United States Department of Transportation
i
Railroad Spike Failure Mitigation: Investigation of Tie Plate Hold-Down Elements [Research Results]
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2024-09-01
[PDF-787.23 KB]
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Abstract:The Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) investigated methods to mitigate timber tie spike failures. This research is part of an ongoing investigation sponsored by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) that began in 2018. Through modeling, laboratory study, and field work, RailTEC’s team found that maintaining friction between tie plates and ties significantly reduces the spike load (Khachaturian et al., 2022). Installing screw spikes with spring washers can ensure friction is maintained in the fastener; however, the resiliency of the spring washer is critical to achieving long-term performance (Stuart and Dersch, 2022). This report discusses design recommendations for screw spike spring washers and quantifies the resiliency of alternative spring types. The data show that installation of commercially available springs can overstress the tie leading to premature failure. Alternative springs are available that provide greater resiliency without overstressing the wood tie.
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