University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) College of Engineering and Computer Science
The Effect of Heat Generation in the Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element on the Thermal Behavior of Railroad Bearing Assembly
| University | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) |
| Principal Investigators | Arturo Fuentes, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (PI) Robert Jones, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (Co-PI) Constantine Tarawneh, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering (Co-PI) |
| PI Contact Information | Mechanical Engineering ENGR 3.256 Dept. (956) 665-2394 Office (956) 665-7099 arturo.fuentes@utrgv.edu |
| Research Assistants | Oscar Osvaldo Rodriguez |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | Federal Funds (USDOT UTC Program): $59,324 Cost Share Funds (UTRGV): $12,352 |
| Total Project Cost | $71,676 |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT13-G-UTC59 |
| Start and End Dates | January 2015 — December 2016 |
| Brief Description of Research Project | The main purpose of the proposed study is to investigate the effect of heat generation in the railroad thermoplastic elastomer suspension element to develop an experimentally informed and validated finite element thermal model which can be used to attain temperature distribution maps of railroad bearing assemblies under a variety of normal and abnormal service conditions. Among other things, these maps will be useful for sensor data interpretation and identifying ideal locations for sensor placement for continuous temperature tracking of railroad bearings (e.g. IONX motes). Specifically, the main objectives of this project are: 1) to explore and quantify the heat generation in the railroad bearing elastomer suspension element with different material systems and under different loads, frequencies, and temperature scenarios; and 2) to determine the effect of this heat generation on the thermal behavior of railroad bearing assembly under different operating conditions. To that end, the contribution of the elastomer pad to the system energy balance will be modeled using data from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of common materials in use for that part. DMA will provide a full characterization of the elastic deformation (energy storage) and viscous dissipation (energy dissipation) behavior of the material as a function of load, frequency, and temperature. In parallel, CAD models of the railroad bearing assembly will be developed using Solidworks commercial software to be used in constructing finite element models utilizing the ALGOR commercial software. The finite element (FE) model will be used to conduct thermal finite element analyses using some of the expected operational boundary conditions and loads including the heat generation in the elastomer suspension system. The FE models will then be validated with some physical laboratory experiments. Finally, based on the simulations and experimental results, bearing assembly recommendations will be suggested to further ensure the safe operation of railroad bearings. |
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| 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. |
| Full Report | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/_files/documents/research/mechanical/utcrs-utpa-2015-mechanical-heat-generation-bearing.pdf |
| Project Website | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/research/mechanical/2015/the-effect-of-heat-generation/index.htm |
