CONTINUOUS WELDED RAIL TRACK BUCKLING SAFETY ASSURANCE THROUGH FIELD MEASUREMENTS OF TRACK RESISTANCE AND RAIL FORCE

Techniques and hardware for field measurement of two important continuous welded rail (CWR) track parameters for safety from buckling--the track lateral resistance and the rail neutral temperature--are presented. It is shown here that by controlling the two parameters above their respective permissible minimum values, CWR track buckling safety can be ensured. For the measurement of lateral resistance, a lightweight, portable device that tests the ties individually has been developed. Field data collected using the single-tie push test revealed that the scatter is within permissible limits if the data for three randomly selected ties in a 50-ft section of CWR are averaged. The data have also shown that the ties exhibit a softening resistance characteristic, a feature that has been ignored or not detected in work by other researchers. Rail neutral temperature can be measured using the principle that the vertical deflection of a rail beam freed from ties is measurably sensitive to the longitudinal rail force when a vertical load is applied to the rail section. On the basis of that principle a rail uplift device (RUD) that gives the absolute rail force without site-specific calibration has been developed. The rail force test data from RUD are in agreement with the theoretical predictions.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1991/1289/1289-004.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=CONTINUOUS+WELDED+RAIL+TRACK+BUCKLING+SAFETY+ASSURANCE+THROUGH+FIELD+MEASUREMENTS+OF+TRACK+RESISTANCE+AND+RAIL+FORCE&author=G.+Samavedam&author=.+Kish&publication_year=1991
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309050685
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1289, Lateral Track Stability 1991: Proceedings of a Conference, May 15-17, 1990, St. Louis, Missouri. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Samavedam, G
  • Kish A
• Conference:
  • Conference on Lateral Track Stability, 1990, St Louis, Missouri, USA
• Publication Date: 1991

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 39-52
• Monograph Title: Lateral track stability 1991: proceedings of a Conference, May 15-17 1990, St Louis, Missouri, USA
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1289
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buckling; Continuous welded rail; Field tests; Railroad tracks; Safety; Temperature
• Uncontrolled Terms: Field measurements
• Old TRIS Terms: Rail force; Rail uplift device; Softening resistance; Track resistance
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00611106
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309050685
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 31 1991 12:00AM