THE BEHAVIOUR OF RAILS IN RELATION TO THEIR CONDITIONS OF USE

The principal rail failure statistics of 5 Administrations have been analysed with a view to determining the respective influence of the different features involved in the behaviour of rails in service. Some recommendations are proposed concerning the choice of rail-section as a function of the traffic, the grade and quality of the rail steel and the construction of rail joints. The problems raised by welds in continuously welded rails, by the substructure and by the environment are also mentioned. It seems that the rail withdrawals for fatigue defects increase proportionally with the total traffic load on the one hand with the cube of the average axle-load on the other.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Restrictions 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: 1973-4

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: 34 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Axle load force; Fatigue (Mechanics); Fatigue (Physiological condition); Railroad rails; Railroad tracks; Welded rail
• Old TRIS Terms: Axle loadings
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00054782
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: International Union of Railways
• Report/Paper Numbers: D 117/RP 3
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 15 1976 12:00AM