RAILROAD RESEARCH FIELD TESTING PROGRAM
The primary purpose of this project is to assist in defining the operational characteristics and constraints of conventional rail systems at speeds of the order of 150 miles per hour. Four electric, multiple-unit commuter-type cars, modified to facilitate instrumentation and to achieve full-power balancing speed in excess of 150 miles per hour, were built and heavily instrumented. High-speed tests are being conducted on an improved 21 mile section of the Penn-Central Railroad between Trenton and New Brunswick, New Jersey, and track geometry measurements reflecting track conditions are being made between Washington, D. C., and Boston. Of particular interest are the evaluation of ride quality, truck and suspension performance and vibration, track geometry measurements, pantograph performance, catenary profile and dynamic response, track-roadbed characteristics, and interaction between trains. An initial part of the original contract was the formulation of a general purpose mathematical model of car motion suitable for evaluating the performance of new or proposed vehicles or vehicle components in response to rail excitation at high speeds. The parameters and characteristics of the research cars and statistics of track geometry are being used to validate the mathematical model with actual measurements. This dynamic railcar simulation program will be the subject of a separate comprehensive report. The purpose of this report is to present in summary form the progress achieved thus far on this program.
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Corporate Authors:
Melpar, Incorporated
Falls Church, VA United States -
Authors:
- Hurley, F J
- Goeser, J N
- Koch, B R
- McConnell, P J
- Publication Date: 1968-12
Media Info
- Pagination: 215 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Catenaries (Railroads); High speed rail; Instrumentation; Pantographs; Railroad tracks; Structural design; Suspensions; Test vehicles; Train track dynamics
- Uncontrolled Terms: Track geometry
- Old TRIS Terms: Test cars
- Subject Areas: Design; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00039120
- Record Type: Publication
- Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
- Report/Paper Numbers: Progress Rpt No. 1
- Contract Numbers: C-111-66
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Nov 24 1976 12:00AM