Kansas State Engineers Awarded $300,000 to Develop Tech for Measuring Railroad Steel Stress

Railroad tracks, particularly those using continuously welded rails, are vulnerable to extreme temperature fluctuations. On hot days, rails expand, creating compressive stresses that can cause tracks to buckle. Conversely, in frigid conditions, rails contract, leading to tensile stresses that may result in cracks or breaks. These issues are exacerbated by the weight and motion of passing trains, posing significant risks of derailment.

Measuring rail steel stress is critical for ensuring railway safety and longevity. The methods to do this include destructive and non-destructive measurement but several challenges which include labor, time factor and lack of real-time precision complicate the processes and that is why the engineers at Kansas State University have been awarded $300,000 grant to develop highly precision, non-contact technology capable of monitoring stress levels in continuously welded steel railroad tracks. 

The grant was from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) an it will be use to address critical safety challenges in the rail industry by preventing derailments caused by temperature-induced track deformations.  

The project leader Terry Beck, a professor in the Alan Levin Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering said, 

“Presently, there’s no proven non-contact method to accurately assess rail stress, our approach could revolutionize how the industry manages track integrity.”  

A publication by the Kansas State University (K-State) stated that the K-State team’s solution leverages advanced non-contact strain-measurement technology to simultaneously monitor rail temperature and axial displacement—key indicators of stress. 

"By analyzing these parameters, we aim to determine the rail neutral temperature (RNT), a critical metric representing the temperature at which rails experience zero longitudinal stress. Maintaining RNT within optimal ranges is essential for preventing temperature-related track failures," Professor Terry Beck added.

He emphasized the project’s groundbreaking potential, calling it the “holy grail” of railroad engineering. By replacing outdated, reactive methods with a dynamic, data-driven approach, the technology could drastically reduce maintenance costs and enhance safety across the U.S. rail network, which spans over 140,000 miles.   

It was revealed that the project evelopment will occur in two phases. Initial laboratory testing at K-State will utilize a specialized test frame to validate the system’s accuracy. Subsequent field trials on active BNSF rail lines will assess performance in diverse environmental and operational scenarios. If successful, the technology could enable continuous, real-time monitoring of rail networks, allowing railroads to proactively address stress buildup before it escalates into a hazard.  

With funding secured and testing underway, the team anticipates that their non-contact system could become an industry standard within the next decade, transforming how railroads monitor and maintain their most vital asset: the tracks themselves.  

The project brings together interdisciplinary expertise. Beck is collaborating with co-principal investigator Robert J. Peterman, a civil engineering professor and holder of the Mark H. and Margaret H. Hulings Chair in Engineering, as well as John Bloomfield, engineering director at K-State’s Technology Development Institute. Industry partnership with BNSF Railway will facilitate field testing, ensuring the technology’s practicality under real-world conditions. Graduate student Veeshal Modi, a mechanical engineering doctoral candidate, also contributes to the research.

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