Anti-Icing LED Light Covers for Railroad Safety
| University | University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) |
| Principal Investigators | Dennis Alexander, PhD., Kingery Engineering (PI) Craig Zuhlke, PhD., Electrical and Computer Engineering (Co-PI) |
| PI Contact Information | 202N SEC Lincoln: City Campus Office (402) 472-3091 dalexander1@unl.edu |
| Funding Source(s) and Amounts Provided (by each agency or organization) | UTCRS (USDOT UTC Program): $72,250 NE Department of Roads: $36,125 |
| Total Project Cost | $108,375 |
| Agency ID or Contract Number | DTRT13-G-UTC59 |
| Start and End Dates | October 2016 - June 2018 |
| Brief Description of Research Project | During winter weather conditions snow and ice can accumulate on railroad traffic signal lenses especially when high efficiency light emitting diodes are used as the light source making them hazardous as signals for the engineers. Railroad signal lens polycarbonate (PC) was functionalized to be anti-wetting and anti-icing using femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) directly as well as by imprinting PC using a FLSP tungsten carbide (WC) die to produce micron and nanoscale roughness on the surface that is characteristic of anti-wetting surfaces. The micron and nanoscale surface structure on FLSP PC was controlled by adjusting the fluence per laser pulse and number of pulses impinging upon the sample. During stamping applied pressure, temperature, and stamp morphology influenced the imprinted surface structure. Through contact angle measurements, condensation freezing experiments, and placing samples in outdoor icing conditions we demonstrate that both directly processing PC using FLSP and imprinting an FLSP WC surface onto PC enhances the anti-wetting and anti-icing properties. Laboratory scales experiments have shown that the quality of the lens is not affected by the FLSP processing. The next step is to proceed to actual railroad test bed experiments. |
| Keywords | railroad safety, anti-icing, femtosecond laser surface processing, icing of traffic signals using LED lighting |
| Describe Implementation of Research Outcomes (or why not implemented) Place Any Photos Here | See Report. |
| Impacts/Benefits of Implementation (actual, not anticipated) | See Report. |
| Report | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/_files/documents/research/operations/utcrs_alexander_anti-icing-led-light-covers_final-report.pdf |
| Project Website | http://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/research/operations/anti-icing-light-covers-for-railroad-safety/index.htm |