Project level highway management framework

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation (SHT) is responsible for 26,125 km of highways in the province. The highway system is divided into primary and secondary highways. The primary highway system provides an inter-regional, inter-provincial, and inter-national highway network that was built to accommodate traffic volumes in excess of 4,000 vehicles per day with significant numbers of heavily loaded trucks. The secondary highway system consists of structural, thin membrane surface (TMS), and gravel highways. TMS highways were constructed to provide feeder links into the primary system for relatively low volumes of traffic with few heavily loaded trucks. Years of increasing volumes of heavy trucks and inadequate funding on the TMS highway system have forced SHT to evaluate various management strategies. New maintenance and management strategies like partnerships with Rural Municipalities and full depth in-place chemical strengthening have been developed and, along with conventional management strategies, are being used throughout Saskatchewan. The purpose of this research is to develop a project level analytical framework capable of evaluating management strategies for secondary highways, based on SHT surfacing and structure standards. The best management strategy is the lowest total cost strategy (agency and road user) based on SHT standards. Probabilistic modeling was also included in the framework so uncertainty in the variables, like length of the service life of these new strategies, could be analyzed. A project on Highway No. 19 was evaluated to demonstrate the framework. From the analysis, the full depth in-place chemical strengthening was the preferred strategy if it lasted 15 to 20 years, relative to a 15 year expected life of the conventional strategy. As well, as the technology advances in Saskatchewan, it appears that the full depth in-place chemical strengthening should decrease in cost while the conventional strategy increases in cost as aggregate sources are depleted. This trend should result in long-term cost savings to SHT

Eleventh International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields

Innovations in Road, Railway and Airfield Bearing Capacity – Volume 2 comprises the second part of contributions to the 11th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (2022). In anticipation of the event, it unveils state-of-the-art information and research on the latest policies, traffic loading measurements, in-situ measurements and condition surveys, functional testing, deflection measurement evaluation, structural performance prediction for pavements and tracks, new construction and rehabilitation design systems, frost affected areas, drainage and environmental effects, reinforcement, traditional and recycled materials, full scale testing and on case histories of road, railways and airfields. This edited work is intended for a global audience of road, railway and airfield engineers, researchers and consultants, as well as building and maintenance companies looking to further upgrade their practices in the field

SMARTI - Sustainable Multi-functional Automated Resilient Transport Infrastructure

The world’s transport network has developed over thousands of years; emerging from the need of allowing more comfortable trips to roman soldiers to the modern smooth roads enabling modern vehicles to travel at high speed and to allow heavy airplanes to take off and land safely. However, in the last two decades the world is changing very fast in terms of population growth, mobility and business trades creating greater traffic volumes and demand for minimal disruption to users, but also challenges, such as climate change and more extreme weather events. At the same time, technology development to allow a more sustainable transport sector continue apace. It is within this environment and in close consultation with key stakeholders, that this consortium developed the vision to achieve the paradigm shift to Sustainable Multifunctional Automated and Resilient Transport Infrastructures. SMARTI ETN is a training-through-research programme that empowered Europe by forming a new generation of multi-disciplinary professionals able to conceive the future of transport infrastructures and this Special Issue is a collection of some of the scientific work carried out within this context. Enjoy the read

Novel assessment test for granular road foundation materials

Drivers for sustainability have made it necessary for the construction industry to adapt its traditional processes to become both more efficient and produce less waste. Performance based design and specification in the UK for motorways and trunk roads permits a very flexible approach to pavement design, material selection and performance related testing aimed at utilising materials to their maximum potential. However, it is clear that within the emerging philosophy of using materials that are ‘fit for purpose’ there are many technical challenges for design and specification. There is a need to develop suitable methods of evaluating materials prior to their being used on site. This project was born out of this requirement, with a particular emphasis on coarse granular materials due to their common role in capping construction and also their unique difficulty for measurement under laboratory conditions due to their large range of particle size. A novel assessment test for coarse capping materials for roads that can be used to indicate their likely short-term in situ performance, under controlled laboratory conditions before construction on site, has been developed during this research programme. Key findings relating to the behaviour of coarse capping materials, the use of stiffness measuring devices and variables that influence the measurement of composite stiffness are discussed in detail. The research highlights the necessity for adequate drainage and protection of foundation materials against increase in water content. When adopting a performance specification the timing of the pavement assessment is critical, both on site and in the laboratory. The performance measured on site should perhaps only be considered as a ‘snapshot’ relating to the stress state in the material at the time of testing

GEOTECHNICAL ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR UK RAILWAY EMBANKMENTS

The British railway system is one of the oldest in the world. Most railway embankments are aged around 150 years old and, the percentage of track disruption due to embankment failure is frequently higher than other types of railway infrastructure. Remarkable works have been done to understand embankment deterioration and develop asset modelling. Nevertheless, they do not represent a sufficient way of managing assets in detail. One of the biggest challenges that geotechnical asset managers and railway operator face is the detection of embankment failure at an early stage. Unplanned disruptions compromise safety for passengers, reliability of railway operators and require emergency budget deployment. To guarantee good system performance and meet costumer’s expectations, industries would benefit efficient and pro-active management activities and adoption of Geotechnical Asset Management (GAM) programs. To support the challenge, this research improves the understanding of the interaction between causes of embankment instability and visible signs of embankment instability. In this thesis, the signs of embankment instability are identified thanks to the use of a new metric called Embankment Instability Metric EIM developed by AECOM in 2018. The EIM measures the worsening of track geometry that is likely due to embankment instability. This research work presents the results of the analysis aiming to evaluate whether a link existed between track deterioration, due to embankment instability, and the geotechnical parameters known from literature as playing a role in the embankment disruption. Results of this analysis proved that, based on the specific analysis undertaken, different levels of correlation between causes and symptoms can be assessed and that some parameters show a better link with the EIM than others. The final outcome of this research work was the development of a decision-making tool based on a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making MCDM approach. The novel tool supports the decision-makers in the process of selecting the most appropriate intervention to be undertaken for a specific embankment asset given its current geotechnical conditions

Burnobuilt, INC. v. Strata, INC. Clerk\u27s Record Dckt. 46638

https://digitalcommons.law.uidaho.edu/idaho_supreme_court_record_briefs/8701/thumbnail.jp

GEOTECHNICAL ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR UK RAILWAY EMBANKMENTS

The British railway system is one of the oldest in the world. Most railway embankments are aged around 150 years old and, the percentage of track disruption due to embankment failure is frequently higher than other types of railway infrastructure. Remarkable works have been done to understand embankment deterioration and develop asset modelling. Nevertheless, they do not represent a sufficient way of managing assets in detail. One of the biggest challenges that geotechnical asset managers and railway operator face is the detection of embankment failure at an early stage. Unplanned disruptions compromise safety for passengers, reliability of railway operators and require emergency budget deployment. To guarantee good system performance and meet costumer’s expectations, industries would benefit efficient and pro-active management activities and adoption of Geotechnical Asset Management (GAM) programs. To support the challenge, this research improves the understanding of the interaction between causes of embankment instability and visible signs of embankment instability. In this thesis, the signs of embankment instability are identified thanks to the use of a new metric called Embankment Instability Metric EIM developed by AECOM in 2018. The EIM measures the worsening of track geometry that is likely due to embankment instability. This research work presents the results of the analysis aiming to evaluate whether a link existed between track deterioration, due to embankment instability, and the geotechnical parameters known from literature as playing a role in the embankment disruption. Results of this analysis proved that, based on the specific analysis undertaken, different levels of correlation between causes and symptoms can be assessed and that some parameters show a better link with the EIM than others. The final outcome of this research work was the development of a decision-making tool based on a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making MCDM approach. The novel tool supports the decision-makers in the process of selecting the most appropriate intervention to be undertaken for a specific embankment asset given its current geotechnical conditions

Dynamic calibration of slab track models for railway applications using full-scale testing

Research and development of technology for railways has found new impetus as society continues to search for cost effective and sustainable means of transport. This tasks engineers with using the state-of-the-art science and engineering for rolling stock development and advanced technologies for building high performance, reliable and cost-effective rail infrastructures. The main goal of this work is to develop detailed and validated three-dimensional slab track models using a finite element formulation, which include all components of the infrastructure. For this purpose, the parameters of the computational models are identified by performing full-scale tests of the fastening system and of the slab track, including all its material layers. The computational model proposed here is calibrated using this approach and a good agreement is obtained between experimental and numerical results. This work opens good perspectives to use this reliable track model to study the interaction with railway vehicles in realistic operation scenarios in order to assess the dynamic behaviour of the trains and to predict the long-term performance of the infrastructure and of its components

Strategies for maintenance management of railway track assets

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Abstract: Population growth and environmental issues are revitalizing the railway sector in a tremendous way. An increase in frequency of passenger traffic and rising loads of freight trains has an impact on dynamic railway track properties and components thereof. The challenge from the railway fraternity is to rise to the challenge by ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable mode of transport. The purpose of this research is to investigate the capacity needed to meet demand by maintaining the track components of the railway infrastructure cost effectively. The railway track is the most critical in terms of safety, influence on maintenance costs, availability and reliability of the train service. Profillidis (2012) highlights the fact that track maintenance expenses represent a significant percentage of total railway infrastructure expenses. In literature, different maintenance strategies, approaches and concepts are discussed in light with arguments raised by different scholars and researchers. The main research methodology utilised was the case study on maintenance strategies from different countries where data was mostly available. The reason for the chosen method was to standardise the research method across different countries as this made it easy to obtain the findings and arrive at recommendations of the research. The broader findings from different maintenance strategies were that the track maintenance approach still has to evolve from working in silos to working in a system that acknowledges that decisions taken from other departments can affect the quality of maintenance in future. The deterioration of the track system is mostly affected by the initial quality of the railway track after commissioning due to workmanship and track design, maintenance approach, type of rolling stock tonnages, speed of rolling stock, and environmental related issues. Design phase of the track acknowledges the systems thinking approach for quality and structural integrity. However, more can still be done to adopt approaches that foster inter-departmental coordination in the maintenance phase of the railway track asset lifecycle. Transnet faces a challenge of fulfilling its obligation by providing quality and cost effective maintenance to increase the reliability, affordability, availability and safety of its infrastructure with the ever-increasing freight volumes. The traditional approach of maintaining railway track assets does not bring in required outcomes that ensure high quality and cost effective maintenance as required by high intensity asset utilisation. Data collected from the..

EVALUATION OF INNER SHEAR RESISTANCE OF LAYERS FROM MINERAL GRANULAR MATERIALS

The methodologies used to assess the inner shear resistance of granular layers from minerals measured in the laboratory with and without geosynthetic reinforcing layers are described in this paper. For the measurements, a multi-level shear box is applied without considering vertical loads on the top layer. In the literature and engineering practice, an accepted calculation method for determining inner shear resistance exists. It is the shear force with linear shearing speed, primarily after a peak force value. This can be accounted for in the present case by calculating the average force value for the 40-80 mm shear range using previous scientific and research achievements. The article details each possible additional method and compares it different methods. Three granular materials, as well as six planar geosynthetics, were studied. For this purpose, the results of 216 measurements were considered and processed using 61 different shear function-qualification parameters. The calculations were performed using a simplified function fitting test and a selection process to maximize the allowable relative standard deviations. All three types of materials and four classification parameters were chosen as references for comparability. As a result, only one alternative parameter can be used to determine the reinforcing-weakening values with a maximum deviation of 5% while not producing insufficient results in the placement (ranking) of the individual granular material and geosynthetic pairings. This parameter is the area under the function (integral) calculated on the measurement graph of the 40-80 mm shear range, in kN×mm unit; it gives correct values only if the reference granular material is the considered railway ballast, the shearing plane is the geosynthetic's plane (i.e., the so-called "0‑plane"), and the reference qualification parameter is the original recommended parameter. The best relative standard deviation values were 20% and 30%