Infrastructure Facilities Management Research Articles

УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ТЕХНИЧЕСКИМ СОСТОЯНИЕМ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНОГО ПУТИ СИЛАМИ ДИСТАНЦИИ ИНФРАСТРУКТУРЫ

Objective: To analyze the options of organizational management of infrastructure runningmaintenance with the support of integrated teams. Methods: The methods of comparison of organizational management on infrastructure maintenance were applied. The analysis was applied for the purposes of studying the system of control organization of technical state of the track in the conditions of restructuring the divisions of October directorate of OAO “RZhD” subsidiary infrastructure. Results: The conclusion was made on the necessity of structural adjustments in track facilities, aimed at creating undertakings, capable of solving the tasks on safe operation management of infrastructure facilities in an integrated manner. Evaluation of service experience of the division of infrastructure justifies its efficiency as regards organization of maintenance system, facilities of automatics and telemechanics, as well as operational costs optimization for maintenance work of infrastructure facilities in different service conditions. The main principles as regards changing the system of track maintenance and signaling arrangements were elaborated on the basis of the revealed characteristic features of the division of infrastructure operation management in the conditions of the October railroad. Practical importance: The system of track maintenance and signaling arrangements may be improved by means of the elaborated proposals.

Method of evaluation of the railway track’s availability for traffic operations

Aim. The maintenance of Russia’s railway network requires significant expenditures in order to support the dependability of infrastructure facilities operation. When resources are limited, a wrong decision can cause errors in maintenance planning. The activities of track enterprises define normal operation of the railway infrastructure as a system. Rational management of infrastructure facilities requires the availability of objective real-time information on their dependability and functional safety. One of the key indicators that characterizes the dependability of track is the availability coefficient. When evaluating partially available facilities, it must be considered how partial non-fulfilment or reduced quality of its functions impacts the availability. The conventional formula for the technical availability coefficient allows for only two possible facility states: operable and non-operable. Such evaluation of the technical availability coefficient does not, for instance, allow for reduced availability as a result of a speed restriction on a line section, as well as the impact of a failure of a line section on the overall availability of the line. Therefore, this article deals with the method of evaluation of the technical availability coefficient of a line section subject to its partial operability, as well as considers the approach to the standardization of the technical availability coefficient of a line section. Methods. The evaluation of the technical availability coefficient of a line section subject to its partial operability involved a system analysis of factors that reduce track capacity. Among such factors are speed restrictions and interruption of traffic due to scheduled and non-scheduled maintenance operations. A three-dimensional graphic model of dependency of movement speed from linear coordinates and time is suggested. It was used to deduce the formulas for evaluation of the technical availability coefficient of single and n-track lines. An approach to the standardization of individual components of the technical availability coefficient was considered. Correlations were deduced for calculation of standard value of the technical availability coefficient of single and n-track lines. Conclusions. Upon an examination of the factors that cause partial operability and non-operability of railway track, the authors offer a method for evaluation of the technical availability coefficient of a railway line subject to the effects of speed restrictions on the capacity and thereby the availability of track. Aspects of standardization of the technical availability coefficient were examined. Formulas were obtained that allow calculating the actual availability coefficient of a railway line subject to partial operability, as well as the standard value of this indicator. The approaches and methods that are considered in this paper aim to improve the objectivity of evaluation of track availability to enable well-founded decisionmaking in operation.

Infrastructure Condition Assessment, Deterioration Modeling, and Maintenance Decision-Making: New Contributions for Improved Management

This special issue is the second of two, reflecting recent advances in infrastructure condition assessment, deterioration modeling, and optimal maintenance, repair, and reconstruction. The first special issue September 2006 featured methodological advances that are taking place in light of practical considerations. In this second issue, the need to improve upon the management of infrastructure facilities and systems by explicitly addressing practical matters is again a recurring theme. In addition, the papers in this issue remind us that much technological and methodological research is also needed to help the practicing community effectively and efficiently address its pressing demands. Cascante et al. develop a fuzzy-logic based methodology for assessing the condition of hydraulic channel sidewalls, based on nondestructive testing and expert knowledge. Collecting data with nondestructive methods reduces cost, maintains serviceability, and preserves historically significant structures. Incorporating expert knowledge is often a cost-efficient means of assessing infrastructure condition. Therefore, capturing this knowledge in a rigorous, consistent, and valid manner has value to both the research and practicing communities. The authors support the utility of their method by showing the reasonableness of its sensitivity to the maintenance action applied in a realistic setting. Prozzi and Hong develop a multivariate deterioration model that addresses multiple pavement condition measures relevant to the management of infrastructure facilities. Their rigorous statistical approach simultaneously models the deterioration mechanisms corresponding to the different measures, while capturing the correlation among these measures. The authors also present an extensive case study, exploiting data collected from in-service facilities to demonstrate the importance of considering the multivariate nature of deterioration. Numerous pavement deterioration models have been developed and estimated using field data over the years. These models attempt to capture different characteristics of the data, represent deterioration behavior through alternative model structures, and

Closure to “ Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Closure to “ <i>Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management</i> ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ <i>Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management</i> ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ <i>Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management</i> ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Discussion of “ <i>Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management</i> ” by Kennethy R. Maser (July, 1988, Vol. 114, No. 3)

Sensors for Infrastructure Assessment

Infrastructure facilities management is a civil engineering task that will grow in significance throughout the next century. Many of the tools and techniques that currently support design and new construction do not apply to this emerging area. A critical need exists for better tools and supporting information to support M&R (maintenance and rehabilitation) decisions. Inventory, condition, and performance data describing the physical status of facilities and components are a primary information source supporting these decisions. These physical assessment data, which serve as the basis of billions of M&R expenditure dollars, are currently incomplete, inaccessible, or nonexistent. This situation leads to costly reactive maintenance and project overruns, and prevents organizations from implementing rational M&R programs. In contrast, the recent revolution in sensors, electronics, and computers has made technology available that can rapidly collect this physical data and automatically enter it into the management database. Recent developments in this area demonstrate the promise of technology, but there is a long way to go before it will have a significant impact on infrastructure facilities management. Impediments to the full exploitation of this technology lie in the lack of a profit motive, the need to adapt traditional management methods to the new information capabilities, and the lack of a clear-cut rational for technological performance specifications. These hudrles pose a challenge that can only be met with a perspective that integrates knowledge of materials, structures, sensors, data acquisition systems, computers, facilities and database management, and decision analysis. The challenge is to civil engineering departments and educators, to structure interdisciplinary programs that produce researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive perspective on infrastructure management.

Inventory, Condition, and Performance Assessment in Infrastructure Facilities Management

Inventory, condition, and performance data describing facilities and components is a primary information source supporting maintenance and rehabilitation (M and R) decisions. At present, this data, which serves as the basis of billions of M and R expenditure dollars, is incomplete, inaccessible, or nonexistent. This situation leads to costly reactive maintenance and project overruns, and prevents organizations from implementing rational M and R programs. In contrast, the recent revolution in sensors, electronics, and computers has made technology available that can rapidly collect this physical data and automatically enter it into the management database. The full exploitation of this technology has been limited by the lack of a profit motive, the need to adapt traditional management methods to the new information capabilities, and the lack of a clear‐cut rationale for technological performance specifications. These limitations can be overcome through the initiation of educational and research programs, w...