Rail
The rail profile is the cross sectional shape of a railway rail, perpendicular to the
length of the rail.
In all but very early cast rails a rail is hot rolled steel profile of a specific shape or
cross section (an asymmetrical I-beam) designed for use as the fundamental
component of railway track.
Unlike some other uses of iron and steel, railway rails are subject to very high
stresses and have to be made of very high quality steel. It took many decades to
improve the quality of the materials, including the change from iron to steel. Minor
flaws in the steel that pose no problems in reinforcing rods for buildings, can,
however, lead to broken rails and dangerous derailments when used on railway
tracks.
The rails represent a substantial fraction of the cost of a railway line. Only a small
number of rail sizes are made by the steelworks at the one time, so a railway must
choose the nearest suitable size. Worn, heavy rail from a mainline is often reclaimed
and downgraded for re-use on a branchline, siding or yard.
Rail sizes
Two different rail profiles commonly used by the Belgian Railways: an already used
50 kg-profile (left) next to a new 60 kg-profile
Pound is a railroad term that indicates the weight of rail per yard. For example one
yard of "132 pound rail" weighs 132 pounds. Depending on the use of English or
metric units, rail sizes are usually expressed in terms of pounds per yard or
kilograms per metre. Coincidentally, the pounds-per-yard figure is almost exactly
double the kilograms-per-metre figure, making rough conversions easy. Rails in
Canada, the United Kingdom, and United States are still described using English
units. However, in Australia they are now described in metric units and always have
been on mainland Europe.
Rail Section Commonly Used In Indian Railway
Rail Chemical composition
Types of Rails
Double-headed rail
In late 1830s England, railway lines had a vast range of different patterns. One of the earliest
lines to use double-headed rail was the London and Birmingham Railway, which had
offered a prize for the best design. This rail was supported by chairs and the head and foot
of the rail had the same profile. The supposed advantage was that, when the head became
worn, the rail could be turned over and re-used. In practice, this form of recycling was not
very successful as the chair caused dents in the lower surface, and double-headed rail
evolved into bullhead rail in which the head was more substantial than the foot.
Bullhead rail
Bullhead rail is similar to double-headed rail but with a heavier profile to the top edge. It
became the standard for the British railway system until the mid-20th century but has now
been largely replaced by flat-bottom rail. Bullhead rail is still used on the London
Underground and survives on the national rail system in some sidings.
Search History:
Result 00 of 00
00 results for result for
p.
Recommended
More From This User
Notes
Load more
