rail fastening system

7/23/2019 Rail Fastening System

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rail-fastening-system 1/9

Rail fastening systemFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Elements of a baseplate based rail fastening system

1. Screw for fixing plate to sleeper

2. Elastomeric pad supporting rail

. !ension washer

". #ail clamp

$. !ensioning bolt %nut not shown&'. (aseplate

)ssembled exampleThis article is about devices used to fasten rail to railroad ties (sleepers), for devices used to join lengthsof rail see Fishplate

"Rail spike" redirects here. For the Transformer, see Railspike.

) rail fastening system is a means of fixing rails to railroad ties %*nited States& or sleepers%international&. !he terms rail anchors, tie plates, chairsand track fasteners are used to refer to parts orall of a rail fastening system. +arious types of fastening hae been used oer the years.

Contents

•

1 -istory and oeriew

• 2 Spikes and screws

o 2.1 #ail spikes

o 2.2 Screw spikes

o 2. Fang bolts

o

2." Spring spikes

o 2.$ Fixing euipment

• #ail supports



o .1 /hairs

o .2 !ie plates

• " /lips

• $ See also

• ' #eferences

o '.1 Sources

o '.2 Further reading

• 0 External links

History and overview

!he earliest wooden rails were fixed to wooden sleepers by pegs through holes in the rail, or by nails.(y the 1th century cast iron rails had come into use, and also had holes in the rail itself to allow them tobe fixed to a support.13 1th century deelopments such as the flanged rail and fish bellied rail also hadholes in the rail itself4 when stone block sleepers were used the nails were drien into a wooden blockwhich had been inserted into a recess in the block. !he first chair for a rail is thought to hae beenintroduced in 1050 which attached to the rail on the ertical web ia bolts. 23

(y the 126s the first shaped rolled rails had begun to be produced initially of a ! shape which reuireda chair to hold them4 the rails were held in position by iron wedges %which sometimes caused the rail tobreak when forced in& and later by wooden wedges, which became the standard. 3 7n the 16s #obert8. Steens inented the flanged 9tee9 rail %actually a distorted 7 beam&, which had a flat bottom andreuired no chair4 a similar design was the contemporary bridge rail %of inerted * section with a bottom

flange and laid on longitudinal sleepers&4 these rails were initially nailed directly to the sleeper."3

7n :orth )merican practice the flanged ! rail became the standard, later being used with tie;plates.Elsewhere ! rails were replaced by bull head rails of a rounded 979 or 9figure;9 appearance which stillreuired a supporting chair. Eentually the flanged ! rail became commonplace on all the world9srailways, though differences in the fixing system still exist.

Spikes and screws

Rail spikes

Rusted cut spikes (scale in inches)

Dog spike



) rail spike %also known as a cut spike or crampon& is a large nail with an offset head that is used tosecure rails and base plates to railroad ties in the track. #obert 8iingston Steens is credited with theinention of the railroad spike,$3 the first recorded use of which was in 12.'3 !he railroad spike was aninention which resulted from the state of industrialisation in the *nited States in the early 15th century<English mainline railways of that period used heay and expensie cast iron chairs to secure !;shapedrails4 instead, Steens added a supporting base to the ! rail which could be fixed with a simple spike. 03

3 7n 152, the spike was still the most common rail fastening in :orth )merica. /ommon si=es are from5 to 16>1' inch suare and ?$.$ to ' inch long. 53

) rail spike is roughly chisel;shaped and with a flat edged point4 the spike is drien with the edgeperpendicular to the grain, which gies greater resistance to loosening.163 !he main function is to keepthe rail in gauge. When attaching tie plates the attachment is made as strong as possible, whereaswhen attaching a rail to tie or tie plate the spike is not normally reuired to proide a strong erticalforce, allowing the rail some freedom of moement.53

@riginally spikes were drien into wooden sleepers by hammering them with a heay hammer by hand.!his manual work has been replaced by machines, commonly called Aspike driersA %) machine thatremoes spikes is called a Aspike pullerA&. 113 Splitting of the wood can be limited by pre;boring spikeholes or adding steel bands around the wood. 123

For use in the *nited States three basic standards are described in the )S!B )'$ standard, for differentcarbon steel contents.13

!he rail spike has entered )merican popular consciousness4 the driing of the AColden SpikeA was a keypoint in :orth )merican deelopment of the western seaboard. #ailroad workers hae been celebratedin song and erse.1"3

) dog spike is functionally euialent to a cut spike and is also suare in hori=ontal section and ofsimilar dimensions but has a pointed penetrating head, and the rail %or Aplate holdingA& head has twolugs on either side %which aid spike remoal& giing the impression of a dog9s head.1$3

Screw spikes

#usted screw spike

Screw spikes %French< Tire-fonds&

) screw spike, rail scre %or lag bolt& is a large %?' in or 1$2 mm length, slightly under 1 in or 2$ mm&metal screw used to fix a tie plate or fasten rail. Screw spikes are fixed into a hole bored in the sleeper.1'3 !he screw spike has a higher cost to manufacture than the rail spike but has the adantage of greater fixing power4 approximately twice that of a rail spike, 103 and can be used in combination with springwashers.1'3

!he screw spike was first introduced in 1'6 in France %French tire-fond &, and became common incontinental Europe.13

) dog scre is a tradename ariant of the screw spike.153

Fang bolts

Fang bolts which are also named rail anchor bolts, hae also been used for fixing rails or chairs tosleepers4 the fang bolt is a bolt inserted through a hole in the sleeper with a fanged nut that bites into thelower surface of the sleeper. For fastening flat;bottomed rails an upper;lipped washer can be used togrip the edge of the rail. !hey are more resistant to loosening by ibrations and moement of the rail.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_fastening_system#cite_note-8




263 !hey are thought more effectie than spikes and screws and so are used in positions such as switch%point& tieplates,213 and on sharp cures.223

Spring spikes

Spring spike fastener %Cerman<!berbau f 23&

Spring spikes, %or elastic rail spikes2"3& are used with flat;bottomed rail, baseplates and woodensleepers4 the spring spike holds the rail down and preents tipping, and also secures the baseplate tothe sleeper.2$3 !he #acbeth spike %trade name& is a two;pronged *;shaped staple;like spike bent so thatit appears B;shaped when iewed from the side.2'3203 7nerted D;shaped single pointed spikes hae also

been used.

23

Fixing equipment

!he spike maul, also known as a spiking hammer , is a type of sledgehammer with a long thin headwhich was originally used to drie spikes. 25363

Banual hole drilling and spike or screw insertion and remoal hae been replaced by semi;automated or automated machines, both pneumatic and hydraulic. Bachines that remoe spikes are called spike pullers.13233

Rail supports

Chairs

/ross section of early ! rail, chair and key

!he earliest rail chairs, made of cast iron and introduced around 166, were used to fix and supportcast;iron rails at their ends423 they were also used to oin adacent rails."3

7n the 16s rolled !;shaped %or single-flanged T parallel rail & and 7;shaped %or double-flanged T parallel or bullhead & rails were introduced4 both reuired cast;iron chairs to support them. $3 @riginally,iron keys were used to wedge the rail into the ertical parallel aws of the chair4 these were supersededby entirely wooden keys.$3 !he wooden keys were formed from oak, steam softened and thencompressed with hydraulic presses and stored in a drying house4 when inserted into the chair, exposureto the wet atmosphere would cause the key to expand, firmly holding the rail. '3 !he wedge may be onthe inside or outside of the rail %usually the outside&.03

/hairs hae been fixed to the sleeper using wooden spikes %trenails&, screws, fang;bolts or spikes.3

7n most of the world, flat;bottomed rail and baseplates became the standard, howeer in (ritain,bullhead rail;and;chairs remained in use until the middle of the twentieth century.2$3 !hey are now largely

obsolete but can still be found on 8ondon *nderground and sidings.

here$3hen$3citation needed 3

ie plates


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Dates_and_numbers#Chronological_items







) tie plate, baseplate or sole plate is a steel plate used on rail tracks between flanged ! rail andthe crossties. !he tie plate increases bearing area and holds the rail to correct gauge. !hey are fastenedto wooden ties by means of spikes or bolts through holes in the plate.

!he part of the plate under the rail base is tapered, setting the cant of the rail, an inward rotation fromthe ertical. !he usual slope is one in forty % 1." degrees &. !he top surface of the plate has one or twoshoulders that fit against the edges of the base of the rail. !he double;shoulder type is currently used.@lder single;shoulder types were adaptable for arious rail widths, with the single shoulder positionedon the outside %field side& of the rails. Bost plates are slightly wider on the field side, without which the

plates tend to cut more into the outsides of the tie, reducing cant angle.Bany railways use large wood screws, also called lag scres, to fasten the tie plates %or baseplates& tothe railroad ties.

!ie plates came into use around the year 1566, before which time flanged ! rail was spiked directly tothe ties.

Clips

) ariety of different types of heay;duty clips are used to fasten the rails to the underlying baseplate,one common one being the %androl fastener %androl clip&, named after its maker, which is shaped likea stubby paperclip.53 )nother one is the +ossloh !ension /lamp."63

!he newer androl fastclip is applied at right angles to the rail. (ecause the clip is captie, it has to beinstalled at the time of manufacture of the concrete sleeper.

Rail fastening types



Rail spike with baseplate above the

tie

Track joint and chairs

Pandrol 'e-Clip' fastening



See also

• Permanent way and permanent way (history), descriptions of the entire track system.

References

1. Jump up^ Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, pp.#$%

&. ' "mp "p to a b Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, pp.*$+

. Jump up^ Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, pp.1-$1+

-. Jump up^ Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, pp.1+$&-

#. Jump up^ Octo!er 1* $ /oday in Science 0istory. www.todayinsci.com . Ro!ert ivingston Stevens.

2. Jump up^ eorge 3les (1+1&). Leading American inventors. 0. 0olt and company, 4ew 5ork. p. &.

%. Jump up^ Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, p.&6

*. Jump up^ /he Rail Spike and /he ocomotive. chestofbooks.com. Scientific 7merican.

+. ' "mp "p toa b Railroad engineering, 8ol"me 1, 9illiam 9alter 0ay, pp.#*&$

16. Jump up^ railroad spikes. www.sizes.com.

11. Jump up^ :rian Solomon (&661). Railway maintenance: the men and machines that keep the railroadsrunning. ;:3 P"!lishing <ompany. pp. 21, 2-. 3S:4 +%*12162622*-.

1&. Jump up^ Railroad engineering, 8ol"me 1, 9illiam 9alter 0ay, p.-##

1. Jump up^ 7S/; 72# $ 6%. www.astm.org. 7S/; 3nternational (7merican Society for /esting and;aterials).

1-. Jump up^ 4orm <ohen= David <ohen (&666). Long steel rail: the railroad in American folksong.>niversity of 3llinois Press. 3S:4 +%*6&#&62**1&.

1#. Jump up^ ;"ndrey (&666). Railway Track Engineering. /ata ;craw$0ill. pp. 16?11. 3S:4 +%*66%-2%&-1.

12. ' "mp "p toa b Railroad engineering, 8ol"me 1, 9illiam 9alter 0ay, pp.#*#

1%. Jump up^ Orrock ohn 9ilson (1+1*). Railroad Str"ct"re and @stimates. . 9iley A Sons, 4ew 5ork.pp. 1+*?&6-.

1*. Jump up^ Railway ;aintenance @ngineering, 9illiam Sellew, pp.121$

1+. Jump up^ 77B $ Dog Screw Railway Casteners for Rail /racks 9ith /im!er Sleepers, www.railwaytechnology.com

&6. Jump up^ Railway 7ppliances, ohn 9olfe :arry, pp.#$#-,%

&1. Jump up^ ;"ndrey (&666). Railway Track Engineering. /ata ;craw$0ill. pp. 1#2?%. 3S:4 +%*66%-2%&-1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_fastening_system#cite_ref-r1797_2-0
















&&. Jump up^ 9illiam 0emingway ;ills (1*+*). Railway !onstruction. ongmans, reen, and <o.pp. &&-, also fig.1?- (p.&&1).

&. Jump up^ 9olfgang Schiemann (&66&). "chienenverkehrstechnik: #rundlagen der #leistrassierung./e"!ner :.. p. &*. 3S:4 #1+662#.

&-. Jump up^ <lifford C. :onnett (&66#). $ractical railway engineering. 3mperial <ollege Press. #.16 Railfastenings, :aseplates and Pads, p.2#.

&#. ' "mp "p toa b <olin <raig. /0@ ;OD@R4 P@R;74@4/ 975 (Part 1). /0@ ;74<0@S/@R;OD@ R73975 SO<3@/5.

&2. Jump up^ 4ational Research <o"ncil (>.S.). Railroad Research 3nformation Service= >nited States.Cederal Railroad 7dministration (1+%). "pecial bibliography: safetyrelated technology . 4ational 7cademies. 6&+%*Spring Steel Rail Spikes %from Railway #azette& 'eb. ()*+& ,ol.++& pp.()(-.

&%. Jump up^ 3ain @llis (&662). Ellis/ 0ritish Railway Engineering Encyclopaedia. "l".com. ;ac!eth spike,p.&11. 3S:4 +%*1*-%&*2-%.

&*. Jump up^ 3ain @llis (&662). Ellis/ 0ritish Railway Engineering Encyclopaedia. "l".com. @lastic Spike,p.11-. 3S:4 +%*1*-%&*2-%.

&+. Jump up^ Railway ;aintenance @ngineering, 9illiam Sellew, p.&1#$2

6. Jump up^ Ron Citch (&662). Australian Railwayman: 'rom !adet Engineer to Railways !ommissioner .Rosen!erg P"!lishing. p. &&6.

1. Jump up^ :rian Solomon (&661). Railway maintenance: the men and machines that keep the railroadsrunning. ;:3 P"!lishing <ompany. pp. #+?2&. 3S:4 +%*12162622*-.

&. Jump up^ 9orkin on the Railroad. $opular 1echanics (0earst ;agaEines) 84 (-) &6?&%. Octo!er1+-#. 3SS4 66&$-##*.

. Jump up^ ;echanised section gang now lays railroad ties. $opular "cience (:onnier<orporation) 168 (&) 12*?+. Ce!r"ary 1+#2. 3SS4 6121$%%6.

-. Jump up^ Origin and Development of the Railway Rail, . P. Raida!a"gh, pp.11$1&

#. ' "mp "p toa b Daniel Finnear <lark (1*##). Railway machinery: a treatise on the mechanicalengineering of railways: embracing the principles and construction of rolling and fi2ed plant3 illustrated by a series of

plates on a large scale& and by numerous engravings on wood& ,olume -. :lackie and Son. p. &*6.

2. Jump up^ Crederick Smeaton 9illiams (1*#&). 4ur 5ron Roads: their history& construction andinfluences: 6ith numerous illustrations. 3ngram. pp. 1++?&66.

%. Jump up^ Railway 7ppliances, ohn 9olfe :arry, pp.-$#1

*. Jump up^ Railway 7ppliances, ohn 9olfe :arry, pp.%1

+. Jump up^ Pandrol $ Pandrol $ /he f"t"re of rail fastenings. www.pandrol.com.

-6. Jump up^ vossloh$fastening$systems.com $ 0ome. www.vosslofasteningsystems.de.

Sources

• 9illiam 9alter 0ay (1+*&). Railroad engineering& ,olume (. ohn 9iley and Sons. 3S:4 +%*6-%12-66+.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_fastening_system#cite_ref-mmrs_25-1


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number




http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ygKio-Ks0doC








• 9illiam Sellew (1+1#). Railway 1aintenance Engineering 6ith 7otes on !onstruction. D. 8an 4ostrand

<ompany. 3S:4 +%*1--##+1%%.

• . P. Raida!a"gh (1+1#). 4rigin and 8evelopment of the Railway Rail: English and American 6ood& 5ron and

"teel . Fohn A Pollock, :altimore. 3S:4 +%*1-6*2%2#-.

• ohn 9olfe :arry (1*%2). Railway Appliances. ongmans, reen and co. (reprint :i!lio:aEaar, <,

&66*). 3S:4 +%*6##+6&&+*&.

• <harles ee <randall= Cred 7sa :arnes (1+1). Railroad !onstruction. ;craw$0ill.

Further reading

• Railway locomotives and cars& ,olume 9. Simmons$:oardman P"!. <orp. 1**. Crom the 7merican o"rnal of

Science and 7rts @Gperiments on the adhesion of iron spikes of vario"s forms, when driven into different speciminsof tim!er= !y 9alter :. ohnson, Professor of mechanics and nat"ral philosophy in the Cranklin 3nstit"te,Philadelphia , pp.#%$26.

•

3mages Feith 4orgrove and others. Scalefo"r Society $ /rack Details in Photographs 33. www.scalefour.org.uk .Scalefo"r Society.

• a close"p view of Pandrol fastclip

/ategories<

• #ail fastening systems




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781408637654




rail fastening system

Documents