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Keywords: derailment, fatigue, casting void, axle, failure analysis, finite element modelling, stress analysis.

Summary

On December 30, 2013, a westbound BNSF grain train derailed west of the city of Casselton, ND, causing one of the cars from the derailment to obstruct the opposite track. An eastbound BNSF petroleum crude oil train collided with the fouled car, derailing the locomotives and twenty full tank cars. This accident resulted in the release of more than 400,000 gallons of crude oil, which subsequently ignited and created a large pool fire. One of the axle wheelsets on the fouled grain car was found fractured on the accident scene. When examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory, the fracture surface of the axle was found to exhibit a large fatigue crack. The fatigue fracture had propagated from a void in the centre of the axle, which was consistent with a solidification void. This paper details the failure analysis and characterization of the fractured axle, including how improper manufacturing and ineffective inspection of the axle led to the accident. In addition, the finite element modelling and stress analyses were performed to determine that the area on the void exhibited the highest stress concentrations, which corresponded to the fatigue crack initiation site. Improving rail tank car safety is currently a critical area of focus for the NTSB and is on the agency's 2015 most wanted list.

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Front Page Browse CCP CSETS CTR IJRT Other Authors Search Purchase Guide FAQ Contact us	Civil-Comp Proceedings ISSN 1759-3433 CCP: 110 PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE Edited by: J. Pombo Paper 67 Investigation of a Derailment and Collision of a Crude Oil Unit Train in Casselton, North Dakota E.M. Mueller and X. Liu Office of Research and Engineering, National Transportation Safety Board, Washington, DC, United States of America doi:10.4203/ccp.110.67 purchase the full-text of this paper Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper E.M. Mueller, X. Liu, "Investigation of a Derailment and Collision of a Crude Oil Unit Train in Casselton, North Dakota", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance", Civil-Comp Press, Stirlingshire, UK, Paper 67, 2016. doi:10.4203/ccp.110.67 Keywords: derailment, fatigue, casting void, axle, failure analysis, finite element modelling, stress analysis. Summary On December 30, 2013, a westbound BNSF grain train derailed west of the city of Casselton, ND, causing one of the cars from the derailment to obstruct the opposite track. An eastbound BNSF petroleum crude oil train collided with the fouled car, derailing the locomotives and twenty full tank cars. This accident resulted in the release of more than 400,000 gallons of crude oil, which subsequently ignited and created a large pool fire. One of the axle wheelsets on the fouled grain car was found fractured on the accident scene. When examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory, the fracture surface of the axle was found to exhibit a large fatigue crack. The fatigue fracture had propagated from a void in the centre of the axle, which was consistent with a solidification void. This paper details the failure analysis and characterization of the fractured axle, including how improper manufacturing and ineffective inspection of the axle led to the accident. In addition, the finite element modelling and stress analyses were performed to determine that the area on the void exhibited the highest stress concentrations, which corresponded to the fatigue crack initiation site. Improving rail tank car safety is currently a critical area of focus for the NTSB and is on the agency's 2015 most wanted list. purchase the full-text of this paper (price £22) go to the previous paper go to the next paper return to the table of contents return to the book description purchase this book (price £85 +P&P)
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