6913G624Q300038 SOW Track System Safety Support r1 cleaned.pdf

Request for Quotation (RFQ) No. 6913G624Q300038 PR No. V3332098

U.S. Department of Transportation

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center Track System Safety Research, Rail Integrity Consulting Services

Statement of Work

A. Introduction Since the 1970’s, the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) has provided technical support to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Track Safety Research Program. Rail integrity is a part of the Track Safety Research Program that focuses on the prevention and control of rail failures. This is of high importance to the railroad industry because a broken rail may cause a train to derail resulting in catastrophic consequences potentially including service interruptions, traffic rerouting, environmental damage, and human injury or loss of life. Rail failures, or broken rails, typically occur when defects form and grow as the rail is repeatedly subjected to wheel loads by passing trains [1]. Figure 1 shows a broken rail involved in a derailment of an Amtrak train on May 8, 2011, in New York City.

Figure 1. Broken Rail Involved in Amtrak Derailment on May 8, 2011 [2]

Safe Crack-Growth Life The growth of rail defects is initially relatively slow but accelerates as the defect grows. If the growth is not remediated, then the defect can reach a “critical size” which will eventually cause the rail to fracture, potentially leading to a costly derailment. The period from when the defect becomes visible to reaching its critical size is termed the “safe crack-growth life.” The safe crack-growth life is denoted in terms of tonnage, i.e., million gross tons (MGT) [1].

One of the objectives of rail integrity research is to establish guidelines for rail inspection frequencies based on the concept of a safe crack-growth life. The establishment of these guidelines and the fundamental research enabling their development has been the focus of much of the Volpe Center’s research efforts. As current trends in the railroad industry have been to increase traffic density and axle loads, current research addresses the need to review and update inspection strategies using modern advances in metal fatigue, solid mechanics, fracture mechanics, and nondestructive inspection (NDI). Additionally, modern rail manufacturing processes have reduced the frequency of internal imperfections such as voids and inclusions.

Proportionally, rail surface damage is now more likely to lead to broken rails than manufacturing induced defects due to improvements in manufacturing [1].

Rail Neutral Temperature Another key factor affecting the safety of continuous welded rail (CWR) track is the prevention of rail breaks (pull aparts) and lateral track buckling through the management of rail neutral temperature (RNT). If the rail neutral temperature is too high relative to the actual rail temperature, then large tensile forces may be generated which can promote rail fracture during Winter months. Conversely if the rail neutral temperature is too low relative to the actual rail temperature, then large compressive forces may develop which can cause lateral buckling in the presence of track misalignments. When either a rail breaks or track buckling occurs, rail must be adjusted and rewelded and the rail neutral temperature must be maintained at a desired level (typically 90 – 110 °F) that can withstand stresses at maximum high and minimum low rail temperatures.

Figure 2. Example of Laterally Buckled Continuous Welded Rail [3]

B. Objective In support of this effort, the contractor shall provide engineering consulting services to the Volpe Center on track system safety research. These consulting services shall consist of a series of 8 informational 1-hour long video calls with Volpe Center employee(s) in the Structures and Dynamics Division (V-333) and the preparation of presentation materials for the video calls. The video calls shall be recorded. In preparing presentation materials, the contractor may: (1) conduct reviews and assessments of rail integrity related accidents, technology, and research, (2) perform engineering analyses and assessment of track infrastructure and its components under various loading conditions, and (3) formulate recommendations for track system safety research and technologies needed to reduce broken rail and track buckling derailments. These engineering consulting services will assist the Volpe Center in providing technical support to the FRA’s Track Safety Research Program.

The deliverables associated with these objectives shall consist of technical presentations prepared for the informational calls, along with all electronic data files (e.g., source codes, software scripts, input files, and output files) developed to perform the tasks.

C. Tasks The work will be performed in the following tasks.

CLIN 00100: Period of performance is May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025.

Task 1.1 – Rail Neutral Temperature Management The contractor shall provide engineering consulting services in the form of 1-hour long recorded informational video calls on: (1) current industry practices of RNT management with a focus on simplifying assumption and limitations of current practices, (2) FRA sponsored research being conducted to address these assumptions, (3) engineering analysis of track buckling or rail pull apart incidents, and (4) FRA’s training and software on RNT management. The contractor shall provide the presentations and any electronic data files used to create the presentations (see Table 1).

Task 1.2 – Rail Integrity Research The contractor shall provide engineering consulting services in the form of 1-hour long recorded informational video calls on: (1) research to update the safe crack growth life model, (2) sensitivity analyses on critical defect size and safe crack growth life, (3) research and standards on fatigue and fracture including the initiation of cracks, (3) engineering analysis of rail safety incidents involving internal defects, and (4) analyses on the effect of contact stresses, residual stresses, and rail head wear on rail integrity. The contractor shall provide the presentations and any electronic data files used to create the presentations (see Table 1).

D. Deliverables and Delivery Dates The overall period of performance for this work will begin on the date of award and conclude 1 year from the award date. The deliverables are described in Table 1, including format and delivery date. A total of 8 1-hour presentations will be delivered. All electronic data file deliverables shall be emailed to the TPOC if they are under the file size attachment limit (20 MB). If they are too large to be attached to an email, then they shall be uploaded to Volpe’s secure file-sharing website on Huddle (https://volpe.huddle.com/).

Table 1. Description of Deliverables

CLIN Task Deliverables Format Description Delivery

Date

00100 1.1 Video Calls 1-hour Length with Recording

Calls for Consulting Services on Rail Neutral Temperature Management

April 30, 00100 1.1 MS PowerPoint & Electronic Data Files

Presentations and electronic data files on Rail Neutral Temperature Management

April 30, 00100 1.2 Video Calls 1-hour Length with Recording

Calls for Consulting Services on Rail Integrity Research

April 30, 00100 1.2 MS PowerPoint & Electronic Data Files

Presentations and electronic data files on Rail Integrity Research

April 30, Total of 8 Presentations April 30, E. Acceptance Criteria Deliverables with a small file size (<20 MB) shall be emailed to the TPOC, and deliverables with a large file size (>20 MB) shall be uploaded to Volpe’s secure file-sharing website on Huddle (https://volpe.huddle.com/). The deliverables shall be reviewed within 2 weeks via email.

Reviewer comments must be addressed with an updated deliverable within 2 weeks. All electronic data files developed in the performance of this statement of work shall be transmitted to the TPOC.

F. Electronic Data Files All electronic data files developed to perform the tasks and develop the information used to accomplish the base statement of work is a deliverable under CLIN 0100. The Government shall retain all rights to the data files to modify and distribute them. The deliverables shall not require any additional proprietary software (e.g., in-house compiler, interpreter, or application that is not commercially available) to execute and be employed as an analysis tool. Commercially available software (e.g., Mathcad, MATLAB, FORTRAN, and Microsoft Excel) may be used to develop the deliverables. Copies of all electronic data files developed, including source codes, software scripts, input files, and output files, shall be delivered to the Volpe Center before the end of the period of performance.

G. Technical Point of Contact Shaun Eshraghi Structures and Dynamics Division Volpe Center, V-333 220 Binney Street Cambridge, MA 02142 617-494-2182 Shaun.Eshraghi@dot.gov

H. References

[1] D. Y. Jeong, “Progress in Rail Integrity Research,” U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT/FRA/ORD-01/18, 2001.

[2] D. Y. Jeong, M. Carolan, H. Yu, A. B. Perlman and J. Gordon, “Fracture Mechanics and

Beam Theory Analyses of Semi-elliptical Cracks Originating in the Base of Rail,” in Proceedings of the 2012 Joint Rail Conference, JRC2012-74027.

[3] A. Kish and W. Mui, “Track Buckling Research,” July 2003. [Online]. Available:

https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/11985/.