Advance Railway Engineering: Lec. No.

Rail Joints and Welding of Rails

Effects of a Rail Joint
A rail joint is the weakest link in the track. At a joint, there is a
break in the continuity of the rail in both the horizontal and the
vertical planes because of the presence of the expansion gap and
imperfection in the levels of rail heads. A severe jolt is also
experienced at the rail joint when the wheels of vehicles
negotiate the expansion gap. This jolt loosens the ballast under
the sleeper bed, making the maintenance of the joint difficult.
The fittings at the joint also become loose, causing heavy wear
and tear of the track material. Some of the problems associated
with the rail joint are as follows.
Maintenance effort
Due to the impact of moving loads on the joint, the packing
under the sleeper loosens and the geometry of the track gets
distorted very quickly because of which the joint requires
frequent attention.
Lifespan
The life of rails, sleepers, and fastenings gets adversely affected
due to the extra stresses created by the impact of moving loads
on the rail joint.
Noise effect
A lot of noise pollution is created due to rail joints, making rail
travel uncomfortable.

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Sabotage chances
Wherever there is a rail joint, there is a potential danger of the
removal of fish plates and rails and greater susceptibility to
sabotage.
Impact on quality
The quality of the track suffers because of the excessive wear
and tear of track components and rolling stock caused by rail
joints.
Fuel consumption
The presence of rail joints results in increased fuel consumption
because of the extra effort required by the locomotive to haul
the train over these joints.
Requirements of an Ideal Rail Joint
The ideal rail joint is one that provides the same strength and
stiffness as the other rail section of track. The characteristics of
an ideal rail joint are briefly summarized here.

Holding the rail ends An ideal rail joint should hold both the
rail ends in their precise location in the horizontal and the
vertical planes to provide continuity in the track as possible.
This helps in avoiding wheel jumping or the deviation of the
wheel from its normal path of movement.

Strength An ideal rail joint should have the same strength and
stiffness as the rails itself.

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Expansion gap The joint should provide an adequate expansion

gap for the free expansion and contraction of rails caused by
changes in temperature.

Flexibility An ideal rail joint should provide flexibility for the

easy replacement of rails, whenever required.

Provision for wear An ideal rail joint should not allow the rail
ends to get battered in any case

Elasticity An ideal rail joint should provide adequate elasticity

as well as resistance to longitudinal forces so as to ensure a
trouble-free track.

Cost The initial as well as maintenance costs of an ideal rail

joint should be minimal.

Types of Rail Joints

The nomenclature of rail joints depends upon the position of the
sleepers or the joints.
 Classification According to Position of Sleepers
Three types of rail joints, come under this category.

1- Supported joint In this type of joint, the ends of the rails are
supported directly on the sleeper. It was expected that
supporting the joint would reduce the wear and tear of the rails,
as there would be no cantilever action. There is also wear and
tear of the sleeper supporting the joint and its maintenance

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presents quite a problem. The duplex sleeper is an example of a

supported joint in the figure below.

Suspended joint In this type of joint, the ends of the rails are
suspended between two sleepers and some portion of the rail is
cantilevered at the joint. As a result of cantilever action, the
packing under the sleepers of the joint becomes loose
particularly due to the hammering action of the moving train
loads. Suspended joints are the most common type of joints
adopted on railway systems worldwide.

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Bridge joints The bridge joint is similar to the suspended joint

except that the two sleepers on either side of a bridge joint are
connected by means of a metal flat or a corrugated plate known
as a bridge plate as shown in the following figures.

 Classification Based on the Position of the Joint

Two types of rail joints fall in this category.

Square joint In this case, the joints in one rail are exactly
opposite to the joints in the other rail. This type is generally
used on straight tracks.

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Staggered joint In this case, the joints in one rail are somewhat
staggered and are not opposite the joints in the other rail.
Staggered joints are normally preferred on curved tracks
because they hinder the centrifugal force that pushes the track
outward.

Welding of Rail
Purpose of Welding:
Welding of rails serves the following purpose:
1. To increase the length of the rail by joining two or more rails
and thus to reduce the number of joints, and requirements of
fish plates, which lead to economy and strength.

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2. To repair the worn out or damaged rails and thus increase

their life.
3. To build up worn out points and rails on the sharp curves.
4. To build up the burnt portion of rail head which is caused
due to slippage of wheels over the rails or other defects or
spots in rail steel.
Types of Welded Rails
Due to introduction of modern improved methods for fixing of
rails with sleepers, the length of the rail can be increased since,
it is observed that a sufficient amount of resistance is available
due to sleeper fastenings to resist the expansion of rails on
account of temperature but there are no sufficient restraining
forces available near the ends. If the restraining forces near the
ends are insufficient, the forces due to expansion will supersede
and result in buckling. The extent of buckling will depend upon
the degree of anchorage and rise in temperature. More the
number of rails being welded together, more will be the
tendency of the track to buckle. The success of the welded rails
depends on:

 Better degree of fixity of the rails to sleepers.

 Better measures against buckling of the rails.
 Regular maintenance.
1- Short Welded Rails (SWR). A short welded rail is one
which contracts and expands throughout its entire length due to
temperature variations. These rails are welded into 3, 5 or 10
rail length to make Short Welded Rails.
2- Long Welded Rails (LWR). Long Welded Rail is one
whose central part does not undergo any longitudinal
movement. And only end portions are affected due to
temperature variations. The minimum length of more than 200 -

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300 m will function as long welded rail. The maximum length

of LWR is prescribed as one kilometer (1000 m).
3- Continuous Welded Rails (CWR). The welded rails longer
than one kilometer and extending from one station to other with
switch expansion joint are called CWR.
Methods of Welded of Rails
The following four methods are employed for welding of rails:
(a) Gas pressure welding
(b) Electric arc or metal arc welding
(c) Flash butt welding
(d) Chemical or Thermit welding
The detailed descriptions of these methods are given below.

Gas Pressure Welding

In this type of welding, the necessary heat is produced by the
combination of oxygen and acetylene gases. The rail ends to be
welded are brought together and heat is applied through a burner
connected to oxygen and acetylene cylinders by means of
regulators and tubes. A temperature of about 1200°C is
achieved. At this temperature, the metal of the rail ends melts,
resulting in the fusion and welding together of the ends. This
method is used for repairing worn out or damaged parts of
points and crossings. This is especially useful for cutting of
steel.

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Electric or Metal Arc Welding

In this method, heat is generated by passing an electric current
through the rail and at the same time through a thin rod known
as electrode. As the electrode approaches the rail an electric arc
is formed and with its heat the electrode gets melted, and finally
the molten metal of the electrode gets deposited on the rail,
providing a firm bond. This method of welding is used for
building up worn out points and crossings, damaged rails and
for other small welding operations. Gas shield prevents entering
of impurities and air into molten metal.

Flash Butt Welding

In flash butt welding, heat is generated by the electric resistance
method. The ends of the two rails to be welded are firmly
clamped into the jaws of a welding machine. One of the jaws is
stationary, while the other one is moveable and as such the gap
between the two rail ends can be adjusted.
The rail ends are brought so close together that they almost
touch each other. An electric current of 35 kA is passed between
the interfaces of the two rails, developing a voltage of 5 V. A lot
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of flashing (sparking) occurs and considerable heat is generated

by the passage of electrical current between the rail ends. The
rail ends are automatically moved to and fro by the machine till
the temperature rises to a fusion limit in the range of 1000°C to
1500°C. At this juncture, the rail ends are pressed together with
an upset pressure of about 37 t and final flashing takes place
joining the two rail ends together.
This method can be adopted most economically and efficiently
only in a workshop, and hence uneconomical for small jobs at
site. For large jobs at site, this is economical method of welding
of rails.
Chemical or Thermit Welding of Rails
This involves the use of chemicals, like aluminium and iron
oxide. In this method, aluminium and iron oxide are mixed in
powder form and ignited. On ignition, the chemical reaction
takes place and produces intense heat because this reaction is
exothermic in nature.
Fe2O3 + 2Al = 2Al2O3 + 2Fe + heat
In this reaction, 159 g of iron oxide combines with 54 g of
aluminium to give 102 g of aluminium oxide, 112 g of iron, and
182 kcal of heat. The reaction is exothermic and it takes about
15–25 sec to achieve a temperature of about 2450°C.
The aluminium oxide, being lighter however, floats on top and
forms the slag. The separated iron is in the molten state, gets and
is deposited in the gap of the rail ends which are preheated.,

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Actually, these two ends with chemical mixture in between the

gap are entrapped in a mould to prevent the flow of mixture as
shown in the figure.
The heating of the two ends is done by use of a furnace placed at
the bottom of the rail joint. After the mixture solidifies, the
mould is removed and the surface grinding is done.
The chemical welding is generally adopted in the process of
renewal of the rails.

Length of Welded Rails

It is well-known fact that rail joint is the weakest part of the
track. Lesser the number of rail joints, lower is the cost of
maintenance due to use of less number of fish-plate and
decreases in wear and tear of the vehicle. As a result, the use of
longer length of rails produces smooth running of trains and
comfort to passengers. Therefore, the length of the rail should be
as long as possible, however, its length is limited by the
following factors:

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i. The length of rail is governed by the facilities available for

the manufacture of rails at reasonable cost.
ii. The length of the rails should be such that they can
transported using longest wagon available with the railways.
iii. The length of the rails is also limited by the available
machinery facilities for lifting and handling the rails, for
longing and maintaining the same.
Due to above factors limiting the rail-length, it is proposed that
rails can be welded together for increasing the rail length.
However, the length of welded rails depends upon the
expansion gap to be provided under increased temperature. It
has been observed that the variation in length due to
temperature is not proportional to the length of the rail.
Theory of Welded Rails
Lets l = length of the rail in cm.
α = coefficient of expansion in per oC.
t = the rise in temperature above the temperature at which the
track is laid.
Then increase in length due to expansion is
δl = l * α * t
but this increase in length (δl) is not proportional to the length
of rail l, as expressed in the equation, because the rail fittings
have tendency to hold down the rails to the sleeper, restrict their
larger movement and transfer the longitudinal stresses in the
transverse and vertical directions. Theses transverse or lateral

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stresses may put the track out of alignment due to buckling and
may even result in derailment of the trains.
Lets A = Cross sectional area of the rail in cm2.
E = Modulus of elasticity of steel in kg/cm2.
F = Force in kg required to prevent likely expansion due to
temperature.
l and t = same meaning as above.
F.l = δl . A . E .
F.l = l . α . t . A . E (where δl = l * α * t )
F = α . t . A . E.
The latest theory known as "locking up longitudinal thermal
stresses" has proved beyond doubt that the longitudinal
movement of the rail takes places only at the ends (known as
breathing length) due to temperature variation and absence of
resisting forces of the track while the central portion of the rails
remains fixed (known as fixed length) due to resistance offered
by rails by means of sleeper, rail fastening and ballast against
any expansion due to temperature variation. In the basis of this
theory SWR, LWR, and CWR came into being on obvious
railways world-over.

Illustrative Examples

Example 1 What is the increase in the length of rail of 12.8 m

when the rise of the temperature of the track is 30 oC and given
that α = 1.15*10-5 per oC.

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Solution The increase in length due to expansion is given by

δl = l * α * t
δl = 12.8 *1.15*10-5 *100*30
= 0.442 cm. or 4.42 mm.

Example 2 What should be the length of track to overcome

temperature stress to prevent creep for equilibrium ? When it is
given A=60 cm2, α = 1.15*10-5 per oC, E= 21.5*105 kg/cm2 and
rise in temperature t = 30 oC. Assume 700 kg/km as resistance
to track movement.

Solution The forces required to prevent the expansion due to

temperature is given by
F = α . t . A . E.
F=f.A.t.
Where:
f is the stress in the rail per degree rise in temperature = α . E.
so F = 1.15*10-5 * 21.5*105 * 60 *30 =44460 kg.

length of the track required to overcome temperature stress

(Lt) = 44460/700 = 63.5 km.

To prevent creep for equilibrium, the length of welded track.

= 2 * (Lt)
= 2 * 63.5 = 127 km.

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