ASTM D-10 WorkshopD4169-09

Standard Practice for Performance Testingof

Shipping Containers and Systems

Schedule G —”Rail Switching”

Agenda• Objective• Current Procedure• Research on Current Test Levels Used in Industry

– How We Arrived at Our Destination

• History of the TTCI• Recommendations for Change

– TTCI– April 2011 Meeting Attendees

• D10.21 Subcommittee Ballot Results– Voting Results– Affirmative with Comment– Negatives

• Action Items• Questions/Comments/Discussion

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Objective

• During previous D10 meetings, it wasdetermined that Schedule G “Rail Switching”may be outdated and research was needed todetermine if updates were necessary

– Historical Data and Where it was Derived From– Test Levels and Intensities Currently Used in Industry– Recommendations for Change, if Necessary– Revise Schedule G “ Rail Switching”, if Necessary

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Current Procedure

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Special Instructions—Three impacts shall be performed. Forrailcars with standard draft gear, shock durations of 40 +/- 10 msshall be used, as measured on the floor of the carriage. Forrailcars with long–travel draft gear, shock durations of 300 +/- 50ms shall be used.

14.2 Procedure—Load shipping unit on carriage againstbulkhead. Total backload shall be equivalent to a minimum of 3 ftlineal (0.9 m) of cargo. The package used as backload in contactwith the test package must be identical to the test package.

14.3 Test Levels—Allow the carriage to impact a cushionedbarrier in accordance with the following assurance levels:

Assurance Levels

Research on Current Test LevelsUsed in Industry

• Myself and Chris Guzowski volunteered to take on Schedule G –“Rail Switching”

• Did a quick search on historical rail switching data and didn’t findmuch. Decided that due to the limited availability of our time andlimited experience with rail switching, we would focus on industryorganizations and their test methods.

• Both went our separate ways to cover more ground.• At approximately the same time, we both ended up at the

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), which is a subsidiaryof the Association of American Railroads (AAR)

• Worked with Mike Sandoval, Senior Engineer at the TTCI, todetermine recommendations to Schedule G – “Rail Switching”

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Who is the TTCI?

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• The Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) is a wholly ownedsubsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

• TTCI’s vision is to be the worldwide provider for high-value railtransportation technology development, testing, standards, andtraining.

• TTCI manages the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA)Transportation Technology Center (TTC), located 21 miles northeast ofPueblo, Colorado.

• TTC is operated under a care, custody, and control contract with theFRA. This 52-square mile, secure and remote site operates with a vastarray of specialized laboratories and track. TTC enables isolated testingfor all categories of freight and passenger rolling stock, vehicle andtrack components, and safety devices.

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COFC Open Top Railcars

Multi-level Railcars

TTCI evaluates andconducts• Impact testing• Load securement

integrity during yardhandling.

• Loading andsecurement methods forfreight in closed or opentop railcars

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• TTCI conducts simulation testingusing the Vibration Test Unit(VTU)

• Evaluates load securementintegrity during over-the-roadmovement

• Tests load securementcomponents to define loadcapacity.

• Develops load securementstandards based on industrypractices, research and testing.

Recommendations• TTCI

– Recommended that we followSECTION III of the GeneralInformation Bulletin No. 2;Rules and Procedures forTesting of New Loading andBracing Methods or Materials

• Note: ASTM D4169 is referencedin the Laboratory Testing sectionof GIB #2.

• April 2011 Meeting Attendees– Follow recommendations of the

TTCI/AAR– Pallet should overhang the

carriage approximately 2inches

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Proposed ChangesSpecial Instructions—Four impacts shall be performed. For

railcars with standard draft gear, shock durations of 40± 10 msshall be used, as measured on the floor of the carriage. Forrailcars with long–travel draft gear, shock durations of 300 ± 50ms shall be used. Reference Association of American Railroads,General Information Bulletin No. 2 Rules and Procedures forTesting of New Loading and Bracing Methods or Materials

14.2 Procedure—Load shipping unit on carriage with an overhang ofapproximately two inches. Total backload shall be equivalent to aminimum of 3 ft lineal (0.9 m) of cargo. The package used asbackload in contact with the test package must be identical to thetest package.

14.3 Test Levels— Allow the carriage to impact a cushioned barrier inaccordance with the following impact velocities:

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Based on AAR GIB No.2 Test Procedures for open top rail carload tests, boxcar load tests for hazardous materials other thanexplosives and all hazardous materials load tests involvingexplosives the first three impacts are at 4, 6, and 8 mph. Thefourth impact is rotated 180 degrees and impacted at 8 mph(+/- 0.5 mph).

Impact VelocityImpact mph (m/s)

1 4 (+/- 0.5mph) 1.792 6 (+/- 0.5mph) 2.683 8 (+/- 0.5mph) 3.584 (rotate 180) 8 (+/- 0.5mph) 3.58

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Based on AAR GIB No.2 Test Procedures for boxcar load testsfor non-hazardous materials and on TOFC/COFC load tests fornon-hazardous materials or hazardous materials other thanexplosives the first three impacts are 4, 6, and 6 mph. Thefourth impact is rotated 180 degrees and impacted at 6 mph(+/- 0.5 mph).

Impact VelocityImpact mph (m/s)

1 4 (+/- 0.5mph) 1.792 6 (+/- 0.5mph) 2.683 6 (+/- 0.5mph) 2.684 (rotate 180) 6 (+/- 0.5mph) 2.68

Subcommittee Ballot Results• D10.21 Voting Results

– Affirmative – 40– Negative – 3– Abstain – 22– % Affirmative – 92.85

• Affirmative with Comment– Suggest removing the phrase “Based on AAR GIB No.2 Test

Procedures” that appears twice in14.3. It tends to confuse theinterpretation of section 14.3, and the reference to AAR GIB No.2 already appears earlier in Section 14 as well as in theReferenced Documents section.

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• Based on AAR GIB No.2 Test Procedures for open top rail carload tests, boxcar load tests for hazardous materials other thanexplosives and all hazardous materials load tests involvingexplosives the first three impacts are at 4, 6, and 8 mph. Thefourth impact is rotated 180 degrees and impacted at 8 mph(+/- 0.5 mph).

• Based on AAR GIB No.2 Test Procedures for boxcar loadtests for non-hazardous materials and on TOFC/COFC loadtests for non-hazardous materials or hazardous materials otherthan explosives the first three impacts are 4, 6, and 6 mph. Thefourth impact is rotated 180 degrees and impacted at 6 mph(+/- 0.5 mph).

• Negatives– The three following negative votes are all in regard to the

shipping units overhanging the carriage approximately 2 inches.– Schedule G; Rail Switching...laboratories equipped with programmable horizontal

impact systems use sleds with upright bulkheads. There is no way to have anoverhang during testing with such systems. Additionally, if you were to allow foroverhang of a test item on an incline impact test system, its important to realize thatalthough you may try and cushion the carriage to achieve the targeted durations(specified in Special Instructions), the test item will not be cushioned, thus a muchhigher acceleration event. For now, I recommend that 14.2 not be changed.

– In paragraph 14.2, the user is directed to place the test articles not against thebulkhead, but with a 2 inch overhang. To me that means there is no bulkheadpresent. But both D4003 and D5277 require a bulkhead as part of the apparatus,with no provision for removing it. The user is then directed to allow the carriage toimpact a cushioned barrier. There is no ASTM test method which describes a test orapparatus for a cushioned barrier. I suggest the revision which replaces the phrase“against bulkhead” with the phrase “with an overhang of approximately two inches”be deleted. I believe it is a valid test with the cargo against the bulkhead.

– 14.2 says to overhang the carriage approximately two inches. You can not over hanga programmable horizontal sled used in D4003.

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• Proposed– 14.2 Procedure—Load shipping unit on carriage with an

overhang of approximately two inches. Total backloadshall be equivalent to a minimum of 3 ft lineal (0.9 m) ofcargo. The package used as backload in contact with thetest package must be identical to the test package.

• Current– 14.2 Procedure—Load shipping unit on carriage against

bulkhead. Total backload shall be equivalent to a minimumof 3 ft lineal (0.9 m) of cargo. The package used asbackload in contact with the test package must be identicalto the test package.

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Action Items

• Rectify Negative Votes• Consider Comments• Submit to Concurrent Ballot Main/Sub

Committee for next cycle• Publish new test procedure in D4169

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Questions/Comments/Discussion

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