United States Department of Transportation
i
Experimental Investigation of Gauge Widening and Rail Restraint Characteristics
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1984-11-01
[PDF-2.85 MB]
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Abstract:Gauge widening resulting from a loss of adequate rail restraint is one of the major track failure modes and the cause of a large number of derailments. A recent field and laboratory test program conducted by the Transportation Systems Center aimed at the determination of minimum rail strength capacity as influenced by tie and fastener condition resulted in the development of criteria and rail strength capacity limits for the prevention of excessive gauge widening. One of the major safety issues currently under investigation under this program of gauge widening. The work reported here is part of this investigation dealing with the experimental testing of lateral rail strength for low speed (5-25 mph) track. Tests were conducted using a specially designed track loading fixture for the purpose of simulating actual wheel/rail loads. In addition to these rail restraint tests, experiments were performed to determine spike pull out strength and tie plate vertical and lateral stiffness behavior. This report gives a detailed description of these tests and presents obtained results on gauge widening and rail restraint characteristics.
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