1. International Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign-Urbana, IL
6-8 June 2012

2. Safety Briefing Emergency Exits  Right and Left of 1310
Reassemble on north side of Main Street (north of Yeh Student Center)
Use the buddy system, look out for your neighbor
In the event of severe weather (tornado) please take shelter in basement of Newmark Lab
Stairs located inside Newmark Civil Engineering Lab, on the northwest corner of the building
UIUC personnel will receive text alerts
Who is CPR Certified?
AED in Newmark Crane Bay (Near Center of Bay)

3. Safety Briefing (Cont.)
Newmark Crane Bay – Please use caution
Note any tripping hazards in the classrooms or in the Newmark Crane Bay
No smoking in the building or near the entrances
Campus Phone Emergency Number: 11911
For cell phone users, please dial 911
Assign designated callers
Meeting Location: Newmark Civil Engineering Lab, Yeh Student Center, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana, IL

4. Current Research Program
Personnel
7 Graduate Research Assistants
Post Doctoral Researcher
6 Undergraduate Students
2 Research Engineers
4 Principal Investigators (PIs)
Research Sponsors
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
CN Fellowship in Railroad Engineering
Association of American Railroads (AAR) Technology Scanning Program
Amsted RPS / Amsted Rail, Inc.
NEXTRANS Region 5 Transportation Center

5. Improved Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Research Program
Objectives
Conduct an international literature review and state-of-the-art assessment
Conduct laboratory and field testing
Develop mechanistic tie and fastener design practices
Deliverables and Outcomes
Improved mechanistic design recommendations for concrete crossties and fasteners
Improved safety and reliability of infrastructure components
Centralized document depository
Industry Partners:

6. Symposium Administrative Items
Overview of Newmark Civil Engineering Lab and the Yeh Student Center
Meeting Room 1310
Conference Room 3350 [Reserve at registration desk]
Wireless Internet Access (orange sheets inside folder)
Uploading Symposium Presentations  Please see Vicki Dixon or Kim Hagemann as soon as possible
Dinner Tonight at Memorial Stadium (5 June)
Time, Location, and Parking

7. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Campus Map

8. Yeh Student Center (Newmark Civil Engineering Lab)
1st Floor

9. Yeh Student Center (Newmark Civil Engineering Lab)
2nd Floor

10. Yeh Student Center (Newmark Civil Engineering Lab)
3rd Floor

11. Memorial Stadium Dinner Map
Parking locations shown in Program (count of drivers)
Enter Memorial Stadium from the west side, Gate 16
Go to 6th Floor to the 77 Club
Social Hour at 6:00 PM
Dinner at 7:00 PM
Prof. Freudenstein’s Keynote Address to Follow

12. Dr. Amr S. Elnashai
Title
Head, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
William J. and Elaine F. Hall Endowed Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Education
MS and PhD: Imperial College, University of London, UK
Research Interests
Multi-resolution distributed analytical simulations, network analysis, large-scale hybrid testing and field investigations of the response of complex networks and structures

13. Dr. Christopher Barkan Title
Professor - Civil and Environmental Engineering
Director - Rail Transportation & Engineering Center and National University Rail Center (NURail)
Education
PhD: State University of New York at Albany
MS: State University of New York at Albany
BA: Goddard College
Research Interests
Rail safety, risk, hazardous materials transport, rail capacity, energy efficiency
Teaching
Railroad Transportation Engineering, Railway Signaling and Operation, Advances in Railway Technology, Shared Rail Corridor Engineering and Operation

14. Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Welcoming Remarks
Cam Stuart (Program Manager)
Hugh Thompson (General Engineer)

15. International Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium
Overview: RailTEC Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Research Program
International Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium
7 June 2012
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

16. Outline Introduction Research History Timeline
Overall Research Objectives
Current Research Thrusts
Current Research Highlights
Acknowledgements

17. Timeline
2008 August – Hired First Graduate Research Assistant (John Zeman)
2008 October – Attendance at First AREMA C-30 Meeting in Savannah, GA
2009 January – First Research Project (CN and AAR funding)
2009 August – Hired Second Graduate Research Assistant (Mauricio Gutierrez)
2009 October – Second Project (Amsted RPS funding)
2010 August – Hired Third Graduate Student (Ryan Kernes)
2011 January – Hired Full-Time Research Engineer (Marcus Dersch)
2011 January – Third Research Project (NEXTRANS Co-Funding)
2011 June – Begin FRA Tie and Fastener BAA
Principal Investigators (David Lange, Bassem Andrawes, Daniel Kuchma)
Hired Graduate Research Assistants (Sihang Wei, George Chen, Justin Grasse, and Brandon Van Dyk)
2011 Summer – Hired Graduate Research Assistants for Amsted RPS and NEXTRANS Projects (Chris Rapp and Amogh Shurpali)
2012 Summer – Hired Second Full-Time Research Engineer (Ryan Kernes) and Graduate Research Assistant (Thiago Bizarria)

18. Research Levels Materials Components System Concrete Mix Design
Pad / Insulator Materials
(Admixtures)
Components
Prestress Design Frictional Characteristics
Shoulder (Embedment)
Fastener (Fatigue)
System
Structural Improvements
System Behavior
(PLTM Testing)
(Modeling)

19. Concrete Crosstie Materials Tests
Large Scale Abrasion Frame: Used to investigate abrasion as a mechanism leading to rail seat deterioration (RSD) while varying load magnitude and frequency
Lapping Machine: Provides a means to investigate concrete deterioration rate as a function of loading cycles

20. Concrete Crosstie Static Test Frames
Static Tie Tester:
Used to study the flexural and bending moment behavior of the concrete crosstie under field loading conditions
Static Load Testing Machine (SLTM): Provides a means to study the behavior of the crosstie and fastening system under static load

21. Pulsating Load Testing Machine (PLTM)
Used for Full Scale Concrete Tie and Fastening System Testing
Housed at the Advanced Transportation and Research Engineering Laboratory (ATREL)
Three 35,000 lb. actuators: two vertical and one horizontal
Provides the ability to simulate various L/V ratios by varying loads

22. Monticello Railway Museum Test Installation

23. Acknowledgements - Organizations

24. Acknowledgements - Individuals
Amsted RPS / Amsted Rail, Inc.: Jose Mediavilla, Dave Bowman, Brent Wilson, Thai Nguyen, Chase Nielsen
BNSF Railway: John Bosshart, Tom Brueske, Hank Lees, Seth Ogan, Hal Lewandoski,
Union Pacific Railroad: Kevin Hicks, Eric Gehringer, Dwight Clark, Steve Ashmore
Vossloh: Winfred Boesterling, Michael Steidl, Rigi Chackanad, Chris Kenyon
Pandrol Track Systems: Bob Coats, Scott Tripple, Dave Kangas, Frank Brady
CXT Concrete Ties: Pelle Duong, Jim Parsley, Mark Hammons, Vince Petersen
VAE Nortrak: Steve Mattson
Rocla Concrete Tie: Al Smith (retired), Rusty Crowley, Pedro Lemmertz
GIC: Mauricio Gutierrez, Carlos Gutierrez
TTCI: Dave Davis, Richard Reiff
Engis Corporation: Peter Kuo, Steven Griffin
Others: Jerry Rose, Conrad Ruppert, Tim Johns, Bill Riehl, Brandon Hunter, Al Smith, Fabian Weber, John Clark, Jim Gauntt, Michael Land, Rob Loomis, Jeff DeGross
UIUC: Tim Prunkard, Don Marrow, Darold Marrow, Marc Killion, Ernie Barenberg, Greg Banas, Jim Meister, Dauren Kumarbekov, Emily Van Dam, Josh Brickman, Steven Jastrzebski, Michael Wnek, Andrew Kimmle, Calvin Nutt, Alex Ng, Kris Gustafson

25. Thank You Marcus Dersch University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC)

26. 2012 Concrete Crosstie Symposium
International Concrete Crosstie and Fastening System Symposium Objectives
2012 Concrete Crosstie Symposium
Urbana, IL, 6-8 June 2012
Marcus Dersch, J. Riley Edwards, David Lange, Daniel Kuchma, Bassem Andrawes, and Ryan Kernes

27. Symposium Objectives
Engage international and domestic concrete crosstie communities with respect to:
Design requirements
Performance challenges
Innovative design solutions
Recent research
Research needs

28. Who is Attending Getzner, Hanson, CTL, Ensco and Georgetown Rail
Five Continents: Seven Countries
Australia, Austria, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, South Korea, and the United States
International and North American Concrete Crosstie Manufacturers
LB Foster CXT, Conprem, KSA, Rocla, SSL, VAE Nortrak
International and North American Fastening System Manufacturers
Amsted RPS, Pandrol, and Vossloh
North American Class I Railroads
Amtrak, BNSF, CSX, and Union Pacific
Academic Researchers
Kansas State, Michigan Tech, Technical University of Munich, the University of Illinois, and University of Wollongong
Infrastructure Researchers
Automated Track Inspection, Engineering, and Testing Firms
Track Standards Engineers
Director of Standards & Technology 
Department of TransportationThe Federal Railroad Administration Researchers, TTCI, and the Volpe Center
Getzner, Hanson, CTL, Ensco and Georgetown Rail
Developer of the WILD System

29. Advancing the State of the Art
Federal Railway Administration’s Broad Agency Announcement
Mechanistic Design of Concrete Crossties and Fastening Systems
Advanced Concrete Formulations
Freeze Thaw Performance
Prestress Bond
LB Foster CXT Concrete Tie
Wing Tie
Supporting UIUC, KSU, Volpe under the BAA
RFID for life monitoring of crossties
Endura Tie
SSL
Full Frame and Half Frame Ties
Union Pacific
Rail pad study

30. Why We are Here
To share, learn, and collaborate to understand and improve the concrete crosstie and fastening system components
Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success
Henry Ford

31. Expected Outcomes Better understanding of current state of practice
Improved coordination among international and domestic researchers, suppliers, owners, and maintainers
Industry-wide awareness of latest research projects
Strengthened relationships between industry and academic community
Comprehensive list of research needs
Shared vision for the critical path to better performance and increased utilization of concrete sleepers and fastening systems

32. Research Needs Statement Development
We need your participation!
Please use Google Document (see link that was ed this morning)
Three levels: materials, component, system
Need both basic and applied research needs
Basic: research related to understanding fundamental relationships (e.g. materials properties)
Applied: research that aims to solve practical problems (e.g. system level testing)

33. Useful Contact Information
Vicki Dixon
1117 Newmark Lab
Cell: (217)
Marcus Dersch
3214 Newmark Lab,
Cell: (812)
Riley Edwards
1245A Newmark Lab
Cell: (931)