NTL Record

Title Railroad Freight Car Remote Controlled Electrically Driven Set & Release Hand Brake (EDHB)- Optimization for Increased Reliability and Performance
Record ID 66028
Personal Name
Creator
Brabb, David; Martin, Kenneth L.; Sommerfield, Howard; Buel, Tanner
Corporate Creator Sharma & Associates, Inc.
Corporate
Contributor
United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Railroad Policy and Development; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development and Technology
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
Publication Date 20190300
Language English
Abstract The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Sharma & Associates, Inc. (SA) developed prototype Electrically Driven Set and Release Hand Brakes (EDHB) that provided automatic set and release functions remotely from push buttons mounted on the side of a car. The EDHB improves the safety of railroad operations in several ways, including making it easier to ensure that freight cars are parked effectively. Additionally, it eliminates the injury and fatality risks for railroad employees resulting from having to get between cars, climb ladders and physically operate hand brakes. Previously, a prototype EDHB was designed and verified in the lab and field, and a draft specification was developed that is under the Association of American Railroads (AAR) review for possible use by the industry when designing and implementing remotely controlled hand brakes. This report documents further development that included increasing the efficiency of the drive train, improving the efficacy of the motor’s power, improving the control system, and the development of a more positive feedback system to ensure the appropriate torque is applied to the hand wheel drive shaft to meet hand brake application input specification.
Rosap ID dot:39015
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/39015
TRT Terms Rolling stock; Remote control; Performance based specifications; Standardization; Prototype tests; Sensors; Railroad vehicle operations
General Subjects Electrically; Electrically Driven Set and Release Hand Brakes; EDHB; driven; hand brake; release sensor; electro-pneumatic; application sensor; vertical wheel; Group N; Group O; specification; standard; performance; prototype
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
1699615
Contract Number DTFR53-12-D-00004, T.O.015 Mod 2
Report Number DOT/FRA/ORD-19/03
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/66000/66000/66028/DOT-FRA-ORD-19-03_10190320.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository