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Vehicle’s components damage
(2020)
The failure of vehicle’s suspension components has contributed to road crashes, while their defective operation can deteriorate the fuel efficiency of the vehicles. In this context, and when compared with solid cargo transporters, the road tankers would tend to produce larger roll forces during turning, as the curved shape of the liquid cargo container, shifts upwards the centre of gravity of the cargo. With reference to a rectangular cargo container representing the solid cargo situation, the increase in the position due to elliptical and circular tank shapes, can attain a value of 17% (100% fill, circular tank). In this study, experimental results comparing the lateral load transfer due to solid and liquid cargoes, indicate that the average force increase on the vehicle’s load-receiver side due to a liquid cargo, is 4.3%. To analyse the fullscale situation of both situations, that is, the higher position of the centre of gravity and the shifting of the liquid cargo, a simplified model is developed. The outputs from such a model when subjected to realistic operating conditions (speed
and turning radius), suggest that the higher position of the centre of gravity due to using a non-rectangular cargo container generates an average force increase of 4.9% on the side receiving the load transfer. The incorporation of the effect of the liquid cargo, through the simple pendulum analogy, suggests that such an average increases to 6.76%, with a maximum of 8.35% in the case of the elliptical tank at 75% fill level. It is found that the average liquid cargo effect is 5.44%, which should be compared with the 4.3% of the experiments. Road tankers components would thus have a relatively shorter load cycle life than those of the solid cargo trucks.
To save weight and resources lightweight tanks with complex geometries made of glass-fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) are a promising innovation for the transportation of dangerous goods. To realise the use of polymer tanks for such applications, their fire safety must be guaranteed. This paper presents solutions to protect fibre-reinforced plastic tanks from fire. The fire resistance of six GFRP tanks with different fire protection systems was tested in an outdoor full-scale fire test facility according to the regulation stipulated in the ADR (European agreement concerning the national carriage of dangerous goods by road). All tanks feature a complex geometry and a holding capacity of 1100 litres. The fire protection systems are composed of specialised resins as well as two intumescent coatings. All systems had a protective impact. The best results were achieved by the epoxy based intumescent coating, which was able to prolong the time needed to reach 150 °C inside the tank by 20 min. The emergence of a temperature holding point inside the tank due to condensation effects was observed at temperatures around 100 °C.
Climate change, CO2 reduction, resource efficiency are only 3 current keywords that describe the current industrial-economic situation. In order to influence climate change effectively, the conversion of supply systems with technically usable forms of energy must succeed in the next decade. The international network founded in Baku in 2015 bundles research activities in the broad field of energy supply and energy efficiency.
Discuss current research approaches and results with scientists and experts from renowned universities and follow Azerbaijan's efforts to implement the energy revolution.
To reduce the emission of carbondyoxide (CO2) of combustion engines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) is used as an alternative fuel. LNG is transported via truck, ship or railway for long distances. Double walled stainless steel tanks are used for transportation, which are heavy and expensive. The vacuum insulation between the two walled structure ensures that the LNG stays liquid over the transportation time (boiling point of LNG: -162 ◦C). This causes a high temperature difference between the transported good and the ambient air.
A simplified tank construction is used to reduce the weight and price of the tank. Instead of stainless steel, glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) is used. The design is changed to a single walled construction with a solid insulation material outside on the GFRP structure.
Goal of this work is the characterization of a suitable insulation material and configuration as well as the analysis of the mechanical properties of GFRP under cryogenic conditions. Several experiments are carried out. Numerical models of these experiments can then be used for parameter studies.
Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
establish themselves as important energy carriers in the transport
sector. Its storage requires tanks with Thermal Super Insulations
(TSI) to keep the transported fluid cold. TSI has proven itself in
various applications over a long time, but not in the land
transport sector, where accidents involving collisions, fires, and
their combination are to be expected. The focus of this study is
to investigate the behavior of different types of TSI when
exposed to a heat source that represents a fire. Therefore, a High-
Temperature Thermal Vacuum Chamber (HTTVC) was used that
allows the thermal loading of thermal insulation material in a
vacuum and measuring the heat flow through the TSI in parallel.
Within this study, 5 samples were tested regarding 3 different
types of MLI, rock wool, and perlites. The thermal exposure
caused different effects on the samples. In practice, this can be
connected to the rapid release of flammable gases as well as a
Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). These
results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios, the
improvement of TSI, and the development of emergency
measures.
A simplified formulation is proposed in this paper to assess the proximity of the earthquake-related Perturbation frequencies to the natural sloshing frequencies of the liquid contained in vertical cylindrical tanks. The methodology is based upon an existing gravity-waves approach, which was developed for rectangular cross-section reservoirs, and is extended in this paper to analyze circular cross-section tanks.
The experimental outputs of this paper show that the existing methodology correlates at 100% with experimental data in the case of rectangular containers; while the corresponding average error in the case of a conical container and a cylindrical container is 7% and 9.1 %, respectively. The full diameter of the cross section was considered. The use of sovalidated methodology to full scale tanks, suggests that cylindrical vertical tanks with a capacity lower than 700 m3, could be exposed to a resonance excitation when subjected to
earthquake motions, regardless of the fill level.
Tanks with capacity larger than 700 m3, could be exposed to a resonance excitation when subjected to earthquake motions, regardless of the fill level. Further studies to assess the dynamic forces linked to such resonance and close-to-resonance situations, in a context of a standard overloading situation due to sloshing forces.
Simulation of liquid cargo – vehicle interaction under lateral and longitudinal accelerations
(2018)
Amongst the vehicle parameters influencing road safety, the carried cargo plays a critical role in the case of a liquid cargo, posing rollover risk and affecting the available friction forces for braking. While the lateral sloshing of the cargo within the vehicle´s compartments, can be excited when the vehicle negotiates a turn, the longitudinal motion of the cargo derives from changes of speed. The combination of both types of perturbations occurs when the vehicle brakes while negotiating a turn. In this paper, a two-pendulum formulation is used to simulate the lateral and longitudinal behavior of a vehicle when negotiating a braking in a turn maneuver. The suspension forces are thus calculated as the linear superposition of both models. Results suggest that the vehicle roll stability is affected by the cargo sloshing, with increments on the order of 100% in the lateral load transfer, for a 50% filled tank. On the other hand, the dispersion of the travelling speed also affects the lateral stability of such type of vehicles, as a function of the dispersion of the vehicle´s travelling speed.
The efficiency and safety of railway transportation depends on many factors and operating conditions, associated to the vehicle, the infrastructure, the operator and the environment. From the vehicle-infrastracture perspective, some influential factors include the dynamics of the vehicle and infrastructure interaction when the vehicle operates on curved tracks. Düring such changes of direction, the vehicle dynamically responds to the lateral perturbation, producing a lateral load transfer that represents an increase of the wheel forces on one side of the track, as a function of the train operating conditions and track design, including track's geometry and over-elevation, and vehicle's operating speed as well as its inertial properties and dimensions. In this context, the lateral load transfer superimposes to tangential steering forces, which are developed when the vehicle enters the curved track, and stabilize once a steady state is attained if the vehicle travels along a constant radius track at constant speed. The magnitude of such tangential forces depends on a variety of factors, including the yaw stiffness of the bogie, and the friction at the centre plate. While the friction at the
centre plate generates higher tangential forces on the track and a consequential greater rail wearing and lose of locomotive energy, such friction is also crucial to avoid the hunting phenomenon when the vehicle travels along tangents.
In this paper, a mechanically active centre plate is proposed, which increases the friction torque at the centre plate when the vehicle travels along tangents, and reduces such a friction torque when the vehicle negotiates curved portions of the track. Such conceptual design includes the principles of Operation and a needed preliminary
experimental model to assess the potential benefits as well as the feasibility of such equipment.
The dynamic response of a vehicle during braking is influenced by the tangential forces developed at the wheel-rail’s contact surface. The friction coefficient affects the load transfer from the wheel’s tread to the vehicle. In this work, the vibrations of a scale-down railway vehicle are monitored during braking and their relationship with the friction coefficient between wheel and rail is found out. The vehicle is instrumented with encoders, accelerometers, and is controlled via Bluetooth.
The tests are carried out with clean and friction-modified rails. The tangential forces transmitted from the wheel to the railcar’s body are visualized in time and frequency using a proposed correlation algorithm based on the outputs of the ContinuousWavelet Transform (CWT). The results demonstrate
that tangential forces have a significant impact on railway vehicles under conditions of high friction coefficients and large creep values.
Several geometrical analytical tools can be used for assessing the potential benefits of any alternative tank shape. The quasistatic evaluation of the cargo-vehicle behavior represents a fast way to objectively determine the roll stability benefits of any potentially new tank shape. In this paper, the geometrical, quasistatic rollover performance of a convex bottom tank shape is compared with that of standard tank shapes, finding that in spite of the lower position of the cargo´s center of gravity in such a tank shape for the un-perturbed condition, it has the same performance as the elliptical tank shape when subjected to Steady lateral acceleration. That as a result of the large cargo´s lateral displacement. Consequently, the combination of a lower center of gravity for the cargo when it is not perturbed, and a Minimum lateral shift due to lateral accelerations inputs, define the conditions for an ideal tank shape.
Braking-in-a-turn maneuvers represent a critical operational condition for any vehicle, due to the associated longitudinal and lateral perturbations to which it is subjected, which maximize the load transfer among the different wheels, and result in vehicle´s poor lateral stability and deficient braking performance.
In this paper, a suspended vehicle supporting a partially filled 10 litter-capacity container, is set on a tilt table at oblique angles, in order to simulate a braking-in-a-turn maneuver. The measurements are assessed in the time and frequency domains, on the basis of the lateral load transfer ratio and the infrastructure fatigue damage. The outputs from the experiment show that the Minimum fill level (one-quarter), generates the larger lateral load transfer (0.45). Such fill level also causes the greatest ratios for the alternate stress over the mean stress on the infrastructure. The spectral analysis reveals the dominance of one of the sloshing frequencies during such combined perturbation condition.
It was possible to achieve an error as 9% or even 0% at certain time steps, as shown in the graph above, the usage of UDF code has major importance in achieving the pressure Profile required, and it heat transfer between the bottle itself and the surroundings was taken into consideration which of course had a high influence on how the temperature of the air flask changes.
Parameter study for CFD in the bottle – grid resolution plays an important role on the temperature at the specific positions, 2D axi-symetrical calculation is a sufficient solution strategy in regards to the examined particular Problem. The intensity of filling process can be controlled by pressure “User defined function” provided by experiments. Numerical simulation demonstrated feasibility to predict temperature progress during the filling process successfully validated by experiments. The turbulent model k-w SST is the best strategy for the turbulent property calculations. The most intensive turbulent kinetic energy appeared in the middle region of the pressure bottle, the impact of the eddy viscosity on the wall was mostly in the wall region.
A model of the cargo – ship interaction has been presented, for a navigation environment in which there is no waves, in which the ship lateral stability depends only on the manoeuver performed and the characteristics of the ship and cargo. Several simplifications have been introduced in the model, including the circular bottom of the ship, which facilitates the location of the buoyancy force on the ship, and the analogy of the sloshing cargo motion to a simple pendulum. Two forms of damping were introduced (river waters with the ship´s hull and the friction of the liquid inside the tanker walls), while the sliding motion of the ship when turning has been assumed as negligible. The results suggest that the sloshing cargo influences the lateral stability of the river tanker, with increases in the maximum roll angle from 15% to 40%, as a function of the speed and the fill level. The maximum roll angle has been found to occur at a 75% fill level, regardless of the ship speed.
This paper describes a theoretical model to simulate the effects of a sloshing cargo on the safety performance of a vehicle that performs a braking-in-a-turn maneuver when travels at a partial fill level. The fundamental assumption of the model consists of the superposition of the effects of two simplified mechanical-analogy models that represent a liquid cargo on a vehicle, including one for the roll motion and another one for the pitch motion. The distinctive characteristics of the mechanical models, however, is that they are based upon a validated formulation to establish the properties of the pendulum (length).
The results suggest a small effect of the sloshing cargo on the braking efficiency of the cargo, while the load transfer is moderately affected. However, such results should be put into a perspective, according to which such small variations can represent the avoidance of a rear-end crash or a rollover. In this respect, a specialized ABS system could be considered to improve the performance of such kind of vehicles when performing such maneuvers.
Validation of the proposed methodology should be performed as a continuation of this research effort.
A simplified model, based upon physical principles, is proposed the simulate the effect of sloshing on the pressure developed in the tanker chambers. The model has been validated in good extent, with experimental data from full scale testing. The characteristic that mostly affects the pressure developed with the chambers of the tanker is the length of the chamber. While a reduction in this property could decrease the pressure developed within a given chamber, the analysis should take into account an overall approach, as a shortening of the individual chambers would influence the number of chambers necessary to carry a certain amount of product. Consequently, the resulting model could be used to study different effects of the sloshing cargo on the carrying vehicles, including the length and position of the chambers along the tanker body.
Figure 10 illustrates the theoretical results from the simplified model considered, together with the experimental data. These results and measurements are presented one next to the other, in order to facilitate the validity analysis of the proposed simulation methodology.
These results illustrate that the trends are comparable for both sets of data, that is, a similar range is obtained for all of the variables reported. A lower pressure is generated in chamber 5, which is attributed to the shorter length of this chamber. However, such increase in pressure does not correspond exactly to the difference of lengths, as the ratio of lengths would cause a differential pressure of 2.3/1.23 = 1.86, while the ratio of average pressures is on the order of 2. That is, there is an incremental, which is associated to the maximum height attained by the fluid in the chamber. The major difference between both sets of data, the experimental and theoretical, is that the theoretical do not include much of the noise and random oscillations reported in the experimental data. Such noise, however, is of very low amplitude, in comparison with the maximum values attained. The practical applications of these results could be in the area of chamber design, so that the effects of the length of the chambers be taken into account. That is, such greater lengths for the fluid in the chamber would involve larger pressures and consequently, greater stresses. However, the analysis should include an overall perspective, that is, the shortening of the chambers would imply an increase in the number of chambers, for a certain total payload, and the superposition effect of pressures, should be considered. On the other hand, the analysis could be extended to characterize the effects of the distribution of the lengths of the different chambers along the axis of the tanker, as the different resulting forces could have different effects on the pitch response of the road tanker.
The safety of any transport system depends on a multitude of conditions, parameters and circumstances. In this regard, the interaction of the carried Cargo with the carrying vehicle represents a factor influencing the overall safety of any transport. The effects of cargo on the vehicle have to do with the vibration or shifting of the cargo, affecting the lateral stability of the vehicles and the braking performance.
Such interaction has been associated to road crashes and maritime vehicles capsizing. Simulation of cargo-vehicle interaction thus represents an interesting Topic when a reduction in transport accidents is pursued. In this paper, the fundamentals principles for simulating the interaction of the liquid cargo and the carrying vehicle, is presented. In the case of a road transportation, the proposed simplified Simulation methodologies, show good agreement with a full-scale test.
This paper presents a method for processing acceleration data registered on a train and determining the health condition of a subway’s substructure. The acceleration data was converted into a dynamic deformation by applying a transfer function defined using the Empirical Mode Decomposition Method.
The transfer function was constructed using data produced on an experimental rig, and it was scaled to an existing subway system. The equivalent deformation improved the analysis of the dynamic loads that affect the substructure of the subway tracks because it is considered the primary load that acts on the track and substructure. The acceleration data and the estimated deformations were analyzed with the Continues Wavelet Transform. The equivalent deformation data facilitated the application of a health monitoring system and simplified the development of predictive maintenance programs for the subway or railroad operators. This method better identified cracks in the substructure than using the acceleration data.
This paper describes the testing methods used to determine the thermal properties of insulation materials and mechanical properties of materials used for the load-bearing structure for pressure tanks (up to 4 bar, relative) and cryogenic liquids (LNG, −166 °C to -157 °C at atmospheric pressure). Goal is to design a transportation tank that does not exceed 4 bars (relative) within 10 h, starting at atmospheric pressure. PUR-foam is a suitable material for the insulation. A 12,5 l small scale tank prototype reached 4 bar (relative) within 87 minutes, which is, regarding the influence of the size, a satisfying result. The mechanical properties change significantly at cryogenic temperatures. The bending modulus is similar at first, but decreases at a certain point by appr. 50 %. However, the maximum stress is much higher and could not be reached within this testing setup.
A methodology is proposed for the experimental analysis of the liquid cargo effect under combined orthogonal accelerations. To simultaneously subject the vehicle-cargo system to longitudinal and lateral accelerations, the vehicle is set obliquely on a tilt table. The experimental outputs suggest that there is a significant effect of the liquid cargo on the lateral load transfer ratio (LTR), on the order of 20%, which is attributable to the resulting shifting of the liquid cargo’s centre of gravity. That is, the peak LTR values due exclusively to sloshing were not significant, in such a way that the liquid cargo would only pose a safety risk under a steady acceleration input.
Also, the inverse of the product of the magnitude of the acceleration times the free surface length, correlates with the liquid cargo effect. That is, the magnitude of the input acceleration is not fully determinant for greater load transfers.
Biofuels, particularly biodiesel, have gained significant attention as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels in recent years. Unlike diesel, which contains hundreds of compounds, biodiesel only contains a few compounds in the C16-C18 carbon chain. However, the use of biodiesel in automobile and transportation applications can result in problems of degradation or even damage in materials. Among the commonly used polymer materials, fluorocarbon (FKM) shows excellent performance and high stability and compatibility towards oil, diesel, ethanol, and other chemicals. FKM is a family of fluorocarbon-based fluoroelastomer materials, which provide excellent high-temperature and chemical stability compared to other elastomers. As a result, FKM is widely used in chemical processes such as petroleum refining, where it is used for sealings, pumps, and other components.
Mechanical stress often accelerates the failure of polymer materials. The aim of this research is to study the interaction between the sealing material FKM and biofuels B10 (heating oil with 10% biodiesel). The mechanical stress test was carried out in a special apparatus. Both mechanical and non-mechanical stress tests were conducted on specimens at 20, 40, and 70 °C for 28 days to document changes in mass, volume, and tensile properties. Both increasing temperature and mechanical stress have a significant effect on the tensile strength of the FKM polymer when exposed to B10. The combination of increasing temperature and mechanical stress induced rupture within 2 h. It was also established that FKM polymer with pre-exposure in B10 survived longer during mechanical stress compared to specimens exposed only to air. With the support of infrared (IR) spectroscopy, we were able to confirm the penetration of B10 into the FKM polymer.
The importance of tanks for storing cryogenic fluids in the energy industry is increasing because of ongoing political conflicts and the implementation of more environmentally friendly energy sources. Key representatives for the application of cryogenic tanks are natural gas in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and hydrogen, e. g. in the form of Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2), for which significantly higher transport capacities can be achieved with the same transport volume using cryogenic storages than with storages based solely on overpressure.
What applies to all cryogenic transported fluids in common is their condition that must be maintained. Hence heat flows into the preserved fluid must be minimized. Thermal super Insulations (TSI) based on e. g. multilayer insulations (MLI), perlites, and vacuum are utilized for this purpose and have already proven themselves in similar applications. However, for the use of tanks for cryogenic fluids in the transport sector, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the course and consequences of incidents, which is due to the still short period of use and the few documented incidents, hence few investigations carried out in this field. Typical scenarios in the transport sector represent car accidents with collisions, fires, and their combination, which are associated with extraordinary loads on the tank.
The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of TSI as a result of their thermal exposure to a heat source representing a fire. It is worth mentioning that this could lead to an increase of the heat flux into a tank by several orders of magnitude, and to permanent damage of the TSI, ultimately rapid release of flammable gas as well as a Boiling Liquide Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). For this purpose, a high temperature thermal vacuum chamber (HTTVC) has been developed that allows thermal loading of MLI or perlites in a vacuum and simultaneous measurement of heat flow through this TSI. The HTTVC is designed to represent realistic insulation conditions and to withstand thermal loads from typical design fires.
The HTTVC was applied to investigate TSI based on MLI and vacuum. It is shown that the thermal stress caused permanent damage to the TSI, with shrinkage, phase change, pyrolysis, and condensation being significant damage mechanisms. The results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures.
The importance of tanks for storing cryogenic fluids in the energy industry is increasing because of ongoing political conflicts and the implementation of more environmentally friendly energy sources. Key representatives for the application of cryogenic tanks are natural gas in the form of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and hydrogen, e. g. in the form of Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2), for which significantly higher transport capacities can be achieved with the same transport volume using cryogenic storages than with storages based solely on overpressure.
What applies to all cryogenic transported fluids in common is their condition that must be maintained. Hence heat flows into the preserved fluid must be minimized. Thermal super Insulations (TSI) based on e. g. multilayer insulations (MLI), perlites, and vacuum are utilized for this purpose and have already proven themselves in similar applications. However, for the use of tanks for cryogenic fluids in the transport sector, there is insufficient knowledge regarding the course and consequences of incidents, which is due to the still short period of use and the few documented incidents, hence few investigations carried out in this field. Typical scenarios in the transport sector represent car accidents with collisions, fires, and their combination, which are associated with extraordinary loads on the tank.
The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of TSI as a result of their thermal exposure to a heat source representing a fire. It is worth mentioning that this could lead to an increase of the heat flux into a tank by several orders of magnitude, and to permanent damage of the TSI, ultimately rapid release of flammable gas as well as a Boiling Liquide Expanding Vapour Explosion (BLEVE). For this purpose, a high temperature thermal vacuum chamber (HTTVC) has been developed that allows thermal loading of MLI or perlites in a vacuum and simultaneous measurement of heat flow through this TSI. The HTTVC is designed to represent realistic insulation conditions and to withstand thermal loads from typical design fires.
The HTTVC was applied to investigate TSI based on MLI and vacuum. It is shown that the thermal stress caused permanent damage to the TSI, with shrinkage, phase change, pyrolysis, and condensation being significant damage mechanisms. The results are relevant for the evaluation of accident scenarios and can thus contribute to the improvement of TSI and the development of emergency measures for the protection of persons and infrastructures.
Transport safety depends in great extent of what happens to the cargo once the carrying vehicle derails or rollovers. The exposure of tanks to direct fire is a condition that potentially involves catastrophic consequences. Studying the behavior of the contained fluid under these drastic circumstances, is critical to develop methods and techniques to mitigate the serious consequences of many mishaps. In this paper, the experimental potentials of a Particle Image Velocimetry data acquisition system are described, for providing experimental data that could be used to calibrate mathematical models. As an example of the situations that need to be modelled, an experiment is described concerning the effect of the boundary conditions and protecting devices, on the rate of variation of pressure and temperature of the fluid in a tank exposed to a direct fire. In this regard, the results emphasize the importance of equipping the vessels with both thermal insulation and safety valves.
Hunting is a potentially dangerous phenomenon related to the lateral oscillation of the wheels that impacts the rails and causes the wear of the infrastructure’s components. Therefore, the analysis and timely detection of hunting can lead to the application of corrective maintenance tasks, reducing damages, and costs and even derailments as a result. In this work, the vibration response of a finite element model of a rail with hunting-induced loads by a single wheel is analyzed in three directions: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical. The contact patch forces are calculated by means of Simpack® using the Kalker linear theory and the contact Hertz theory. The system is solved by using the Newmark-_ approach. The results of the deflection and vibration analysis, following the proposed methodology, show how the different characteristics of the loads impact the rail.
Regardless of the mode of transportation, directional changes generate greater forces on the infrastructure as a result of the lateral load transfer and of the respective steering forces in the vehicles. In the case of Railway transportation, a concentrated damage occurs in the rail at the initiation of the turning maneuver, whose magnitude depends on the bogie´s yaw stiffness and on the level of friction at its centre plate. To mitigate such rail-damaging effects, some new designs have been proposed and used for the bogies´ wheelset. However, no new designs for the centre plate have been used. In this paper, a review of the causality for the forces arising during Railway Vehicle's turn negotiations, is presented, including the description of a modeling framework to analyze the influential Parameters for determining the magnitude of such forces.
The vessel wall response shows a good agreement between the numerical predictions of and experimental data using the limit load approach. Further work is continuing to understand the thermohydraulic response and the boundary conditions for material modelling. As shown in figure 2 there was one BLEVE of a bare tank containing a PRV, highlighting the risk of serious consequences if models are inaccurate. The behavior of partly coated tanks were similar to the bare tank.
The application of lightweight materials for tanks for transportation appears promising. Besides saving weight and therefore transportation costs, new complex geometries that depart from common cylindrical shapes of steel tanks can be manufactured. For transportation of dangerous goods, fire and explosion safety must be maintained to prevent accidents with serious consequences. In this work the fire behavior of lightweight tanks made from glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) with complex geometries is investigated. Pretests on intermediate scale GFRP plates are conducted to identify suitable fire protection systems and surface treatments for composite tanks. The fire resistance is shown to be improved by addition of fire protective coatings and integrated layers. Finally, a complex rectangular GFRP tank with a holding capacity of 1100 liters is fire protected with an intumescent fire coating. The tank is filled up to 80 % with water and burned under an engulfing fully developed fire. It was shown that the intumescent layer could expand before the decomposition of the resin occurred. Furthermore, the adhesion between tank surface and coating was maintained. The structure could withstand a fire for more than 20 min.
Liquefied propane gas (LPG) tanks in a fully engulfing accidental fire experience a fast increase in internal pressure. The result is often a Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion (BLEVE) that can result in a large fireball and flying debris over a radius of more than 100 meters.
In the last 30 years BAM has carried out more than 30 real scale fire tests on propane storage vessels across three test sites. The primary research goal was to identify systems that can delay or prevent a BLEVE. Early studies started with water deluge systems, and have since moved on to consider alternative protection systems.
It has been shown that an unprotected vessel fails within 10 minutes or less. Tests with different oil and propane fueled fires have given an overview on possible real accidents involving full-engulfing scenarios. LPG tanks of various sizes (2.7 m³, 3.6 m³, 4.8 m³, 6.7 m³) were used with different filling levels. Numerous protection systems, ranging from active systems like water systems to passive thick- and thin-film layers. Also, the degree of thickness of these layers was variated. Pressure relief valves (PRV) have also been investigated, both alone and in combination with protection systems.
This paper gives an overview of the work performed by BAM in the field of BLEVE prevention of protecting system since the last 30 years. It has been shown that e.g. with a full applied coating degree on the tank with and without PRV can be reached an exposition in a test fire scenario a duration of more than 60min. For partly coated tanks with and without PRV the duration time is like an unprotected vessel. Furthermore, it could be shown that the active water system also protects with technically correct design.
The objective of this paper is to describe and to validate a simplified pendulum-analogy model to simulate the interaction of a liquid cargo with ist carrying vehicle. The resulting testing rig consists of a rectangular container, spring supported on a two wheelset-bogie having a scale down of 1/10 with respect to a full-size equipment. The testing rig is used to validate a simple pendulum-based, simplified three degree-of-freedom mathematical model of the response of a partially filled container to lateral accelerations. The length of the pendulum is set according to validated methodologies. The resulting mathematical scheme reveals a high correlation with the experimental output, on the order of 99%, while some other performance measures, related to the peak forces and the range of variation of the wheel-rail forces, also show good concordance with the experimental results.
Scaled-down experimental facility: Can reproduce actual failures; can produce simulated data for identifying cracks in the substructure or other defects. The acceleration data can be converted into an equivalent deformation. The experimental facility can analyse dynamic loads. Equivalent force data: Facilitates the application to a health monitoring system; simplifies the development of predictive maintenance. These data is helpful in validating analytical or simulation models.
An experimental testing rig has been proposed to study the dynamic interaction between a liquid cargo and the carrying vehicle during turning maneuvers. The basic operational principle of the testing rig consists in simulating the lateral accelerations associated to turning maneuvers through the use of a tilt table.
While the experimental capabilities of the testing rig include the analysis of the effects of the cars on the whole transport infrastructure, including sleepers and ballast, a first use of the rig considered the effect of sloshing cargo on the level of dynamic forces transmitted to the rails. Such test was used to validate a simplified theoretical approach consisting of a two degree-of-freedom double pendulum mechanical system, where a simple pendulum, representing the sloshing cargo, is articulated to the spring-supported vehicle chassis, which is modelled as an inverted torsional pendulum. While the theoretical results exhibit a high correlation with the experimental data, the main discrepancy between both outputs, relates with the frequency of the residual vibration, once the lateral acceleration input is ceased. Such difference in frequency, would imply an underestimation of the number of loading cycles to which the infrastructure is subjected. On the other hand, the peak values are within acceptable difference levels.
The transportation of liquids involves several situations derived from the curved shape of the cargo containers, including a comparatively high center of gravity, which negatively shifts when the container is partially loaded, and the vehicle is subjected to steering or braking accelerations. Aiming at reducing these effects several experimental approaches have been applied, involving different tank shapes and the use of baffles, tested under laboratory or field conditions, at full scale or at a down-scale. However, the scope of such approaches has been limited, mainly because the potential effect of other components of the vehicle on the road tanker behavior, has been neglected. In this paper, a critical review is presented of the experimental approaches considered so far, identifying specific experimental needs to improve the performance of the vehicles, from both the road safety and the environmental perspective.
Turning maneuvers of rail vehicles involve demanding situations for the infrastructure because of the steering forces generated and the resultant lateral load transfers. Such forcing situation involves increased tangential forces that consume kinetic energy from the vehicle. While much attention has been paid in the literature to the damage in such infrastructure segments, the energy that is dissipated in these maneuvers, has not been explicitly addressed. In this paper, a specialized scale-down infrastructure is used to characterize the effect of the initial speed of the vehicle and its mass, on the magnitude of both the rail forces developed and the amount of dissipated energy during turning maneuvers. The outputs of the experiments suggest that most of the original kinetic energy is dissipated at the first portion of the turn. Also, that the magnitude of the wheel forces and the amount of dissipated energy, correlate. That is, a greater rail damage would correspond to greater energy dissipation.
Turning maneuvers of rail vehicles involve demanding situations for the infrastructure because of the steering forces generated and the resultant lateral load transfers. Such forcing situation involves increased tangential forces that consume kinetic energy from the vehicle. While much attention has been paid in the literature to the damage in such infrastructure segments, the energy that is dissipated in these maneuvers, has not been explicitly addressed. In this paper, a specialized scale-down infrastructure is used to characterize the effect of the initial speed of the vehicle and its mass, on the magnitude of both the rail forces developed and the amount of dissipated energy during turning maneuvers. The outputs of the experiments suggest that most of the original kinetic energy is dissipated at the first portion of the turn. Also, that the magnitude of the wheel forces and the amount of dissipated energy, correlate. That is, a greater rail damage would correspond to greater energy dissipation.
A novel deign of test equipment has been commissioned to investigate thermal stratification and boiling during fire exposure of pressure vessels. Extensive temperature measurements and video of the internal conditions during fire exposure are possible, and the equipment has been designed for future compatibility with laser-based velocity measurement techniques. It is expected to generate data large quantities of data that will be of use in validation of two- and three-dimensional CFD models for the prediction of pressure vessel behaviour in fire. Future work will seek to characterize the boundary layer conditions in detail for a range of test fluids, fill levels and fire-induced thermal boundary conditions.
Initial tests undertaken during commissioning may indicate that fire exposure of the vessel wall just above the liquid level can have a notable influence on the pressurization rate, by increasing the degree of superheat. Further experimental and modelling work is required to confirm and quantify this effect, or to rebut this conclusion.
Different approaches have been attempted so far to reduce fuel consumption and linked pollutants, including vehicle equipment and design, with rational driving style being recognized as a potential source of fuel savings. However, no specific methodology had been suggested so far to assess fuel economy of driving other than the fuel consumed itself. In this paper, the Standard deviation of driving acceleration has been found to be directly associated to fuel consumption, so that the less dispersion of the driving acceleration, produces the lower fuel consumptions and emissions. Such metric could be thus used to assess driving style.
Effective assessment and management of railway infrastructure for competitiveness and sustainability
(2018)
In this chapter the challenges facing railways have been illustrated through the description of two important events occurring in different geographical areas. While the explosion in Quebec, Canada, points out the importance of taking away the transportation infrastructure from highly populated areas; the disruption of the European railway network in Rastatt, Germany, describes the importance of designing alternative routes to critical railway segments, together with the need to have contingency plans to face extraordinary situations regarding the connectivity in a given transport network.
Future research efforts are recognized in relation with the railway car – track interaction, as the dynamic loads derived from such interaction could be reducing the life of such infrastructure. It is particularly important for infrastructures dedicated to the transportation of liquid hazardous substances.
The use of glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GRP) can reduce the weight of tanks significantly. By replacing steel with GRP in tanks for gases (propane, etc.) a weight reduction of up to 50 % was reached. In this project not only the material should be optimized, but also the design. Previous tanks consist of a double-walled structure with an insulation layer between the two shells (e.g. vacuum). Goal of this project is to realize a single-walled construction of GRP with an insulation layer on the outside.
To determine the temperature dependent material values, two different experiments are performed: In the first experiment, temperature dependent material properties of liquid nitrogen found in literature research are validated in a simple setup. The level of liquid nitrogen in a small jar is measured over the experiment time. Numerical simulation shows the change of nitrogen level with sufficient precision. In the second experiment, a liquid nitrogen is applied on one side of a GRP plate. Temperature is measured with thermocouples on top and bottom of the GRP plate, as well as in the middle of the plate. By use of numerical simulation, temperature dependent thermal conductivity is determined.
In the third experiment, a test stand is designed to examine different insulation materials. In this test stand, the insulation material can easily be changed. A numerical simulation, in which the determined material data is used, is performed as well for this test stand.
The experiments show, that GRP can be used in cryogenic environments. Multiphase simulations are a suitable tool to describe the energy absorption of thermal energy due to thermal phase change. Results on different insulation materials will follow.
Liquid cargo has a significant impact on the interface wheel-track interaction. The sloshing affects the track-railcar's dynamic behavior. The effect is detectable at the track level and at the vehicle. Its characterization requires the combination of different techniques:
Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD)
Time-Frequency Maps
Sloshing occurred when significant perturbations happened in the railcar:
The railcar entered a curve
Reduction in its travel speed
A railcar with a tank is a clear example of a multibody dynamic system with a nonlinear behavior.
This paper presents the study of the impact caused by a liquid Cargo on a railway infrastructure. The dynamic behavior of a tank car corresponds to a multibody dynamic system with several degrees of freedom. This study’s data were obtained from a scale experimental fixture consisting of a track and a railcar with a tank. The track was instrumented with strain gauges and the railcar with accelerometers. The data showed non-periodic and periodic terms; therefore, the results were analyzed with the Empirical Mode Decomposition method (EMD).
It was found that the EMD identified the signal components that were related to the sloshing. These components represent the mode shapes of the original signal.
The location of the sloshing in the track was found applying spectrograms to the accelerometer data. This paper’s experimental outputs suggest that the sloshing effect is detectable at the track and in the vehicle dynamics.
The efficiency and safety of railway transportation depend both on numerous factors linked to the vehicle, the infrastructure, the operator and the environment. Curved tracks are subjected to demanding situations due to elevated stress levels, as a function of the operating conditions and vehicle/infrastructure design. In such segments, steering forces are superimposed to lateral load transfers. The steering forces depend on the condition and the design of the centre plate and bogies’ suspensions design. While the friction at the centre plate provides the needed damping to mitigate the hunting vibration of the bogie in straight track segments, such yaw resistance originates high steering forces and rail damage on curved tracks. A centre plate with low friction at turns and high friction at straight track segments would thus be highly advantageous. In this paper, a centre plate design is proposed which provides a yaw-rotation resistance torque that depends on the bogie-car relative position. Two different designs are considered for that purpose, one that combines a spring-acted centring mechanism with a lower pair kinematics, while the other one involves higher kinematic pairs which should incorporate lateral damping elements. As a result of using an engineering design approach, the higher kinematic pairs-based design is recommended however, the validation of such operational principles, including the introduction of the needed damping, should be configured on the basis of experimental models.