Direct-Fixation Track Design Specifications, Research, and Related Material (2005)

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T R A N S P O R T A T I O N R E S E A R C H B O A R D WASHINGTON, D.C. 2005 www.TRB.org T R A N S I T C O O P E R A T I V E R E S E A R C H P R O G R A M TCRP REPORT 71 Research Sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration in Cooperation with the Transit Development Corporation SUBJECT AREAS Public Transit • Rail Track-Related Research Volume 6: Direct-Fixation Track Design Specifications, Research, and Related Material Part A: Direct-Fixation Track Design and Example Specifications LAURENCE E. DANIELS L.E. Daniels Transportation Engineering Fair Oaks, CA WILLIAM MOORHEAD TRAMMCO Smithfield, VA Part B: Final Research Report JAMES M. TUTEN III Consultant N. Charleston, SC LAURENCE E. DANIELS L.E. Daniels Transportation Engineering Fair Oaks, CA

TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM The nation’s growth and the need to meet mobility, environmental, and energy objectives place demands on public transit systems. Current systems, some of which are old and in need of upgrading, must expand service area, increase service frequency, and improve efficiency to serve these demands. Research is necessary to solve operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the transit industry. The Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as one of the principal means by which the transit industry can develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. The need for TCRP was originally identified in TRB Special Report 213—Research for Public Transit: New Directions, published in 1987 and based on a study sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration—now the Federal Transit Admin- istration (FTA). A report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Transportation 2000, also recognized the need for local, problem-solving research. TCRP, modeled after the longstanding and successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program, undertakes research and other technical activities in response to the needs of transit service providers. The scope of TCRP includes a variety of transit research fields including plan- ning, service configuration, equipment, facilities, operations, human resources, maintenance, policy, and administrative practices. TCRP was established under FTA sponsorship in July 1992. Proposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, TCRP was authorized as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). On May 13, 1992, a memorandum agreement outlining TCRP operating procedures was executed by the three cooperating organizations: FTA, The National Academies, acting through the Transportation Research Board (TRB); and the Transit Development Corporation, Inc. (TDC), a nonprofit educational and research organization established by APTA. TDC is responsible for forming the independent governing board, designated as the TCRP Oversight and Project Selection (TOPS) Committee. Research problem statements for TCRP are solicited periodically but may be submitted to TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the TOPS Committee to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects. As part of the evaluation, the TOPS Committee defines funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the Transportation Research Board. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing cooperative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activ- ities, TCRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Because research cannot have the desired impact if products fail to reach the intended audience, special emphasis is placed on disseminating TCRP results to the intended end users of the research: transit agencies, service providers, and suppliers. TRB provides a series of research reports, syntheses of transit practice, and other supporting material developed by TCRP research. APTA will arrange for workshops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that results are implemented by urban and rural transit industry practitioners. The TCRP provides a forum where transit agencies can cooperatively address common operational problems. The TCRP results support and complement other ongoing transit research and training programs. TCRP REPORT 71: Volume 6 Project D-7 ISSN 1073-4872 ISBN 0-309-08837-2 Library of Congress Control Number 2005932615 © 2005 Transportation Research Board Price $28.00 NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Transit Cooperative Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the project concerned is appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical advisory panel selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical panel, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, or the Federal Transit Administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical panel according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. To save time and money in disseminating the research findings, the report is essentially the original text as submitted by the research agency. This report has not been edited by TRB. Published reports of the TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America Special Notice The Transportation Research Board of The National Academies, the National Research Council, the Transit Development Corporation, and the Federal Transit Administration (sponsor of the Transit Cooperative Research Program) do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the clarity and completeness of the project reporting.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol- ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni- cal matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad- emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad- emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF FOR TCRP REPORT 71, VOLUME 6 ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research Programs CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS, TCRP Manager EILEEN P. DELANEY, Director of Publications NATALIE BARNES, Editor TCRP PROJECT D-7 PANEL Field of Engineering of Fixed Facilities ANTHONY BOHARA, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Philadelphia, PA (Chair) MICHAEL O. BROWN, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Oakland, CA STELIAN CANJEA, New Jersey Transit Corporation, Bloomfield, NJ LANCE G. COOPER, Sugar Hill, GA EARLE M. HUGHES, Gannett Fleming Transit & Rail Systems, Audubon, PA JEFFREY G. MORA, Jeff Mora Consulting, Washington, DC JAMES NELSON, Wilson, Ihrig & Associates, Inc., Oakland, CA JOSEPH A. ORIOLO, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Jamaica Plain, MA CHARLES L. STANFORD, PB Transit & Rail Systems, San Francisco, CA TERRELL WILLIAMS, FTA Liaison LOUIS F. SANDERS, APTA Liaison GUNARS SPONS, FRA Liaison ELAINE KING, TRB Liaison AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOR PART B The research reported herein was originally performed by Battelle under earlier TCRP funding (TCRP Project D-5, “Performance of Direct Fixation Track Structure”). Mr. James M. Tuten III, P.E., is this Report’s primary author and was the principal investigator and general supervisor of the original work. TransTech Management and L. E. Daniels Transportation Engineering participated in the original work as subconsultants to Battelle. Special appreciation is extended to the transit agencies shown in Part B, Appendix C, for their help identifying the needs of the tran- sit industry. Similarly we wish to acknowledge the contributions from the large number of vendors that were so forthcoming with fasteners and components for laboratory testing, along with their insights. We also wish to acknowledge the Kowloon Canton Rail- road Corporation for allowing us to release the large amount of data obtained during a related research effort. Finally we wish to acknowledge the use of results obtained during a related project conducted for the Frankford Elevated Reconstruction Project (FERP).

FOREWORD By Christopher W. Jenks TCRP Manager Transportation Research Board This report should be of interest to engineers involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of direct-fixation track systems, a subset of non-ballasted track sys- tems. The two-part report provides guidance on the design and construction of direct- fixation track systems. Part A includes sections describing track-design principles and material-evaluation methods for direct-fixation fasteners and track, as well as example specifications and commentary for direct-fixation fasteners, direct-fixation fastener qualification and production tests, direct-fixation track construction, and materials used in direct-fixation applications. The purpose of the commentary provided with the exam- ple specifications is to explain the basis for specification stipulations, the relevance of stipulations in various applications, and key issues and trade-offs that must be made in developing specifications for the design and construction of direct-fixation track sys- tems. Part B of the report provides data, evaluations, field reviews, and analyses of direct-fixation fasteners from a variety of sources to understand their characteristics and proper application more fully. Direct-fixation track is the earliest form of track without ballast, originating in the 1960s on the New York City subway system. It has won acceptance as a cost-effective measure in reducing tunnel and aerial structure construction costs. It has been promoted further for reducing track maintenance, stray current, and ground-borne vibrations. As a result of these benefits, an array of direct-fixation products have emerged. When faced with various claims for performance characteristics among competing products, tran- sit agencies need objective information regarding direct-fixation characteristics to allow for independent judgment of claims and recommendations to assist in the design and construction of direct-fixation track systems. Under TCRP Project D-7, Task 11, Laurence E. Daniels, Railroad Consulting Engineer, in collaboration with James Tuten and William Moorhead, was asked to develop guidance for transit systems regarding the design and construction of direct- fixation track systems, building upon work previously completed under TCRP Project D-5, “Performance of Direct-Fixation Track Structure.” This guidance takes the form of examples of design and construction specifications and related background material provided on CRP-CD-61.

1 OVERVIEW CRP-CD-61 PART A SECTION 1 Direct Fixation Track Design SECTION 2 Direct Fixation Fastener Example Procurement Specification and Commentary SECTION 3 Direct Fixation Fastener Example Qualification and Production Test Specification and Commentary SECTION 4 Direct Fixation Trackwork Example Construction Specification and Commentary SECTION 5 Example Concrete Specification PART B ABSTRACT SECTION 1 Introduction and Overview SECTION 2 Transit Direct Fixation Experience SECTION 3 Fastener and Fastener Component Static Stiffness Measurements SECTION 4 Critical Assessment of Fastener Dynamic Stiffness and Fastener Transfer Function Testing SECTION 5 Rail Seat Friction Testing and Push Pull with Misalignment SECTION 6 Direct Fixation Fastener Performance Under Heavy Axle Load SECTION 7 Discussion of Fastener Stiffness SECTION 8 Guidelines for the Application of Dynamic Modeling and Simulation Tools to Support Direct Fixation (DF) Track Design SECTION 9 Maintenance and Installation Issues APPENDIX A Glossary of Terms APPENDIX B Request for Information on Direct Fixation Fasteners APPENDIX C Site Visits and Interviews APPENDIX D Fastener Characterization Plots APPENDIX E Component Force versus Deflection Characterization APPENDIX F Repeatability Data Plots APPENDIX G Stiffness versus Frequency Data Plots CONTENTS