Reduction of External Rail Wearing on Road Curves

Abstract

Railway line curves restrict train speed. Besides, there is a high side wearing intensity in the external rail head on the curves. The main functions of cant are discussed in the article. Results of experimental research which was carried out in order to estimate the influence of cant and gauge increase on the curves of rail head side wearing intensity, are presented. Improved cant calculation methodology, which assures rail head side wearing intensity reduction and safe railway traffic, is suggested.

A stochastic model for the estimation of renewal periods of sharply curved metro rails

“…Povilaitiene and Podagelis 6 described the factors that influenced rail side wear, divided the factors into three groups (uncontrolled factors, partially controlled factors, and controlled factors), and used the regression analysis to analyze the effects of those factors on rail side wear. They proposed a rail cant calculation methodology (see Povilaitiene and Laurinavicius 7 ) and a mathematical model (see Povilaitiene et al 8 ) to evaluate the influence of the rail cant and gauge width on the rail wear around curves; in their experiments, they observed that an increase in the cant and a widening of the gauge around a curve with a radius of less than 650 m decreased the intensity of the external rail head side wear. Sladkowski and Sitarz 9 analyzed the effect of the wheel-rail contact geometry on the rail side wear and investigated the effect of the wheel profile and wheel set attack angle on the wheel-rail contact stress and on the distribution of the wheel-rail contact points.…”