TTCI`s Annual Report - Transportation Technology Center

Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
Contents
Board of Directors and Company Officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2009 Headliners
Braking Algorithms, a Key to Positive
Train Control Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Advanced Technical Safety Initiative
InteRRIS ® Data Warehouse for Wayside Performance Detectors . . . . . 8
Security and Emergency Response Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Serving the AAR and Its Members . . . . . .12
Mission: Vision:
Accelerating the use of clean,
safe and efficient technologies
by railways worldwide.
To be the worldwide provider of choice
for high-value rail transportation technology
development, testing, standards, and training.
Automated Inspection of Structural Components Is Nearing Reality . . .12
Operations at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing
— Improved Efficiency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Heavy Axle Load Implementation Revenue Service Monitoring
at Two Mega Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Truck Castings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Other Research
Coupler Interchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Advanced Rail Steels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Ultrasonic Rail Joint Bar Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
International Cooperative Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Technical Standards and Inspections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Damage Prevention and Loading Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Serving North America Railroads . . . . . . . 16
TTCI Tests Fuel Cell Locomotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Multiaxle Heavy Duty Flatcar Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
MotivePower's New MP 36 Locomotive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Electro-Motive's Mother-Daughter Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Serving the U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . 18
Navy Nuclear Cask Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Tests and Analyses for the Federal Railroad Administration . . . . . . . 18
Nondestructive Inspection Methods for Tank Cars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Passenger Railcar Security and Integrity Training Facility . . . . . . . . . . 19
Passenger Car Crashworthiness Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Solutions for International Clients . . . . . . . 20
Participating in China's Rail Boom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Serving the United Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Challenging Studies in Finland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Opportunities to Work With Russian Railways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
TTCI's Business Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
More Trackside Acoustic Detectors for BNSF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Commuter Rail Positive Train Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Passenger Rail Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Investing for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Siding Enables Realistic Testing of Positive Train Control . . . . . . . . . . 27
Mission Critical Test Machines Get a New Lease on Life . . . . . . . . . . 27
ECO-Friendly Resource Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Safety Resource Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Quality Resource Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Other Investments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
1
Board of Directors
Roy A. Allen Carl R. Ice
Transportation Technology Center, Inc. BNSF Railway
Tony L. Ingram
Carl Harrison
CSX Transportation, Inc.
Kansas City Southern Railway
William W. Millar
George P. Binns American Public Transportation Assoc.
National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Thomas D. Simpson
Railway Supply Institute
Dennis J. Duffy
Union Pacific Railroad Mark D. Manion
NS Corporation
Edward R. Hamberger
Gordon T. Trafton
Association of American Railroads
CN Railway Company
Michael J. Howe Brock M. Winter
CPA Canadian Pacific Railway
TTCI Officers
Roy A. Allen
President
Semih Kalay
Vice President Technology
Pictured clockwise:
Colorado Representative Buffie McFadyn
tours TTC and visits with Joseph Barbari at
SERTC, Sr. Eng. Kari Gonzales at the 14th
Annual AAR Research Review, Machinist
Riley Pena visits with U.S. Transportation
Command (USTRANSCOM) visitors, Sr. Test
Eng. David Williams analyzes instrumentation data results, and TTCI President Roy
Allen greets USTRANSCOM visitors.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Jim Lundgren
Sr. Assistant Vice President
Products, Training, Business Development
David Meeks
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Albert Reinschmidt
Vice President
Commercial Programs
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Dear customers,
partners, and colleagues:
E
ven though the global economy remained in a major slump
during 2009, TTCI came through the year better than
expected.
Our business levels with North American suppliers and some
overseas customers were most affected. Overall, we had an 8 percent decrease in revenue compared to 2008. But on the up side,
we had significant growth in our Communications and Train
Control (C&TC) business.
A major accomplishment by the C&TC group, thanks to the
tremendous support and funding from the Federal Railroad
Administration, was in demonstrating that it is feasible and practical to develop algorithms that provide improved train stopping
distance predictions. This is an important enabler for the successful implementation of Positive Train Control technologies by
freight and passenger railways.
Our Security and Emergency Response Training Center
(SERTC) was also in a growth phase. In the summer of 2009,
SERTC received a significant cooperative agreement award under
the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC). The
SERTC staff started extensive work, including bringing its course
material to NDPC standards, to prepare for extra courses to be
implemented in early 2010.
Throughout the year, in another government funded program,
over 200 staff members of the Transportation Security
Administration were trained to safely conduct their duties in a railway operating environment.
A significant milestone was also reached in 2009. The total fleet
size managed by subscribers to InteRRIS®, the data warehouse for
wayside performance detectors, surpassed one-million rail vehicles.
TTCI President Roy A. Allen
Development of the data warehouse began in the late 1990s,
and today it is a well accepted and necessary tool for management
of railcar maintenance and for the Advanced Technology Safety
Initiative (ATSI). ATSI has played a major role in reducing accidents in our industry.
Another significant milestone for TTCI was the completion of
the first year of our Eco-friendly Resource Team. This team acts
similarly to the safety and quality teams. It is employee-led and
dedicated to improving our environmental practices. The team
began the process of improving employee awareness, particularly
by establishing a formal recycling program.
TTCI engineers continued in 2009 to develop new and innovative technologies for our member railroads as part of the AAR
research program. Arguably the biggest achievement was in helping develop and demonstrate the ability to take high resolution
images of railcars as a train passed at speeds up to 40 mph.
This technology allows us to automatically inspect the condition of a car's underframe and joins the family of machine vision
technologies to automatically and objectively assess the condition
of any part of a freight car using unattended wayside inspection
systems.
Our business strategies proved sound in 2009, and TTCI was
able to record many successes, as this annual report fully
describes.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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2009 Headliners
Braking Algorithms,
a Key to Positive Train Control Implementation
A
braking enforcement algorithm capable of stopping
trains short of the target without impacting railroad
operations is critical to the successful implementation of
Positive Train Control (PTC).
In 2009, with funding from the Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) and cooperation from four U.S. Class I
railroads, TTCI successfully completed proof of concept development and testing of methods for improving stopping distance
predictions by adapting the algorithm to the characteristics of a
specific train. To support the effort, TTCI developed an
approach for testing PTC enforcement algorithms over a range
of scenarios using a specially developed simulator and with field
testing.
Following the success of the initial effort, TTCI also began
work on two FRA sponsored follow-on projects in 2009, which
build on the earlier work by investigating other nonadaptive
techniques for improving freight train stopping distance predictions for all freight train types as well as for passenger trains.
The ultimate objective of both projects is to produce operationally efficient braking enforcement algorithm logic suitable
for incorporating into PTC implementations.
★ Locomotive knows
where it is and how fast it is traveling.
★ It receives digital movement
authorities and speed limits from off board.
★ It predicts train stopping distance and enforces limits to
prevent violations.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 mandates that railroads implement PTC on a large percentage of U.S. routes by
2015, a major undertaking. PTC is intended to improve railroad
safety by preventing violations of train movement authorities
and speed limits. This is achieved by predicting the stopping
distance of each train and automatically applying brakes to stop
the train safely, when necessary. Often, existing PTC enforcement algorithms create negative operational impacts. Hence,
TTCI is researching techniques to address this critical issue.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Machine
Vision
Systems
Wayside
Detectors
Advanced Technology Safety Initiative
InteRRIS ® Data Warehouse for Wayside
Performance Detectors
A statistical accident evaluation study
performed by the AAR showed that after
5 years, the Advanced Technology Safety
Initiative Program is helping to prevent an
estimated 40 to 55 mainline track accidents.
InteRRIS®, designed and developed by TTCI, is a data warehouse and web-based application accessible through the
Internet.
InteRRIS® loads, analyzes, and delivers rail vehicle event notifications from over 170 rail wayside detectors worldwide. This
amounts to over 90-thousand trains, 7.5-million rail vehicle passes, and over 400-million records per month. Event notices and
data are delivered to almost 300 customers daily.
TTCI continued providing research support for the AAR
Advanced Technology Safety Initiative Program in 2009. As part
of this support, TTCI facilitated the development of InteRRIS®
databases for an alternative acoustic bearing detector, the alternative angle of attack detector, and for machine vision based
wheel profile condition monitoring systems.
The total fleet size managed by subscribers to InteRRIS® surpassed 1-million rail vehicles in 2009. Subscribers include railroads, private railcar owners, transit agencies, manufacturers and
third-party rail fleet management service providers.
“...InteRRIS® surpassed
1-million rail vehicles in 2009...”
Since the beginning of the ATSI program in 2004, the broken wheel accident
rate per million freight train miles is
14.4 percent lower, and the broken rail
accident rate is 16 percent lower. The
combined accident rate is 14.7 percent
lower during the "after" period. Similarly,
the accident rate for burned-off bearing
journals is down 35 percent during the
same period.
The analysis also shows that for the
39 months since July 1, 2006, (when the
ATSI Program launched the truck hunting
detector effort), the truck hunting mainline
track accident rate is down by 62 percent
from the prior 39 months.
Broken Wheel and
Broken Rail Derailments
have been reduced by
16 percent.
®
0.208 0.199
•Hunting
•OILD
•TADS®
•TPD
•WILD™
•WPMS
Validated
data alerts:
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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prevent maintenance
increase safety
save time and money
Accidents due to
failed roller bearings
have been reduced
by 35 percent.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Security and Emergency Response
Training Center
Opportunities for TTCI to meet the growing demand for surface transportation security and emergency response training
expanded in 2009, with a commensurate growth in activity.
A $5 million cooperative agreement award, under the
National Domestic Preparedness Consortium (NDPC) membership, was awarded effective June 30, 2009. This initiated
facility investments as well as development and refinement of
course content in the latter half of 2009.
All security and emergency response training at TTC is
consolidated under a central initiative and management
structure: the Security and Emergency Response Training
Center, or SERTC.
With 10 focused first responder courses and a series of
group contract classes, SERTC commercial training operations prepared an additional 1,751 responders in 2009 to
confidently face and successfully mitigate real world hazardous material incidents, adding their names to the more
than 42,000 who have completed training at the
Transportation Technology Center (TTC) since 1985.
Additionally, SERTC trained over 200 staff members of
the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation
Security Administration (DHS/TSA) to safely conduct their
duties under live operations.
In a major initiative and vote of confidence in the
SERTC training process and environment, TSA is establishing a full-time, dedicated training activity at TTC, utilizing an
Interagency Agreement with the FRA to fund building
expansion and classroom construction. Expanded TSA
training activity will begin upon completion of that work in
early 2010.
TTCI proposed Facility for
Underground Rail Security
Testing (FURST)
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Participation in Federal grant funded training for State,
Local and Tribal responders sponsored under NDPC will
result in training nearly 1,000 DHS funded students in 2010,
in addition to our normal commercial customers, with multiple classes of five individual curriculum courses. We anticipate this program to continue at this level in 2011 and to
grow in subsequent years.
Assistant Administrator
Steve Saunders,
National Integration
Center National
Preparedness
Directorate
Associate Agency
Director Bill May,
Texas Engineering
Extension Service
Executive Director
Jim Fernandez,
National Center for
Security Research
and Training
Associate Director
Dennis Hunter,
Safety Security and
Training, Energetic
Materials Research &
Testing Center, New
Mexico Tech
TTCI Gvt. & Security
Ruben Peña and
Acting Director Terry
Pruit, FEMA and
Emergency
Management Training
Student activity at
SERTC, Highway
Emergency Response
Specialist Field Training
TTCI’s
Annual Report
2009
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Serving the AAR
and its Members
Automated Inspection of
Structural Components Is Nearing Reality
A
new machine vision based car inspection system referred to
as the Automated Inspection of Structural Components
(AISC) system was developed in 2009 under AAR sponsorship to evaluate the condition of the underframe of a railcar and
related structural members.
This is a part of the ultimate goal of the industry's Technology
Driven Train Inspection Program to deploy a network of wayside
inspection sites that will feed a centralized database to create a "ticket to ride" for every car on the North American rail network.
A vendor's prototype system was installed at the Facility for
Accelerated Service Testing. Initial testing of the system demonstrated its ability to take high resolution images of the underframe of a
railcar as a train passed at speeds up to 40 mph. Further development and testing of the system will focus on image assessment and
defect detection.
The AISC system uses an array of high speed digital cameras to
capture images of railcars as a train passes an installation at track
speed. The system uses computer algorithms to automatically and
positively identify components of interest and objectively assess
their condition based on user-defined thresholds. Inspection time is
significantly reduced and inspector subjectivity is eliminated and a
vehicle condition report can be generated with exception reports
automatically transmitted to the appropriate locations.
Operations at the Facility for Accelerated
Service Testing — Improved Efficiency
A new trainset, two new locomotives, and a new bridge were significant additions at FAST in 2009. The Union Pacific (UP) Railroad
provided 110 current-generation 125-capacity aluminum coal cars
for use at FAST. The new cars allowed the retirement of the 40year-old steel cars that have been used at FAST since 1988.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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The new train should enhance safety and reduce maintenance
costs. The UP and Norfolk Southern have provided the use of modern, high-horsepower, fuel-efficient EMD SD 70M locomotives, and
CSX has committed to do the same. These locomotives will replace
older, less efficient locos. They will also facilitate unmanned
operations at FAST and reduce fuel consumption.
This year's operation accumulated 120 million gross tons of traffic.
Highlights from selected experiments at FAST include:
# Rail Performance
—The test that started in 2005 was concluded with a rail life
extension trial. Results showed a 13-fold decrease in rail
wear with the addition of gage face lubrication.
# Bridges
— A 1912 vintage steel span was installed, replacing one of
the welded spans that had been in test at FAST since 1997.
Testing at FAST should provide research to help the industry safely and efficiently maintain vintage bridges, thousands of which are still in service.
— The refurbished hybrid composite concrete span has accumulated 140 MGT. Deck inspections after 95 MGT
revealed minor cracks judged to be structurally insignificant.
The span remains in track and has performed as expected.
# Crossties and fasteners
— New design heavy-duty concrete ties were installed for
testing. The ties provide more than twice the resistance to
lateral movement compared to conventional concrete ties.
Heavy Axle Load Implementation
Revenue Service Monitoring at
Two Mega Sites
Revenue service performance monitoring under heavy axle
loads continued in 2009 at two mega test sites: one near
Bluefield, West Virginia, on Norfolk Southern Railway, and the other
near Ogallala, Nebraska, on Union Pacific Railroad.
Tests have shown excellent performance of premium rails in
resisting wear and internal flaw growth, and the benefits of implementing science-based grinding and top of rail friction control in
preventing rail surface rolling contact fatigue. Tests also show the
effectiveness of several methods for correcting root causes of
bridge approach problems associated with open deck bridges located
in sharp curves and ballasted deck bridges with concrete ties.
Findings from these experiments, together with those obtained
under the FAST Program, have continued to help railroads in North
America to implement the latest methods and technologies that can
improve safety, productivity, and efficiency. The program is jointly
funded by the AAR and FRA.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Truck Castings
An increasing number of large freight car casting failures have
resulted in a comprehensive review of the specifications governing
steel castings.
As part of an overall industry effort to improve the quality and
reliability of large freight car castings, TTCI conducted finite element
and fatigue analysis of six bolsters and six side-frame castings from
various manufacturers. The fatigue life for each of the components
was predicted for a variety of defect and no-defect conditions.
The preliminary results of the finite element simulations and
fatigue life estimates indicate a reduced stress environment is necessary to improve the overall fatigue performance of the bolster and
side-frame castings when defects are present in critical areas.
Very few combinations of casting design and defect type/size
offer enough fatigue strength to reach a target life of 1.5-million
loaded miles. The gouge type defect produced the highest stress
environment for most castings.
Other Research
Coupler Interchange
T
TCI completed a coupler interchange study in 2009 to determine the state of interchange for knuckles and couplers from
various manufacturers. TTCI is working with the appropriate
railroad committees to standardize designs and fitment requirements.
Although a similar interchange is conducted yearly by suppliers,
railroad committees determined that a neutral investigation of these
components was necessary.
TTCI acted as the neutral party and conducted the interchange to
fairly assess the state of interchange and allow potential suppliers to
interchange their products with AAR approved designs.
Advanced Rail Steels
TTCI worked with the University of Pittsburgh research team in
2009 to develop new rail steels aimed at improving the resistance to
rolling contact fatigue (RCF) in heavy axle load applications.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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This development began with a detailed study of the current premium rail steels in an effort to pinpoint the causes of RCF. As a
result, the developed steels were targeted with minimal amounts of
proeutectoid cementite and nonmetallic inclusions.
Laboratory tests
show that this steel
yields mechanical properties that are significantly superior to
the current AREMA standards for premium rail steels. This
rail, along with other premium rails from leading rail manufacturers, is scheduled for testing under heavy axle loads at FAST
beginning in 2010.
Ultrasonic Rail Joint Bar Inspection
TTCI research engineers and Herzog Services Inc. have jointly
developed a nondestructive inspection (NDI) approach to
inspect standard joint bars in service. This unique NDI
approach uses ultrasonic technology to dynamically scan the joint
bar while introducing sound waves into the bar to detect
flaws/cracks in the joint bar. This technology has been evaluated
in revenue service and full implementation is expected in 2010.
International Cooperative Research
TTCI played a leading role in organizing the International Heavy
Haul Conference (IHHA), held in Shanghai, China, in June 2009.
Over 500 railway people from 22 countries around the world
gathered during June 22-24, 2009. The 9th IHHA conference
was co-hosted by the IHHA and the Ministry of Railways of the
People's Republic of China. A total of 136 papers were presented on topics focused on the impact of heavy haul technologies
on track and structures, rolling stock, operations, environment,
and safety.
TTCI Vice President Semih Kalay listens
to IHHA presentations.
Roy Allen, Mike Rooney and Lu Chang Qing
pictured at the IHHA Conference
Sr. Scientists Harry Tournay and Dave Davis
Seven papers were chosen by an international panel of
judges for prestigious best paper awards. TTCI received two of
these awards.
Principal Investigators Scott Cummings and
Greg Garcia among best paper recipients
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Technical Standards and Inspections
Successes in 2009 for Technical Standards, Bureau of Explosives
(BOE), and the Mechanical Inspection Department (MID)
included improved air brake end arrangements to reduce air
hose separations, investigations of car and component failures,
and the addition of a new specification requiring coupler knuckles to be fatigue tested for fewer train separations.
Technical Standards personnel and MID/BOE inspectors
gather annually at the AAR/BOE Hazardous Materials Seminar
and Quality Assurance Seminar to train railroad professionals in
interchange rules and hazmat regulations and to answer a multitude of questions.
Damage Prevention and Loading Services
Damage Prevention and Loading Services (DP&LS) conducted
programs and provided services for the benefit of railroads,
shippers, and suppliers toward the goal of safe and damage-free
freight transportation in 2009.
Multiaxle Heavy Duty Flatcar Testing
TTCI's technical and operational staff encountered unique challenges in 2009 as they planned and prepared for a certification
test of 12- and 20-axle heavy duty flatcars.
Tests were to be completed in accordance with official AAR
direction for the purpose of certification under special test conditions as established by the AAR Equipment Engineering
Committee.
The test specimens were a 290-ton flat deck car and a 480ton depressed center flatcar design, used to transport heavy
loads safely on North American railroads.
MotivePower's New MP 36 Locomotive
DP&LS conducted 38 impact tests, 45 laboratory tests, and 4
rail simulation tests associated with boxcar, intermodal, automotive and open top loading applications.
TTCI supported MotivePower, Inc. in 2009 with modeling and
testing of its new MP 36 locomotive. The locomotive was subjected to a rigorous specification testing schedule, consisting of
vehicle performance and dynamic behavior.
In support of automotive damage prevention, DP&LS completed 119 audits at motor vehicle loading and unloading facilities and presented 27 training workshops to railroad workers,
contractors, and manufacturers involved in vehicle
handling/shipping and maintenance of multilevel equipment.
Tests were conducted successfully for assessing the performance of the locomotive for ride quality, high-speed stability, and
curving. Motive Power, Inc., a Wabtec Company, is providing
locomotives to Maryland Area Regional Commuter Train Service.
Electro-Motive's Mother-Daughter Concept
Serving North
America Railroads
TTCI Tests Fuel Cell Locomotive
I
mpact tests were performed at TTC on a fuel cell powered
switching locomotive in 2009 to verify its ability to handle
railroad environment (shock and vibration) conditions.
BNSF and partners Vehicle Projects, LLC. and the U.S. Army
Engineering Research Development Center have developed a
fuel cell powered switching locomotive to demonstrate the
viability of fuel cell technology.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Based on a Rail Power Technologies Green Goat hybrid
locomotive design, it is the largest and heaviest land vehicle powered by a fuel cell in North America. Upon
completion of TTC testing, the unit was shipped to
California for field testing and
demonstrations.
EMD brought a set of locomotives to TTC in 2009 featuring a
mother-daughter concept. One of the innovative features is that
fuel can be transferred from the motorless daughter unit to the
motor driven mother unit in case the mother unit runs low on fuel.
The mother, a GP 22 ECO-M and former GP40CW
(Canadian Wide Cab) locomotive, was repowered with an 8cylinder 710, 2000 brake horse power engine. The daughter is a
GP38 locomotive. The train consist can be run from either cab.
EMD conducted the normal new model type of tests, which
included both static and dynamic track testing. Included were
generator/load control, adhesion, and dynamic brake testing.
Naturally, testing was accomplished at TTC on flat and
hilly track at 5,000-feet altitude to
check performance.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
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Nondestructive Inspection
Methods for Tank Cars
Serving the
U.S. Government
Navy Nuclear Cask Car
I
n 2009, Kasgro Rail Corporation's 12-axle M290 railcar,
designed to carry a spent nuclear fuel cask for the Navy, was
brought to TTC for certification testing. Because the car
will carry high level radioactive material, AAR's standards
require a high level of performance to be demonstrated through
extensive testing and computer modeling.
TTCI characterized the car with tests in the Rail Dynamics
Laboratory, performed structural and static tests, and tested the
car on track with six instrumented wheelsets built specifically for
this purpose.
Track tests included all the standard freight car tests, and
some additional tests that required special bumps and dips that
were installed temporarily in TTC tracks. Recently, TTCI has
been performing NUCARS® modeling, which has been successful in enhancing the car's dynamic performance. With the large
amount of characterization and track testing data available, this
has been a unique and challenging task.
Tests and Analyses for the
Federal Railroad Administration
Under FRA sponsorship, TTCI performed experiments in 2009
to quantify the load environment of rail joints. TTCI installed a
number of insulated and standard rail joints at FAST on different track types, including tangent and curves containing wood
and concrete ties. After the initial load environment was determined, workers produced deliberate cracks in some joint bars.
The growth of these cracks is being monitored over time under
FAST train operations and compared with fatigue and crack
growth models developed for this experiment.
18
Another project is aimed at characterizing bridge risk factors
for the purpose of identifying needs for development of intelligent bridge monitoring systems. Under this project, data
supplied by major railroads and the FRA was compiled
into a database. Risk analysis techniques were used to
identify the types of hazards that could benefit from
these types of monitoring systems.
TTCI used a quantitative approach in 2009 to determine the
probability of detection (POD) for various nondestructive
inspection (NDI) methods used in railroad tank car inspection of welds (fillet and girth). PODs for bubble leak testing
were also developed.
Master gages were constructed to provide the tools necessary
for the industry to enhance its NDI programs. In essence, this
project was established to perform POD evaluations at TTC and
industry facilities, conduct FRA inspector training, develop and
maintain the tank car defect library, and report results of
research efforts. These efforts have assisted the FRA in applying
a quantitative approach to address safe operations of railroad
tank cars that carry hazardous materials.
Passenger Railcar Security and Integrity
Training Facility
To meet the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA)
expansion into passenger system security, an interagency
agreement with the FRA and TSA in 2009 provided funds to
modify the Passenger-Rail Services Building (PSB) into an
interim facility for the Passenger Railcar Security and Integrity
Training Facility.
The PSB provides a large high-bay environment similar
to the Security and Emergency Response Training
Center's training facility, which provides full-scale passenger
cars, components, and safety equipment for first responder
training. The low-bay area is being modified to incorporate
classrooms for visual instruction with a computer assisted
training laboratory. An addition to the low-bay area is being
constructed to provide additional space for specialized training
functions.
Passenger Car
Crashworthiness Improvement
Improvements in passenger car crashworthiness pay dividends in
saved lives and reduced injuries. A key ingredient is preservation
of occupant space in the event of a crash. FRA funded testing
at TTC has focused on absorbing collision energy and strengthening car end posts to prevent intrusions into occupant space in
crash incidents.
Crash energy management systems channel energy into engineered absorbing devices rather than into a railcar's structural
components. Lessons learned in testing at TTC have gone into
formulation of performance standards that car builders are
incorporating into new car procurement specifications. These
new cars will offer improved safety for passengers and crews.
Top photo: SERTC’s General Manager
Mike Cook visits with TSA’s Jim Fagan as
SERTC Director Randy Jackson looks on.
Solutions for
International Clients
Participating in China's Rail Boom
I
n 2009, TTCI researchers successfully shared their knowledge
with heavy-haul operators in China, conducting a field inspection on the Shuohuang line, a high-volume line that transports
coal from mines in western China to sea ports on the east coast.
The electrified line transported 134-million tonnes of coal in
2008, but needs a major capacity improvement to meet the
increased demand for coal. About 41percent of the 594-kilometer
line is in mountainous territory with complicated terrain and geology, bridges connecting with tunnels, as well as many curves and
steep gradients.
TTCI is working with the railways in providing the best
approach to increasing line capacity by applying the knowledge
and tools in the areas of wheel and rail interaction, bridge analysis, and wear and fatigue degradation.
TTCI has previously provided Trackside Acoustic Detection
Systems (TADS®) and high accuracy instrumented wheelsets to
China Railways with the cooperation of our local partners in
China.
Serving the United Kingdom
TTCI(UK) Ltd. continued its support to the railway industry
in the UK, with wheel and rail wear research as well as
life-cycle costing continuing to hold prominence in our tasks
for Network Rail.
TTCI(UK) Ltd. executed a task that exploits the current
TTCI developed rail profile iterative algorithm and produced a
simple rail grinding index that can be used to more rationally
plan rail grinding than the present methods.
A new project was initiated for the Rail Safety and Standards
Board, using the Vehicle Track Interaction Strategic Model
(VTISM). VTISM is a PC-based decision support tool used by
the UK rail industry for strategic asset management. VTISM
enables maintenance, renewal, and vehicle and track characteristics to be optimized through "what if" studies.
TTCI is managing some of the tasks that have been sanctioned to enhance and/or update the capabilities of the tool. In
2009, TTCI completed a survey of the stakeholders and users of
the tool and reported its findings to include a gap analysis.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2007
20
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
21
Challenging Studies in Finland
TTCI(UK) Ltd., with Tampere University of
Technology in Finland, delivered a review of North
American heavy haul freight experience to the Finnish
rail administration. Two additional projects were started in 2009 and will continue into 2010.
“...a rolling stock rule book is being
written...to control existing and
future open access passenger and
freight operations in Finland....”
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
22
For the first project, a rolling stock rule book is
being written. The rule book will be similar in concept to the AAR Field Manual, but will be consistent
with European technical standards for interoperability.
It will be used to control existing and future open
access passenger and freight operations in Finland.
The second project will develop a thorough understanding of the life cycle of rails in Finland. The low
winter temperatures, nonstandard track gage, and the
combination of high-speed passenger and Russian
freight trains operating across the country make this a
challenging topic.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
23
TTCI's
Business Units
S
ince incorporating as a subsidiary of the AAR in 1997,
TTCI has experienced significant growth in security and
emergency response training, communications and train
control, and train performance monitoring.
TTCI has established business units for each of these growth
areas to ensure their long-term viability. Each business unit is
assigned to a member of the senior management who is
accountable for its short-term financial performance and longterm strategic direction.
Opportunities to Work
with Russian Railways
Forming a working group to develop mutually
benefiting proposals, TTCI signed a memorandum of understanding with the Russian Railways
(RZD) in November 2009 at a technical conference held in Moscow.
The intention is to develop joint projects in
various technical areas. RZD is looking to North
America for help in improving the safety, quality,
and economics of their freight transportation
business sector.
In 2009, TTCI created the Passenger Rail Business Unit to
support the strategic initiatives of the government, particularly
the FRA. Significant achievements for security and emergency
response training and communications and train control are
described elsewhere, but other projects in our highly successful
business units are discussed here.
More Trackside
Acoustic Detectors for BNSF
One of the key products included in the Performance
Monitoring Business Unit is the Trackside Acoustic Detection
System (TADS®). In 2009, BNSF acquired its tenth TADS
from TTCI. BNSF has realized substantial reductions in
bearing-related derailments since the introduction of TADS
nearly 10 years ago.
TADS records and analyzes the acoustic signal from
each roller bearing of a passing train. Alarms, including
car number, bearing location, defect type and defect
severity, are sent to the industry database, InteRRIS®, which
forwards the data to the appropriate railroad, the car owner
and/or maintenance responsible party, and to the
Equipment Health Management System.
More than 60 systems have been installed in North America
and around the world, most notably in China.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
24
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
25
Investing for
the Future
Siding Enables Realistic
Testing of Positive Train Control
Commuter Rail Positive
Train Control
Train meets and passes are some of the most safety-critical
events for any operating railroad. In order to evaluate the ability
of new PTC technologies to handle train meets and passes safely and efficiently, TTCI invested approximate $750,000 to design
and construct a new siding on the Railroad Test Track in 2009.
The siding is approximately 3,600 feet long and equipped with
No. 20 turnouts and electric switches that are interfaced to
TTCI's PTC-compatible Computer-Aided Dispatch System.
The Communications and Train
Control Business Unit expanded
it customer base in 2009 with
the addition of several of the
nation's largest commuter rail
agencies, who requested TTCI's
help in meeting the mandate for implementing PTC by 2015.
In order to determine and specify PTC system requirements,
TTCI has developed unique simulation tools that support the
analysis of PTC system performance, network capacity, and
communications loading.
The siding was recently used in evaluating the Vital Positive
Train Control (VPTC) system being developed under joint funding by Lockheed Martin and the Federal Railroad
Administration. The VPTC project is a follow-up to the North
American Joint Positive Control project, intended to capitalize
on the unique capabilities of a centralized PTC architecture such
as increased capacity via moving blocks and the elimination of
costly track circuits and wayside signals.
TTCI accomplished this efficiently by contracting with a
leading network simulator supplier for custom modifications to
their model and also by developing within TTCI a proprietary
post-processor that builds on the outputs of the network simulator. These tools predict PTC system performance in greater
detail than any other existing models.
Mission Critical Test Machines
Get a New Lease on Life
Passenger Rail Initiatives
TTCI continued with a phased program to update the more
than 30-year-old Vibration Test Unit (VTU) in the Rail
Dynamics Laboratory. In 2008, TTCI completed replacement
of the electronic controls for the VTU that provides input to
the actuators. This year TTCI was able to replace most of the
hydraulic pumps and actuators using funding provided by the FRA.
TTCI's Passenger Rail Business Unit coordinates all
programs related to passenger rail research, testing, and problem solving. This business unit will also provide a focus for the
increasing demand for passenger rail related work when the government's high speed rail initiatives take off later this year.
Passenger rail experts at TTCI have developed a list of
research and testing projects for government funding under
the high-speed rail initiative. TTCI has raised the profile of its
passenger rail expertise by presenting at conferences and participating in safety standards development in 2009.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
26
John Tunna, AVP
Passenger Rail
The Simuloader Unit (SMU), a railcar fatigue test machine, was
also refurbished in 2009. This included rebuilding the servo
valves that control the SMU actuators, the accumulators that control system hydraulic peak pressures, the electronic control system,
and the emergency shutdown for the electrical feed to the system.
TTCI’s Annual Report
2009
27
ECO-Friendly Resource Team
The ECO-Friendly Resource Team (ERT)
completed its first full year of official activity in
2009. While TTCI has always been very proactive
concerning its environment, establishment of the
ERT was to take employee
awareness concerning marketing, R&D, and environmental
issues to the next level.
2009 SRT Members
Ray Jones
Joseph Barbari
Floyd Wiseman
Jon Hannafious
Mark White
Joe Peralta
Lynn Chubbuck
Nash Gonzalez
Bev Kochevar
Maxine Quintana
Jim Scollard
Terry Terrill
(not pictured)
Dean Holcomb
Leland Lile
Jon Marsh
Richard Morgan
Doug Weber
Eagle Eye Recipient
Brad Wentworth
2009 QRT Members
Top photo: Bob Florom
Sirius Roybal
Joe Hanratty
Bev Kochevar
Valerie Best
Charity Ketchum
Gilroy Archuleta
Charlie Powell
Ron Dungan
Jon Keister
Ken Laine
Not pictured:
Stephanie Abeyta
Steve Berkshire
Sam Chapman
Paul Draper
Dean Holcomb
Karen Massingill
Ruben Peña
Gary Pike
Candace Ramsey-Blackburn
Jim Reimer
Quality Award I, II, III
Bottom photo:
Jeff Rosales
Jean Parker
Maxine Quintana
Julie Winters
Terri Townsend
Huimin Wu
Terry Stice,
Nick Hudnall
Jim McGrath
Sharon McMahon
Harry Tournay
Not pictured:
George Cunning
Matt Holcomb
Bev Kochevar
Dingqing Li
Karen Massingill
Bea Rael
Brian Smith
Larry Todd
Ed Walsh
28
With a site-wide recycling program
established, a continued focus on
reducing energy consumption through
green purchases, upgrading equipment,
technology development, and improved
processes, the ERT is well positioned to
lead TTC to a "greener" future.
ERT Members
Back row: Candace Ramsey-Blackburn,
Miles Benitez, Karen Massingill,
Benjamin Reed, Cheri Cornwell,
Randy Thompson, RB Wiley,
Terry Terrill, Michael Sherer.
Seated: Semih Kalay, Kenneth Laine,
Joe Drapa, Alan Polivka, Firdausi Irani.
Not pictured: David Cackovic,
Sam Chapman, Ruben Peña
Safety Resource Team
As part of their continued efforts to promote employee health,
the Safety Resource Team completed a new walking trail that circles TTCI's Operations building. Three trips around the treeshaded trail will net walkers one mile of healthy exercise.
Other Investments
TTCI invested nearly $2.5 million in capital equipment and
leasehold improvements in 2009. Major investments included:
# New Track Construction:
In addition to the new siding, refurbishment of the catenary
system on the Railroad Test Track was completed, as was an
extension of the wye track at FAST.
# Computing Systems and LAN Improvements:
Building on the work completed in 2008, TTCI conducted a
study to identify and eliminate single points of failure in the
LAN/WAN systems to ensure business continuity, data
integrity, and employee productivity.
# Expanded Utilities:
TTCI connected FAST and SERTC to the core area with
fiber optic cable to improve voice and data services at
these locations.
The annual TTCI Health Fair was held in October with 153
employees attending 15-health related booths and receiving 86
flu shots. Morning stretching programs were continued along
with the injury-prevention video program.
Quality Resource Team
2009 Eagle Award Recipients:
Middle photo: Gregory Garcia,
William Larson, Daniel Carter,
and Mohammad Akhtar were
awarded the 2009 Eagle Award
for their excellent work on three
leading edge, original technologies:
Cracked Wheel Detector, U-Rail
System, Rail Joint Bar Inspection
System developed as part of the
AAR's Strategic Research
Initiatives Program
The Quality Resource Team continued
the "Getting to Know…" training sessions designed to foster a better understanding within the TTCI staff of what
other departments do and how they contribute to TTCI's quality and customer
satisfaction program. The focus of this
year's training session was a tour of the
Rail Dynamics Laboratory. Other training
included an overview of the engineering
services provided to Network Rail in the
UK, VALE in Brazil, and SNIM in
Mauritania, and how this work benefits
not only TTCI's financial performance
but also the continued growth of our
technical knowledge.
Wye Track
at FAST
Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
55500 DOT Rd • P.O. Box 11130
Pueblo, CO 81001 • USA
(719) 584-0750 • www.ttci.aar.com