204 Railway Engineering This important relationship is helpful in determining the degree of the curve at any point by measuring the versine either in centimetres on a 11.8-m chord or in inches on a 62-ft chord. The curve can be of as many degrees as there are centimetres or inches of the versine for the chord lengths given above, Maximum Degree of a Curve The maximum permissible degree of a curve on a track depends on various factors such as gauge, wheel base of the vehicle, maximum permissible superelevation, and other such allied factors. The maximum degree or the minimum radius of the curve permitted on Indian Railways for various gauges is given in Table 13.1 Table 13.1 Maximum permissible degree of curves Gauge ‘On plain track On turnouts ‘Max. degree Min. radius (m) Max. degree Min. radius (m) BG 10 115 8 218 MG 16 109 15 116 NG 40 44 7 103 Elements of a circular curve In Fig. 13.2, AO and BO are two tangents of a circular curve which meet or intersect ata point O, called the point of intersection or apex. T, and T; are the points where the curve touches the tangents, called tangent points (TP). OT, and OT, are the tangent lengths of the curve and are equal in the case of a simple curve. T,T, is the chord and EF is the versine of the same. The angle AOB formed between the tangents AO and OB is called the angle of intersection (21) and the angle BOO, is the angle of deflection (2) . The following are some of the important relations between these elements: Fr /s. ‘Tangent point B Fig. 13.2 Elements of a circular curve Z1+ 2G = 180°Curves and Superelevation 205 Tangent length = OT, = OT, =R tan T,T, = length of the long chord = 2R sing 2nR mRo Length of th —xo=—— ength of the curve = 3 o 780 13.1.1 Setting Out a Circular Curve A circular curve is generally set out by any one of the following methods, Tangential offset method The tangential offset method is employed for setting out a short curve of a length of about 100 m (300 ft) It is generally used for laying turnout curves. In Fig. 13.3, let PQ be the straight alignment and T be the tangent point for a curve of a known radius. Let AA’, BB’, CC’, etc. be perpendicular offsets from the tangent. It can be proved that eC Value of offset O, = > where C, is the length of the chord along the tangent. Similarly, 2 0,-2 2R 2 a-& 2R a NN =~ Obstruction S04 Fig. 13.3 Tangential offset method