Wood Tie Track Resistance Characterization and Correlations

摘要

The work presented here is part of a major program to evaluate lateral buckling of continuous welded rail (CUR) tracks. The program to develop the technical information to support safety guidelines and specifications for track buckling prevention is being directed by Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in support of the Federal Railroad Administration. This report presents the results of an extensive field test and evaluation study conducted to characterize the track lateral and longitudinal resistance behavior. More than 1400 tests were conducted to measure the lateral resistance for the purpose of isolating the effects of ballast type and consolidation, crib depth, shoulder width, track curvature, and loading methodology and rate. The contribution of each of these factors is quantified and discussed. The relationship between peak and limiting lateral resistance has been evaluated, and recommendations for the required test sample size are made. Data from tests performed with the Single Tie Push Test (STPT) fixture were correlated with the data from the Track Lateral Pull Tests (TlPT). This report also presents the results of pilot field tests conducted to measure the track longitudinal resistance. The influences of rail anchoring, ballast consolidation, and crib depth were measured, and their effects are quantified.