STUDY OF RAIL FAILURES IN THE TRACK--STUDY ON THE DYNAMICS OF RAIL DEFECTS

The following rail defects were investigated: star-cracking at holes within fishplate limits; horizontal cracks in the head; and transverse cracks (kidney-shaped fatigue crack) starting within the head. The report also formulates some observations on the dynamics of each of the defects, namely: irregular development of star-cracks; checking or "stagnation" of horizontal cracks in the head; propagation of transverse cracks, according to an exponential law. The report concluded that the irregular development of star cracks depended on a large number of factors, of which the condition of the rail-joint and the maintenance conditions appeared to be the most important. The same was true in the case of horizontal cracks in the head at the rail-end.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Restriction on the use of this document are contained in the explanatory material.
• Corporate Authors:

  International Union of Railways

  Office of Research and Experiments
  Utrecht,   Netherlands 
• Publication Date: 1965-10

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: 14 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cracking; Defects; Failure; Railroad rails
• Old TRIS Terms: Fissures (Rails); Question d88; Rail failure; Star cracks (Rails)
• Subject Areas: Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00040177
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: D88/RP 2/E Intrm Rpt.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 8 1994 12:00AM