RailTEC Journal Articles

2023

• Dersch, M.S., M.J. Potvin, J.R. Edwards and A. de O. Lima. 2023. Effect of critical factors influencing longitudinal track resistance leveraging laboratory track panel pull test experimentation. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231155420.
• Huang, C-L., Y. Wu, X. He, M.S. Dersch, X. Zhu and J.S. Popovics. 2023. A review of non-destructive evaluation techniques for axial thermal stress and neutral temperature measurement in rail: Physical phenomena and performance assessment. NDT and E International. 137 (July) doi:https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2023.102832.
• Mueller, D., A. de O. Lima, J.R. Edwards and M.S. Dersch. 2023. Development of a real-time wheel load quantification system for the transit environment. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. doi:10.1177/03611981231156935.
• Potvin, M.J., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and A. de O. Lima. 2023. Review of critical factors influencing longitudinal track resistance. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/03611981231155170.

2022

• Bastos, J.C., M.S. Dersch and J.R. Edwards. 2022. Degradation mechanisms of concrete due to water flow in cracks of prestressed railroad sleepers under cyclic loading. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 34 (4) doi:10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0004144.
• Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2022. Semi-quantitative risk assessment of adjacent track accidents on shared-use rail corridors. Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management. 24 (December 2022): 100355. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrtpm.2022.100355.

2021

• Dersch, M.S., C.J. Khachaturian and J.R. Edwards. 2021. Methods to mitigate railway premium fastening system spike fatigue failures using finite element analysis. Engineering Failure Analysis. 121 (March 2021): 105160. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2020.105160.
• Dersch, M.S., M. Trizotto Silva, J.R. Edwards and A. de O. Lima. 2021. Quantification of vertical, lateral, and longitudinal fastener demand in broken spike track: Inputs to mechanistic-empirical design. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 1-13. doi:10.1177/09544097211030736.

2020

• Bastos, J.C., M.S. Dersch and J.R. Edwards. 2020. Statistical prediction of center negative bending capacity of pretensioned concrete crossties. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems. doi:10.1177/0954409719854569.
• Dersch, M.S., M. Trizotto Silva, J.R. Edwards, A. de O. Lima and T.A. Roadcap. 2020. Analytical method to estimate railroad spike fastener stress. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. doi:10.1177/0361198120949259.
• Diaz de Rivera, A., C.T. Dick and L.E. Evans. 2020. Improving railway operational efficiency with moving blocks, train fleeting and alternative single-track configurations. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2674 (2): 146-157. doi:10.1177/0361198120905842.
• Diaz de Rivera, A., C.T. Dick and L.E. Evans. 2020. Potential for moving blocks and train fleets to enable faster train meets on single-track rail corridors. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems. 146 (8): 04020077. doi:10.1061/JTEPBS.0000403.
• Wang, B.Z., C.P.L. Barkan and M.R. Saat. 2020. Quantitative analysis of changes in freight train derailment causes and rates. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems. 146 (11) doi:10.1061/JTEPBS.0000453.

2019

• Branson, J.M., M.S. Dersch, A. de O. Lima, J.R. Edwards and J-Y. Kim. 2019. Analysis of geometric ballast plate for laboratory testing of resilient track components. Transportation Geotechnics. 20 (100240).
• Branson, J.M., M.S. Dersch, A. de O. Lima, J.R. Edwards and J.C. Bastos. 2019. Identification of the under-tie pad material characteristics for stress state reduction. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. doi:10.1177/0954409719890156.
• Canga Ruiz, A.E., Y. Qian, J.R. Edwards and M.S. Dersch. 2019. Analysis of the temperature effect on concrete crosstie flexural behavior. Construction and Building Materials. 196: 362-374. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.11.065.
• Canga Ruiz, A.E., Y. Qian, J.R. Edwards and M.S. Dersch. 2019. Probabilistic framework for the assessment of the flexural design of concrete sleepers. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. doi:10.1177/0954409719854569.
• Dersch, M.S., T.A. Roadcap, J.R. Edwards, Y. Qian, J-Y. Kim and M. Trizotto Silva. 2019. Investigation into the effect of lateral and longitudinal loads on railroad spike stress magnitude and location using finite element analysis. Engineering Failure Analysis. 104 (2019): 388-398. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2019.06.009.
• Dick, C.T., D. Mussanov and N. Nishio. 2019. Transitioning from flexible to structured heavy haul operations to expand the capacity of single-track shared corridors in North America. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 233 (6): 629-639. doi:10.1177/0954409718804427.
• Dick, C.T., D. Mussanov, L.E. Evans, G.S. Roscoe and T-Y. Chang. 2019. Relative capacity and performance of fixed and moving block control systems on North American freight railway lines and shared passenger corridors. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2673 (5): 250-261. doi:10.1177/0361198119841852.
• Dick, C.T., I.A. Atanassov, F.B. Kippen III and D. Mussanov. 2019. Relative train length and the infrastructure required to mitigate delays from operating combinations of normal and over-length freight trains on single-track railway lines in North America. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 233 (7): 731-742. doi:10.1177/0954409718809204.
• Dick, C.T., P. Lautala and B.W. Schlake. 2019. STEM K-12 outreach as the root of transportation education: experiences from the railway engineering field. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2673 (12): 558-569. doi:10.1177/0361198119841564.
• Edwards, J.R., Y. Liang, J.C. Bastos and M.S. Dersch. 2019. Development of a parametric model for the prediction of concrete railway crosstie service bending moments. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. doi:10.1177/0954409719888068.
• Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2019. Quantitative causal analysis of mainline passenger train accidents in the United States. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. doi:10.1177/0954409719876128.
• Liu, X. and C.T. Dick. 2019. Risk-based optimization of rail defect inspection frequency for petroleum crude oil transportation. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2672 (1S): 27-35. doi:10.3141/2545-04.
• Qian, Y., M.S. Dersch, Z. Gao and J.R. Edwards. 2019. Railroad infrastructure 4.0: Development and application of an automatic ballast support condition assessment system. Transportation Geotechnics. 19: 19-34. doi:10.1016/j.trgeo.2019.01.002.

2018

• Bastos, J.C., A. Alvarez Reyes, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and C.P.L. Barkan. 2018. Laboratory characterization of structural capacity of North American heavy haul concrete crossties. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2672 (10): 116-124. doi:10.1177/0361198118782250.
• Bastos, J.C., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch and B.O. Andrawes. 2018. Laboratory analysis of track gauge restraining capacity of center-cracked railway concrete sleepers with various support conditions. Engineering Failure Analysis. 94: 354-363. doi:10.1016/j.engfailanal.2018.08.018.
• Edwards, J.R., A.A. Cook, M.S. Dersch and Y. Qian. 2018. Quantification of rail transit wheel loads and development of improved dynamic and impact loading factors for design. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, Part F. 232 (10): 2406-2417. doi:10.1177/0954409718770924.
• Edwards, J.R., A.E. Canga Ruiz, A.A. Cook, M.S. Dersch and Y. Qian. 2018. Quantifying bending moments in rail-transit concrete sleepers. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems. 144 (3): 04018003. doi:10.1061/JTEPBS.0000125.
• Lima, A. de O., M.S. Dersch, E. Tutumluer, J.R. Edwards and Y. Qian. 2018. Support condition and traffic loading patterns influencing laboratory determination of under-ballast mat bedding modulus and insertion loss. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2672 (10): 74-84. doi:10.1177/0361198118793501.
• Lima, A. de O., M.S. Dersch, Y. Qian, E. Tutumluer and J.R. Edwards. 2018. Laboratory fatigue performance of under-ballast mats under varying loads and support conditions. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, Part F. doi:10.1177/0954409718795920.
• Lin, X., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch, T.A. Roadcap and C.J. Ruppert, Jr. 2018. Load quantification of the wheel-rail interface of rail vehicles for the infrastructure of light rail, heavy rail, and commuter rail transit. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 232 (2): 596-605. doi:10.1177/0954409716684266.
• Quiros Orozco, R.J., J.R. Edwards, Y. Qian and M.S. Dersch. 2018. Quantification of loading environment and flexural demand of prestressed concrete crossties under shared corridor operating conditions. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2672 (10): 136-145. doi:10.1177/0361198118793500.

2017

• Alemazkoor, N., C.J. Ruppert, Jr. and H. Meidani. 2017. Survival analysis at multiple scales for the modeling of track geometry deterioration. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 232 (3): 842-850. doi:10.1177/0954409717695650.
• Bastos, J.C., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and B.O. Andrawes. 2017. Flexural behavior of concrete crossties under different support conditions. American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Transportation Engineering. 143 (12): 04017064. doi:10.1061/JTEPBS.0000097.
• Edwards, J.R., Z. Gao, H. Wolf, M.S. Dersch and Y. Qian. 2017. Quantification of concrete railway sleeper bending moments using surface strain gauges. Measurement - Journal of the International Measurement Confederation. 111: 197-207.
• Gao, Z., Y. Qian, M.S. Dersch and J.R. Edwards. 2017. Compressive stress distribution in prestressed concrete and its effect on railroad crosstie design. Construction and Building Materials. 151: 147-157. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2017.05.186.
• Holder, D.E., M.V. Csenge, Y. Qian, M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards and B.J. Van Dyk. 2017. Laboratory investigation of the Skl-style fastening system's lateral load performance under heavy haul freight railroad loads. Engineering Structures. 139 (2017): 71-80. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2017.02.039.
• Lautala, P. and C.T. Dick. 2017. Railway Engineering Education Symposium: Evolving to rebuild a growing rail academic community. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2608: 96-104. doi:10.3141/2608-11.
• Liu, X., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Freight-train derailment rates for railroad safety and risk analysis. Accident Analysis and Prevention. 98 (2017): 1-7. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2016.09.012.
• Pengelly, S. and C.T. Dick. 2017. Economics and planning of short haul and short line railway intermodal rail service: Lessons from previous and current operations. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2608 (2017): 105-114.
• Shurpali, A.A., J.R. Edwards, R.G. Kernes, D.A. Lange and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Improving the abrasion resistance of concrete to mitigate concrete crosstie rail seat deterioration (RSD). American Society of Testing Materials International Materials Performance and Characterization. 6 (1): 521-534. doi:10.1520/MPC20170051.
• Van Dyk, B.J., J.R. Edwards, M.S. Dersch, C.J. Ruppert, Jr. and C.P.L. Barkan. 2017. Evaluation of dynamic and impact wheel load factors and their application in design processes. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit. 231 (1): 33-43. doi:10.1177/0954409715619454.
• Wandelt, S., Z. Wang and X. Sun. 2017. Worldwide railway skeleton network: Extraction methodology and preliminary analysis. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. 18 (8): 2206-2216. doi:doi 10.1109/TITS.2016.2632998.
• Zhu, K., Y. Qian, J.R. Edwards and B.O. Andrawes. 2017. Finite element analysis of rail end bolt-hole and fillet stress on bolted rail joints. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2607: 33-42.

2016

• Chen, Z., B.O. Andrawes and J.R. Edwards. 2016. Finite element modelling and field validation of prestressed concrete sleepers and fastening systems. Structure and Infrastructure Engineering. 12 (5): 631-646. doi:10.1080/15732479.2015.1034140.
• Dick, C.T. and D. Mussanov. 2016. Operational schedule flexibility and infrastructure investment: capacity trade-off on single-track railways. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2546: 1-8. doi:10.3141/2546-01.
• Greve, M.J., M.S. Dersch, J.R. Edwards, C.P.L. Barkan, J. Mediavilla and B. Wilson. 2016. Effect of particle intrusion on rail seat load distributions on heavy haul freight railroads. International Journal of Rail Transportation. 4 (2): 98-112. doi:10.1080/23248378.2016.1157048.
• Lin, C-Y., M.R. Saat and C.P.L. Barkan. 2016. Fault tree analysis of adjacent track accidents on shared-use rail corridors. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2546: 129-136. doi:10.3141/2546-16.