INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF TIE PAD STIFFNESS ON THE IMPACT LOADING OF CONCRETE TIES IN THE NORTHEAST CORRIDOR

This investigation was conducted in response to the discovery in June 1980, that rail seat bending cracks had developed in many concrete ties which had been in service on the Amtrak Northeast Corridor track for periods of a few months. The study was initiated by the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate the cause of the cracks and to identify a solution which would arrest further crack development while minimizing the retrofitting of components.