Safety and Security
Wheel and Rail Structural Integrity
Our work on track geometry has contributed significantly to reducing the number of unexplained derailments caused by the adverse interaction of tracks and vehicles. Our research on wheel and rail structural integrity illustrates the world-class engineering skills that we have at our disposal. This research on vehicle and track interactions is aimed at defining and quantifying how rail vehicles respond to track geometry. The overall goals are to develop improved approaches to track geometry inspection and maintenance that are both cost effective and that contribute to improved safety; to develop modifications to vehicles susceptible to derailment; and to develop methodologies for evaluating new vehicle designs for safe dynamic behavior. The research results also provide information that is necessary for improving industry specifications and recommended practices, as well as for aiding the FRA in rulemaking activities. We have also been able to use finite element modeling to simulate three-dimensional models of rails, thereby improving the analysis of track geometry.
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