LABORATORY STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF TIE PAD STIFFNESS ON THE ATTENUATION OF IMPACT LOADS IN CONCRETE RAILWAY TIES

The effect of tie pad stiffness on the bending moments produced by impact loading of concrete railroad ties was investigated in laboratory tests. Controlled impact loads were applied to a one-tie test arrangement in which the pads were interchanged. Beginning with a rigid plastic pad currently in use on the Northeast Corridor track the test loads reproduced the time history of bending strain which had been previously measured in track. It was also found that the initiation of bending cracks and their subsequent propagation closely matched crack development observed in track. Using the rigid plastic pad as a reference, the ability of a variety of tie pads to attenuate impact response was measured at load levels below the cracking limit. The stiffness of each pad was measured statically and at load rates of 9 10 Hz. It was found that major reductions in pad stiffness can significantly reduce the effect of impact loading, but that the stiffness measurements of flexible pads do not provide a reliable measure of impact attenuation properties.

• Record URL:
  • https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/laboratory-study-determine-effects-tie-pad-stiffness-attenuation-impact-loads-concrete
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Battelle Columbus Laboratories

  505 King Avenue
  Columbus, OH  United States  43201

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • DEAN, F E
  • Harrison, H D
• Publication Date: 1982-5

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 26 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Concrete ties; Deterioration; Elastomers; Impact loads; Plastics; Railroad ties; Stiffness; Tie pads
• Old TRIS Terms: Cross tie deterioration; Impact loading
• Subject Areas: Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00371942
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA/ORD-82/19 Intrm Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-9162
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 29 1983 12:00AM