Strength and Fracture Toughness of Railroad Eyebar Members
| University | Texas A&M University (TAMU) |
| Principal Investigators | Peter Keating, Ph.D., Civil Engineering (PI) |
| PI Contact Information | 709C CEOB College Station, TX 77843-3135 Office (979) 845-9969 keating@civil.tamu.edu |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | Federal Funds (USDOT UTC Program): $25,000 |
| Total Project Cost | $25,000 |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT13-G-UTC59 |
| Start and End Dates | May 2016 - December 2017 |
| Brief Description of Research Project | The decommissioning of two truss railroad bridges has presented an opportunity to better understand and document the strength and fracture toughness of eyebar members. The eyebar members from these bridges have been in service for over one hundred years. A companion research project will fatigue test approximately half the available eyebars, the remaining eyebars are available for further study. The strength of the eyebars (both yield and tensile) will be determined through small-scale tensile tests. Fracture toughness will be evaluated using CVN specimens. Both the main body of the eyebar as well as the eyebar heads will be investigated. Additionally, the effects of heat-shortening on the mechanical properties of eyebars will be investigated. |
| Keywords | truss railroad bridges, strength, fracture toughness, fatigue test, tensile test, heat shortening, eyebar, CVN specimens |
| Describe Implementation of Research Outcomes (or why not implemented) Place Any Photos Here | Pending Project Completion. |
| Impacts/Benefits of Implementation (actual, not anticipated) | Pending Project Completion. |
| Report | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/_files/infrastructure/fracture-of-eyebar-members.pdf |
| Project Website | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/research/infrastructure/fracture-of-eyebar-members/index.htm |