Cummings, AD, Rothwell, G and Matthews, C (2016) How well does a linear static finite element analysis predict measured strains from a nuclear package tie down system during rail transportation. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transport, 232 (1). pp. 222-237. ISSN 0954-4097

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Abstract

Freight rail is often the preferred method for transportation of dangerous goods. One particular application is the use of rail to convey radioactive material in purpose built packages. During transit, packages are secured to a rail wagon bed with a tie down system. The design of tie down systems vary considerably depending on package type and rail vehicle, for example shackles, turnbuckles, tie-rods, gravity wells or transport frames are all commonly used. There are also a large number of different packages in existence that all vary in size and mass; typically 1 - 7 m in length and 100 kg - 100 tonnes in mass. Despite the uniqueness of many transport configurations the design of tie down systems is always carried out using a limited set of design load cases as defined in the appropriate Codes of Practice and Standards. Many authors have suggested that the load cases within the standards need revision or question which load cases should apply to which scenario. In a previous experiment accelerations and strains have been measured on a freight wagon and transport frame of a heavy package during a routine rail journey. From these data new insight into the magnitude and nature of loading has been gained. In the present study the measured accelerations have been used as input to a Finite Element Model (FEM) of the transport frame and a method based on correlation between predicted and measured strains has been developed to determine an appropriate low pass filter cutoff frequency, fc, which separates quasi-static loading from raw dynamic data. The residual dynamic measurements have been assessed using signals processing techniques to understand their significance. The FEM has also been used to assess the presence of contact and boundary nonlinearities and how they affect the agreement between measured and predicted strains.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Tie down system, package, acceleration, strain, rail
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD61 Risk Management T Technology > TF Railroad engineering and operation
Divisions:	Electronics & Electrical Engineering (merged with Engineering 10 Aug 20) Maritime & Mechanical Engineering (merged with Engineering 10 Aug 20)
Publisher:	Sage
Date Deposited:	08 Nov 2016 12:32
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 12:26
DOI or ID number:	10.1177/0954409716675186
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/4266

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