| Download | - View final version: Investigation of freight railcar air brake performance in cold temperatures (PDF, 714 KiB)
- View supplementary information: Investigation of freight railcar air brake performance in cold temperatures (PDF, 2.0 MiB)
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| Author | Search for: Jahagirdar, A.1; Search for: Toma, E.1ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3599-0724; Search for: Mackie, S.1 |
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| Affiliation | - National Research Council Canada. Automotive and Surface Transportation
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| Format | Text, Article |
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| Conference | 13th International Heavy Haul Association Conference (IHHA 2025), November 17-21, 2025, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States |
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| Abstract | This paper presents results from controlled climatic testing of 29 service-worn and 26 new / refurbished freight railcar air brake systems at temperatures from +5°C to -40°C. These systems were subjected to both service and emergency brake applications, at nominal brake pipe pressures of 90 psi and 75 psi. Service-worn systems were also analysed to observe effects of system age and time since refurbishment on brake per-formance. Findings show that service-worn systems held less force at the end of pre-determined hold times than new / refurbished systems, and this loss of force increased with decreasing temperature. Brake performance was also shown to decline with system age, and this was exacerbated by cold temperatures. Several service-worn systems which pass the industry standard automated single car air brake test failed to operate at colder temperatures, with different failure modes observed. Results demonstrate the loss of brake force at low temperatures, which affects freight train stopping distances, and could have implications for rail operation safety as well as for positive train control (PTC) algorithms in low temperature locations. |
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| Publication date | 2025-11 |
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| Publisher | International Heavy Haul Association |
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| Copyright statement | - © 2025 His Majesty the King in right of Canada, as represented by the National Research Council of Canada.
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| Language | English |
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| Peer reviewed | Yes |
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| Export citation | Export as RIS |
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| Report a correction | Report a correction (opens in a new tab) |
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| Record identifier | 18e3b2ab-7c6f-46ab-96a3-bf8998e34c28 |
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| Record created | 2026-05-22 |
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| Record modified | 2026-05-22 |
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