Performance of square and inclined insulated rail joints based on field strain measurements
Insulated rail joints (IRJs) possess lower bending stiffness across the gap containing insulating endpost and hence are subjected to wheel impact. IRJs are either square cut or inclined cut to the longitudinal axis of the rails in a vertical plane. It is generally claimed that the inclined cut IRJs outperform the square cut IRJs; however, there is a paucity of literature with regard to the relative structural merits of these two designs. This article presents comparative studies of the structural response of these two IRJs to the passage of wheels based on continuously acquired field data from joints strain-gauged closer to the source of impact. Strain signatures are presented in time, frequency, and wavelet domains and the peak vertical and shear strains are systematically employed to examine the relative structural merits of the two IRJs subjected to similar real-life loading. It is shown that the inclined IRJs resist the wheel load with higher peak shear strains and lower peak vertical strains than that of the square IRJs.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/09544097
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Supplemental Notes:
- Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Ltd.
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Authors:
- Dhanasekar, M
- Bayissa, W
- Publication Date: 2012-3
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Print
- Features: Appendices; Figures; References;
- Pagination: pp 140-154
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Serial:
- Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit
- Volume: 226
- Issue Number: 2
- Publisher: Sage Publications Limited
- ISSN: 0954-4097
- EISSN: 2041-3017
- Serial URL: http://pif.sagepub.com/content/current
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Field tests; Impact; Rail joints; Railroad rails; Rolling contact; Strain (Mechanics); Time domain analysis
- Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Railroads; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01366300
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Mar 29 2012 7:14AM