| NuRail Project ID | NURail2014-UIUC-R11 |
| Project Title | Mechanistic Design of Concrete Crossties and Fastening Systems - Phase 1 |
| University | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
| Project Manager | Chris Barkan |
| Principal Investigator | Riley Edwards |
| PI Contact Information | |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | $150,000 |
| Total Project Cost | $ |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT12-G-UTC18 (Grant 1) |
| Start Date | 2013-10-01 |
| End Date | 2016-09-30 |
| Location | |
| Brief Description of Research Project | The objective of this project is the development and deployment of resilient concrete crossties and fastening systems for heavy haul freight, intercity passenger, and rail transit applications. The method for accomplishing this objective is through the use of mechanistic design principles aimed at keeping freight and public transportation safe and in a state of good repair. The specific objectives of the project are: The objectives of this project are to; 1) Conduct a comprehensive field investigation of the performance demands on concrete crossties and fastening systems on various types of rail infrastructure (e.g. freight, rail transit, etc.). 2) Conduct focused laboratory instrumentation to validate analytical modeling and further the knowledge gained during field experimentation. 3) Develop an analytical finite element model (using field and laboratory loading data) for concrete crosstie and fastening systems on light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail transit systems. [Mechanistic Design formally developed as part of Phase 2] |
| Describe Implementation of Research Outcomes (or why not implemented) | |
| Photos | |
| Impacts/Benefits of Implementation (actual, not anticipated) | |
| Web Links | |
| Reports | |
| Project Website | |
| Completed | yes |
| Final Report | NURail2014-UIUC-R11_Final_Report_Crossties_Fastning_Systems.docx.pdf |