Railway Track & Structures - September 2008 - (Page 37)

Results insulator performance After approximately 20 mgt of traffic, the site was re-inspected and measured. Inspection indicated more than 40 percent of field side of insulator type A was cracked or missing. These were subsequently removed from test. Additional inspections on the remaining insulators were conducted after 55 mgt and 85 mgt after installation. At the 85-mgt inspection, about 10 percent of the field side insulator type B sites were noted to be cracked. The remaining insulators (control, C and D) were functioning without cracks. shown only for the initial and 20 mgt inspections, as these were removed after 21 mgt. Test insulators C, CLR and D, as well as the control insulator on the TOR zone, X, are performing in a similar fashion. The stiffness appeared to increase between the “as installed” and first cyclic measurement at 20 mgt. After 20 mgt, the trend is for slightly wider base gauge under load for all materials. Segment G shows a significant increase in lateral displacement under load after 80 mgt. formance. This may simply be an increase to the currently specified repeated load values shown on AREMA Chapter 30. Aknowledgements This evaluation was conducted with cooperative participation from Ed Kohake and Rusty Belmore of the Union Pacific Railroad and Pandrol USA and Leading Edge, who provided materials and technical assistance during installation of the products. Future work TTCI will conduct at least one additional set of field measurements to determine long-term performance of the remaining products, as well as collect samples for post-test laboratory evaluation. Other data, such as static gauge, clip hold down force, and maintenance/repair issues will be summarized in a final report. A number of new and unused samples of each material will also be evaluated in laboratory tests to determine if a more severe screening procedure (than currently shown in AREMA recommendations) will differentiate or predict observed field per- References: 1. Davis, David D. and Steve M. Chrismer. April 1990. “Tie Performance—A Progress Report of the Des Plaines Test Site.” Research Report R746, Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo. 2. Davis, D.D., K.J. Laine and A.B. Hazell. June 1994. “The Performance at Des Plaines: 1992 Inspection and Gage Widening Tests.” Research Report R870, Association of American Railroads, Transportation Technology Center, Inc. Pueblo, Colo. Results gauge strength Figure 4 summarizes LTLF maximum lateral deflection on the base of the low rail for each zone. Note that insulator C was equipped with both standard, C, and long reach, CLR, clips. G and X are the control segments, with X indicating the control site in the TOR zone. Data for 0 mgt were collected one day after clips/insulators were installed to allow train traffic to seat components and eliminate excessive free play. Note that data for insulator A are www.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures September 2008 37 http://www.rtands.com

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Railway Track & Structures - September 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Larry Etherton Rounds Out Successful Term as President of AREMA Remote Bridges Present Challenges New Mexico Rail Runner Express Making Tracks for Santa Fe Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - September 2008

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