Review of the Federal Railroad Administration’s Research and Development Program (2020) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 19-36
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From page 19... ...
19 2 Track and Structures The Track and Structures Division (Track Division) manages a contracted research portfolio dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of train derailments.
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20 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM examined the extent to which budget allocations and project selections appear to align with what the incident data suggest are the most significant safety concerns. The subcommittee then asked the Track Division staff to explain other tools, methods, and criteria used for priority setting and for evaluation of project and program results.
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 21 out. As shown in Figure 2-1, just four causes -- detail fractures (fracturing near the rail head)
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22 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM FIGURE 2-1 Track-caused incidents that resulted in damage valued at $10 million or greater and were reported to FRA in millions of dollars from 2015 to 2019. NOTE: Inset shows all 63 incident causes and how the top 14 account for more than 70 percent of all reported damages.
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 23 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PROGRAMMING RESEARCH The Track Division leadership and program managers who briefed the committee explained that the other considerations that go into programming the Track Division's research include an interest in projects that further U.S. DOT's strategic goals, address legislative mandates, and respond to needs identified by other FRA units and industry.
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24 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM by FRA and railroads to monitor track conditions.2 The Track Division has also partnered with Amtrak to examine wheel–rail interface profiles for passenger rail service. To assist with project prioritization and decision making, the Track Division, like the other research divisions, had employed portfolio and budget planning software that scores candidate projects for several years.
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 25 $7 $6 $5 $4 $3 $2 $1 $0 Millions 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2.8 5.3 3.4 2.9 5.2 3.4 2.1 6.5 3.0 2.1 6.1 3.0 2.1 6.1 3.0 R&D Facilities and Equipment Track and Structures Track and Train Interaction FIGURE 2-2 FRA Track and Structures Research Division budget by major program in millions of dollars. SOURCE: Federal Railroad Administration Office of Research, Development, and Technology 2019d.
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26 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM the needs of industry and safety regulators. Another was for more projects to have longer time horizons (beyond 2 years)
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 27 image-processing algorithms. While the phases were conducted as planned, project managers found that the poor optical resolution from the low-cost IR technology would not yield a viable system, and no plans were made for follow-on work.
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28 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM allowing the development of a predictive model for determining the rate of geometry degradation as a function of these measured parameters. Phase 1 involved a partnership between the University of Delaware Railroad Engineering and Safety Program and the railway maintenance provider Georgetown Rail Equipment Company.
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 29 in 2016 for $136,000) , data collected from field trials of equipment on multiple bridges were used to establish service limit thresholds and test estimation algorithms and the user interface for the system.
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30 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM such as the Decision Lens software that had been in use. Renewed use of such software, once recalibrated, should lead to even more effective means for project selection and even more effective communication of research priorities with industry and other audiences, especially if combined with other means such as periodic conferences with industry to discuss the basis for past project selections.
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 31 research organization. The sampled projects on Bridge Condition Assessment Using Smart Sensors and CWR-SAFE Software Update show how this division can present challenges to facilitating more widespread deployment across industry.
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32 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM ANNEX TABLE 2A-1 Track Division Projects, 2019 Track Division Project Title Funding Project Duration Defect Growth Characterization in Modern Rail Steel $697,016 January 8, 2016–June 29, 2019 Non-Contact Rail Inspection Prototype (Passive-Only System for High-Speed Rail Inspection) $561,323 May 2016–May 2019 Robust Railway Track Crack Detection System Using Thermal Signatures $300,000 May 2017–May 2019 High-Speed Broken Rail Detection $299,000 May 2017–May 2019 Quantification and Evaluation of Rail Flaw Inspection Practices and Technologies $449,000 July 2016–May 2019 Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT)
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TRACK AND STRUCTURES 33 ANNEX TABLE 2A-1 Track Division Projects, 2019 Track Division Project Title Funding Project Duration Defect Growth Characterization in Modern Rail Steel $697,016 January 8, 2016–June 29, 2019 Non-Contact Rail Inspection Prototype (Passive-Only System for High-Speed Rail Inspection) $561,323 May 2016–May 2019 Robust Railway Track Crack Detection System Using Thermal Signatures $300,000 May 2017–May 2019 High-Speed Broken Rail Detection $299,000 May 2017–May 2019 Quantification and Evaluation of Rail Flaw Inspection Practices and Technologies $449,000 July 2016–May 2019 Rail Neutral Temperature (RNT)
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34 REVIEW OF FRA'S R&D PROGRAM TABLE 2A-1 Continued Track Division Project Title Funding Project Duration Support of FRA Office of Railroad Safety $400,000 June 2018–May 2020 Modeling of Wheel/Rail Friction Modifier* $300,000 September 2017–December 2018 Advanced Modeling of Wheel/Rail Friction Phenomena*
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From page 35... ...
TRACK AND STRUCTURES 35 Track Division Project Title Funding Project Duration Support of FRA Office of Railroad Safety $400,000 June 2018–May 2020 Modeling of Wheel/Rail Friction Modifier* $300,000 September 2017–December 2018 Advanced Modeling of Wheel/Rail Friction Phenomena*
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