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Engineering Commons

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Mechanical Engineering

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University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

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2017

Stress

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Hysteresis Heating Of Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element, Oscar O. Rodriguez, Arturo A. Fuentes, Constantine Tarawneh, Robert E. Jones Jun 2017

Hysteresis Heating Of Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element, Oscar O. Rodriguez, Arturo A. Fuentes, Constantine Tarawneh, Robert E. Jones

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE’s) are increasingly being used in rail service in load damping applications. They are superior to traditional elastomers primarily in their ease of fabrication. Like traditional elastomers they offer benefits including reduction in noise emissions and improved wear resistance in metal components that are in contact with such parts in the railcar suspension system. However, viscoelastic materials, such as the railroad bearing thermoplastic elastomer suspension element (or elastomeric pad), are known to develop self-heating (hysteresis) under cyclic loading, which can lead to undesirable consequences. Quantifying the hysteresis heating of the pad during operation is therefore essential to predict …


Development Of Prognostic Techniques For Surface Defect Growth In Railroad Bearing Rolling Elements, Nancy De Los Santos, Robert Jones, Constantine Tarawneh, Arturo A. Fuentes, Anthony Villarreal Apr 2017

Development Of Prognostic Techniques For Surface Defect Growth In Railroad Bearing Rolling Elements, Nancy De Los Santos, Robert Jones, Constantine Tarawneh, Arturo A. Fuentes, Anthony Villarreal

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prevention of bearing failures which may lead to catastrophic derailment is a major safety concern for the railroad industry. Advances in bearing condition monitoring hold the promise of early detection of bearing defects, which will improve system reliability by permitting early replacement of failing components. However, to minimize disruption to operations while providing the maximum level of accident prevention that early detection affords, it will be necessary to understand the defect growth process and try to quantify the growth speed to permit economical, non-disruptive replacement of failing components rather than relying on immediate removal upon detection. The study presented here …