Algor Software Helps Engineer Optimize Innovative Railway Ties

Applied Rail Research Technologies' (ARRT) innovative steel tie design, called the UniP steel tie, which received a Gold Award from the 1996 Design Engineering Awards program, was optimized using Algor software. Compared with traditional railway crossties of wood and concrete, the UniP steel tie offers the advantages of lower production, installation and maintenance costs, a longer service life, important safety features and major environmental benefits, such as 100% recyclability and conservation of forests.

Using extensive parametric finite element analysis with Algor software, ARRT created a steel tie design to take advantage of conventional T- or I- beam shapes, which resist bending moments without excessive use of material. The UniP steel ties are successfully being used by profitable railroads in some of the most challenging railway track conditions in North America.  

Houdini Provides Brick Meshing for Accuracy

ARRT engineers began by modeling the proposed tie design in AutoCAD, then later switched to SolidWorks. Houdini was then used to provide solid "brick" meshing to the exported IGES trimmed surface file.

After Houdini was used to apply a brick finite element mesh to ARRT's designs, numerous finite element analyses with Algor were performed in the process of optimizing the design.

ARRT Analyzes Their Way to a Better Railway Tie

Numerous finite element analyses were performed during the process of optimizing the design. At each step along the way, analysis results were used to determine how to optimize the design of the tie. ARRT achieved good agreement between analysis results and data from field testing.

The result was a low-profile tie which can provide either additional clearance in tunnels, thus saving tunneling costs, or additional effective ballast depth, which results in a track bed that absorbs more energy and provides greater elasticity.

The lighter weight of the tie means that bridge and elevated track weights are reduced and payloads are optimized. The UniP steel ties can also be more easily handled and bundled than traditional ties, saving costs associated with handling and installation.

With the UniP steel tie, conservation doesn't have to cost more. UniP steel ties save 700 trees per mile of track compared with wood ties. The life cycle cost of the UniP ties and fasteners is approximately $240,000 per mile, compared with other wood, concrete and steel tie and fastener systems which cost $300,000 to $330,000 per mile.

Rolling Along with Algor

The engineers at ARRT are continuing to analyze UniP steel ties to ensure that their use is appropriate in individual cases. In addition, ARRT uses Algor to optimize and analyze other railway components such as rails and fasteners.