In the framework of an ongoing national research project involving the University of Minho, the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering and the New University of Lisbon, different commercial FEM codes (DIANA, PLAXIS and ANSYS) were tested to model the dynamic performance of a high speed train track. Initially a plain strain model is considered in a robin test using experimental data from a wel...

Traffic volume and vehicle load are one of the causes road damage. The research was conducted on Road Governor Soebardjo. objective to determine effect traffic standard loads method used is regression analysis correlation. This obtains relationship between (equivalent single axle load/ESA) damage with r P values. study results show a weight yields equation y = 6E-07x2 + 0.0038x 0.3849 robust co...

OBJECTIVE To determine the optimal crank length and crank-axle height for maximum power production during standing arm cranking ("grinding"). METHODS Nine elite professional America's Cup grinders (age = 36 +/- 2 yr, body mass = 104 +/- 1 kg, body fat = 13% +/- 2%) performed eight maximal 6-s sprints on an adjustable standing arm-crank ergometer fitted with an SRM power crank. The protocol in...

F(1)-ATPase is an ATP-driven rotary molecular motor in which the central gamma-subunit rotates inside the cylinder made of alpha(3)beta(3) subunits. The amino and carboxy termini of the gamma-subunit form the axle, an alpha-helical coiled coil that deeply penetrates the stator cylinder. We previously truncated the axle step by step, starting with the longer carboxy terminus and then cutting bot...

The design of European two–axle freight wagons can be traced back to the 1890’es. It has been and still is widely used in Europe because it is simple, rugged and cheap in price and maintenance. The internationally approved suspension for two–axle freight wagons in Europe is known as the UIC standard suspension (see Fig. 1). Each wagon has four of these suspensions. They consist of a leaf spring...

Increasing axle loads of today’s North American heavy haul freight trains have presented numerous engineering challenges for the design and performance of concrete crossties and fastening systems. Several research studies have been conducted to understand the path of the vertical load from the wheel/rail interface through the fastening system and into the crosstie with successful results. Howev...

soil compaction can occur as a result of a number of factors. one of the most important factors is soil response to pressures imposed by wheels and soil engaging tools. this research investigated the effect of tyre load and inflation pressure on soil compaction-related factors. these factors include rut width, rut depth, cone index and horizontal force in different layers of soil profile. in th...

Texas currently has approximately 17,000 miles of load-zoned roads, the majority of which are posted at 58,420 lbs. These roads consist predominantly of thin pavement structures constructed in the 1940s and 1950s, originally designed to carry the lighter loads of those times. In 1989, the 71st Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2060 (HB 2060), which established a $75-per-county permit that all...

T total cost of moving goods by truck over a highway system involves two basic compon~nts: -the public costs associated with construction and maintenance of the road network, and the privately financed costs of acquiring, operating, and maintaining a fleet of trucks. These publicly and privately financed costs are directly linked in many ways. For instance, the more trucks there are, the more w...