Slide 1

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Mechanistic Design of Concrete Monoblock

Crossties for Rail Transit Loading Conditions

APTA Rail Conference

Salt Lake City, UT

23 June, 2015
Matthew V. Csenge, Xiao Lin, Henry E. Wolf, Marcus S. Dersch, and J. Riley Edwards

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 2

Mechanistic Design of Concrete Monoblock

Crossties for Rail Transit Loading Conditions

2015 APTA Rail Conference

Salt Lake City, UT
23 June 2015
Matthew V. Csenge, Xiao Lin, Henry E. Wolf, Marcus S. Dersch,
J. Riley Edwards and Christopher P.L. Barkan

Slide 3

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Outline
Background and Motivation
Project Introduction

Mission and Objectives

Methods and Technologies
Industry Partners and Potential Field
Experimentation Locations
Introduction to Mechanistic Design
Load Environment
Transit Focused Concrete Crosstie
Flexural Analysis
Future Work

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Project Mission and Objectives

Mission:
Characterize the desired performance requirements for
concrete crossties and fastening systems for rail transit
Quantify the behavior of these systems under load
Develop resilient infrastructure component design solutions
for concrete crossties and fastening systems for rail transit

Objectives:
Investigate field performance demands on concrete crossties
and fastening systems for rail transit applications
Develop an analytical finite element model

Validate analytical model and further field research through

lab experimentation
Develop mechanistic design recommendations for rail transit
applications of concrete crossties and fastening systems

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

FTA Project Industry Partners

American Public Transportation
Association (APTA)
MTA New York City Transit
(NYCT)
MetroLink
Metra

TriMet
CXT Concrete Ties, Inc.
GIC

Pandrol USA
Amsted RPS
Hanson Professional Services, Inc.
Amtrak

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Laboratory Experimentation
RailTECs Track Loading
System (TLS) will be
used to simulate field
loading conditions in the
laboratory
The TLS can apply up to
55 kips vertically at each
journal, and simulate L/V
ratios up to 0.6
Most field instrumentation
setups can be replicated
in the laboratory

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 7

Methods and Instrumentation Technologies

Instrumentation used in field and lab experimentation
will include:
Potentiometers displacement
Weldable strain gauges
rail seat loads
Matrix-based tactile surface sensors
pressure distribution at rail seat
Lateral load evaluation devices lateral load at
fastening system shoulder

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Field and Laboratory

Experimentation Locations

Light rail: TriMet (Portland, OR)

MetroLink (St. Louis, MO)
Heavy rail: New York City Transit (New York, NY)
Commuter rail: Metra (Chicago, IL)

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Slide 9

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Introduction to Mechanistic Design

Design approach utilizing forces measured in track structure and
properties of materials that will withstand or transfer them
Uses responses (e.g. contact pressure, relative displacement) to
optimize component geometry and materials requirements
Based on measured and predicted response to load inputs that
can be supplemented with practical experience
Requires thorough understanding of load path and distribution
Allows load factors to be used to include variability due to
location and traffic composition
Used in other engineering industries (e.g. pavement design,
structural steel design, geotechnical)

Define Load
Inputs

Define
Design Criteria

Component
Design

System
Verification

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Load Characterization

Load magnitude will vary according to:

Traffic type

Train speed
Track geometry
Vehicle and track health

Each component of the input load must be considered

Vertical
Lateral
Longitudinal

A complete understanding of the input loads can lead to optimized

component and system designs
As load magnitude and frequency change, the optimal design of
the crosstie and fastening system may change
Define Load
Inputs

Define
Design Criteria

Component
Design

System
Verification

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Rail Transit Load Environment

Understanding of transit load environment is a
necessary first step for this project
Internet resources were used to preliminarily quantify
vehicle weights throughout the United States
Field experimentation will later be used to further
define load environment

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Passenger Vehicle Weight Definitions

PB Light Rail Design Handbook defines:
AW0: Empty vehicle operating weight

AW1 (Seated Load)

Fully seated passenger load + AW0
AW2 (Design Load)
Standing passengers at 4/m2 + AW1
AW3
Load) Passenger Capacity
AW3 (Crush
= Maximum
Average
Passenger
Standing
passengers
at 6/m2 Weight
+ AW1 + AW0
AW4 (Structural Design Load)
Standing passengers at 8/m2 + AW1

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

AW3 Vehicle Weight Calculation

Passenger car quantity and
capacity

National Transit Database

(NTD)
Revenue Vehicle Inventory
Number of active
vehicles
Seating and
standing capacity
Empty Car Weight
Manufacturer
data sheets

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 14

AW3 Vehicle Weight Calculation (cont.)

Average passenger weight:
Light Rail Design Handbook specifies 155 lbs

FAA specifies 195 lbs

Considers the increase in average weight
Includes clothing and luggage such as backpacks

Flight Standards Service. 2005. Aircraft Weight and Balance Control. Federal Aviation Administration, Washington, DC.

Slide 15

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail

Vehicle Weight Distribution
100%

Light Rail AW0

Light Rail AW3
Heavy Rail AW0
Heavy Rail AW3
Commuter Rail AW0
Commuter Rail AW3

90%

Percent Exceeding

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0

50

100
150
Weight (kips)

200

250

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail

Axle Load Distribution
100%

Light Rail AW0

Light Rail AW3
Heavy Rail AW0
Heavy Rail AW3
Commuter Rail AW0
Commuter Rail AW3

90%

Percent Exceeding

80%

70%
60%
50%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
0

10

20

30
Axle Load (kips)

40

50

60

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 17

Application: Flexural Design of Crossties

Critical Regions for Flexure

Center Negative (C-)

Rail Seat Positive (RS+)

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 18

Flexural Analysis MRS+ - AREMA 2014

+ =
Where: MRS+ = rail seat positive
bending moment
B = the bending moment
in inch-kips for a particular
crosstie length and spacing
A = the transit load
reduction factor
(axle load/82k)
V = the speed factor (1.0)

Factor
Crosstie Spacing (in)
B (8-3 Crosstie) (in-kips)
A (for a 33 kip axle)
Speed (mph)
V

Assumed or
Determined
Value
30
320
33/82=0.40
60
1.0

Equations and figures from Article 30.4.4.1 of the 2014 AREMA Manual

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 19

Flexural Analysis MRS+ - AREMA 2014

+ =
Where: MRS+ = rail seat positive
bending moment
B = the bending moment
in inch-kips for a particular
crosstie length and spacing
A = the transit load
reduction factor
(axle load/82k)
V = the speed factor (1.0)

Factor
Crosstie Spacing (in)
B (8-3 Crosstie) (in-kips)
A (for a 33 kip axle)
Speed (mph)
V

Assumed or
Determined
Value
30
320
33/82=0.40
60
1.0 1.0

Equations and figures from Article 30.4.4.1 of the 2014 AREMA Manual

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 20

Flexural Analysis MRS+ - AREMA 2014

+ =
Where: MRS+ = rail seat positive
bending moment
B = the bending moment
in inch-kips for a particular
crosstie length and spacing
A = the transit load
reduction factor
(axle load/82k)
V = the speed factor (1.0)

Factor
Crosstie Spacing (in)
B (8-3 Crosstie) (in-kips)
A (for a 33 kip axle)
Speed (mph)
V
MRS+=BAV=(320)(0.40)(1.0)

Assumed or
Determined
Value
30
320
33/82=0.40
60
1.0
128 in-kip

Equations and figures from Article 30.4.4.1 of the 2014 AREMA Manual

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Slide 21

Flexural Analysis MC- - AREMA 2014

C = +
Where: MC- = center negative
bending moment
FC- = center negative
factor (per AREMA Table
30-4-1)
MRS+ = rail seat positive
bending moment

Factor
Crosstie Length
FCMRS+
MC-

Assumed or
Determined
Value
8-3
0.77
128 in-kip
99 in-kip

Equations and figures from Article 30.4.4.1 of the 2014 AREMA Manual

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Flexural Analysis MRS+ Proposed

Comparison of bending moments
AREMA 2014

AREMA 2015 (proposed)

g
R

( )
+ =
8
Where: g = rail seat centerto-center distance
R = rail seat load
L = crosstie length

Crosstie Length (L)

AREMA 2014

Structural Analysis

8-3

128 in-kip

120.5 in-kip

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Flexural Analysis MC- Proposed

Comparison of bending moments
AREMA 2014

AREMA 2015 (proposed)

g
R

2 1 2
=

2 2 1
Where: R = rail seat load
L = crosstie length
= center support factor
g = rail seat centerto-center spacing
c = center support
region = 2g - L

Crosstie Length (L)

AREMA 2014

Structural Analysis

8-3

99 in-kip

99 in-kip
(for = 0.42)

Center support factor () currently under review in AREMA

Committee 30 (Ties)

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Future Work and Path Forward

Further expand the understanding of vehicle and
infrastructure characteristics for rail transit

Conduct field and laboratory experimentation to

more accurately characterize the loading
environment for light rail, heavy rail, and commuter
rail transit
Investigate maintenance equipment wheel loads to
ensure compliance in crosstie and fastener design
Conduct a survey on the use and performance of
concrete ties and fastening systems
Objective: Develop an understanding of the most
common types of failures and the design
requirements for optimizing component resiliency

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Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Rail Transit Infrastructure Survey

RailTEC Researchers Need Your Help!
Survey will assist RailTEC
researchers in prioritizing
upcoming FTA-funded
research efforts
Questions are specific to
concrete crossties and
fastening systems
Need light, heavy, and
commuter rail responses
Survey should take only
10-15 minutes
Free RailTEC mug for first
20 respondents!

Survey of Rail Transit Track

Superstructure Design and
Performance
The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center
(RailTEC) at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign (UIUC) has been awarded a grant
from the FTA titled Resilient Concrete Crosstie
and Fastening System Designs for Light Rail,
Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail Transit
Infrastructure. The primary objective of this
project will be to develop new concrete crosstie
and fastening system designs used in light rail,
heavy rail, and commuter rail infrastructure that
take into account their unique loading conditions.
The RailTEC team, along with its Industry
Partners (listed on right), is conducting a survey to
help determine the most critical aspects of
crossties and fastening systems that should be
made resilient in the face of natural disasters or
other events that place increased stress on
infrastructure and its components. We invite you
to participate in this survey at the following link:

FTA Project
Industry Partners
APTA
NYCT
(New York
City, NY)
Metra
(Chicago, IL)
MetroLink
(St. Louis, MO)
TriMet
(Portland, OR)
Pandrol USA
GIC

https://goo.gl/QVJuyB
Survey results will be used to guide the field and
laboratory experimental efforts as well as the
analytical
finite
element
(FE)
modeling
components of this project.
If you have any questions about this survey,
please feel free to contact RailTEC Graduate
Research Assistant Xiao (Sean) Lin at
xiaolin4@illinois.edu.

Amsted RPS
LBFoster, CXT
Concrete Ties
Hanson
Professional
Services, Inc.
Amtrak

The first 20 individuals who complete the survey will receive a complimentary
RailTEC mug shipped to the address provided in the survey!

Slide 26

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Acknowledgements
FTA Industry Partners:

Funding for this research has been provided by:

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) (starts 1 Aug. 2015)
National University Rail Center (NURail Center)

Industry Partnership and support has been provided by

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
New York City Transit (NYCT)
Metra (Chicago)

MetroLink (St. Louis)

TriMet (Portland, Ore.)
Pandrol USA
Amsted RPS / Amsted Rail, Inc.
LBFoster

GIC Inc.
Hanson Professional Services, Inc.
Amtrak

UIUC Students Sean Lin and Henry Wolf

Mechanistic Design of Rail Transit Concrete Crossties

Contact Information
Matthew V. Csenge
Manager of Experimentation
csenge2@Illinois.edu
Xiao (Sean) Lin
Graduate Research Assistant
xiaolin4@Illinois.edu
Henry E. Wolf
Graduate Research Assistant
wolf24@Illinois.edu
Marcus S. Dersch
Senior Research Engineer
mdersch2@Illinois.edu
J. Riley Edwards
Sen. Lecturer and Research Sci.
jedward2@Illinois.edu

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