Stress Engineering Services is a specialty engineering services firm with deep life extension engineering expertise in many industries including rail. With decades of experience providing Life Extension Engineering (LEE) project planning, strain/force measurement, and analytical/finite element-based life related analysis services, we have seen and done what few others have in the field of life extension engineering.
Our uniqueness in the assessment of structural life for railroad applications is bolstered by the fact that we provide these services day-in and day-out for a host of other industries where safety is paramount, usage environments are extremely aggressive, and capital demands are staggering.
Multidisciplinary Approach
Our team of engineers have a depth of skills in the areas of life extension, sensor installation strategy on rail structures, sensor development and installation, fatigue and fracture mechanics, data analysis, and rail life extension project management. In addition, they have the training and experience to handle conditions that fall outside of most typical weld standards, such as local plasticity or initial shakedown relative to damage accumulation and remaining life.
Corrosion damage plays an important role in limiting the life of some components. Whether it be reduced wall thickness in a high-pressure steam line or missing braces and panels in a car body, we have the metallurgists and structural designers needed to evaluate remaining life and to design a “repair” to extend the life.
Investment in talent and tools is the hallmark of our services in life extension. We can support the planning, instrumentation, data collection, data processing and analytical needs of life extension projects.
Sensor Placement Mapping
Our team will conduct a finite element analysis to identify the locations where gage/sensor placement is most effective and develop a sensor installation map.
Time-Synchronized High-Speed Data Acquisition
We have the capability to simultaneously sample and record up to 528 channels of dynamic data at sample rates up to 10kHz sustained.
Post Processing of Data Sets
We have developed unique skills and software for rapid assessment of these huge data files to quickly prepare them for use in the life extension analysis.
