COLD WEATHER TRANSIT TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. VOLUME 12--STUDY OF LASER DEICING

This report is one of a series of reports associated with the Cold Weather Transit Technology (CWTT) program of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. The CWTT program is a project to improve transit operations in severe ice, snow, and cold environments. The program was initially directed to solutions for automated guideway transit system cold weather problems in support of the downtown people mover program (DPM). However, curtailment of the DPM program in November 1980, caused UMTA to redirect the focus of the program to obtain solutions for cold weather problems of existing transit systems. Therefore, the objective of the CWTT program is to develop new and more effective solutions for cold weather problems experienced by urban mass transportation systems. This report presents theoretical and experimental results regarding the laser melting of ice from transit rails. The objective of this study is to present estimates of the energy requirements to either melt ice from transit rails or establish a thin melt zone at the ice-transit rail interface. The process radiates electromagnetic energy at laser wavelengths to and through an ice layer on a metal substrate and which is absorbed by both the ice and substrate. The results are used to estimate the equipment requirements necessary for implementation of laser deicing techniques.

• Corporate Authors:

  Notre Dame University

  College of Engineering
  Notre Dame, Indiana,   United States  46556

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Gaida, W J
• Publication Date: 1984-1

Media Info

• Pagination: 52 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adsorption; Cold weather; Deicing; Electric power generation and transmission; Electromagnetic devices; Lasers; Operations; Third rail
• Old TRIS Terms: Electric power collection; Electromagnetic adsorption
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Energy; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00389756
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTAIN-06-0009-83-12Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: IN-06-0009
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Oct 30 1984 12:00AM