The special investigation was prompted by two 1992 railroad accidents involving the structural failures of a dual diameter tank car and a nonpressure tank car transporting hazardous materials. The failures resulted from preexisting cracks that had gone undetected. The special investigation also addresses failures of stub sills on various types of tank cars that resulted from undetected cracks in welds. The report discusses: (1) the current Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements for the periodic inspection and testing of DOT specification tank cars that transport hazardous materials; (2) the effectiveness of the current DOT requirements for the detection of cracks and other structural defects; and (3) the effectiveness of hydrostatic tests and other nondestructive testing methods for the detection of cracks and other structural defects.
National Transportation Safety Board Special Investigation Report: Inspection and Testing of Railroad Tank Cars
1992
50 pages
Report
No indication
English