Our independent testing practices support one of our core values – rigor. Confidence in our work comes from never settling and we put breakthrough technologies to the test. In partnership, we safely experiment, learn, adapt, and advance, so our clients can thrive.
With new facilities designed for today’s client needs, we can streamline project management, control costs, and reduce reporting requirements. We can meet evolving industry challenges by working in new and more efficient ways.
The High Speed Loop is where overall system performance is measured. Clients can showcase their latest advancements and make progress on long-term research projects with confidence.
Ongoing research to study the rail vehicle body, suspension, and other underbody systems is vital to the safety, reliability and efficiency of the railways. MxV Rail leads the way for testing and reporting on these systems. Test loops to support vehicle dynamics testing are coming soon to PuebloPlex.
On this track, the research team excites systems to test the overall system performance of freight and passenger cars with the goal of keeping them on the track. Clients rely on these tests to support safe and reliable rail service. Test loops to support vehicle dynamics testing are coming soon to PuebloPlex.
The FAST® Loop is distinct in its ability to test components and technologies through fatigue testing. This track is a staple of AAR’s Strategic Research Initiatives program and the proving ground for new technologies tested in a real-world freight railroad setting. At 140 million gross tons per season, if a technology passes the FAST® loop, it gets noticed. The FAST® Program is slated to begin at PuebloPlex in mid-2023.
MxV Rail laboratory services add value to any research or test plan. Clients working with our team of railroad specialists have a unique opportunity to perform pointed and specific testing for railroad components, before or after that technology meets real-world application on the track. Our new labs leverage all of the latest technologies and methodologies to solve our clients’ most challenging questions. Partnered with data collection and decades of expertise, our lab services provide groundbreaking independent research in a confidential test environment.
Our engineers use dynamic test rigs to create specific conditions in a controlled environment to deliver data and insights for our clients. In our labs you’ll find a unique tie testing frame, rolling load machine, and a multitude of two- and three-post machines that are key to definitive testing for clients. Whether it’s bolster and frame testing on the 660 machine, industry-standardized strap testing, or multiple damage and lading tests, the combination of MxV Rail engineers and test equipment creates a test environment unlike any other in the world.
Equipped with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and an automated sample polisher, our metallurgy lab offers a robust array of testing methodologies from failure analysis of rail and welds, to fatigue testing of contact surfaces and components. The lab also offers tensile testing, metallography, and hardness testing that will serve our clients and the industry’s testing needs for years to come.
MxV Rail collaborated with MTS® to create a one-of-a-kind Rolling Contact Fatigue Simulator (RCFS). The RCFS is used to improve rail and wheel performance in relation to rolling contact fatigue. The RCFS helps progress wheel and rail steel research globally.
Not quite ready to speak to an expert? Use the tool below to instantly filter the Knowledge Interchange and view over 40 years of world-class rail research insights and get a step-closer to your goal.
MxV Rail operates as an independent scientific organization and maintains a confidential research environment for clients. Any work products and data are secure through our privacy and customer data policies. Your MxV Rail project manager can discuss these in more detail.
MxV Rail’s team is diverse and interdisciplinary in its expertise. We apply a broad knowledge base to any clients in the transportation sector. We collaborate with many different clients working on emerging technologies. Contact MxV Rail’s team to see what makes us exceptional research partners.
Contact MxV Rail’s business development team at AskMxVRail@aar.com.
Yes! We continue to have a team of more than 250 rail specialists with decades of institutional knowledge. Our interdisciplinary knowledge enables us to build teams that address the complex challenges our clients encounter.
“We took the best aspects of our old test loops and designed track not only capable of supporting today’s rail industry but also an ideal test bed for proving tomorrow’s transportation innovations.”
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