Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently-asked questions about the Centre for Surface
Transportation Technology:
Are CSTT services available only to Canadian government
departments and agencies?
What markets does CSTT serve and what are the key services
it provides?
What services does CSTT offer to the railroad industry?
How does CSTT serve the road vehicle and military systems
sectors?
What is the advantage of conducting “climatic testing”?
What kinds of field testing services are available?
What is “integrated logistics support”?
Does CSTT have independent R&D capabilities?
Q:Are CSTT services available only to Canadian
government departments and agencies?
A: CSTT services are available to both the public and private
sectors in Canada and in other countries around the world. CSTT is proud
of its affiliation with the National Research Council of Canada, but operates
as a non-subsidized, self-supporting business unit which brings private
sector discipline to all its activities. [Back to Top]
Q: What markets does CSTT serve and what are the key services it provides?
A: CSTT provides world-class surface transportation development
and testing services for the rail and road transport industries, defence
departments and a wide range of vehicle and equipment manufacturers. The
range of CSTT’s services is extensive: computer-based modeling,
laboratory testing, vehicle field trials at proving grounds, instrumented
testing of customer products – and much more. These services are
made available in CSTT facilities located in Ottawa, Vancouver and Halifax.
Many field-testing and related services are also made available on-location
in countries around the world. [Back to Top]
Q: What services does CSTT offer to the railroad industry?
A: CSTT offers a full suite of services to major railways, transit
companies, car and component manufacturers, and regulatory agencies. Services
include: impartial third-party testing and analysis; structural certification
testing; prototyping of novel components; implementing new maintenance
practices; and field testing anywhere in the world. For an increasing
number of clients, CSTT has become a strategic advisor offering a window
on new technologies able to improve both performance and margins. [Back
to Top]
Q: How does CSTT serve the road vehicle and military systems sectors?
A: CSTT’s Road Vehicle and Military Systems Division helps clients
achieve the maximum possible performance over the entire life of their
fleets or products. The Division delivers a complete package of services
that includes: concept development; engineering design; prototype development;
computer modeling, field and laboratory testing of vehicle and sub-system
dynamic responses; and technical data. In conjunction with other CSTT
divisions, Road Vehicle and Military Systems also provides clients with
access to support package development, well-equipped machine and welding
shops, and vehicle development and maintenance bays. [Back
to Top]
Q: What is the advantage of conducting “climatic testing”?
A: Testing new designs under a full range of climatic conditions has
become an essential step in vehicle and equipment development. In CSTT’s
Climatic Engineering and Testing Division laboratories in Ottawa, a large
climatic chamber with railway access accommodates even the largest and
heaviest railway and highway vehicles. There, vehicles can be subjected
to temperatures ranging from -51 °C to +55°C. Testing vehicles
and components under a very wide range of conditions enables clients to
demonstrate product compliance, accelerate design cycles, manage testing
programs, solve problems – even intermittent ones – quickly,
and identify a product’s performance limits before customers find
them. [Back to Top]
Q: What kinds of field testing services are available?
A: For over 35 years, CSTT has offered field testing services tailored
to the demanding needs of rail, road, and military vehicles anywhere in
the world. Field equipment includes precision transducers for measuring
accelerations, velocities, displacements, forces and loads, strains, and
frequencies. The Centre is also equipped with instrumented railway wheelsets
and an instrumented railway test car. Field test often reveal stresses,
vibrations, and other problems that need to be studied more closely. CSTT
has the laboratory equipment to do this, including full-scale test facilities
for road and rail simulation to reproduce field measurements. [Back
to Top]
Q: What is “integrated logistics support”?
A: Integrated Logistics Support provides life-cycle support strategies
and services for products engineered at CSTT and other manufacturers throughout
their service life from operation, maintenance, and environmental perspectives.
ILS activities include logistics support engineering, preparation of technical
documentation, failure analysis engineering, training program development,
support for development packages, maintenance support development, in-service
and after market support packages or services, and much more. [Back
to Top]
Q: Does CSTT have independent R&D capabilities?
A: Yes. Our Advanced Products and Technology Group puts CSTT technology
to work in new product concept development, design, prototyping, evaluation
and production, in partnership with CSTT divisions and private companies. [Back to Top]
For further information, please contact:
Climatic Engineering
Don LeBlanc, General Manager
don.leblanc@nrc.gc.ca
(613) 998-3979
Rail Division
Mike Krzyzanowski, Key Accounts Manager
mike.krzyzanowski@nrc.gc.ca
(613) 998-3176
Fred Prahl, Key Accounts Manager
fred.prahl@nrc.gc.ca
(781) 565-5943
Road Vehicle and Military Systems
Rick Zaporzan, Key Accounts Manager
rick.zaporzan@nrc.gc.ca
(613) 990-7249
Keith Ferguson, Key Accounts Manager
keith.ferguson@nrc.gc.ca
(613) 990-6997
National Research Council Canada
Centre for Surface Transportation Technology
2320 Lester Road
Ottawa, Canada
K1V 1S2
inquiries.CSTT@nrc.gc.ca
General Information
Telephone: (613) 998-9639
Fax: (613) 957-0831
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