Atlas and Buffer Railcars Phase 4 Report Appendix D - P-21-037 S-2043 Certification Tests

Sep 29, 2026

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Certification report P-21-037 documents U.S. Department of Energy certification testing for the DOE’s 12-axle cask car (Atlas car), conducted by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. under AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices. Tests targeted performance specification S-2043, “Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material,” including minimum and maximum test loads. Results review addressed truck instability at higher speeds and hunting performance through selection and retesting of primary suspension pads. Securement system and welds were analyzed under AWS D15.1.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages389

Reading Time16 h 20 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Certification scope and standards

Test loads and vehicle instability mitigation

Primary suspension pad selection and retesting direction

Test analysis and securement system/welds

Summary of test sections and pass/fail results

Nonstructural static tests (5.2)

Structural tests (5.4)

Dynamic tests (5.5)

APPENDIX D P-21-037 S-2043 CERTIFICATION TESTS OF UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ATLAS RAILCAR DESIGN PROJECT 12-AXLE CASK CAR S-2043 CERTIFICATION TESTS OF UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ATLAS RAILCAR DESIGN PROJECT 12-AXLE CASK CAR Certification report for Prepared for U.S. Department of Energy Report P-21-037 April 1 , 2022 Prepared by Russell Walker, MaryClara Jones, Juan Carlos Valdes-Salazar, Richard Joy, Mitch Miller, and Brent Whitsitt Pueblo, Colorado 81001 USA [www.ttci.tech](www.ttci.tech) TTCI is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads. Disclaimer: This report was prepared by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) of Pueblo, Colorado, a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) . Investigations and/or tests reported herein were authorized by the AAR and conducted in accordance with the appropriate AAR standard(s) . This report is provided for consideration by the appropriate AAR technical committee and does not constitute in any way approval or disapproval of the product(s) tested. The contents of this report imply no endorsements whatsoever by TTCI or AAR of products, services , or procedures, nor are they intended to suggest the applicability of the test results under circumstances other than those described in this report. TTCI is not a source of information with respect to these tests, nor is it a source of copies of this report. TTCI MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THIS REPORT OR ITS CONTENTS. TTCI ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR SPECIAL, COLLATERAL, EXEMPLARY, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR ANY OTHER KIND OF DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OR APPLICATION OF THIS REPORT OR ITS CONTENTS. Executive Summary Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), performed certification testing on the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 12-axle cask car (Atlas car) . The Atlas car has been developed as part of the DOE’s Atlas railcar Design Project that is intended to meet the need for future large-scale transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Tests were performed according to the AAR’s Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), Standard S-2043,“Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material,” revised 2017.1 For the purpose of these tests, DOE designed and fabricated a minimum test load and a maximum test load. Early vehicle testing revealed truck instability at higher speeds when the car was at the minimum test load. TTCI tested different side bearings, centerplate liners, and primary pads to address this behavior. The use of stiffer primary pads (prototype CSM 70 pads) was the only change that improved the hunting performance. All dynamic testing was completed with the CSM 70 pads, though some dynamic test regimes were also completed with different primary pads. On October 15, 2020, TTCI reviewed the results with the AAR Equipment Engineering Committee (EEC) . The EEC directed TTCI to re-test the car with softer primary pads and a minimum test load in the dynamic curving regime. The EEC emphasized that curving performance was more important than high speed stability performance because the car would be speed limited to less than 50 mph by AAR circular OT-55 when in high-level radioactive material (HLRM) service. The chosen primary suspension pads were made from chlorosulfonated polyethylene or CSMand are categorized by the Shore D durometer hardness value. The production CSM 58 pads were chosen based on the balance of curving and high-speed stability performance. The hunting regime was tested with CSM 58 pads in both minimum and maximum test load conditions. The dynamic curving regime was tested with CSM 58 pads in the minimum test load condition. All other dynamic tests were completed with CSM 70 pads. The effect of the pad change on other regimes wi

FAQs

What project and railcar design does this certification test cover?

The report covers certification testing for the U.S. Department of Energy’s 12-axle cask car (Atlas car) developed under the DOE Atlas railcar Design Project for transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

Which standard governed the test methodology?

Tests were performed according to the AAR Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices (MSRP), using Standard S-2043, “Performance Specification for Trains Used to Carry High-Level Radioactive Material,” revised 2017.1.

How did TTCI address the early instability findings and hunting performance?

Early vehicle testing showed truck instability at higher speeds at the minimum test load. TTCI tested different side bearings, centerplate liners, and primary pads; using stiffer primary pads improved hunting performance. After AAR’s Equipment Engineering Committee direction, the car was retested with softer primary pads in the dynamic curving regime.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Oliver