Heavy Haul Operation: Issues and Remedies
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146, Issue 6
Abstract
The paper investigates the causes of high-rate rail/weld failure on a heavy haul track using real life rail weld fracture data. The results show that despite the significant progress in rail manufacturing, and rail welding technology, the failure rate has not dropped significantly. Thus, it is postulated with an analysis that the failure rate may be linked with the current high value of allowable bending fatigue stress and current track maintenance standard; the analysis gives insights on the requirement of construction and maintenance of a heavy haul track to a high standard. The analysis would also be helpful to establish heavy haul track maintenance and operation strategy with rail wear and deteriorating track stiffness. The paper sheds light on some causes of rail/weld failure and suggests remedial measures. Finally, further research is suggested toward a new rail section/s for heavy haul operation.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 146 • Issue 6 • June 2020
Copyright
©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 31, 2019
Accepted: Oct 11, 2019
Published online: Mar 25, 2020
Published in print: Jun 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Aug 25, 2020
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