processes by which current is transferred from the cathode rail to the plasma armature in an arc-driven railgun. Three electron emission mechanisms are considered, namely thermionic emission, field-enhanced thermionic emission (or Schottky emission), and photoemission. The author's calculations show that the dominant electron emission mechanism depends, to a great extent, on the work function of the rail surface, the rail surface temperature, the electric field at the rail surface, and the effective radiation temperature of the plasma. For conditions that are considered to be typical of a railgun armature, Schottky emission is the dominant electron emission mechanism, providing current densities on the order of 10 9 A/m 2

Deviation rectification for dynamic measurement of rail wear based on coordinate sets projection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Chao; Ma, Ziji; Li, Yanfu; Liu, Hongli; Zeng, Jiuzhen; Jin, Tan

2017-01-01

Dynamic measurement of rail wear using a laser imaging system suffers from random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor which cause distorted rail profiles. In this paper, a simple and effective method for rectifying profile deviation is presented to address this issue. There are two main steps: profile recognition and distortion calibration. According to the constant camera and projector parameters, efficient recognition of measured profiles is achieved by analyzing the geometric difference between normal profiles and distorted ones. For a distorted profile, by constructing coordinate sets projecting from it to the standard one on triple projecting primitives, including the rail head inner line, rail waist curve and rail jaw, iterative extrinsic camera parameter self-compensation is implemented. The distortion is calibrated by projecting the distorted profile onto the x – y plane of a measuring coordinate frame, which is parallel to the rail cross section, to eliminate the influence of random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor. As well as evaluating the implementation with comprehensive experiments, we also compare our method with other published works. The results exhibit the effectiveness and superiority of our method for the dynamic measurement of rail wear. (paper)

Deviation rectification for dynamic measurement of rail wear based on coordinate sets projection

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao; Ma, Ziji; Li, Yanfu; Zeng, Jiuzhen; Jin, Tan; Liu, Hongli

2017-10-01

Dynamic measurement of rail wear using a laser imaging system suffers from random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor which cause distorted rail profiles. In this paper, a simple and effective method for rectifying profile deviation is presented to address this issue. There are two main steps: profile recognition and distortion calibration. According to the constant camera and projector parameters, efficient recognition of measured profiles is achieved by analyzing the geometric difference between normal profiles and distorted ones. For a distorted profile, by constructing coordinate sets projecting from it to the standard one on triple projecting primitives, including the rail head inner line, rail waist curve and rail jaw, iterative extrinsic camera parameter self-compensation is implemented. The distortion is calibrated by projecting the distorted profile onto the x-y plane of a measuring coordinate frame, which is parallel to the rail cross section, to eliminate the influence of random vibrations in the laser-based imaging sensor. As well as evaluating the implementation with comprehensive experiments, we also compare our method with other published works. The results exhibit the effectiveness and superiority of our method for the dynamic measurement of rail wear.

78 FR 36017 - MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-Operation Exemption-Hilco SP Rail, LLC

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-14

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35725] MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-- Operation Exemption--Hilco SP Rail, LLC MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad (MCM), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption...

Review on Selection and Suitability of Rail Transit Station Design Pertaining to Public Safety

Science.gov (United States)

Akabal, Farah Mohd; Masirin, Mohd Idrus Haji Mohd; Abidin Akasah, Zainal; Rohani, Munzilah Md

2017-08-01

rail transit station design for the future. It is also important to ensure the design is appropriate from the selection and suitability perspective as design and operation will assist to facilitate the success of the national rail network and encourage the public to use rail transit system. A conducive and neatly design railway station will not only add to the passenger experience but also, as a supporting facility to the economic, social and environmental benefits of the rail industry.

Keeping rail on track: preliminary findings on safety culture in Australian rail.

Science.gov (United States)

Blewett, Verna; Rainbird, Sophia; Dorrian, Jill; Paterson, Jessica; Cattani, Marcus

2012-01-01

'Safety culture' is identified in the literature as a critical element of healthy and safe workplaces. How can rail organizations ensure that consistently effective work health and safety cultures are maintained across the diversity of their operations? This paper reports on research that is currently underway in the Australian rail industry aimed at producing a Model of Best Practice in Safety Culture for the industry. Located in rail organizations dedicated to the mining industry as well as urban rail and national freight operations, the research examines the constructs of organizational culture that impact on the development and maintenance of healthy and safe workplaces. The research uses a multi-method approach incorporating quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus groups, interviews and document analysis) methods along with a participative process to identify interventions to improve the organization and develop plans for their implementation. The research uses as its analytical framework the 10 Platinum Rules, from the findings of earlier research in the New South Wales (Australia) mining industry, Digging Deeper. Data collection is underway at the time of writing and preliminary findings are presented at this stage. The research method may be adapted for use as a form of organizational review of safety and health in organizational culture.

Determination of Rectification Corrections for Semi Gantry Crane Rail Axes in the Local 3D Coordinate System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipiak Daria

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Electronic tacheometers are currently the standard instruments used in geodetic work, including also geodetic engineering measurements. The main advantage connected with this equipment is among others high accuracy of the measurement and thus high accuracy of the final determinations represented for example by the points’ coordinates. One of many applications of the tacheometers is the measurement of crane rail axes. This measurement is based on polar method and it allows to get the spatial coordinates of points in 3D local system. The standard technology of measurement of crane rail axes and development of its calculations’ results is well-known and widely presented in the subject literature. At the same time new methods of observations results evaluation are developing.

Research on Miniature Calibre Rail-Guns for the Mechanical Arm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronggang Cao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Rail-gun should not only be used to military applications, but also can be developed as applications in the civilian aspects of the market. With the development of the electromagnetic launch technology, based on the similarity theory, using the existing rail-gun model to guide the construction of more economical miniature calibre rail-guns, and apply it in some machinery and equipment, this idea will open up a wider rail-gun application space. This article will focus on the feasibility of application of miniature calibre rail-guns in the mechanical arm. This paper designs the schematic diagram, then theoretical analyzes force conditions of the armature in the mechanical arm, calculates the possible range of the current amplitude and so on. The existing rail-gun model can be used to guides design the circuit diagram of the miniature calibre rail-gun. Based on the similarity theory and many simulation experiments, designed the experimental parameters of a miniature rail-gun and analyzed the current, Lorentz force, velocity, and location of the existing rail-gun and miniature rail-gun. The results show that the rail-gun launching technology applied to robot arms is feasibility. The application of miniature calibre rail-guns in the mechanical arm will benefit to the further development of rail-guns.

A Rails / Django Comparison

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Ruby on Rails (“Rails” is the dominant web programming framework for Ruby and, even outside the Ruby community, is considered the epitome of the latest generation of high-productivity, open source web development tools. Django is one of many competing web development frameworks for Python. It is notable, first, for being highly regarded amongst Python programmers, and second, for being one of the few of the new generation of framework that does not ape Ruby on Rails. Both Rails and Django claim greatly enhanced productivity, compared with more traditional web development frameworks. In this paper, we compare the two frameworks from the point of view of a developer attempting to choose one of the two frameworks for a new project.

Environmental benefits from CO2 reduction, due to modal replacement: Case study on light rail vehicle in Brasilia City

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva Costa, P.H. da; Alves Teixeira, L.M.; Cardoso Pinheiro, J.; Serra Arruda, F.; Mendonça Brasil, A.C.

2016-07-01

This work aims to measure the reduction of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions in atmosphere by replacing the modal urban bus by Light Rail Vehicle (VLT). In order to accomplish this objective, a case study in Brasilia, Federal District, in the stretch of VLT which passes on Via W-3 South was conducted. The Theory of Externalities that discusses the right to ownership of private and public goods and responsibilities about the positive and negative externalities caused by the agents and individuals of society was used to support the analyses. It was used the Top-Down method, which allowed the calculation the direct emissions of CO2. The values obtained on the reduction of CO2 emissions were converted into values of carbon credits as a way to economically measure such reductions. The results showed a significant reduction in CO2 emissions per year and consequent environmental benefit. (Author)

High-Speed Rail and Local Land Development : Case Studies in London and Las Vegas

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

The efficacy of a high-speed rail system depends, in part, upon locating rail stations close to urban centers and integrating them into broader transportation networks and the urban realm. In addition, through economies of agglomeration, successful h...

Characterization of deformed pearlitic rail steel

Science.gov (United States)

Nikas, Dimitrios; Meyer, Knut Andreas; Ahlström, Johan

2017-07-01

Pearlitic steels are commonly used for railway rails because they combine good strength and wear properties. During service, the passage of trains results in a large accumulation of shear strains in the surface layer of the rail, leading to crack initiation. Knowledge of the material properties in this region is therefore important for fatigue life prediction. As the strain is limited to a thin surface layer, very large strain gradients can be found. This makes it very difficult to quantify changes in material behavior. In this study hardness measurements were performed close to the surface using the Knoop hardness test method. The orientation of the pearlitic lamellas was measured to give an overview of the deformed microstructure in the surface of the rail. Microstructural characterization of the material was done by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the changes in the microstructure due to the large deformation. A strong gradient can be observed in the top 50 μm of the rail, while deeper into the rail the microstructure of the base material is preserved.

Voith hybrid systems - parallel hybrid for rail vehicles; Voith Hybridsysteme - Parallelhybrid fuer Schienenfahrzeuge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Groezinger, Thomas; Berger, Juergen; Discher, Andreas; Bartosch, Stephan [Voith Turbo GmbH und Co. KG (Germany)

2010-03-15

The article presents a variety of ways help to save fuel, reduce noise and minimize harmful emissions for rail vehicles. These ECO components can be used separately or in combination with drive systems for various types of hybrid concepts. For example, via a hydrostatic or electric hybrid system can recuperate and store braking energy and utilize it for powering the vehicle or driving auxiliary systems. Another system converts lost heat from the drive motor into mechanical or electrical energy. With EcoConsult, Voith Turbo also offers a ''toolbox'' comprising software, hardware and consultancy which allows identifying the exact operating conditions and a reliable calculation of the life cycle cost (LCC) for a variety of vehicle categories and operating profiles. (orig.)

Rail-to-rail low-power fully differential OTA utilizing adaptive biasing and partial feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tuan Vu, Cao; Wisland, Dag T.; Lande, Tor Sverre

consumption. The DC-gain of the proposed OTA is improved by adding a partial feedback loop. A Common-Mode Feedback (CMFB) circuit is required for fully differential rail-to-rail operation. Simulations show that the OTA topology has a low stand-by power consumption of 96μW and a high FoM of 3.84 [(V...

Vibroacoustical analysis of rail vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Králíček J.

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the vibroacoustical analysis of rail vehicle and is the extension of the previously presented work “Modelování podvozku kolejového vozidla s poddajným rámem”. The vibroacoustical analysis uses the outcomes of the dynamical analysis of rail vehicle bogie i.e. surface velocities of the bogie frame to compute the acoustic power radiated by the bogie frame and forces acting in the bogie-body interface. The radiated power and the force spectra are then used as the excitation to the rail body model in the environment Auto-SEA to compute the interior acoustic quantities.

National Rail Network: 1:100,000 (line), Geographic WGS84, BTS (2006) [us_rail_network_100k_lin_BTS_2006

Data.gov (United States)

Louisiana Geographic Information Center — The Rail Network is a comprehensive database of the nation's railway system at the 1:100,000 scale. The data set covers all 50 States plus the District of Columbia.

The Effect of First-Order Bending Resonance of Wheelset at High Speed on Wheel-Rail Contact Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuoqiao Zhong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The first-order bending deformation of wheelset is considered in the modeling vehicle/track coupling dynamic system to investigate its effect on wheel/rail contact behavior. In considering the effect of the first-order bending resonance on the rolling contact of wheel/rail, a new wheel/rail contact model is derived in detail in the modeling vehicle/track coupling dynamic system, in which the many intermediate coordinate systems and complex coordinate system transformations are used. The bending mode shape and its corresponding frequency of the wheelset are obtained through the modal analysis by using commercial software ANSYS. The modal superposition method is used to solve the differential equations of wheelset motion considering its flexible deformation due to the first-order bending resonance. In order to verify the present model and clarify the influence of the first-order bending deformation of wheelset on wheel/track contact behavior, a harmonic track irregularity with a fixed wavelength and a white-noise roughness are, respectively used as the excitations in the two models of vehicle-rail coupling dynamic system, one considers the effect of wheelset bending deformation, and the other does not. The numerical results indicate that the wheelset first-order bending deformation has an influence on wheel/rail rolling contact behavior and is easily excited under wheel/rail roughness excitation.

High Speed Rail (HSR) in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-08

announced that it will expand the capacity on its aging high speed line between Tokyo and Osaka, the most heavily traveled intercity rail segment in the...United States, in most of these countries intercity rail travel (including both conventional and high speed rail) represents less than 10% of all...that is sometimes mentioned by its advocates. Intercity passenger rail transport is relatively safe, at least compared with highway travel . And HSR in

75 FR 17462 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-06

... decision may be purchased by contacting the office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...-2)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2010 Rail Cost...

Common Rail System for GDI Engines Modelling, Identification, and Control

CERN Document Server

Fiengo, Giovanni; Palladino, Angelo; Giglio, Veniero

2013-01-01

Progressive reductions in vehicle emission requirements have forced the automotive industry to invest in research and development of alternative control strategies. Continual control action exerted by a dedicated electronic control unit ensures that best performance in terms of pollutant emissions and power density is married with driveability and diagnostics. Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine technology is a way to attain these goals. This brief describes the functioning of a GDI engine equipped with a common rail (CR) system, and the devices necessary to run test-bench experiments in detail. The text should prove instructive to researchers in engine control and students are recommended to this brief as their first approach to this technology. Later chapters of the brief relate an innovative strategy designed to assist with the engine management system; injection pressure regulation for fuel pressure stabilization in the CR fuel line is proposed and validated by experiment. The resulting control scheme ...

Simulating and Predicting the Impacts of Light Rail Transit Systems on Urban Land Use by Using Cellular Automata: A Case Study of Dongguan, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyao Lin

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The emergence of Light Rail Transit systems (LRTs could exert considerable impacts on sustainable urban development. It is crucial to predict the potential land use changes since LRTs are being increasingly built throughout the world. While various land use and land cover change (LUCC models have been developed during the past two decades, the basic assumption for LUCC prediction is the continuation of present trends in land use development. It is therefore unreasonable to predict potential urban land use changes associated with LRTs simply based on earlier trends because the impacts of LRT investment may vary greatly over time. To tackle this challenge, our study aims to share the experiences from previous lines with newly planned lines. Dongguan, whose government decided to build LRTs around 2008, was selected as the study area. First, we assessed the impacts of this city’s first LRT (Line R2 on three urban land use types (i.e., industrial development, commercial and residential development, and rural development at different periods. The results indicate that Line R2 exerted a negative impact on industrial development and rural development, but a positive impact on commercial and residential development during the planning stage of this line. Second, such spatial impacts (the consequent land use changes during this stage were simulated by using artificial neural network cellular automata. More importantly, we further predicted the potential impacts of Line R1, which is assumed to be a newly planned line, based on the above calibrated model and a traditional method respectively. The comparisons between them demonstrate the effectiveness of our method, which can easily take advantage of the experiences from other LRTs. The proposed method is expected to provide technical support for sustainable urban and transportation planning.

Distribution and Habitat Associations of California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis cortuniculus in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danika C. Tsao

2015-12-01

Full Text Available doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15447/sfews.2015v13iss4art4Past studies documenting the distribution and status of state “Threatened" California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus; hereafter black rail have largely omitted the Sacramento—San Joaquin Delta (hereafter Delta. During March to May of 2009–2011, we conducted call–playback surveys to assess the status of the species within a wide range of wetland habitats of the central Delta region. We detected black rails at 21 of 107 discrete wetland sites, primarily on in-channel islands with dense cover. To better understand the habitat and land cover characteristics, we developed a model of habitat suitability from these occurrence data and a fine-scale vegetation and land use dataset using MaxEnt. We also evaluated differences in the size of wetlands at sites where black rails were detected versus where they were not. Through surveys and quantitative modeling, we found black rail presence differed from other regions within California and Arizona, in that it was positively associated with tall (1 to 5 m emergent vegetation interspersed with riparian shrubs. Specific plants correlated with black rail presence included emergent wetland (Bolboschoenus acutus, B. californicus, B. acutus, Typha angustifolia, T. latifolia, Phragmites australis and riparian (Salix exigua, S. lasiolepis, Rosa californica, Rubus discolor, Cornus sericea species. Median patch size was significantly larger and perimeter-to-area ratios were significantly lower at wetland sites where black rails were found. These results provide a preliminary characterization of black rail habitat in the Delta region and highlight the need for better understanding of this listed species’ population size and habitat use in the region, in light of anticipated climate change effects and proposed large-scale restoration in the Delta.

Two-Dimensional Impact Reconstruction Method for Rail Defect Inspection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Zhao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The safety of train operating is seriously menaced by the rail defects, so it is of great significance to inspect rail defects dynamically while the train is operating. This paper presents a two-dimensional impact reconstruction method to realize the on-line inspection of rail defects. The proposed method utilizes preprocessing technology to convert time domain vertical vibration signals acquired by wireless sensor network to space signals. The modern time-frequency analysis method is improved to reconstruct the obtained multisensor information. Then, the image fusion processing technology based on spectrum threshold processing and node color labeling is proposed to reduce the noise, and blank the periodic impact signal caused by rail joints and locomotive running gear. This method can convert the aperiodic impact signals caused by rail defects to partial periodic impact signals, and locate the rail defects. An application indicates that the two-dimensional impact reconstruction method could display the impact caused by rail defects obviously, and is an effective on-line rail defects inspection method.

Environmental impact assessment of rail infrastructure.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-29

This project resulted in three products: a comprehensive "Sustainable Rail Checklist," a rail planning GIS database, and a web GIS tool that integrates sustainability metrics and facilitates a rapid assessment before a formal NEPA process is implemen...

Three-dimensional rail-current distribution near the armature of simple, square-bore, two-rail railguns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beno, J.H.

1991-01-01

In this paper vector potential is solved as a three dimensional, boundary value problem for a conductor geometry consisting of square-bore railgun rails and a stationary armature. Conductors are infinitely conducting and perfect contact is assumed between rails and the armature. From the vector potential solution, surface current distribution is inferred

77 FR 69769 - Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-21

...] Solid Waste Rail Transfer Facilities AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Final rules. SUMMARY: These final rules govern land-use-exemption permits for solid waste rail transfer facilities. The... Transportation Board over solid waste rail transfer facilities. The Act also added three new statutory provisions...

76 FR 80448 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-23

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. EP 290 (Sub-No. 5) (2012-1)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the first quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF...

76 FR 59483 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-26

... the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

Defining Robust Recovery Solutions for Preserving Service Quality during Rail/Metro Systems Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luca D'Acierno

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a sensitivity analysis for evaluating the effectiveness of recovery solutions in the case of disturbed rail operations. Indeed, when failures or breakdowns occur during daily service, new strategies have to be implemented so as to react appropriately and re-establish ordinary conditions as rapidly as possible. In this context, the use of rail simulation is vital: for each intervention strategy it provides the evaluation of interactions and performance analysis prior to actually implementing the corrective action. However, in most cases, simulation tasks are deterministic and fail to allow for the stochastic distribution of train performance and delays. Hence, the strategies adopted might not be robust enough to ensure effectiveness of the intervention. We therefore propose an off-line procedure for disruption management based on a microscopic and stochastic rail simulation which considers both service operation and travel demand. An application in the case of a real metro line in Naples (Italy shows the benefits of the proposed approach in terms of service quality.

Capistrano and the Rails Application Lifecycle

CERN Document Server

Mornini, Tom

2006-01-01

Learn how to make your Rails deployments pain-free with Capistrano! This Short Cut shows you how to use Capistrano to automate the deployment of your Rails applications. It teaches you the basics, but also goes far beyond. It shows you realistic deployment scenarios, including some with complex server farms. It includes a quick reference to Capistrano. As your Rails applications grow, it becomes increasingly important to automate deployment and to keep your development environment well organized. Capistrano is the right tool for the job, and this PDF shows you how to use it effectively.

Electromagnetic acceleration studies with augmented rails

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruo, T.; Fujioka, K.; Nagaoka, K.; Okamoto, A.; Ikuta, K.; Nemoto, K.

1991-01-01

A comparative study of electromagnetic acceleration in the rail-type accelerators with two kinds of rail geometry was carried out experimentally. The accelerators were energized by 200kJ capacitor bank and the weight of loaded projectiles was about 1.3 grams with 10mm x 10mm square bore. The attained velocity was 4.3km/s in the augmented accelerator, while it was 3.8km/s in the classical device. In this paper these differences in attained velocity are briefly discussed. A theoretical understanding of the rail erosion is also described

75 FR 35877 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-23

... available on our Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting...-3)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2010 rail cost...

76 FR 37191 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-24

... our Web site, http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

75 FR 80895 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-23

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the first quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

77 FR 37958 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-25

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the third quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment...

78 FR 37660 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-21

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board approves the third quarter 2013 Rail Cost Adjustment Factor...

78 FR 17764 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2013 Rail Cost Adjustment...

76 FR 16037 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-22

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the second quarter 2011 Rail Cost Adjustment...

75 FR 58019 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-23

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2010 Rail Cost Adjustment...

National Rail Network 1:2,000,000 (node), Geographic WGS84, BTS (2006) [us_rail_network_100k_nd_BTS_2006

Data.gov (United States)

Louisiana Geographic Information Center — The Rail Network is a comprehensive database of the nation's railway system at the 1:100,000 scale. The data set covers all 50 States plus the District of Columbia.

Hard-driven rail-gun tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, D.R.; Adams, D.F.; Cummings, C.E.; Fowler, C.M.; Kerrisk, J.F.; Marsh, S.P.; Parker, J.V.

1983-01-01

A number of prototype rail-gun designs have been tested, powered by explosive magnetic flux compression generators. Peak currents as high as 1.3 MA were delivered. Rail guns with 50-mm-thick Kevlar fiberwound structural shells were able to survive these high currents with minimum mechanical damage and were refired after enlarging the bores 0.2 to 0.4 mm to remove arc damage. In some tests, mechanical damage occurred that was apparently caused by the rebound of the gun after firing. Although the Kevlar shells had more than adequate strength, they appeared to lack sufficient stiffness, allowing excessive deflections. The use of a steel structural shell with a Kevlar sleeve was an improvement. Intrusion into the seams of the rail guns and condensation of material from the plasma armature were observed. Improved sealing of seams is indicated. In some cases, we suspect maldistribution of current within the gun; that is, not all the current delivered to the breech of the gun seemed to reach the plasma armature. Experiments are being designed to quantify the effects discussed. Rail guns of advanced design are being fabricated. An 18-g titanium projectile was accelerated to 2.4 km/s in a 16-mm-round-bore, 0.6-m-long gun, 4-6 g polycarbonate projectiles were accelerated to 3.5 km/s in 13-mm-square-bore, 1.2-m-long rail guns. All tests were conducted at atmospheric pressure

Factors affecting commuter rail energy efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-17

The objective of this study is to develop a planninglevel model of commuter rail energy efficiency. The : environmental benefits of commuter rail are often cited as one of the key benefits and motivators for its rapid development as a public trans...

78 FR 71724 - Rail Depreciation Studies

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-29

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board Rail Depreciation Studies AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Notice of OMB Approval of Information Collection. SUMMARY... collection, Rail Depreciation Studies. See 78 FR 18676 (Mar. 27, 2013). This collection, codified at 49 CFR...

77 FR 58910 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-24

..., http://www.stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the fourth quarter 2012 rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF...

The 2055 freight transportation system and the impact of near term rail improvements on TXDOT planning project management plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the sponsor of the project. The : project goals are to: (1) produce a framework for Texas freight transportation system in : 2055 and (2) develop a set of rail planning recommendations that will be...

Analysis of minimum rail size in heavy axle load environment

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-15

The effects of increasing axle loads on rail integrity are examined in this paper. In the present context, rail integrity refers to the prevention and control of rail failures. Rail failures usually occur because cracks or defects develop and grow fr...

Research on squeal noise of tread brake system in rail freight vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jun; Li, Yong-hua; Fang, Ji; Zhao, Wen-zhong

2017-07-01

Brake squeal is a result of a unstable flutter from brake system, it results to the noise pollution in railway side and excessive wear of wheel tread. A finite element model of brake system for rail freight vehicle is set up, the contact and friction between the brake shoe and wheel tread is considered, the complex modals of brake system are calculated, the possibility of happening chatter and squeal noise are analyzed. The results show that the pressure angle or the brake force direction have a important influence on the unstable chatter and squeal noise, the more greater the pressure angle deviates from the wheel center, the more greater the possibility of happening chatter and squeal noise is, and the possibility of happening chatter and squeal noise is also increased along with the addition of friction factor.

Analysis and modeling of rail maintenance costs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Ali Bakhshi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Railroad maintenance engineering plays an important role on availability of roads and reducing the cost of railroad incidents. Rail is of the most important parts of railroad industry, which needs regular maintenance since it covers a significant part of total maintenance cost. Any attempt on optimizing total cost of maintenance could substantially reduce the cost of railroad system and it can reduce total cost of the industry. The paper presents a new method to estimate the cost of rail failure using different cost components such as cost of inspection and cost of risk associated with possible accidents. The proposed model of this paper is used for a real-world case study of railroad transportation of Tehran region and the results have been analyzed.

Detection method based on Kalman filter for high speed rail defect AE signal on wheel-rail rolling rig

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Qiushi; Shen, Yi; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Xin

2018-01-01

Nondestructive test (NDT) of rails has been carried out intermittently in traditional approaches, which highly restricts the detection efficiency under rapid development of high speed railway nowadays. It is necessary to put forward a dynamic rail defect detection method for rail health monitoring. Acoustic emission (AE) as a practical real-time detection technology takes advantage of dynamic AE signal emitted from plastic deformation of material. Detection capacities of AE on rail defects have been verified due to its sensitivity and dynamic merits. Whereas the application under normal train service circumstance has been impeded by synchronous background noises, which are directly linked to the wheel speed. In this paper, surveys on a wheel-rail rolling rig are performed to investigate defect AE signals with varying speed. A dynamic denoising method based on Kalman filter is proposed and its detection effectiveness and flexibility are demonstrated by theory and computational results. Moreover, after comparative analysis of modelling precision at different speeds, it is predicted that the method is also applicable for high speed condition beyond experiments.

75 FR 17203 - National Rail Plan

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-05

... Rail Plan AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION... input into the development of the long-range National Rail Plan (NRP) through an open docket. In addition, the notice presents the overall plan design, Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) goals in...

EVALUATION OF VIBRATION LOAD ON COMMON RAIL FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENTS FOR DIESEL ENGINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. M. Kuharonak

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to develop a program, a methodology and execute vibration load tests of Common Rail fuel system components for a diesel engine. The paper contains an analysis of parameters that characterize vibration activity of research object and determine its applicability as a part of the specific mechanical system. A tests program has been developed that includes measurements of general peak values of vibration acceleration in the fuel system components, transformation of the obtained data while taking into account the fact that peak vibration acceleration values depend on crank-shaft rotation frequency and spectrum of vibration frequency, comparison of these dependences with the threshold limit values obtained in the process of component tests with the help of vibration shaker. The investigations have been carried out in one of the most stressed elements of the Common Rail fuel system that is a RDS 4.2-pressure sensor in a fuel accumulator manufactured by Robert Bosch GmbH and mounted on the MMZ D245.7E4-engines.According to the test methodology measurements have been performed on an engine test bench at all fullload engine curves. Vibration measurements have resulted in time history of the peak vibration acceleration values in three directions from every accelerometer and crank-shaft rotation frequency.It has been proposed to increase a diameter of mounting spacers of the fuel accumulator and install a damping clamp on high pressure tubes from a high pressure fuel pump to the fuel accumulator that permits to reduce a maximum peak vibration acceleration value on the pressure sensor in the fuel accumulator by 400 m/s2 and ensure its application in the given engine.

Ceramic Rail-Race Ball Bearings

Science.gov (United States)

Balzer, Mark A.; Mungas, Greg S.; Peters, Gregory H.

2010-01-01

Non-lubricated ball bearings featuring rail races have been proposed for use in mechanisms that are required to function in the presence of mineral dust particles in very low-pressure, dry environments with extended life. Like a conventional ball bearing, the proposed bearing would include an inner and an outer ring separated by balls in rolling contact with the races. However, unlike a conventional ball bearing, the balls would not roll in semi-circular or gothic arch race grooves in the rings: instead, the races would be shaped to form two or more rails (see figure). During operation, the motion of the balls would push dust particles into the spaces between the rails where the particles could not generate rolling resistance for the balls

Rails - Spears and Didion Ranches [ds310

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — These data are the detections of Virginia rail (Rallus limicola), Sora (Porzana carolina), and California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) from 13 survey points...

High-speed and intercity passenger rail testing strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

This high-speed and intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) testing strategy addresses the requirements for testing of high-speed train sets and technology before introduction to the North American railroad system. The report documents the results of a surv...

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stead, M.E.

1994-01-01

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team's analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor

Chicago-St. Louis high speed rail plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stead, M.E.

1994-12-31

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), in cooperation with Amtrak, undertook the Chicago-St. Louis High Speed Rail Financial and Implementation Plan study in order to develop a realistic and achievable blueprint for implementation of high speed rail in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor. This report presents a summary of the Price Waterhouse Project Team`s analysis and the Financial and Implementation Plan for implementing high speed rail service in the Chicago-St. Louis corridor.

Grinding induced martensite on the surface of rails

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, C.J.; Zhang, Xiaodan; Danielsen, Hilmar Kjartansson

2014-01-01

determined. Two different rail types R260 and R350HT that both had been ground by a grinding train were investigated. The rail sections, studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy, showed that the surface of both types of rails is covered with WELs. The hardness of the WEL is increased compared...

Crew Scheduling Considering both Crew Duty Time Difference and Cost on Urban Rail System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenliang Zhou

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Urban rail crew scheduling problem is to allocate train services to crews based on a given train timetable while satisfying all the operational and contractual requirements. In this paper, we present a new mathematical programming model with the aim of minimizing both the related costs of crew duty and the variance of duty time spreads. In addition to iincorporating the commonly encountered crew scheduling constraints, it also takes into consideration the constraint of arranging crews having a meal in the specific meal period of one day rather than after a minimum continual service time. The proposed model is solved by an ant colony algorithm which is built based on the construction of ant travel network and the design of ant travel path choosing strategy. The performances of the model and the algorithm are evaluated by conducting case study on Changsha urban rail. The results indicate that the proposed method can obtain a satisfactory crew schedule for urban rails with a relatively small computational time.

A low-offset low-voltage CMOS Op Amp with rail-to-rail input and output ranges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holzmann, Peter J.; Wiegerink, Remco J.; Gierkink, Sander L.J.; Wassenaar, R.F.; Stroet, Peter; Stroet, P.M.

1996-01-01

A low voltage CMOS op amp is presented. The circuit uses complementary input pairs to achieve a rail-to-rail common mode input voltage range. Special attention has been given to the reduction of the op amp's systematic offset voltage. Gain boost amplifiers are connected in a special way to provide

A hybrid multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm and Monte Carlo method for robust safety design of a rail vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Nejlaoui, Mohamed; Houidi, Ajmi; Affi, Zouhaier; Romdhane, Lotfi

2017-10-01

This paper deals with the robust safety design optimization of a rail vehicle system moving in short radius curved tracks. A combined multi-objective imperialist competitive algorithm and Monte Carlo method is developed and used for the robust multi-objective optimization of the rail vehicle system. This robust optimization of rail vehicle safety considers simultaneously the derailment angle and its standard deviation where the design parameters uncertainties are considered. The obtained results showed that the robust design reduces significantly the sensitivity of the rail vehicle safety to the design parameters uncertainties compared to the determinist one and to the literature results.

Potential scenarios of concern for high speed rail operations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-16

Currently, multiple operating authorities are proposing the : introduction of high-speed rail service in the United States. : While high-speed rail service shares a number of basic : principles with conventional-speed rail service, the operational : ...

The latest technical solutions in rail vehicles drives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzejewski Maciej

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the latest trends and solutions used in the offers of rail vehicles manufacturers. The study is mainly concerned with the technical solutions used in hybrid rail vehicles, whose development has become one of the priorities for the development of rail vehicles in the European Union in recent years. Stricter emissions standards for harmful compounds in the European Union have forced manufacturers to use increasingly sophisticated technology, including hybrid drives and alternative fuels. The products and solutions offered by the major manufacturers on the market, along with their capabilities and future applications are described. The predicted trends in the development of propulsion technology for rail and road-rail vehicles are also indicated in view of the current legislative aspirations among the EU Member States.

A REVIEW OF HIGH-SPEED RAIL PLAN IN JAVA ISLAND: A COMPARISON WITH EXISTING MODES OF TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eko Hartono

2013-05-01

It can be concluded that journey time and fare of the high-speed rail is very competitive to the air transport in Jakarta-Surabaya corridor. The journey time to travel from Jakarta to Surabaya is 4 hours and 19 minutes by high-speed train and 4 hours and 40 minutes by air. Based on the benchmarking analysis, the suitable fare for the high-speed rail should be 70% of the air transport. This study predicted that 61% of air passenger, 18% of conventional rail passenger and 12% of bus passenger will switch to the high-speed rail service in 2020. In total, the high-speed rail will have 24% of market share for the passenger transport and becomes the second largest market share after road transport (52%. The conventional rail and air transport have 14% and 9% of total market share to travel from Jakarta to Surabaya and vice versa. The high-speed rail development reduces carbon emissions caused by transportation systems in Java Island. It has been calculated that there are 2.542 million tonnages of CO2 per annum without introducing high-speed rail, however, the CO2 emissions decrease to 1.694 million tonnages per annum if the high-speed rail is developed in Java Island. Generalized cost of the high-speed rail is higher than road and conventional rail. However, it is lower than air transport. Keywords: Java high-speed rail, HSR Comparison, modal share, journey time

36 CFR 1192.87 - Public information system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Public information system... Light Rail Vehicles and Systems § 1192.87 Public information system. (a) Each vehicle shall be equipped with an interior public address system permitting transportation system personnel, or recorded or...

Linear friction welding for constructing and repairing rail for high speed and intercity passenger service rail : final report.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-01

This project developed a solid-state welding process based on linear friction welding (LFW) technology. While resistance flash welding or : thermite techniques are tried and true methods for joining rails and performing partial rail replacement repai...

A 0.8V, 7μA, rail-to-rail input/output, constant Gm operational amplifier in standard digital 0.18μm CMOS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Citakovic, J; Nielsen, I. Riis; Nielsen, Jannik Hammel

2005-01-01

A two-stage amplifier, operational at 0.8V and drawing 7μA, has been integrated in a standard digital 0.18μm CMOS process. Rail-to-rail operations at the input are enabled by complementary transistor pairs with gm control. The efficient rail-to-rail output stage is biased in class AB. The measured...

Acces to railway stations and its potential in increasing rail use

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brons, M.R.E.; Givoni, M.; Rietveld, P.

2008-01-01

The propensity to travel by rail, and not, for example by car, can be considered to be a factor of the rail service offered, the access to it and the characteristics of the population served. Efforts to increase rail use usually focus on the rail service itself while the accessibility of the rail

Assessment of rail long-pitch corrugation

Science.gov (United States)

Valehrach, Jan; Guziur, Petr; Riha, Tomas; Plasek, Otto

2017-09-01

The paper focuses on defects of the running surface of the rail, namely the rail corrugation defect and specifically long-pitch corrugation in curves of small radii. These defects cause a shorter life of the rails, greater maintenance costs and increase the noise and vibration pollution. Therefore, it is very important to understand the formation and development of the imperfection of the rails. In the paper, various sections of railway tracks in the Czech Republic are listed, each of them completed with comparison of defect development, the particular track superstructure, rolling stock, axle load, traffic load etc. Based on performed measurements, defect development has been proved as different on sections with similar (or even same) parameters. The paper assumes that a train velocity is the significant circumstance for defect development rates. Assessment of track section with under sleeper pads, which are expected to be the one of the possible ways to suppress the corrugation defect development, is included in evaluation.

Evaluation of Dose and Position Compensation of Parotid Gland Using CT On-rail System in Head-and-Neck Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Hyeong Jun; Im, Chung Geun; Chun, Geum Sung; Jeong, Il Seon; Kim, Hoi Nam

2008-01-01

The checking method of target and normal structure are used by MVCBCT, KVCBCT, CT On-rail System, Ultrasound in H and N cancer patient. In case of MVCT, the utilization of bone structure is valuable to check around tissue. But the utilization of soft tissue is not enough. The point of this paper is dose variation in movable parotid and changeable volume of H and N cancer patient of CT On-rail System. The object of H and N cancer patient is 5 in this hospital. The selected patient are scanned ARTISTE CT Vision (CT On-ral System) a triweekly. After CT scanning, tranfered coordinates are obtained by movable of parotid gland comparison with planning image. Checking for the changeable volume of parotid gland. A Obtained CT image are tranfered to the RTP System. So dose variation are checked by following changed volume. The changes of target coordinate by the parotid gland movement are X: -0.4∼0.4 cm, Y: -0.4∼0.3 cm, Z: -0.3∼0.3 cm. the volume of GTV is decreased to about 7.11%/week and then both parotid gland volume are shrinked about 4.81%/week (Lt), 2.91%/week (Rt). At the same time, each parotid gland are diminished in radiation dose as 3.66%/week (Lt), 2.01%/week. Images from CT on the rail System which are able to aquire the better quality images of soft tissue in Target area than MVCBCT. After replanning and dose redistribution by required images, It could gain not only the correction of the patient set-tup errors but exact dose distribution. Accordingly, the delivery of compensated dose, It makes that we could do Adaptive Targeting Radiotherapy and need Real Time Adaptive Targeting Radiotherapy by reduce beam delivery time.

Research on the Common Rail Pressure Overshoot of Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke Diesel Engines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi Lu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The common rail pressure has a direct influence on the working stability of Opposed-Piston Two-Stroke (OP2S diesel engines, especially on performance indexes such as power, economy and emissions. Meanwhile, the rail pressure overshoot phenomenon occurs frequently due to the operating characteristics of OP2S diesel engines, which could lead to serious consequences. In order to solve the rail pressure overshoot problem of OP2S diesel engines, a nonlinear concerted algorithm adding a speed state feedback was investigated. First, the nonlinear Linear Parameter Varying (LPV model was utilized to describe the coupling relationship between the engine speed and the rail pressure. The Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR optimal control algorithm was applied to design the controller by the feedback of speed and rail pressure. Second, cooperating with the switching characteristics of injectors, the co-simulation of MATLAB/Simulink and GT-Power was utilized to verify the validity of the control algorithm and analyze workspaces for both normal and special sections. Finally, bench test results showed that the accuracy of the rail pressure control was in the range of ±1 MPa, in the condition of sudden 600 r/min speed increases. In addition, the fuel mass was reduced 76.3% compared with the maximum fuel supply quantity and the rail pressure fluctuation was less than 20 MPa. The algorithm could also be appropriate for other types of common rail system thanks to its universality.

The physics of wheel-rail stability

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, B. T. G.

2018-05-01

This article discusses, at a simple level, the dynamics of the wheel-rail interface, which is fundamental to the stability of rail vehicles. The physics underlying this topic deserves to be better known by physicists and physics students, as it underpins such an important part of our technological infrastructure.

The Physics of Wheel-Rail Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, B. T. G.

2018-01-01

This article discusses, at a simple level, the dynamics of the wheel-rail interface, which is fundamental to the stability of rail vehicles. The physics underlying this topic deserves to be better known by physicists and physics students, as it underpins such an important part of our technological infrastructure

Návrh Rail-to-Rail operačního zesilovače v technologii CMOS

OpenAIRE

Cvešper, Stanislav

2016-01-01

Práce se zabývá návrhem rail-to-rail operačního zesilovače ve třídě AB v technologii CMOS I3T25. Práce začíná úvodem do CMOS tranzistorů, následuje rozbor struktur operačního zesilovače, jeho návrh a simulace v návrhovém prostředí Cadence, popsány jsou také různé metody pro minimalizaci napěťové symetrie. Hlavním cílem práce je dosažení rail-to-rail vstupního i výstupního rozsahu operačního zesilovače pracujícího ve třídě AB, s minimální napěťovou nesymetrií, včetně návrhu topologie navrženéh...

49 CFR 174.59 - Marking and placarding of rail cars.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Marking and placarding of rail cars. 174.59... RAIL General Handling and Loading Requirements § 174.59 Marking and placarding of rail cars. No person may transport a rail car carrying hazardous materials unless it is marked and placarded as required by...

Electromagnetic Performance Calculation of HTS Linear Induction Motor for Rail Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Bin; Fang, Jin; Cao, Junci; Chen, Jie; Shu, Hang; Sheng, Long

2017-07-01

According to a high temperature superconducting (HTS) linear induction motor (LIM) designed for rail systems, the influence of electromagnetic parameters and mechanical structure parameters on the electromagnetic horizontal thrust, vertical force of HTS LIM and the maximum vertical magnetic field of HTS windings are analyzed. Through the research on the vertical field of HTS windings, the development regularity of the HTS LIM maximum input current with different stator frequency and different thickness value of the secondary conductive plate is obtained. The theoretical results are of great significance to analyze the stability of HTS LIM. Finally, based on theory analysis, HTS LIM test platform was built and the experiment was carried out with load. The experimental results show that the theoretical analysis is correct and reasonable.

Electromagnetic Performance Calculation of HTS Linear Induction Motor for Rail Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Bin; Fang, Jin; Cao, Junci; Chen, Jie; Shu, Hang; Sheng, Long

2017-01-01

According to a high temperature superconducting (HTS) linear induction motor (LIM) designed for rail systems, the influence of electromagnetic parameters and mechanical structure parameters on the electromagnetic horizontal thrust, vertical force of HTS LIM and the maximum vertical magnetic field of HTS windings are analyzed. Through the research on the vertical field of HTS windings, the development regularity of the HTS LIM maximum input current with different stator frequency and different thickness value of the secondary conductive plate is obtained. The theoretical results are of great significance to analyze the stability of HTS LIM. Finally, based on theory analysis, HTS LIM test platform was built and the experiment was carried out with load. The experimental results show that the theoretical analysis is correct and reasonable. (paper)

The radiological impact of the normal rail transport of radioactive materials in the United Kingdom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mairs, J.H.

1983-01-01

Recently the NRPB, under contract to the Health and Safety Executive, and in association with the British Railways Board, has assessed the radiological impact of consignments transported on the British Rail system. The work has shown the radiation exposure of British Rail staff and of the public to be low. This paper identifies the types of radioactive materials transported by rail, outlines the methods used to assess the doses to persons exposed and presents the results of these assessments. (author)

Finite element analysis of rail-wheel interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, F.; Kharlamov, Y.A.; Islam, S.; Khan, A.A.

2006-01-01

Damage mechanisms such as surface cracks, plastic deformation and wear can significantly reduce the service life of railway track and rolling stock. They also have a negative impact on the rolling noise as well as: on the riding comfort. A proper understanding of these mechanisms requires a detailed knowledge of physical interaction between wheel and rail. Furthermore, demands for higher train speeds and increased axle loads implies that the consequences of larger contact. forces between wheel and rail must be thoroughly investigated. Two methods have traditionally been used to investigate the rail-wheel contact, that is the Hertz analytical method and simplified numerical method based on the boundary element (BE) method. These methods rely on a half-space assumption and a linear material model. This paper presents that to overcome these limitations, a tool for FE-based quasistatic wheel-rail contact simulations has been developed. The tool is a library of ANSYS macro routines for configuring, meshing and loading of a parametric wheel-rail model. The meshing is based on measured wheel and rail profiles. The wheel and rail materials in the contact region are treated as elastic-plastic with kinematic hardening. By controlling the values of the configuration parameters, representations of various driving cases can be generated. The quasi-static loads are obtained from train motion. Interaction phenomena such as rolling, spinning and sidling can be included. The modeling tool and a methodology are described in the presented paper. Significant differences in the calculated state between the FE solution and the traditional approaches can be observed. These differences are most significant in situations with flange contact. (author)

Viability Analysis of Waste Tires as Material for Rail Vibration and Noise Control in Modern Tram Track Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caiyou Zhao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This research study focused on the effect of using damping chamber elements made from waste tires on railway noise reduction. First, the energy absorption characteristics of damping chamber elements with various gradation combinations and compaction indices were measured in the laboratory using compression testing. The laboratory compression results demonstrated that the optimal gradation combination of damping chamber elements is as follows: the content of fine rubber particles is 10%, the content of coarse granules is 90%, and the optimal compaction index is 0.98. Next, the findings from the laboratory compression-test studies were used to produce damping chamber elements that were applied to a full-scale modern track model in the laboratory. The measurements of the dynamic properties indicated that the damping chamber elements could significantly reduce the vibration levels of the rail head. Finally, the damping chamber elements, which had been proven effective through laboratory dynamic tests, were widely applied to test rail sections in the field. The field tests demonstrated that damping chamber elements can significantly increase the track vibration decay rate in the frequency range of 200–10000 Hz. Therefore, damping chamber elements made from waste tires are able to control rail vibration and noise in modern tram track systems.

Enhancing the connectivity of high speed rail in the Orlando-Tampa corridor with local public transportation systems : issues and opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

High Speed Rail (HSR) will only be truly transformational if it has effective connections with as many other modes of transportation as possible. This project looks at local public transportation systems that have opportunities to connect to HSR stat...

Analysis of the D0 Crane Rail as a Support for a Horizontal Lifeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cease, H.

2000-01-01

The D-Zero crane rail is analyzed for use as an anchor support for a one person Horizon(trademark) Horizontal Lifeline system that will span the pit area at D-Zero assembly hall. The lifeline will span 75 ft across the pit area, will be located out of the travel of the crane and above the concrete lentil wall. The crane rail is a suitable anchor for a one person Horizon TM Horizontal Lifeline system. The expected stress on the rail is 1,995 psi which has a factor of safety of 5.5 on the allowable stress. The anchor position is located 18 feet away from the concrete lentil wall and out of the travel of the overhead crane.

A System Dynamics Model for Integrated Decision Making ...

Science.gov (United States)

EPA’s Sustainable and Healthy Communities Research Program (SHC) is conducting transdisciplinary research to inform and empower decision-makers. EPA tools and approaches are being developed to enable communities to effectively weigh and integrate human health, socioeconomic, environmental, and ecological factors into their decisions to promote community sustainability. To help achieve this goal, EPA researchers have developed systems approaches to account for the linkages among resources, assets, and outcomes managed by a community. System dynamics (SD) is a member of the family of systems approaches and provides a framework for dynamic modeling that can assist with assessing and understanding complex issues across multiple dimensions. To test the utility of such tools when applied to a real-world situation, the EPA has developed a prototype SD model for community sustainability using the proposed Durham-Orange Light Rail Project (D-O LRP) as a case study.The EPA D-O LRP SD modeling team chose the proposed D-O LRP to demonstrate that an integrated modeling approach could represent the multitude of related cross-sectoral decisions that would be made and the cascading impacts that could result from a light rail transit system connecting Durham and Chapel Hill, NC. In keeping with the SHC vision described above, the proposal for the light rail is a starting point solution for the more intractable problems of population growth, unsustainable land use, environmenta

A Big Data Analysis Approach for Rail Failure Risk Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamshidi, Ali; Faghih-Roohi, Shahrzad; Hajizadeh, Siamak; Núñez, Alfredo; Babuska, Robert; Dollevoet, Rolf; Li, Zili; De Schutter, Bart

2017-08-01

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by analyzing a type of rail surface defect called squats that are detected automatically among the huge number of records from video cameras. We propose an image processing approach for automatic detection of squats, especially severe types that are prone to rail breaks. We measure the visual length of the squats and use them to model the failure risk. For the assessment of the rail failure risk, we estimate the probability of rail failure based on the growth of squats. Moreover, we perform severity and crack growth analyses to consider the impact of rail traffic loads on defects in three different growth scenarios. The failure risk estimations are provided for several samples of squats with different crack growth lengths on a busy rail track of the Dutch railway network. The results illustrate the practicality and efficiency of the proposed approach. © 2017 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

Lighting system with thermal management system

Science.gov (United States)

Arik, Mehmet; Weaver, Stanton; Stecher, Thomas; Seeley, Charles; Kuenzler, Glenn; Wolfe, Jr., Charles; Utturkar, Yogen; Sharma, Rajdeep; Prabhakaran, Satish; Icoz, Tunc

2013-05-07

Lighting systems having unique configurations are provided. For instance, the lighting system may include a light source, a thermal management system and driver electronics, each contained within a housing structure. The light source is configured to provide illumination visible through an opening in the housing structure. The thermal management system is configured to provide an air flow, such as a unidirectional air flow, through the housing structure in order to cool the light source. The driver electronics are configured to provide power to each of the light source and the thermal management system.

The 2055 freight transportation system and the impact of near term rail improvements on TxDOT planning : project management plan.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is the sponsor of the project. The : project goals are to: (1) produce a framework for Texas freight transportation system in : 2055 and (2) develop a set of rail planning recommendations that will be...

Structural response of a rail acceleration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, S.Y.

1984-01-01

The transient response of a 0.4 by 0.6 cm rectangular bore rail accelerator was analyzed by a three dimensional finite element code. The copper rail deflected to a peak value of 0.08 mm in compression and then oscillated at an amplitude of 0.02 mm. Simultaneously the insulating side wall of glass fabric base, epoxy resin laminate (G-10) was compressed to a peak value of 0.13 mm and rebounded to a steady state in extension. Projectile pinch or blowby due to the rail extension or compression, respectively, can be identified by examining the time history of the rail displacement. The effect of blowby was most significant at the side wall characterized by mm size displacement in compression. Dynamic stress calculations indicate that the G-10 supporting material behind the rail is subjected to over 21 MPa at which the G-10 could fail if the laminate was not carefully oriented. Results for a polycarbonate resin (Lexan) side wall show much larger displacements and stresses than for G-10. The tradeoff between the transparency of Lexan and the mechanical strength of G-10 for sidewall material is obvious. Displacement calculations from the modal method are smaller than the results from the direct integration method by almost an order of magnitude, because the high frequency effect is neglected. 12 references

Guidance for consignors, rail operators and others involved in the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive material by rail. Pt. 5

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

This document, part of a series of guides for those concerned with the road or rail transportation of dangerous goods, provides detailed recommendations for consignors, rail operators and others involved in the packaging, labelling and carriage of radioactive materials by rail. It covers the relevant legislation and regulations on the carriage of such dangerous goods to assist those involved with compliance. (UK)

Comparison of Urban and Suburban Rail Transport in Germany and in the Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seidenglanz Daniel

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Rail transport is an environmentally friendly form of passenger transport which can be utilized effectively also in urban and suburban transport systems. The paper describes the urban and suburban rail transport system including comparison of selected Czech (Prague, Brno and Ostrava and German metropolitan regions (Munich, Nuremberg and Dresden. Its aim is to analyze the importance of various factors influencing the differences between the situation in Germany and in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the research question is whether these differences are primarily caused by a different liberalization stage, or whether they are a result of other factors such as available infrastructure, investment level, rail transport services budget, structure and activity of ordering bodies and coordinators or geographical context. The supply of city and suburban rail transport is quite good in Germany and in the Czech Republic, although trains in Munich, Nuremberg and Dresden run more frequently, faster and are better interconnected with car transport. German rail transport sector is at a higher stage of liberalization, and tendering procedures are the preferred selection method for contractor carriers. However, a degree of liberalization of the railway sector is not the key marker indicating a better standard of urban and suburban rail transport in Germany because it is the high standard which is achieved as the consequence of the professional activity of the ordering bodies and train service coordinators in combination with geographical conditions, available financial sources and effective transport infrastructure. On the other hand, the importance of liberalization cannot be totally overlooked as tenders are a tool for the ordering bodies to strongly affect the price and quality of transport services in their area. The supply of better quality and attractive transport to passengers could increase the usage of rail transport in metropolitan regions and could

Plasma treatment of crane rails

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Владислав Олександрович Мазур

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Crane operation results in wear and tear of rails and crane wheels. Renovation and efficiency of these details is therefore relevant. Modern technologies of wheels and rails restoration use surfacing or high-frequency currents treatment. Surface treatment with highly concentrated streams of energy- with a laser beam, plasma jet- is a promising direction.. It is proposed to increase the efficiency of crane rails by means of surface plasma treatment. The modes of treatment have been chosen.. Modelling of plasma jet thermal impact on a solid body of complex shape has been made. Plasma hardening regimes that meet the requirements of production have been defined. Structural transformation of the material in the crane rails on plasma treatment has been investigated. It has been concluded that for carbon and low alloy crane steels the plasma exposure zone is characterized by a high degree of hardened structure dispersion and higher hardness as compared to the hardness after high-frequency quenching. As this takes place phase transformations are both shift (in the upper zone of plasma influence and fluctuation (in the lower zone of the plasma. With high-speed plasma heating granular or lamellar pearlite mainly transforms into austenite. The level of service characteristics of hardened steel, which is achieved in this case is determined by the kinetics and completeness of pearlite → austenite transformation. For carbon and low alloy rail steels plasma hardening can replace bulk hardening, hardening by high-frequency currents, or surfacing. The modes for plasma treatment which make it possible to obtain a surface layer with a certain service characteristics have been defined

Operations Research Approaches to Asset Management in Freight Rail

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gorman, Michael F.; Harrod, Steven

2011-01-01

This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail.......This article describes operations research methodologies as they apply to asset management in freight rail. We describe state-of-the-art methods for locomotive, crew, railcar, line and yard planning and management. We conclude with emerging areas of research in rail....

Investigation of the stresses in rails : Secondary effects associated with the bending of a centrically loaded rail

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolvoort, A.J.; Woestenburg, T.

1982-01-01

The flexural behaviour of a rail under purely vertical load acting in the plane of symmetry is investigated in this paper. For this purpose a rail ofNP 46 standard section was subjected to experimental research with the aid of electrical resistance strain gauges in the Laboratory for Highway and

A CMOS rail-to-rail linear VI-converter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vervoort, P.P.; Vervoort, P.P.; Wassenaar, R.F.

1995-01-01

A linear CMOS VI-converter operating in strong inversion with a common-mode input range from the negative to the positive supply rail is presented. The circuit consists of three linear VI-converters based on the difference of squares principle. Two of these perform the actual V to I conversion,

Improving fatigue performance of rail thermite welds

Science.gov (United States)

Jezzini-Aouad, M.; Flahaut, P.; Hariri, S.; Winiar, L.

2010-06-01

Rail transport development offers economic and ecological interests. Nevertheless, it requires heavy investments in rolling material and infrastructure. To be competitive, this transportation means must rely on safe and reliable infrastructure, which requires optimization of all implemented techniques and structure. Rail thermite (or aluminothermic) welding is widely used within the railway industry for in-track welding during re-rail and defect replacement. The process provides numerous advantages against other welding technology commonly used. Obviously, future demands on train traffic are heavier axle loads, higher train speeds and increased traffic density. Thus, a new enhanced weld should be developed to prevent accidents due to fracture of welds and to lower maintenance costs. In order to improve such assembly process, a detailed metallurgical study coupled to a thermomechanical modelling of the phenomena involved in the thermite welding process is carried out. Obtained data enables us to develop a new improved thermite weld (type A). This joint is made by modifying the routinely specified procedure (type B) used in a railway rail by a standard gap alumino-thermic weld. Joints of type A and B are tested and compared. Based on experimental temperature measurements, a finite element analysis is used to calculate the thermal residual stresses induced. In the vicinity of the weld, the residual stress patterns depend on the thermal conditions during welding as it also shown by litterature [1, 2]. In parallel, X-Ray diffraction has been used to map the residual stress field that is generated in welded rail of types A and B. Their effect on fatigue crack growth in rail welds is studied. An experimental study based on fatigue tests of rails welded by conventional and improved processes adjudicates on the new advances and results will be shown.

Segmented rail linear induction motor

Science.gov (United States)

Cowan, Jr., Maynard; Marder, Barry M.

1996-01-01

A segmented rail linear induction motor has a segmented rail consisting of a plurality of nonferrous electrically conductive segments aligned along a guideway. The motor further includes a carriage including at least one pair of opposed coils fastened to the carriage for moving the carriage. A power source applies an electric current to the coils to induce currents in the conductive surfaces to repel the coils from adjacent edges of the conductive surfaces.

49 CFR 38.87 - Public information system.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Public information system. 38.87 Section 38.87... SPECIFICATIONS FOR TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES Light Rail Vehicles and Systems § 38.87 Public information system. (a... information. Alternative systems or devices which provide equivalent access are also permitted. (b) [Reserved] ...

Fundamental relativistic solution for the rail gun

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liboff, R.L.; Schenter, G.K.

1986-01-01

A fully relativistic analysis is made of the dynamics of a rail gun based on three assumptions: (1) Ohm's law is valid in the rest frame of the plasma, (2) total electron momentum is transferred to the projectile, and (3) motion of the projectile is constrained to one direction. With these assumptions, a relativistic equation for the velocity of the projectile is obtained, whose solution monotonically increases to one of two values depending on field strengths. For B>E, the maximum velocity is cE/B, whereas for E>B it is c, where c is the speed of light, and E and B are applied electric and magnetic fields, respectively (in cgs)

The literature of the California black rail

Science.gov (United States)

Wilbur, Sanford R.

1974-01-01

Few birds have remained so little known as the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus). Although first collected in 1859 or before and reported in 1874 (Ridgway 1874), its life history, distribution, and status have remained so obscure that even a sight record of the bird is deemed worthy of a report in some ornithological publications. Because degradation and loss of freshwater and saltwater marshlands in California may be detrimentally affecting the black rail, both the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife (1973) and the California Department of Fish and Game (1972) have classified it as rare and worthy of further study. The 84 papers and notes both summarized in this report and included in its bibliography include essentially all that is currently known about the California black rail. Only 11 of these papers consider the life history of this rail in any detail. The rest are distribution notes and some of the more important papers on the closely related eastern black rail (L. j. jamaicensis). The latter are included for comparative purposes, or because they may lend clues to currently unknown facets of the life history of the western race.

Proposals for radioactive material by rail (packaging, labelling and carriage) regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The proposed Radioactive Material by Rail (Packaging, Labelling and Carriage Regulations (Northern Ireland) are presented in this consultation document. The proposals establish a new system of safety controls which implement the requirements of two European Directives. These are the ADR and RID Framework Directives which relate to the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail respectively. (UK)

Numerical evaluation of pulse-echo damage detection in train rail

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Long, CS

2014-01-01

Full Text Available A guided wave based monitoring system for welded freight rail, has previously been developed. The existing system was designed to only detect complete breaks. Current research efforts are focused on including a pulse-echo mode of operation in order...

49 CFR 213.113 - Defective rails.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... smooth, bright, or dark, round or oval surface substantially at a right angle to the length of the rail... in the head of the rail as a smooth, bright, or dark surface progressing until substantially at a... head, and extending into or through it. A crack or rust streak may show under the head close to the web...

FIBER OPTIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Munir BATUR

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Recently there have been many important and valuable developments in the communication industry. The huge increase in the sound, data and visual communications has caused a parallel increase in the demand for systems with wider capacity, higher speed and higher quality. Communication systems that use light to transfer data are immensely increased. There have recently many systems in which glass or plastic fiber cables were developed for light wave to be transmitted from a source to a target place. Fiber optic systems, are nowadays widely used in energy transmission control systems, medicine, industry and lighting. The basics of the system is, movement of light from one point to another point in fiber cable with reflections. Fiber optic lighting systems are quite secure than other lighting systems and have flexibility for realizing many different designs. This situation makes fiber optics an alternative for other lighting systems. Fiber optic lighting systems usage is increasing day-by-day in our life. In this article, these systems are discussed in detail.

Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 2: Enablers for multimodal rail freight transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. The part 2 of the paper is dedicated to recommend some concrete steps and actions as enablers to remove the barriers identified in the part 1 to develop multimodal rail freight transport. The enablers for multimodal rail freight transport include: •\tEuropean rail freight transport market needs full liberalisation so that incumbent and new entrants can compete freely. •\tThe rail operators need to acquire service (e.g. customer tailored services, door to door service quality offered by road freight operators. •\tThey need to conduct a combination of ‘terminal-to-terminal’ and door-to-door operations, as and when needed; •\tThey must build partnership with freight forwarder or 3PLs to include all types of customers

Method for Predicting Thermal Buckling in Rails

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

A method is proposed herein for predicting the onset of thermal buckling in rails in such a way as to provide a means of avoiding this type of potentially devastating failure. The method consists of the development of a thermomechanical model of rail...

Radiation Scanning Methods for Ship-to-Rail Intermodal Cargo Containers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reichmuth, Barbara A.; Stansbury, Paul S.; Taira, Randal Y.; Sanquist, Thomas F.; Collins, Robert

2009-01-01

The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) runs the Rail Test Center (RTC) at the Port of Tacoma (POT). The RTC affords DNDO with the opportunity to test radiological and nuclear threat detection systems associated with the unique on-dock rail environment while in an operational seaport. DNDO selected the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to manage the RTC. The RTC is conducting various evaluation studies to assess scanning opportunities in terms of their affects on the number of container moves required and the affect that the scanning opportunity has on the time it takes to move a container through the on-dock transfer process from ship to rail. The velocity and the number of container moves are directly associated with incremental costs to the terminal operators; increases in either of these parameters help in-form the potential for incremental costs that would result from the implementation of the opportunity.

SAVIT: a dymanic model to predict vibratory motion within a spent fuel shipping cask; rail car system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fields, S.R.

1978-03-01

A dynamic model of a spent fuel shipping cask-rail car system has been developed to provide estimates of the vibratory motion of LWR spent fuel assemblies during transport and to estimate the effects of this motion on the condition of the assemblies when they arrive at receiving and storage facilities. Results of preliminary test computations are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the model

Deformation and lifetime behaviour of cyclic loaded rail and wheel steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Denne, B.; Lang, K.-H.; Loehe, D. [Karlsruhe Univ. (T.H.) (Germany). Inst. fuer Werkstoffkunde 1

2000-07-01

Corrugation, shelling and squats are some unexpected technical problems caused by increasing service tonnage, increasing load of the rails and increasing train speed at Deutsche Bahn AG lines since the last decades. As the complex phenomena of rolling contact fatigue in the rail / wheel system is difficult to understand extensive investigations have to be done to describe the multiaxial rolling contact fatigue processes and to develop and verify multiaxial fatigue criteria and lifetime predictions. To reach this aim a reliable fatigue data base of the utilised steels is required. To obtain such data, specimens were worked out of rails and wheels used in high speed traffic. With these specimens the lifetime behaviour and the endurance limit were estimated from push-pull tests. For the rail steel stress and total strain controlled fatigue tests were performed. The resulting lifetime behaviour is compared. In the wheel there are several regions with different microstructures due to the heat treatment at the end of the manufacturing process. Specimens were taken from the wheel rim representing these different microstructures. With these specimens stress controlled fatigue tests were performed. The influence of the different microstructures on the deformation and lifetime behaviour is showed. (orig.)

Measuring Workload Weak Resilience Signals at a Rail Control Post

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siegel, A.W.; Schraagen, J.M.C.

2014-01-01

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONS This article describes an observational study at a rail control post to measure workload weak resilience signals. A weak resilience signal indicates a possible degradation of a system's resilience, which is defined as the ability of a complex socio-technical system to cope

Perspectives in high-speed transport: Maglev and/or wheel-and-rail techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochbruck, H

1985-03-01

Proceeding from a consideration of possible system structures, a technically and economically meaning-full top speed for a railway system is developed which offers, in competition with the airplane and the private car, good chances of winning an appropriate share of the traffic where the distances are in the range of about 400 to 600 km. It is deduced from the present state of developments in high-speed wheel/rail systems and in maglev technology that the wheel/rail mode has clear advantages where a network is concerned. Maglev technology is now being brought to the stage of operational readiness and its first applications are likely to be for point-to-point or direct-line links.

Rail for inspection/maintenance device in TOKAMAK type container of a thermonuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Kenji.

1996-01-01

A circular rail divided into four arcuate parts for an inspection/maintenance device which runs in a TOKAMAK type container is disposed. Each of the divided rails is supported at the center of the outer surface rotatably by extendable rail supporting shafts. Each of the divided rail is constituted such that it can be contained between limiters disposed at the outer side of the TOKAMAK container when each of the rail support shafts is contracted. With such a constitution, each of the rail support shafts and arcuate rail is contracted and rotated from the outside of the TOKAMAK type container by an actuator. In order to form a circular rail, each of the rail support shafts is extended toward the center of the TOKAMAK type container, and then each of the arcuate rails is rotated into a horizontal state. Then, the joint portions of each of the arcuate rails are connected by using remote controllable locking rods. (I.S.)

Developing a reliable signal wire attachment method for rail.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

The goal of this project was to develop a better attachment method for rail signal wires to improve the reliability of signaling : systems. EWI conducted basic research into the failure mode of current attachment methods and developed and tested a ne...

Do Urban Rail Transit Facilities Affect Housing Prices? Evidence from China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Zhang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Urban rail transit facilities play a critical role in citizen’s social activities (e.g., residence, work and education. Using panel data on housing prices and urban rail transit facilities for 35 Chinese cities for 2002 to 2013, this study constructs a panel data model to evaluate the effect of rail transit facilities on housing prices quantitatively. A correlation test reveals significant correlations between housing prices and rail transit facilities. Empirical results demonstrate that rail transit facilities can markedly elevate real estate prices. Quantitatively, a 1% increase in rail transit mileage improves housing prices by 0.0233%. The results highlight the importance of other factors (e.g., per capita GDP, land price, investment in real estate and population density in determining housing prices. We also assess the effects of expectations of new rail transit lines on housing prices, and the results show that expectation effects are insignificant. These findings encourage Chinese policy makers to take rail transit facilities into account in achieving sustainable development of real estate markets.

Buckling analysis of continuous welded rail track

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van, M.A.

1996-01-01

Continuous welded rail track, compared to jointed track not only reduces maintenance costs, but also increases life time of track components and the comfort of passengers. Since expansion of the rails is hardly possible in CWR-track, a temperature increase will result in high compressive stresses

Effects of profile wear on wheel–rail contact conditions and dynamic interaction of vehicle and turnout

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingmang Xu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Severe wear is a common damage mechanism in railway turnouts, which strongly affects the dynamic performance of railway vehicles and maintenance costs of tracks. This article explores the effects of profile wear on contact behaviors in the wheel–rail/switch contact and dynamic interaction, and nominal and measured worn turnout rail profiles are used as boundary conditions of wheel–rail contact. The calculation of the dynamic loads and the resultant contact stresses and internal stresses makes it possible to rationally design railway turnouts and correctly select the material to be applied for their components. For these reasons, the multi-body system SIMPACK and finite element software ANSYS are used to calculate the features of load and subsequently distributions of contact stresses and internal stresses in the regions of wheel–turnout components. The results show that profile wear disturbs the distribution of wheel–rail contact point pairs, changes the positions of wheel–rail contact points along the longitudinal direction, and affects the dynamic interaction of vehicle and turnout. For the measured profile in this article, profile wear aggravates vertical dynamic responses significantly but improves lateral dynamic responses. Profile wear disturbs the normal contact situations between the wheel and switch rail and worsens the stress state of the switch rail.

Understanding safety and production risks in rail engineering planning and protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, John R; Ryan, Brendan; Schock, Alex; Ferreira, Pedro; Smith, Stuart; Pitsopoulos, Julia

2009-07-01

Much of the published human factors work on risk is to do with safety and within this is concerned with prediction and analysis of human error and with human reliability assessment. Less has been published on human factors contributions to understanding and managing project, business, engineering and other forms of risk and still less jointly assessing risk to do with broad issues of 'safety' and broad issues of 'production' or 'performance'. This paper contains a general commentary on human factors and assessment of risk of various kinds, in the context of the aims of ergonomics and concerns about being too risk averse. The paper then describes a specific project, in rail engineering, where the notion of a human factors case has been employed to analyse engineering functions and related human factors issues. A human factors issues register for potential system disturbances has been developed, prior to a human factors risk assessment, which jointly covers safety and production (engineering delivery) concerns. The paper concludes with a commentary on the potential relevance of a resilience engineering perspective to understanding rail engineering systems risk. Design, planning and management of complex systems will increasingly have to address the issue of making trade-offs between safety and production, and ergonomics should be central to this. The paper addresses the relevant issues and does so in an under-published domain - rail systems engineering work.

75 FR 16552 - High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

...; Enhancing intercity travel options; Ensuring a state of good repair of key intercity passenger rail assets... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail... selections for the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program. This notice builds on the program...

Complex Network Theory Applied to the Growth of Kuala Lumpur's Public Urban Rail Transit Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Rui; Ujang, Norsidah; Hamid, Hussain Bin; Wu, Jianjun

2015-01-01

Recently, the number of studies involving complex network applications in transportation has increased steadily as scholars from various fields analyze traffic networks. Nonetheless, research on rail network growth is relatively rare. This research examines the evolution of the Public Urban Rail Transit Networks of Kuala Lumpur (PURTNoKL) based on complex network theory and covers both the topological structure of the rail system and future trends in network growth. In addition, network performance when facing different attack strategies is also assessed. Three topological network characteristics are considered: connections, clustering and centrality. In PURTNoKL, we found that the total number of nodes and edges exhibit a linear relationship and that the average degree stays within the interval [2.0488, 2.6774] with heavy-tailed distributions. The evolutionary process shows that the cumulative probability distribution (CPD) of degree and the average shortest path length show good fit with exponential distribution and normal distribution, respectively. Moreover, PURTNoKL exhibits clear cluster characteristics; most of the nodes have a 2-core value, and the CPDs of the centrality's closeness and betweenness follow a normal distribution function and an exponential distribution, respectively. Finally, we discuss four different types of network growth styles and the line extension process, which reveal that the rail network's growth is likely based on the nodes with the biggest lengths of the shortest path and that network protection should emphasize those nodes with the largest degrees and the highest betweenness values. This research may enhance the networkability of the rail system and better shape the future growth of public rail networks.

Life-cycle assessment of high-speed rail: the case of California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, Mikhail; Horvath, Arpad

2010-01-01

The state of California is expected to have significant population growth in the next half-century resulting in additional passenger transportation demand. Planning for a high-speed rail system connecting San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento as well as many population centers between is now underway. The considerable investment in California high-speed rail has been debated for some time and now includes the energy and environmental tradeoffs. The per-trip energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other emissions are often compared against the alternatives (automobiles, heavy rail, and aircraft), but typically only considering vehicle operation. An environmental life-cycle assessment of the four modes was created to compare both direct effects of vehicle operation and indirect effects from vehicle, infrastructure, and fuel components. Energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and SO 2 , CO, NO X , VOC, and PM 10 emissions were evaluated. The energy and emission intensities of each mode were normalized per passenger kilometer traveled by using high and low occupancies to illustrate the range in modal environmental performance at potential ridership levels. While high-speed rail has the potential to be the lowest energy consumer and greenhouse gas emitter, appropriate planning and continued investment would be needed to ensure sustained high occupancy. The time to environmental payback is discussed highlighting the ridership conditions where high-speed rail will or will not produce fewer environmental burdens than existing modes. Furthermore, environmental tradeoffs may occur. High-speed rail may lower energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per trip but can create more SO 2 emissions (given the current electricity mix) leading to environmental acidification and human health issues. The significance of life-cycle inventorying is discussed as well as the potential of increasing occupancy on mass transit modes.

Parameters Studies on Surface Initiated Rolling Contact Fatigue of Turnout Rails by Three-Level Unreplicated Saturated Factorial Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaochuan Ma

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Surface initiated rolling contact fatigue (RCF, mainly characterized by cracks and material stripping, is a common type of damage to turnout rails, which can not only shorten service life of turnout but also lead to poor running safety of vehicle. The rail surface initiated RCF of turnouts is caused by a long-term accumulation, the size and distribution of which are related to the dynamic parameters of the complicated vehicle-turnout system. In order to simulate the accumulation of rail damage, some random samples of dynamic parameters significantly influencing it should be input. Based on the three-level unreplicated saturated factorial design, according to the evaluation methods of H, P and B statistic values, six dynamic parameters that influence the rail surface initiated RCF in turnouts, namely running speed of vehicle, axle load, wheel-rail profiles, integral vertical track stiffness and wheel-rail friction coefficient, are obtained by selecting 13 dynamic parameters significantly influencing the dynamic vehicle-turnout interaction as the analysis factors, considering four dynamic response results, i.e., the normal wheel-rail contact force, longitudinal creep force, lateral creep force and wheel-rail contact patch area as the observed parameters. In addition, the rail surface initiated RCF behavior in turnouts under different wheel-rail creep conditions is analyzed, considering the relative motion of stock/switch rails. The results show that the rail surface initiated RCF is mainly caused by the tangential stress being high under small creep conditions, the normal and tangential stresses being high under large creep conditions, and the normal stress being high under pure spin creep conditions.

Barriers to and enablers for European rail freight transport for integrated door-to-door logistics service. Part 1: Barriers to multimodal rail freight transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dewan Md Zahurul ISLAM

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine and identify barriers to and enablers for the European rail freight transport services as a transport chain partner along the supply chains in the changing market scenario. The changing market scenario includes, among others, requiring 'door-to-door' rather than 'terminal to terminal' and integrated service, competitive ability to attract non-rail cargo type, changes in the customer requirements (e.g. reliable service and changes in the operational requirements and practices. Using a literature review method, the paper is presented in two parts. The part 1 focuses on the identification of barriers to the European rail freight service by reviewing freight logistics services for global supply chains followed by the current performance of European rail freight transport followed by a discussion on the rail freight market liberalisation in Europe. Then rail freight transport in the Unites States (U.S. is discussed. The research notes that although the background, scope and necessity for reform measures in Europe differ from those of the U.S., some lessons can be learned and the main lesson is that an appropriate reform measure can enhance rail sector competitive ability in Europe. Examining and identifying the barriers in the part 1 (with the pan-Pacific examples of rail freight transports, the part 2 of the paper focuses on recommending clear actions and steps as enablers for the rail freight industry in general and operators in particular. The research in part 1 of the paper finds that: •\tIn many European countries, the rail freight market is not fully liberalised. In such market segment, infrastructure managers do act independently for incumbents and new entrant operators that hamper the progress of building a competitive market; •\tThe rail operators have not yet achieved the service quality (e.g. customer tailored service needed for the modern supply chains; •\tThey operate �

Energy storage technologies and hybrid architectures for specific diesel-driven rail duty cycles: Design and system integration aspects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meinert, M.; Prenleloup, P.; Schmid, S.; Palacin, R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We assessed integration of energy storage systems into hybrid system architectures. • We considered mechanical and electrical energy storage systems. • Potential of different combinations has been analyzed by standardized duty cycles. • Most promising are diesel-driven suburban, regional and shunting operations. • Double-layer capacitors and Lithium-ion batteries have the highest potential. - Abstract: The use of diesel-driven traction is an intrinsic part of the functioning of railway systems and it is expected to continue being so for the foreseeable future. The recent introduction of more restrictive greenhouse gas emission levels and other legislation aiming at the improvement of the environmental performance of railway systems has led to the need of exploring alternatives for cleaner diesel rolling stock. This paper focuses on assessing energy storage systems and the design of hybrid system architectures to determine their potential use in specific diesel-driven rail duty cycles. Hydrostatic accumulators, flywheels, Lithium-ion batteries and double-layer capacitors have been assessed and used to design hybrid system architectures. The potential of the different technology combinations has been analyzed using standardized duty cycles enhanced with gradient profiles related to suburban, regional and shunting operations. The results show that double-layer capacitors and Lithium-ion batteries have the highest potential to be successfully integrated into the system architecture of diesel-driven rail vehicles. Furthermore, the results also suggest that combining these two energy storage technologies into a single hybridisation package is a highly promising design that draws on their strengthens without any significant drawbacks.

A 0.8V, 7μA, rail-to-rail input/output, constant Gm operational amplifier in standard digital 0.18μm CMOS

OpenAIRE

Citakovic, J; Nielsen, I. Riis; Nielsen, Jannik Hammel; Asbeck, P; Andreani, Pietro

2005-01-01

A two-stage amplifier, operational at 0.8V and drawing 7μA, has been integrated in a standard digital 0.18μm CMOS process. Rail-to-rail operations at the input are enabled by complementary transistor pairs with gm control. The efficient rail-to-rail output stage is biased in class AB. The measured DC gain of the amplifier is 75dB, and the unity-gain frequency is 870kHz with a 12pF, 100kΩload. Both input and output stage transistors are biased in weak inversion.

Simulations of roughness initiation and growth on railway rails

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, X.; Thompson, D. J.; Jones, C. J. C.; Xie, G.; Iwnicki, S. D.; Allen, P.; Hsu, S. S.

2006-06-01

A model for the prediction of the initiation and growth of roughness on the rail is presented. The vertical interaction between a train and the track is calculated as a time history for single or multiple wheels moving on periodically supported rails, using a wavenumber-based approach. This vertical dynamic wheel/rail force arises from the varying stiffness due to discrete supports (i.e. parametric excitation) and the roughness excitation on the railhead. The tangential contact problem between the wheel and rail is modelled using an unsteady two-dimensional approach and also using the three-dimensional contact model, FASTSIM. This enables the slip and stick regions in the contact patch to be identified from the input geometry and creepage between the wheel and rail. The long-term wear growth is then predicted by applying repeated passages of the vehicle wheelsets, as part of an iterative solution.

A dynamic wheel-rail impact analysis of railway track under wheel flat by finite element analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Bian, Jian; Gu, Yuantong; Murray, Martin Howard

2013-06-01

Wheel-rail interaction is one of the most important research topics in railway engineering. It involves track impact response, track vibration and track safety. Track structure failures caused by wheel-rail impact forces can lead to significant economic loss for track owners through damage to rails and to the sleepers beneath. Wheel-rail impact forces occur because of imperfections in the wheels or rails such as wheel flats, irregular wheel profiles, rail corrugations and differences in the heights of rails connected at a welded joint. A wheel flat can cause a large dynamic impact force as well as a forced vibration with a high frequency, which can cause damage to the track structure. In the present work, a three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for the impact analysis induced by the wheel flat is developed by the use of the FE analysis (FEA) software package ANSYS and validated by another validated simulation. The effect of wheel flats on impact forces is thoroughly investigated. It is found that the presence of a wheel flat will significantly increase the dynamic impact force on both rail and sleeper. The impact force will monotonically increase with the size of wheel flats. The relationships between the impact force and the wheel flat size are explored from this FEA and they are important for track engineers to improve their understanding of the design and maintenance of the track system.

Prototype Rail Crossing Violation Warning Application Project Report.

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-05

This report is the Project Report for the Rail Crossing Violation Warning (RCVW) safety application developed for the project on Rail Crossing Violation Warning Application and Infrastructure Connection, providing a means for equipped connected vehic...

77 FR 17121 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-23

... decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance, Governmental Affairs, and...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, Department of Transportation. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. [[Page 17122

30 CFR 57.9102 - Movement of independently operating rail equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Movement of independently operating rail... NONMETAL MINES Loading, Hauling, and Dumping Traffic Safety § 57.9102 Movement of independently operating rail equipment. Movement of two or more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same...

Rail Impact Testing. Test Operations Procedure (TOP)

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-15

impact test. The rail impact test is used to verify structural integrity of the test item and the adequacy of the tie-down system and tie-down...strength of provisions, connection and supporting structural frame, paragraph 5.2.3 ** Superscript...parts, to include outriggers and booms) without advanced approval by SDDCTEA. Torque nuts on wire rope clips to their correct value. Torque cable

Measurement of vertical track deflection from a moving rail car.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-01

The University of Nebraska has been conducting research sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administrations Office of Research and Development to develop a system that measures vertical track deflection/modulus from a moving rail car. Previous work ...

Different haptic tools reduce trunk velocity in the frontal plane during walking, but haptic anchors have advantages over lightly touching a railing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedayat, Isabel; Moraes, Renato; Lanovaz, Joel L; Oates, Alison R

2017-06-01

There are different ways to add haptic input during walking which may affect walking balance. This study compared the use of two different haptic tools (rigid railing and haptic anchors) and investigated whether any effects on walking were the result of the added sensory input and/or the posture generated when using those tools. Data from 28 young healthy adults were collected using the Mobility Lab inertial sensor system (APDM, Oregon, USA). Participants walked with and without both haptic tools and while pretending to use both haptic tools (placebo trials), with eyes opened and eyes closed. Using the tools or pretending to use both tools decreased normalized stride velocity (p  .999). These findings highlight a difference in the type of tool used to add haptic input and suggest that changes in balance control strategy resulting from using the railing are based on arm placement, where it is the posture combined with added sensory input that affects balance control strategies with the haptic anchors. These findings provide a strong framework for additional research to be conducted on the effects of haptic input on walking in populations known to have decreased walking balance.

30 CFR 56.9102 - Movement of independently operating rail equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Movement of independently operating rail... MINES Loading, Hauling, and Dumping Traffic Safety § 56.9102 Movement of independently operating rail equipment. Movement of two or more pieces of rail equipment operating independently on the same track shall...

Natural light illumination system.

Science.gov (United States)

Whang, Allen Jong-Woei; Chen, Yi-Yung; Yang, Shu-Hua; Pan, Po-Hsuan; Chou, Kao-Hsu; Lee, Yu-Chi; Lee, Zong-Yi; Chen, Chi-An; Chen, Cheng-Nan

2010-12-10

In recent years, green energy has undergone a lot of development and has been the subject of many applications. Many research studies have focused on illumination with sunlight as a means of saving energy and creating healthy lighting. Natural light illumination systems have collecting, transmitting, and lighting elements. Today, most daylight collectors use dynamic concentrators; these include Sun tracking systems. However, this design is too expensive to be cost effective. To create a low-cost collector that can be easily installed on a large building, we have designed a static concentrator, which is prismatic and cascadable, to collect sunlight for indoor illumination. The transmission component uses a large number of optical fibers. Because optical fibers are expensive, this means that most of the cost for the system will be related to transmission. In this paper, we also use a prismatic structure to design an optical coupler for coupling n to 1. With the n-to-1 coupler, the number of optical fibers necessary can be greatly reduced. Although this new natural light illumination system can effectively guide collected sunlight and send it to the basement or to other indoor places for healthy lighting, previously there has been no way to manage the collected sunlight when lighting was not desired. To solve this problem, we have designed an optical switch and a beam splitter to control and separate the transmitted light. When replacing traditional sources, the lighting should have similar characteristics, such as intensity distribution and geometric parameters, to those of traditional artificial sources. We have designed, simulated, and optimized an illumination lightpipe with a dot pattern to redistribute the collected sunlight from the natural light illumination system such that it equals the qualities of a traditional lighting system. We also provide an active lighting module that provides lighting from the natural light illumination system or LED auxiliary

High-speed rail with emerging automobiles and aircraft can reduce environmental impacts in California’s future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chester, Mikhail; Horvath, Arpad

2012-01-01

Sustainable mobility policy for long-distance transportation services should consider emerging automobiles and aircraft as well as infrastructure and supply chain life-cycle effects in the assessment of new high-speed rail systems. Using the California corridor, future automobiles, high-speed rail and aircraft long-distance travel are evaluated, considering emerging fuel-efficient vehicles, new train designs and the possibility that the region will meet renewable electricity goals. An attributional per passenger-kilometer-traveled life-cycle inventory is first developed including vehicle, infrastructure and energy production components. A consequential life-cycle impact assessment is then established to evaluate existing infrastructure expansion against the construction of a new high-speed rail system. The results show that when using the life-cycle assessment framework, greenhouse gas footprints increase significantly and human health and environmental damage potentials may be dominated by indirect and supply chain components. The environmental payback is most sensitive to the number of automobile trips shifted to high-speed rail, and for greenhouse gases is likely to occur in 20–30 years. A high-speed rail system that is deployed with state-of-the-art trains, electricity that has met renewable goals, and in a configuration that endorses high ridership will provide significant environmental benefits over existing modes. Opportunities exist for reducing the long-distance transportation footprint by incentivizing large automobile trip shifts, meeting clean electricity goals and reducing material production effects. (letter)

EVALUATION OF STRAIN-STRESS STATE OF THE RAILS IN THE PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Muravev

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High values of residual stresses is one of the most common reason of breaking lots of metal constructions, including rails. These stresses can reach values of flow limit, especially in the area of faults. Estimation of residual stresses values allows to get information about technical condition of the rail and also allow to avoid abnormal situations So, the aim of the research is creating the model of stress-strain state of the rail, which was hardened in its top and bottom, and to compare modeling results with experimental measurements of stresses and discrepancy of the housing.For creating the model and making evaluations by finite element method we used a program COMSOL. Forces on the top and bottom of the rail cause tension stresses, forces on the web of the rail cause tensile stresses. We compared calculated values of stresses with discrepancy of the housing. The discrepancy of the housing is informative characteristic for estimating the residual stresses according to standards. For experimental measurements we used an acoustic structuroscope SEMA. This structuroscope uses the acoustoelastic phenomenon for measurements. We made measurements of the five rails.According to the calculation results of the model, critical discrepancy of the housing in 2 mm corresponded to the following values of maximum stresses: –54 MPa in the top of the rail, 86 MPa in the web and –62 MPa in the bottom of the rail. Experimental measurements are the following: from –48 MPa to – 64 MPa in the top of the rail, 54 MPa to 93 MPa in the web of the rail, and –59 MPA to –74 MPa in the bottom of the rail. Absolute error was ±5 MPa.Thus we created the model, which allowed to analyze strain-stress state and compare real values of stresses with discrepancy of the housing. Results of the modeling showed coincidence with structure of distribution of residual stresses in five probes of rails. 

Rail renaissance based on strategic market segmentation principles

African Journals Online (AJOL)

rail renaissance, market segmentation, South Africa, state of logistics, ... The modal imbalance is the result of a historical rail investment backlog, with ..... vector that can be thought of as a chromosome in genetic terms, while the values used.

A big data analysis approach for rail failure risk assessment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jamshidi, A.; Faghih Roohi, S.; Hajizadeh, S.; Nunez Vicencio, Alfredo; Babuska, R.; Dollevoet, R.P.B.J.; Li, Z.; De Schutter, B.H.K.

2017-01-01

Railway infrastructure monitoring is a vital task to ensure rail transportation safety. A rail failure could result in not only a considerable impact on train delays and maintenance costs, but also on safety of passengers. In this article, the aim is to assess the risk of a rail failure by

Control of rolling contact fatigue on premium rails in revenue service.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

Effective rail maintenance strategies are : essential for controlling rolling contact fatigue : (RCF) and reducing wear of rails under heavy : axle load (HAL) operations. In an effort to : optimize rail maintenance strategies in revenue : service, Tr...

Highway-rail intersection GPS-based in-vehicle warning systems - literature review and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-31

In 2008, there were 2,395 incidents at highway-rail intersections (level crossings) in the United States, resulting in 939 injuries and 287 fatalities. Crossing elimination, grade separation, and the implementation of traditional warning devices are ...

The operation of a single-sided linear induction motor with squirrel-cage and solid-steel reaction rails

Science.gov (United States)

Eastham, A. R.; Katz, R. M.

1980-09-01

Two test programs have been conducted to evaluate the performance of a single-sided linear induction motor with a squirrel-cage reaction rail and with a solid steel reaction rail. A 1.73-m-long six-pole stator interacted with the rails mounted on the rim of a 7.6-m-diam wheel. A 64-channel data acquisition system allowed tests to be performed over a wide range of operating conditions at speeds up to 20 m/sec. Typical test results which compare and contrast the mechanical, electrical and magnetic behavior of the SLIMs are presented. The test data are being used to assess the SLIM as an integrated suspension/propulsion system and for other transportation applications.

NASTRAN buckling study of a linear induction motor reaction rail

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, J. G.

1973-01-01

NASTRAN was used to study problems associated with the installation of a linear induction motor reaction rail test track. Specific problems studied include determination of the critical axial compressive buckling stress and establishment of the lateral stiffness of the reaction rail under combined loads. NASTRAN results were compared with experimentally obtained values and satisfactory agreement was obtained. The reaction rail was found to buckle at an axial compressive stress of 11,400 pounds per square inch. The results of this investigation were used to select procedures for installation of the reaction rail.

Complex Network Theory Applied to the Growth of Kuala Lumpur's Public Urban Rail Transit Network.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Ding

Full Text Available Recently, the number of studies involving complex network applications in transportation has increased steadily as scholars from various fields analyze traffic networks. Nonetheless, research on rail network growth is relatively rare. This research examines the evolution of the Public Urban Rail Transit Networks of Kuala Lumpur (PURTNoKL based on complex network theory and covers both the topological structure of the rail system and future trends in network growth. In addition, network performance when facing different attack strategies is also assessed. Three topological network characteristics are considered: connections, clustering and centrality. In PURTNoKL, we found that the total number of nodes and edges exhibit a linear relationship and that the average degree stays within the interval [2.0488, 2.6774] with heavy-tailed distributions. The evolutionary process shows that the cumulative probability distribution (CPD of degree and the average shortest path length show good fit with exponential distribution and normal distribution, respectively. Moreover, PURTNoKL exhibits clear cluster characteristics; most of the nodes have a 2-core value, and the CPDs of the centrality's closeness and betweenness follow a normal distribution function and an exponential distribution, respectively. Finally, we discuss four different types of network growth styles and the line extension process, which reveal that the rail network's growth is likely based on the nodes with the biggest lengths of the shortest path and that network protection should emphasize those nodes with the largest degrees and the highest betweenness values. This research may enhance the networkability of the rail system and better shape the future growth of public rail networks.

Residual stress determination of rail tread using a laser ultrasonic technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Jing; Feng, Qibo

2015-01-01

A non-destructive method for measuring the residual stress on rail tread that uses a laser-generated ultrasonic technique is proposed. The residual stress distribution of different parts on both the new rail and used rail were examined. The surface acoustic waves (SAWs) are excited by a scanning line laser and detected by a laser ultrasonic detection system. A digital correlation method was used for calculating the changes in velocity of SAWs, which reflects the stress distribution. A wavelet de-noising technique and a least square fit were used for signal processing to improve the measurement accuracy. The effects of ultrasonic propagation distance and surface roughness on the determination of residual stress were analyzed and simulated. Results from the study demonstrate that the stress distribution results are accordant with the practical situation, and the laser-generated SAWs technique is a promising tool for the determination of residual stress in the railway inspection and other industrial testing fields. (paper)

Integrated prioritization method for active and passive highway-rail crossings.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

This two-year research project developed a prioritization system for highway-rail at-grade crossings that addressed the following major concerns: (1) warrants to identify low-volume, passive crossings with risk factors; (2) a broader priority index t...

Plans for crash-tested wood bridge railings for concrete decks

Science.gov (United States)

Michael A. Ritter; Ronald K. Faller; Barry T. Rosson; Paula D. Hilbrich Lee; Sheila Rimal. Duwadi

1998-01-01

As part of a continuing cooperative research between the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility (MwRSF); the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL); and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), several crashworthy wood bridge railings and approach railing transitions have been adapted for use on concrete bridge decks. These railings meet testing and...

Home school student visit and introduction to rail transportation and engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-22

This project consisted of hosting local Champaign-Urbana, Illinois home school students for a visit to : the Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana- : Champaign (UIUC). Beyond visiting RailTEC, st...

General Vehicle Test Plan (GVTP) for Urban Rail Transit Cars

Science.gov (United States)

1977-09-01

The General Vehicle Test Plan provides a system for general vehicle testing and for documenting and utilizing data and information in the testing of urban rail transit cars. Test procedures are defined for nine categories: (1) Performance; (2) Power ...

Vulnerability Analysis of Urban Rail Transit Networks: A Case Study of Shanghai, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel (Jian Sun

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Rail transit is developing rapidly in major cities of China and has become a key component of urban transport. Nevertheless, the security and reliability in operation are significant issues that cannot be neglected. In this paper, the network and station vulnerabilities of the urban rail transit system were analyzed based on complex network and graph theories. A vulnerability evaluation model was proposed by accounting metro interchange and passenger flow and further validated by a case study of Shanghai Metro with full-scale network and real-world traffic data. It is identified that the urban rail transit network is rather robust to random attacks, but is vulnerable to the largest degree node-based attacks and the highest betweenness node-based attacks. Metro stations with a large node degree are more important in maintaining the network size, while stations with a high node betweenness are critical to network efficiency and origin-destination (OD connectivity. The most crucial stations in maintaining network serviceability do not necessarily have the highest passenger throughput or the largest structural connectivity. A comprehensive evaluation model as proposed is therefore essential to assess station vulnerability, so that attention can be placed on appropriate nodes within the metro system. The findings of this research are of both theoretical and practical significance for urban rail transit network design and performance evaluation.

Unistuste Rail Baltic - ilus ja kallis / Mikk Salu

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Salu, Mikk, 1975-

2011-01-01

Rail Balticu puhul on tähtsaim küsimus, kas uut raudteeühendust on üldse vaja, mitte aga see, kas tee läheb läbi Tartu või Pärnu. Konsutatsioonifirma AECOM koostatud raportist Rail Balticu tasuvuse kohta

Možnosti vstřikovacího systému common-rail

OpenAIRE

Smilek, Tomáš

2008-01-01

Tomáš Smilek Možnosti vstřikovacího systému common-rail BP, Ústav automobilního a dopravního inženýrství, 2008, str. 23, obr. 18, přílohy 0 Bakalářská práce se zabývá vstřikovacím systémem common-rail. Popisuje historii vývoje stejně jako jednotlivé části systému a jejich funkci. Také stanovuje výhody oproti starým způsobům vstřikování. Tomáš Smilek Possibilities of Common-rail Injection System BT, Institute of Automotive Engineering, 2008, p. 23, fig. 18, appendices 0 This study´s motivat...

The breakthrough of common rail system. Closed-loop control strategy using injector with built-in pressure sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyaki, Masahiko; Takeuchi, Katsuhiko; Ishizuka, Koji; Sasaki, Satoru [DENSO Corporation, Aichi-ken (Japan)

2009-07-01

DENSO has developed the world's first common rail system injector with built-in pressure sensor. This technology makes it possible to execute closed loop injection control in the cylinders, which has been one of the most challenging issues for diesel engine systems. Attaining both further fuel economy and emission reduction requires further technological innovation in the air system and fuel injection system. With the combustion technology that has been developed, stable combustion with high exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is required in order to reduce nitrogen oxide's (NOx), however robustness is also required in order to handle bio-diesel and low-cetane value fuels and the range for attaining this is extremely narrow. Therefore, for the fuel injection system, in addition to conventional high pressure and high response, lifetime accuracy compensation is key. With this newly developed technology, the fuel injection rate, which determines the combustion within the engine cylinders, is directly detected and controlled in a closed loop to allow precise compensation of the injection system for its entire service life. Highly advanced injection control allows for extremely close multiple injections and variable injection rate control to be possible on the mass production level for the first time. Furthermore, the use of this technology can provide three major advantages for the overall engine system. Firstly succeeds in an expansion of the possible calibration range, which improves fuel economy and emissions, secondly it provides an improvement in the overall engine robustness and reliability. Thirdly, the use of closed loop control makes it possible to greatly reduce the man-hours required for calibration. Given this, the new DENSO common rail system using injectors with built-in pressure sensors is the first step to opening up a new era of diesel engine control. (orig.)

Weighted Complex Network Analysis of Shanghai Rail Transit System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yingying Xing

2016-01-01

Full Text Available With increasing passenger flows and construction scale, Shanghai rail transit system (RTS has entered a new era of networking operation. In addition, the structure and properties of the RTS network have great implications for urban traffic planning, design, and management. Thus, it is necessary to acquire their network properties and impacts. In this paper, the Shanghai RTS, as well as passenger flows, will be investigated by using complex network theory. Both the topological and dynamic properties of the RTS network are analyzed and the largest connected cluster is introduced to assess the reliability and robustness of the RTS network. Simulation results show that the distribution of nodes strength exhibits a power-law behavior and Shanghai RTS network shows a strong weighted rich-club effect. This study also indicates that the intentional attacks are more detrimental to the RTS network than to the random weighted network, but the random attacks can cause slightly more damage to the random weighted network than to the RTS network. Our results provide a richer view of complex weighted networks in real world and possibilities of risk analysis and policy decisions for the RTS operation department.

Bootstrap for rails

CERN Document Server

Rahman, Syed Fazle

2015-01-01

If you are a web developer who has a basic understanding of Ruby on Rails, this is the book for you. You should definitely have previous knowledge about HTML and how it works. However, CSS and JavaScript knowledge is optional for this book.

Groningen Seaports : An Examination of Public Rail Infrastructure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Droogendijk, Gert

2010-01-01

This report examines the value of the public rail infrastructure of Groningen Seaports, the port authority of Delfzijl and Eemshaven. There is substantial strategic value of public rail infrastructure due to the public good character, the mission of Groningen Seaports, the image of full port

49 CFR 213.343 - Continuous welded rail (CWR).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TRACK SAFETY STANDARDS Train Operations at Track Classes 6 and...) Designation of a desired rail installation temperature range for the geographic area in which the CWR is... installation temperature range when adjusting CWR. (b) Rail anchoring or fastening requirements that will...

77 FR 76169 - Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-26

....stb.dot.gov . Copies of the decision may be purchased by contacting the Office of Public Assistance...)] Quarterly Rail Cost Adjustment Factor AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Approval of rail cost adjustment factor. SUMMARY: The Board has approved the AAR's proposed rebasing calculations and...

75 FR 53734 - Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.-Continuance in Control...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

... noncarrier limited liability company that owns not less than 51% of the equity interests in PRH. PRH owns 100% of the stock of Patriot. Patriot is a noncarrier holding company that owns 100% of the stock of six...). Patriot currently controls the following six Class III rail carriers: Tennessee Southern Railroad Company...

Experimental investigations of a single cylinder genset engine with common rail fuel injection system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gupta Paras

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Performance and emissions characteristics of compression ignition (CI engines are strongly dependent on quality of fuel injection. In an attempt to improve engine combustion, engine performance and reduce the exhaust emissions from a single cylinder constant speed genset engine, a common rail direct injection (CRDI fuel injection system was deployed and its injection timings were optimized. Results showed that 34°CA BTDC start of injection (SOI timings result in lowest brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC and smoke opacity. Advanced injection timings showed higher cylinder peak pressure, pressure rise rate, and heat release rate due to relatively longer ignition delay experienced.

LOAD BEARING CAPACITY OF THE GLASS RAILING ELEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeta Šamec

2016-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper some basic physical and mechanical properties of glass as structural material are presented. This research is about specifically manufactured glass railing element that will be a part of a pedestrian bridge construction in Zagreb, Croatia. Load bearing capacity test of the glass railing element is conducted within the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb and obtained experimental results are discussed and compared to the ones provided by the numerical model. Taking into account the behaviour of laminated glass and results of experimental and numerical testing, glass railing element can be regarded as safe.

Towards New Ambient Light Systems: a Close Look at Existing Encodings of Ambient Light Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrii Matviienko

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Ambient systems provide information in the periphery of a user’s attention. Their aim is to present information as unobtrusively as possible to avoid interrupting primary tasks (e.g. writing or reading. In recent years, light has been used to create ambient systems to display information. Examples of ambient light systems range from simple notification systems such as displaying messages or calendar event reminders, to more complex systems such as focusing on conveying information regarding health activity tracking. However, for ambient light systems, there is a broad design space that lacks guidelines on when to make use of light displays and how to design them. In this paper we provide a systematic overview of existing ambient light systems over four identified information classes derived from 72 existing ambient light systems. The most prominent encoding parameters among the surveyed ambient light systems are color, brightness, and their combination. By analyzing existing ambient light systems, we provide a first step towards developing guidelines for designing future ambient light systems.

New magnetic rails with double-layer Halbach structure by employing NdFeB and ferrite magnets for HTS maglev

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Ruixue; Zheng, Jun; Zheng, Botian; Qian, Nan; Li, Jipeng; Deng, Zigang

2018-01-01

In the high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev system, the magnetic rail as an essential infrastructure is needed all along the route to carry passengers and goods to the destinations. Thus, large amount of rare earth magnetic materials are required in the magnetic rail construction. In order to decrease the dependence of magnetic rails on rare earth elements, the ferrite magnet is employed to replace part of the NdFeB magnets containing rare earth elements. Consequently, a new type rail with double-layer Halbach structure is presented, which is consisted of NdFeB and ferrite magnets. In this paper, we designed and fabricated the proposed rail, and further measured its magnetic flux density distribution and electromagnetic force interacting with HTS bulks. Experimental results indicate that, this new type rail, in double-layer Halbach structure, can achieve an equivalent distribution of magnetic flux density and levitation performance as the pure NdFeB Halbach rail, while a 10% reduction in NdFeB magnet consumption can be realized at the same time. In addition this work explores another magnetic material selection for HTS maglev applications. The dependence on rare earth element and the cost of magnetic rails can be further reduced, as the coercive force of ferrite magnets improved.

Impact of a Diesel High Pressure Common Rail Fuel System and Onboard Vehicle Storage on B20 Biodiesel Blend Stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, Earl; McCormick, Robert L.; Sigelko, Jenny; Johnson, Stuart; Zickmann, Stefan; Lopes, Shailesh; Gault, Roger; Slade, David

2016-04-01

Adoption of high-pressure common-rail (HPCR) fuel systems, which subject diesel fuels to higher temperatures and pressures, has brought into question the efficacy of ASTM International specifications for biodiesel and biodiesel blend oxidation stability, as well as the lack of any stability parameter for diesel fuel. A controlled experiment was developed to investigate the impact of a light-duty diesel HPCR fuel system on the stability of 20% biodiesel (B20) blends under conditions of intermittent use and long-term storage in a relatively hot and dry climate. B20 samples with Rancimat induction periods (IPs) near the current 6.0-hour minimum specification (6.5 hr) and roughly double the ASTM specification (13.5 hr) were prepared from a conventional diesel and a highly unsaturated biodiesel. Four 2011 model year Volkswagen Passats equipped with HPCR fuel injection systems were utilized: one on B0, two on B20-6.5 hr, and one on B20-13.5 hr. Each vehicle was operated over a one-hour drive cycle in a hot running loss test cell to initially stress the fuel. The cars were then kept at Volkswagen's Arizona Proving Ground for two (35 degrees C average daily maximum) to six months (26 degrees C average daily maximum). The fuel was then stressed again by running a portion of the one-hour dynamometer drive cycle (limited by the amount of fuel in the tank). Fuel rail and fuel tank samples were analyzed for IP, acid number, peroxide content, polymer content, and ester profile. The HPCR fuel pumps were removed, dismantled, and inspected for deposits or abnormal wear. Analysis of fuels collected during initial dynamometer tests showed no impact of exposure to HPCR conditions. Long-term storage with intermittent use showed that IP remained above 3 hours, acid number below 0.3 mg KOH/g, peroxides low, no change in ester profile, and no production of polymers. Final dynamometer tests produced only small changes in fuel properties. Inspection of the HPCR fuel pumps revealed no

Tartu ihkab Rail Baltica kiirraudteed endale / Madis Aesma

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Aesma, Madis

2005-01-01

2005. aasta sügisel alustatakse uuringuid, et välja selgitada, millisest Eesti linnast - Tartust, Pärnust või Viljandist - peaks tulevikus läbi minema kiirraudtee Rail Baltica, mis viib kuue tunniga Tallinnast Varssavisse. Kaart: Kiirraudtee Rail Baltica kolm võimalikku suunda. Kommenteerib Andrus Ansip

Economic and demographic impacts of passenger rail systems : the impact of intercity passenger rails on population and employment change in the United States, 2000-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

This research examines the impact of intercity passenger rails on change in population and employment at the county level in the continental United States from 2000 to 2010. This research adopts an integrated spatial regression approach that incorpor...

The clinical impact of the couch top and rails on IMRT and arc therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pulliam, Kiley B; Howell, Rebecca M; Followill, David; Luo, Dershan; Kry, Stephen F; White, R Allen

2011-01-01

The clinical impact of the Varian Exact Couch on dose, volume coverage to targets and critical structures, and tumor control probability (TCP) has not been described. Thus, we examined their effects on IMRT and arc therapy. Five clinical prostate patients were planned with both 6 MV eight-field IMRT and 6 MV two-arc RapidArc techniques using the Eclipse treatment planning system. These plans neglected treatment couch attenuation, as is a common clinical practice. Dose distributions were then recalculated in Eclipse with the inclusion of the Varian Exact Couch (imaging couch top) and the rails in varying configurations. The changes in dose and coverage were evaluated using the dose-volume histograms from each plan iteration. We used a TCP model to calculate losses in tumor control resulting from not accounting for the couch top and rails. We also verified dose measurements in a phantom. Failure to account for the treatment couch and rails resulted in clinically unacceptable dose and volume coverage losses to the targets for both IMRT and RapidArc. The couch caused average prescription dose losses (relative to plans that ignored the couch) to the prostate of 4.2% and 2.0% for IMRT with the rails out and in, respectively, and 3.2% and 2.9% for RapidArc with the rails out and in, respectively. On average, the percentage of the target covered by the prescribed dose dropped to 35% and 84% for IMRT (rails out and in, respectively) and to 18% and 17% for RapidArc (rails out and in, respectively). The TCP was also reduced by as much as 10.5% (6.3% on average). Dose and volume coverage losses for IMRT plans were primarily due to the rails, while the imaging couch top contributed most to losses for RapidArc. Both the couch top and rails contribute to dose and coverage losses that can render plans clinically unacceptable. A follow-up study we performed found that the less attenuating unipanel mesh couch top available with the Varian Exact couch does not cause a clinically

Top-of-Rail lubricant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alzoubi, M. F.; Fenske, G. R.; Erck, R. A.; Boparai, A. S.

2000-07-14

Analysis of the volatile and semivolatile fractions collected after use of the TOR lubricant indicated that other than contaminants in the collection laboratory, no compounds on the EPA's Target Compound Lists (Tables 2 and 5) were detected in these fractions. The data of these qualitative analyses, given in the various tables in the text, indicate only the relative amounts of the tentatively identified compounds. The authors recommend that quantitative analysis be performed on the volatile and semivolatile fractions to allow confirmation of the tentatively identified compounds and to obtain absolute amounts of the detected compounds. Additionally, the semivolatile fraction should be analyzed by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify compounds that are not chromatographable under the temperature program used for determination of semivolatile compounds. Introducing the top-of-rail (TOR) lubricant into the wheel/rail interface results in a reduction of almost 60% of lateral friction force over the forces encountered under dry conditions. This reveals good potential for energy savings, as well as wear reduction, for railroad companies. In TOR lubrication, an increase in the angle of attack and axle load results in increased lateral friction and rate of lubricant consumption. The most efficient TOR lubricant quantity to be used in the wheel/rail interface must be calculated precisely according to the number of cars, axle loads, train speed, and angle of attack.

How shift scheduling practices contribute to fatigue amongst freight rail operating employees: Findings from Canadian accident investigations.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudin-Brown, Christina M; Harris, Sarah; Rosberg, Ari

2018-02-01

Canada's freight rail system moves 70% of the country's surface goods and almost half of all exports (RAC, 2016). These include dangerous goods. Anonymous survey of freight rail operating employees conducted by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC, 2014) revealed that many do not report getting enough sleep because of their work schedules, and that fatigue may be affecting their performance at work. Besides general impairments in attention and cognitive functioning, fatigue in railway operating employees slows reaction time to safety alarms and impairs conformance to train operating requirements. Shift scheduling practices can contribute to sleep-related fatigue by restricting sleep opportunities, requiring extended periods of wakefulness and by disrupting daily (circadian) rhythms. The primary goal of accident investigation is to identify causal and contributing factors so that similar occurrences can be prevented. A database search of Transportation Safety Board (TSB) rail investigation reports published in the 21-year period from 1995 to 2015 identified 18 that cited sleep-related fatigue of freight rail operating employees as a causal, contributing, or risk finding. This number represents about 20% of TSB rail investigations from the same period in which a human factors aspect of freight train activities was a primary cause. Exploration of accident themes suggests that management of fatigue and shift scheduling in the freight rail industry is a complex issue that is often not conducive to employee circadian rhythms and sleep requirements. It also suggests that current shift scheduling and fatigue management practices may be insufficient to mitigate the associated safety risk. Railway fatigue management systems that are based on the principles of modern sleep science are needed to improve scheduling practices and mitigate the ongoing safety risk. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LeRC rail accelerators: test designs and diagnostic techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zana, L.M.; Kerslake, W.R.; Sturman, J.C.; Wang, S.Y.; Terdan, F.F.

1984-01-01

The feasibility of using rail accelerators for various in-space and to-space propulsion applications was investigated. A 1 meter, 24 sq mm bore accelerator was designed with the goal of demonstrating projectile velocities of 15 km/sec using a peak current of 200 kA. A second rail accelerator, 1 meter long with a 156.25 sq mm bore, was designed with clear polycarbonate sidewalls to permit visual observation of the plasma arc. A study of available diagnostic techniques and their application to the rail accelerator is presented. Specific topics of discussion include the use of interferometry and spectroscopy to examine the plasma armature as well as the use of optical sensors to measure rail displacement during acceleration. Standard diagnostics such as current and voltage measurements are also discussed. 15 references

Could Expanded Freight Rail Reduce Air Pollution from Trucks?

Science.gov (United States)

Bickford, E. E.; Holloway, T.; Johnston, M.

2010-12-01

Cars, trucks and trains are a significant source of emissions that impact both climate and air quality on regional to global scales. Diesel vehicles, most used for freight transport, account for 42% of on-road nitrogen oxide emissions, 58% of on-road fine particulate emissions, and 21% of on-road carbon dioxide emissions. With freight tonnage projected to increase 28% by 2018, and freight trucks the fastest growing source of transportation emissions, we evaluate the potential for increased rail capacity to reduce the environmental impacts of trucks. Most widely available mobile source emissions inventories contain insufficient spatial detail to quantify realistic emission scenario options, and none to date have been linked with commodity flow information in a manner appropriate to consider the true potential of rail substitution. To support a truck-to-rail analysis, and other policy assessments requiring roadway-by-roadway analysis, we have developed a freight emissions inventory for the Upper Midwest based on the Federal Highway Administration’s Freight Analysis Framework version 2.2 and the Environmental Protection Agency’s on-road emissions model, Mobile6.2. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS), we developed emissions scenarios for truck-to-rail modal shifts where 95% of freight tonnage on trips longer than 400 miles is shifted off of trucks and onto railways. Scenarios will be analyzed with the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) regional model to assess air quality impacts of associated changes. By using well-respected transportation data and realistic assumptions, results from this study have the potential to inform decisions on transportation sustainability, carbon management, public health, and air quality.

Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at of human‐recorded rails also were detected by the ARU, but at >75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

Rail tiedown tests with heavy casks for radioactive shipments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petry, S.F.

1980-08-01

A rail tiedown test program was conducted at the Savannah River Plant in July and August 1978. For each test, a 40- or 70-ton cask was secured on a railcar. The railcar was pushed to speeds up to 11 mph and allowed to couple to parked railcars simulating ordinary railyard operations. The test car carrying the cask was heavily instrumented to measure the accelerations and forces generated at strategically selected places. Eighteen test runs were made with different combinations of railcars, couplers, casks, speeds, and tiedown configurations. The major objectives of the test program were to (1) provide test data as a basis to develop a tiedown standard for rail cask shipments of radioactive materials and (2) collect dynamic data to support analytical models of the railcar cask tiedown system. The optimum tiedown configuration demonstrated for heavy casks was a combination of welded, fixed stops to secure the cask longitudinally and flexible cables to restrain vertical and lateral cask movement. Cables alone were inadequate to secure a heavy cask to a standard railcar, and bolting was found disadvantageous in several respects. The use of cushioning coupler mechanisms dramatically reduced the tiedown requirements for the rail coupling operation. The test program and general conclusions are discussed

77 FR 65937 - Pioneer Railcorp-Continuation in Control Exemption-Rail Switching Services, Inc.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-31

... control of Rail Switching Services, Inc. (RSS), upon RSS's becoming a Class III rail carrier. \\1\\ Pioneer states that it owns 100% of the common stock of its 17 Class III rail carrier subsidiaries: West Michigan...--Continuation in Control Exemption--Rail Switching Services, Inc. Pioneer Railcorp (Pioneer) and its...

Hybrid rail gun electromagnetic accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, K.W.; Hachen, H.; Lee, A.; Legh, G.; Lin, T.; Mattay, S.; Wipf, S.

1983-01-01

Theoretical and experimental investigations on hybrid rail accelerators are presented. It is shown that the side surface areas and in some cases sabots of the projectile can be used to provide substantial amount of additional thrust. Moreover, it is shown that in most cases examined, external magnetic fields can be conveniently incorporated in the accelerator designs to supplement the rail-induced fields. Total thrusts in excess of 10 MN for kilogram-sized projectiles can in principle be established with driving currents of the order of 1 MA. No obvious stress limitations are foreseen. The percentages of thrust from external magnetic fields are sufficiently high that the use of which should be encouraged. The increased flexibility in the projectile shapes available permits the use of the proposed hybrid electromagnetic launcher technology in a variety of new areas, such as thrust boosts in conventional chemical rockets and other similar applications. Furthermore, the additional thrust obtained from the use of side surface areas greatly increases the maximum permissable thrust otherwise limited by material strength considerations. Thrust analyses for projectiles in several hybrid rail accelerator designs are discussed. Some laboratory experimental observations are presented

Office lighting systems: Optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dagnino, U. (ENEL, Milan (Italy))

1990-09-01

Relative to office lighting systems, in particular, those making use of tubular fluorescent lamps, currently available on the international market, this paper tries to develop lighting system, design optimization criteria. The comparative assessment of the various design possibilities considers operating cost, energy consumption, and occupational comfort/safety aspects such as lighting level uniformity and equilibrium, reduction of glare and reflection, natural/artificial lighting balance, programmed switching, computerized control systems for multi-use requirements in large areas, programmed maintenance for greater efficiency and reliability.

MASH Test 3-11 on the T131RC Bridge Rail

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-01

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) currently uses the TxDOT Type T101RC Bridge Rail, : a steel post and beam bridge rail anchored to the top of concrete curbs. The T101RC Bridge Rail is : 27 inches in height and can be anchored to the top of ...

Instilling safety culture in the passenger rail transport industry within the South African context

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khulumane (John Maluleke

2013-07-01

Full Text Available South Africa has two major rail operators that constitute the rail transport industry. These are Transnet Freight Rail (TFR, which operates freight and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA. Although the Railway Safety Regulator (2011:29 reported the year on year declining trend of collisions, the main concern is that the costs incurred for each year’s incidents is escalating. This article is concerned with the declining safety standards of these operators as evidenced by 742 collisions recorded during the 2011/2012 financial year for both operators. The focus is mainly on collisions during the movement of rolling stock within the PRASA environment. The analysis of the occurrences is narrowed down, with the emphasis on the province of Gauteng. In the analysis of the causes of these collisions, the problems that led to the root causes of these collisions is reported. Of critical importance is that every transport operator is faced with the challenges of how to effectively respond to the basic transport needs and requirements of the travelling public. The transport users’ need is to travel between the two geographical points. During the journey between these geographical points, the operator has safety and security requirements and must provide a reliable, accessible and affordable transport system. As the travelling public becomes more affluent, the transport needs become open ended and require much more rational public choices. The rail transport system remains a vital or indispensable business sector of the economy. By investing in new technology, rolling stock and infrastructure, we woud see an increase in innovation, competitiveness, and an elevated standard of living.

Wavenumber-domain separation of rail contribution to pass-by noise

Science.gov (United States)

Zea, Elias; Manzari, Luca; Squicciarini, Giacomo; Feng, Leping; Thompson, David; Arteaga, Ines Lopez

2017-11-01

In order to counteract the problem of railway noise and its environmental impact, passing trains in Europe must be tested in accordance to a noise legislation that demands the quantification of the noise generated by the vehicle alone. However, for frequencies between about 500 Hz and 1600 Hz, it has been found that a significant part of the measured noise is generated by the rail, which behaves like a distributed source and radiates plane waves as a result of the contact with the train's wheels. Thus the need arises for separating the rail contribution to the pass-by noise in that particular frequency range. To this end, the present paper introduces a wavenumber-domain filtering technique, referred to as wave signature extraction, which requires a line microphone array parallel to the rail, and two accelerometers on the rail in the vertical and lateral direction. The novel contributions of this research are: (i) the introduction and application of wavenumber (or plane-wave) filters to pass-by data measured with a microphone array located in the near-field of the rail, and (ii) the design of such filters without prior information of the structural properties of the rail. The latter is achieved by recording the array pressure, as well as the rail vibrations with the accelerometers, before and after the train pass-by. The performance of the proposed method is investigated with a set of pass-by measurements performed in Germany. The results seem to be promising when compared to reference data from TWINS, and the largest discrepancies occur above 1600 Hz and are attributed to plane waves radiated by the rail that so far have not been accounted for in the design of the filters.

Evaluating autonomous acoustic surveying techniques for rails in tidal marshes

Science.gov (United States)

Stiffler, Lydia L.; Anderson, James T.; Katzner, Todd

2018-01-01

There is a growing interest toward the use of autonomous recording units (ARUs) for acoustic surveying of secretive marsh bird populations. However, there is little information on how ARUs compare to human surveyors or how best to use ARU data that can be collected continuously throughout the day. We used ARUs to conduct 2 acoustic surveys for king (Rallus elegans) and clapper rails (R. crepitans) within a tidal marsh complex along the Pamunkey River, Virginia, USA, during May–July 2015. To determine the effectiveness of an ARU in replacing human personnel, we compared results of callback point‐count surveys with concurrent acoustic recordings and calculated estimates of detection probability for both rail species combined. The success of ARUs at detecting rails that human observers recorded decreased with distance (P ≤ 0.001), such that at 75 m, only 34.0% of human‐detected rails were detected by the ARU. To determine a subsampling scheme for continuous ARU data that allows for effective surveying of presence and call rates of rails, we used ARUs to conduct 15 continuous 48‐hr passive surveys, generating 720 hr of recordings. We established 5 subsampling periods of 5, 10, 15, 30, and 45 min to evaluate ARU‐based presence and vocalization detections of rails compared with each of the full 60‐min sampling of ARU‐based detection of rails. All subsampling periods resulted in different (P ≤ 0.001) detection rates and unstandardized vocalization rates compared with the hourly sampling period. However, standardized vocalization counts from the 30‐min subsampling period were not different from vocalization counts of the full hourly sampling period. When surveying rail species in estuarine environments, species‐, habitat‐, and ARU‐specific limitations to ARU sampling should be considered when making inferences about abundances and distributions from ARU data. 

Analyzing the Potential for High-speed Rail as Part of the Multimodal Transportation System in the United States' Midwest Corridor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey C. Peters

2014-06-01

Full Text Available With increasing demand and rising fuel costs, both travel time and cost of current intercity passenger transportation modes are becoming increasingly relevant. Around the world, highspeed rail (HSR is seen as a way to alleviate demand on highways and at airports. Ridership is the critical element in determining the viability of a large capital, long-term transportation investment. This paper provides a systematic, consistent methodology for analyzing systemwide modal ridership with and without a proposed HSR network and analyzes the potential for highspeed rail as part of the existing multimodal transportation system in a region in terms of ridership. Considerations of capital investment (e.g., network design and HSR speed, along with exogenous demographic, technological, economic, and policy trends in the long-term, are used to project ridership over time. This study represents an important step toward a consistent, comprehensive economic analysis of HSR in the United States.

California statewide model for high-speed rail

OpenAIRE

Outwater, Maren; Tierney, Kevin; Bradley, Mark; Sall, Elizabeth; Kuppam, Arun; Modugala, Vamsee

2010-01-01

The California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) have developed a new statewide model to support evaluation of high-speed rail alternatives in the State of California. This statewide model will also support future planning activities of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The approach to this statewide model explicitly recognizes the unique characteristics of intraregional travel demand and interregional travel demand. A...

Policy issues of transporting spent nuclear fuel by rail

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spraggins, H.B.

1994-01-01

The topic of this paper is safe and economical transportation of spent nuclear fuel by rail. The cost of safe movement given the liability consequences in the event of a rail accident involving such material is the core issue. Underlying this issue is the ability to access the risk probability of such an accident. The paper delineates how the rail industry and certain governmental agencies perceive and assess such important operational, safety, and economic issues. It also covers benefits and drawbacks of dedicated and regular train movement of such materials

RAIL TRAFFIC VOLUME ESTIMATION BASED ON WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luka Lazarević

2015-08-01

Full Text Available European transport policy, defined in the White Paper, supports shift from road to rail and waterborne transport. The hypothesis of the paper is that changes in the economic environment influence rail traffic volume. Therefore, a model for prediction of rail traffic volume applied in different economic contexts could be a valuable tool for the transport planners. The model was built using common Machine Learning techniques that learn from the past experience. In the model preparation, world development indicators defined by the World Bank were used as input parameters.

Advancing high-speed rail policy in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

This report builds on a review of international experience with high-speed rail projects to develop recommendations for a High-speed rail policy framework for the United States. The international review looked at the experience of Korea, Taiwan, Chin...

Green Lighting. Energy-efficient integrated lighting systems - Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Linhart, F.; Scartezzini, J.-L.

2009-10-15

The objective of the Green Lighting project was to develop a High Performance Integrated Lighting System, based on advanced technologies for day- and electric lighting, achieving a Lighting Power Density (LPD) that does not exceed 3 W/m{sup 2}. The project has revealed that Anidolic Daylighting Systems (ADS) are an ideal basis for High Performance Integrated Lighting Systems. Not only are they able to provide adequate illumination (i.e. sufficiently high illuminance) in office rooms during large fractions of normal office hours, under various sky conditions and over the entire year, but they are also highly appreciated by office occupants at the condition that glare control mechanisms are available. Complementary electric lighting is, however, still necessary to back up the ADS at times when there is insufficient daylight flux available. It was shown during this project, that the most interesting trade-offs between energy-efficiency and visual comfort are obtained by using a combination of ceiling-mounted directly emitting luminaires with very high optical efficiencies for ambient lighting and portable desk lamps for temporary task lighting. The most appropriate lamps for the ceiling-mounted luminaires are currently highly efficient fluorescent tubes, but white LED tubes can be considered a realistic option for the future. The most suitable light sources for desk lamps for temporary task lighting are Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and white LED light bulbs. Based on the above-mentioned technologies, a High Performance Integrated Lighting System with a very low LPD has been developed over the last three years. The system has been set up in an office room of the LESO solar experimental building located on the EPFL campus; it has been tested intensively during a Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) study involving twenty human subjects. This study has revealed that the subjects' performance and subjective visual comfort was improved by the new system, compared to

Relating Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) occupancy to habitat and landscape features in the context of fire

Science.gov (United States)

Austin, Jane E.; Buhl, Deborah A.

2013-01-01

The Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) is a focal species of concern associated with shallowly flooded emergent wetlands, most commonly sedge (Carex spp.) meadows. Their populations are believed to be limited by loss or degradation of wetland habitat due to drainage, altered hydrology, and fire suppression, factors that have often resulted in encroachment of shrubs into sedge meadows and change in vegetative cover. Nocturnal call-playback surveys for Yellow Rails were conducted over 3 years at Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Effects of habitat structure and landscape variables on the probability of use by Yellow Rails were assessed at two scales, representing a range of home range sizes, using generalized linear mixed models. At the 163-m (8-ha) scale, year with quadratic models of maximum and mean water depths best explained the data. At the 300-m (28-ha) scale, the best model contained year and time since last fire (≤ 1, 2–5, and > 10 years). The probability of use by Yellow Rails was 0.285 ± 0.132 (SE) for points burned 2-5 years ago, 0.253 ± 0.097 for points burned ≤ 1 year ago, and 0.028 ± 0.019 for points burned > 10 years ago. Habitat differences relative to fire history and comparisons between sites with and without Yellow Rails indicated that Yellow Rails used areas with the deepest litter and highest ground cover, and relatively low shrub cover and heights, as well as landscapes having greater sedge-grass cover and less lowland woody or upland cover types. Burning every 2-5 years appears to provide the litter, ground-level cover, and woody conditions attractive to Yellow Rails. Managers seeking to restore and sustain these wetland systems would benefit from further investigations into how flooding and fire create habitat conditions attractive to breeding Yellow Rails

Rail assembly for use in a radioactive environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watts, R.E.

1989-01-01

An improved rail assembly and method of construction thereof is disclosed herein that is particularly adapted for use with a crane trolley in a hot cell environment which is exposed to airborne and liquidborne radioactive contaminants. The rail assembly is generally comprised of a support wall having an elongated, rail-housing recess having a floor, side wall and ceiling. The floor of the recess is defined at least in party by the load-bearing surface of a rail, and is substantially flat, level and crevice-free to facilitate the drainage of liquids out of the recess. The ceiling of the recess overhangs and thereby captures trolley wheels within the recess to prevent them from becoming dislodged from the recess during a seismic disturbance. Finally, the interior of the recess includes a power track having a slot for receiving a sliding electrical connector from the crane trolley. The power track is mounted in an upper corner of the recess with its connector-receiving groove oriented downwardly to facilitate the drainage of liquidborne contaminants and to discourage the collection of airborne contaminants within the track

MODELLING CHALLENGES TO FORECAST URBAN GOODS DEMAND FOR RAIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonio COMI

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the new research challenges for forecasting urban goods demand by rail. In fact, the growing interest to find urban logistics solutions for improving city sustainability and liveability, mainly due to the reduction of urban road accessibility and environmental constraints, has pushed to explore solutions alternative to the road. Multimodal urban logistics, based on the use of railway, seem an interesting alternative solution, but it remained mainly at conceptual level. Few studies have explored the factors, that push actors to find competitive such a system with respect to the road, and modelling framework for forecasting the relative demand. Therefore, paper reviews the current literature, investigates the factors involved in choosing such a mode, and finally, recalls a recent modelling framework and hence proposes some advancements that allow to point out the rail transport alternative.

77 FR 65446 - Turtle Creek Industrial Railroad, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Consolidated Rail...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-26

... common carrier providing interstate rail service, primarily for Dura-Bond, without first obtaining... Industrial Railroad, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Consolidated Rail Corporation Turtle Creek... Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) and to operate approximately 9.8 miles of rail line between milepost 0...

Sub-Saharan Africa’s rail freight transport system: Potential impact of densification on cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anneke de Bod

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The main response to sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA challenges has been foreign aid. Yet, despite the large amounts received, the challenges remain. There is an opportunity to consider a different model with less focus on aid and more on investment. In the transport sector specifically, investment decisions should be informed by a longterm optimal balance between different transport modes. The research presented in this paper highlights the significant cost reduction opportunities possible through the densification of rail freight, especially over longer distances, with concomitant implications for increased profitability for rail operators. The densification opportunity should also place a core focus on transport corridors being developed throughout the region. SSA countries themselves can play a critical role in unlocking this potential through, inter alia, simplifying regional economic communities and taking the lead in structuring agreements with the international community.

Hybrid daylight/light-emitting diode illumination system for indoor lighting.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Aiming; Qiu, Peng; Cai, Jinlin; Wang, Wei; Wang, Junwei

2014-03-20

A hybrid illumination method using both daylight and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for indoor lighting is presented in this study. The daylight can be introduced into the indoor space by a panel-integration system. The daylight part and LEDs are combined within a specific luminaire that can provide uniform illumination. The LEDs can be turned on and dimmed through closed-loop control when the daylight illuminance is inadequate. We simulated the illumination and calculated the indoor lighting efficiency of our hybrid daylight and LED lighting system, and compared this with that of LED and fluorescent lighting systems. Simulation results show that the efficiency of the hybrid daylight/LED illumination method is better than that of LED and traditional lighting systems, under the same lighting conditions and lighting time; the method has hybrid lighting average energy savings of T5 66.28%, and that of the LEDs is 41.62%.

75 FR 51160 - Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P.-Lease and Operation Exemption-BDB Company

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-18

... truck-rail transfer facility on the property and provide associated rail common carrier services. \\1... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35399] Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P.--Lease and Operation Exemption--BDB Company Swanson Rail Transfer, L.P. (SRT), a noncarrier...

Evaluating the Impact of China’s Rail Network Expansions on Local Accessibility: A Market Potential Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenjie Wu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper uses a market potential approach to examine the evolution of the rail transport network of China and its spatial distributional impacts on local accessibility, with a particular focus on high-speed rail improvements. Accessibility is measured by using a “market potential” function that was derived from the general equilibrium model of the economic geography literature, and is empirically calculated based on Geographical Information System (GIS techniques. A key finding, albeit from a highly stylized model, is that rail improvements may help raise territorial polarizing patterns across counties. The results point to the profound implications of railroad network expansion on the accessibility dynamics in periphery regions relative to core regions.

The effect of light touch on balance control during overground walking in healthy young adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AR Oates

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Balance control is essential for safe walking. Adding haptic input through light touch may improve walking balance; however, evidence is limited. This research investigated the effect of added haptic input through light touch in healthy young adults during challenging walking conditions. Sixteen individuals walked normally, in tandem, and on a compliant, low-lying balance beam with and without light touch on a railing. Three-dimensional kinematic data were captured to compute stride velocity (m/s, relative time spent in double support (%DS, a medial-lateral margin of stability (MOSML and its variance (MOSMLCV, as well as a symmetry index (SI for the MOSML. Muscle activity was evaluated by integrating electromyography signals for the soleus, tibialis anterior, and gluteus medius muscles bilaterally. Adding haptic input decreased stride velocity, increased the %DS, had no effect on the MOSML magnitude, decreased the MOSMLCV, had no effect on the SI, and increased activity of most muscles examined during normal walking. During tandem walking, stride velocity and the MOSMLCV decreased, while %DS, MOSML magnitude, SI, and muscle activity did not change with light touch. When walking on a low-lying, compliant balance beam, light touch had no effect on walking velocity, MOSML magnitude, or muscle activity; however, the %DS increased and the MOSMLCV and SI decreased when lightly touching a railing while walking on the balance beam. The decreases in the MOSMLCV with light touch across all walking conditions suggest that adding haptic input through light touch on a railing may improve balance control during walking through reduced variability.

Autonomous photovoltaic lighting system

OpenAIRE

Hafez, Ahmed A. A.; Montesinos Miracle, Daniel; Sudrià Andreu, Antoni

2012-01-01

This paper introduces a comparison between the conventional and Photovoltaic (PV) lighting systems. A simple sizing procedure for a PV stand-alone system was advised. The paper also proposes a novel PV lighting system. The proposed system is simple, compact and reliable. The system operation was investigated by thoroughly mathematical and simulation work.

The wheel-rail contact friction influence on high speed vehicle model stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirosław DUSZA

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Right estimating of the coefficient of friction between the wheel and rail is essential in modelling rail vehicle dynamics. Constant value of coefficient of friction is the typical assumption in theoretical studies. But it is obvious that in real circumstances a few factors may have significant influence on the rails surface condition and this way on the coefficient of friction value. For example the weather condition, the railway location etc. Influence of the coefficient of friction changes on high speed rail vehicle model dynamics is presented in this paper. Four axle rail vehicle model were built. The FASTSIM code is employed for calculation of the tangential contact forces between wheel and rail. One coefficient of friction value is adopted in the particular simulation process. To check the vehicle model properties under the influence of wheel-rail coefficient of friction changes, twenty four series of simulations were performed. For three curved tracks of radii R = 3000m, 6000m and  (straight track, the coefficient of friction was changed from 0.1 to 0.8. The results are presented in form of bifurcation diagrams.

An investigation on the desired properties of friction modifiers for slippery rails

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Z.; Arias Cuevas, O.

2009-01-01

The adhesion level between wheel and rail has been since the beginning of railway a crucial parameter in the design and operation of rail vehicles. In the last decades, many railway organizations have suffered from low adhesion problems as consequence of the increased exploitation of the rail

Guided wave propagation as a measure of axial loads in rails

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Loveday, PW

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Guided wave propagation has been proposed as a means to monitor the axial loads in continuously welded railway rails although no practical system has been developed. In this paper, the influence of axial load on the guided wave propagation...

Public transit generates new physical activity: Evidence from individual GPS and accelerometer data before and after light rail construction in a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Harvey J; Tribby, Calvin P; Brown, Barbara B; Smith, Ken R; Werner, Carol M; Wolf, Jean; Wilson, Laura; Oliveira, Marcelo G Simas

2015-11-01

Poor health outcomes from insufficient physical activity (PA) are a persistent public health issue. Public transit is often promoted for positive influence on PA. Although there is cross-sectional evidence that transit users have higher PA levels, this may be coincidental or shifted from activities such as recreational walking. We use a quasi-experimental design to test if light rail transit (LRT) generated new PA in a neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Participants (n=536) wore Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and accelerometers before (2012) and after (2013) LRT construction. We test within-person differences in individuals' PA time based on changes in transit usage pre- versus post-intervention. We map transit-related PA to detect spatial clustering of PA around the new transit stops. We analyze within-person differences in PA time based on daily transit use and estimate the effect of daily transit use on PA time controlling for socio-demographic variables. Results suggest that transit use directly generates new PA that is not shifted from other PA. This supports the public health benefits from new high quality public transit such as LRT. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Behaviour of the Embedded Rail in Interaction with Bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Ryjáček, P.; Howlader, Md M.; Vokáč, M.

2015-11-01

Since the introduction of the direct fastening system, Embedded Rail System (ERS) is probably one of the most spectacular and innovative developments in railway engineering. The development has become more rapid, especially in the last decade due to competitive advantages in comparison toother systems with respect to higher speed, cost effectiveness, environmental-material sustainability and others. But still there is a lack of specific interaction model, especially when it comes to bridges equipped with ERS system. Previous studies on ERS by Estzer Ludvigh2 found out some important coefficients (vertical and longitudinal bedding coefficient) and compared the longitudinal resistance of ERS with flexible fastening systems. Other studies on ERS do not specifically deal with the evaluation of longitudinal resistance of such a system. With a view to establish the typical behaviour pattern of ERS, this paper is dedicated to find out the interaction of a specific Embedded Rail System with bridges. A small scale test was conducted on a sample of ERS in the laboratory under different combinations of vertical and longitudinal track loads and subsequently a Finite Element Model (FEM) was developed to simulate the test. The paper presents the FEA result validation with test results, the interaction pattern, longitudinal resistance of ERS track for both loaded and unloaded conditions, design load distribution for such systems and some specific influences of ERS on simply supported bridge systems.

PV led engine characterization lab for standalone light to light systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thorsteinsson, Sune; Poulsen, Peter Behrensdorff; Lindén, Johannes

2014-01-01

PV-powered lighting systems, light-to-light systems (L2L), offer outdoor lighting where it is else where cumbersome to enable lighting. Application of these systems at high latitudes, where the difference in day length between summer and winter is large and the solar energy is low requires smart...... dimming functions for reliable lighting. In this work we have built a laboratory to characterize these systems up to 200 Wp from “nose to tail” in great details to support improvement of the systems and to make accurate field performance predictions....

A 72-dB-SNDR rail-to-rail successive approximation ADC using mismatch calibration techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yan; Hua Siliang; Wang Donghui; Hou Chaohuan

2012-01-01

When the voltage of an analog input signal is equal to the supply voltage, it is difficult for a conventional successive approximation ADC to correctly convert the analog signal into digital signal. This paper introduces an improved successive approximation ADC, which can convert the rail-to-rail input range and reduce sampling time through a track-and-hold circuit. Comparator offset cancellation and capacitor self-calibration techniques are used in this ADC. Measurement results show that the peak SNDR of this ADC reaches 72 dB and the signal effective bandwidth is up to 1.25 MHz. It consumes 1 mW in the test, and the figure of merit is 123 fJ/conversion-step. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

Magnetically levitated railway with common reaction rail for a linear motor drive and an electro dynamic side guidance arrangement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friedrich, R

1977-04-07

The invention concerns a magnetically levitated railway with common reaction rail for the linear motor drive and the electrical side guidance arrangement. While the electro-dynamic hovering process requires a high electrical conductivity of the reaction rails in order to reduce eddy current losses, these should show a relatively high resistance for the asynchronous linear motor to reduce losses of propelling force. These contradictory requirements can be fulfilled for a common reaction rail made of homogeneous material of high electrical conductivity according to the invention, by providing slits at right angles to the driving axis in the part of the reaction rail allocated to the linear motor. Thus the guidance system retains a low ohmic resistance, while the part of the reaction rail allocated to the windings of the linear motor has a relatively low ohmic secondary resistance, by which the border and end effects which reduce the propelling force can be appreciably reduced.

An Early Evaluation of Italian High Speed Rail Projects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Beria

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Italy has undergone, in the last 15 years, an exceptional public financial effort to build approximately 1,000 km of high speed rail lines. Further extensions are under construction or planned, especially in the most important international relations. This network is widely considered as fundamental to comply the European vision of a continental-wide transport system.The paper analyses the past and the future of such network, where possible from a quantitative point of view. The first part of the article reviews the history of the Alta Velocità scheme, particularly focusing on the issues related to the economic regulation of the investments and the financial troubles at first and then on the present issues related to the regulation of rail services.The analysis of the supply, the time gains, the demand and the costs allows to build a simple but independent evaluation of the past projects from an ex-post perspective, pointing out the successes, but also important critical issues.The second part of the paper analyses the future expansion plans looking at the costs, the existing and expected demand and derives some policy indications and cost reduction strategies capable both to control public expenditure in a period of crisis and not to abandon the idea of a modern and effective rail network.

Holiday Destination Choice Behavior Analysis Based on AFC Data of Urban Rail Transit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chang-jun Cai

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For urban rail transit, the spatial distribution of passenger flow in holiday usually differs from weekdays. Holiday destination choice behavior analysis is the key to analyze passengers’ destination choice preference and then obtain the OD (origin-destination distribution of passenger flow. This paper aims to propose a holiday destination choice model based on AFC (automatic fare collection data of urban rail transit system, which is highly expected to provide theoretic support to holiday travel demand analysis for urban rail transit. First, based on Guangzhou Metro AFC data collected on New Year’s day, the characteristics of holiday destination choice behavior for urban rail transit passengers is analyzed. Second, holiday destination choice models based on MNL (Multinomial Logit structure are established for each New Year’s days respectively, which takes into account some novel explanatory variables (such as attractiveness of destination. Then, the proposed models are calibrated with AFC data from Guangzhou Metro using WESML (weighted exogenous sample maximum likelihood estimation and compared with the base models in which attractiveness of destination is not considered. The results show that the ρ2 values are improved by 0.060, 0.045, and 0.040 for January 1, January 2, and January 3, respectively, with the consideration of destination attractiveness.

On Transport Service Selection in Intermodal Rail/Road Distribution Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Bierwirth

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Intermodal rail/road freight transport constitutes an alternative to long-haul road transport for the distribution of large volumes of goods. The paper introduces the intermodal transportation problem for the tactical planning of mode and service selection. In rail mode, shippers either book train capacity on a per-unit basis or charter block trains completely. Road mode is used for short-distance haulage to intermodal terminals and for direct shipments to customers. We analyze the competition of road and intermodal transportation with regard to freight consolidation and service cost on a model basis. The approach is applied to a distribution system of an industrial company serving customers in eastern Europe. The case study investigates the impact of transport cost and consolidation on the optimal modal split.

Semi-supervised rail defect detection from imbalanced image data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajizadeh, S.; Nunez Vicencio, Alfredo; Tax, D.M.J.; Acarman, Tankut

2016-01-01

Rail defect detection by video cameras has recently gained much attention in both
academia and industry. Rail image data has two properties. It is highly imbalanced towards the non-defective class and it has a large number of unlabeled data samples available for semisupervised learning

Procedure and applications of combined wheel/rail roughness measurement

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dittrich, M.G.

2009-01-01

Wheel-rail roughness is known to be the main excitation source of railway rolling noise. Besides the already standardised method for direct roughness measurement, it is also possible to measure combined wheel-rail roughness from vertical railhead vibration during a train pass-by. This is a different

Market size and vertical structure in the rail way industry

OpenAIRE

Matsushima, Noriaki; Mizutani, Fumitoshi

2011-01-01

We provide a theoretical framework to discuss the relation between market size and vertical structure in the railway industry. The framework is based on a simple downstream monopoly model with two input suppliers, labor forces and the rail infrastructure firm. The operation of the downstream firm (i.e., the train operating firm) generates costs on the rail infrastructure firm. We show that the downstream firm with a larger market size is more likely to integrate with the rail infrastructure f...

Practical reporting with Ruby and Rails

CERN Document Server

Berube, David

2008-01-01

Business intelligence and real time reporting mechanisms play a major role in any of today s forward looking business plans. With many of these solutions being moved to the Web, the popular Rails framework and its underlying Ruby language are playing a major role alongside web services in building the reporting solutions of tomorrow. Practical Reporting with Ruby and Rails is the first book to comprehensively introduce this popular framework, guiding readers through a wide ranging array of features. Note this isn t a staid guide to generating traditional reports, but rather it shows you how th

A model-based gain scheduling approach for controlling the common-rail system for GDI engines

Science.gov (United States)

di Gaeta, Alessandro; Montanaro, Umberto; Fiengo, Giovanni; Palladino, Angelo; Giglio, Veniero

2012-04-01

The progressive reduction in vehicle emission requirements have forced the automotive industry to invest in research for developing alternative and more efficient control strategies. All control features and resources are permanently active in an electronic control unit (ECU), ensuring the best performance with respect to emissions, fuel economy, driveability and diagnostics, independently from engine working point. In this article, a considerable step forward has been achieved by the common-rail technology which has made possible to vary the injection pressure over the entire engine speed range. As a consequence, the injection of a fixed amount of fuel is more precise and multiple injections in a combustion cycle can be made. In this article, a novel gain scheduling pressure controller for gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine is designed to stabilise the mean fuel pressure into the rail and to track demanded pressure trajectories. By exploiting a simple control-oriented model describing the mean pressure dynamics in the rail, the control structure turns to be simple enough to be effectively implemented in commercial ECUs. Experimental results in a wide range of operating points confirm the effectiveness of the proposed control method to tame efficiently the mean value pressure dynamics of the plant showing a good accuracy and robustness with respect to unavoidable parameters uncertainties, unmodelled dynamics, and hidden coupling terms.

Formulating a strategy for securing high-speed rail in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

This report presents an analysis of information relating to attacks, attempted attacks, and plots against high-speed rail (HSR) : systems. It draws upon empirical data from MTIs Database of Terrorist and Serious Criminal Attacks Against Public Sur...

Highway-Rail Crossings Inventory Data

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The entire National Highway-Rail Crossing Inventory is available in three separate downloadble files. There is a file of all current Public-at-Grade crossings. There...

Simulation and Measurement of Wheel on Rail Fatigue and Wear

OpenAIRE

Dirks, Babette

2015-01-01

The life of railway wheels and rails has been decreasing in recent years. This is mainly caused by more traffic and running at higher vehicle speed. A higher speed usually generates higher forces, unless compensated by improved track and vehicle designs, in the wheel-rail contact, resulting in more wear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage to the wheels and rails. As recently as 15 years ago, RCF was not recognised as a serious problem. Nowadays it is a serious problem in many countries a...

Grade Crossing Protection in High-Speed, High-Density, Passenger-Service Rail Corridors

Science.gov (United States)

1973-01-01

The report is a preliminary examination of special aspects of grade crossing protection for operation of high-speed passenger trains in rail corridors for which complete grade separation is not possible. Overall system needs and constraints are indic...

Shock and vibration environments for large shipping containers on rail cars and trucks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnuson, C.F.; Wilson, L.T.

1977-06-01

The purpose of this study was to provide definitions of shock and vibration environment to which fissile material shipping containers may be exposed during normal shipment by truck and rail cars. The definitions of vibration, shock superimposed on vibration and rail coupling shock result from existing data. The dependence of shock environment, from rail coupling operations, on parameters like cargo weight and shock attenuation couplers was also studied using spring-mass models. These studies show that for rail cars equipped with standard draft gear, the cargo response decreases with increased cargo weight until the springs bottom out. For rail cars equipped with shock attenuation couplers, cargo weight has little effect on cargo response. The study also shows the importance of matching couplers and tiedown stiffnesses to decrease the cargo response. Vibration and shock data samples have been obtained during truck shipment of heavy cargo and the data will be presented in subsequent reports. Similar data need to be obtained for rail shipment of heavy cargo and during rail coupling operations with heavy cargo

Used fuel rail shock and vibration testing options analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ross, Steven B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Best, Ralph E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Klymyshyn, Nicholas A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Jensen, Philip J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Maheras, Steven J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-09-25

The objective of the rail shock and vibration tests is to complete the framework needed to quantify loads of fuel assembly components that are necessary to guide materials research and establish a technical basis for review organizations such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). A significant body of experimental and numerical modeling data exists to quantify loads and failure limits applicable to normal conditions of transport (NCT) rail transport, but the data are based on assumptions that can only be verified through experimental testing. The test options presented in this report represent possible paths for acquiring the data that are needed to confirm the assumptions of previous work, validate modeling methods that will be needed for evaluating transported fuel on a case-by-case basis, and inform material test campaigns on the anticipated range of fuel loading. The ultimate goal of this testing is to close all of the existing knowledge gaps related to the loading of used fuel under NCT conditions and inform the experiments and analysis program on specific endpoints for their research. The options include tests that would use an actual railcar, surrogate assemblies, and real or simulated rail transportation casks. The railcar carrying the cradle, cask, and surrogate fuel assembly payload would be moved in a train operating over rail track modified or selected to impart shock and vibration forces that occur during normal rail transportation. Computer modeling would be used to help design surrogates that may be needed for a rail cask, a cask’s internal basket, and a transport cradle. The objective of the design of surrogate components would be to provide a test platform that effectively simulates responses to rail shock and vibration loads that would be exhibited by state-of-the-art rail cask, basket, and/or cradle structures. The computer models would also be used to help determine the placement of instrumentation (accelerometers and strain gauges