Category: Safety

Rail safety research faces challenges as driver decision behavior at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs) has changed in counterproductive ways (FRA, 2020). One example of such an undesired shift is the increased percentage of crashes that take place at HRGCs equipped with active warning devices. Instead of eliminating the crashes at such locations, motorists have shifted […]

The long-term goal of this research is to develop a continuous, non-contact rail monitoring system for high-speed defect detection. Railroads play a vital role in the safety, prosperity, and well-being of our communities and businesses. However, due to increases in train speeds and axle loads that are being applied to aging and deteriorating railroad tracks, […]

Thermite welding is the most widely used technique for in-track welding or replacing a damaged part of a rail. This process produces a Welded Zone (WZ) and a Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) with inhomogeneous microstructures and hardness, resulting in lower mechanical, fracture and fatigue properties of the thermite weld compared with the parent rail. Tuskegee […]

Develop a risk based model for visual inspection considering defect occurrence rate, ability and efficiency of inspector, track utilization, etc. as a function of recorded inspection results. Walking inspectors can become complacent or may not be well trained. Defects may be hard to see or missed. This can cause the risk of derailment to increase. […]

As railroads increase use of autonomous track geometry measurement systems, coupled with traditional measurement cars, hy-rail inspection and walking inspection, the reliability of inspection can increase. The additional data captured by autonomous inspection allows for a better understanding of track geometry perturbation growth. The distribution of accuracies associated with alternative inspection methods must be taken […]