STRESSES IN RAIL

Presented by:
Lamjingba
Heikham
What is Rail?
a steel bar or continuous line of bars laid on
the ground as one of a pair forming a railway
track

Fig:- Cross-sections of flat-bottomed

rail
Significance of the study :
Rail represents a significant partof any
railways investment in annual track
maintenance.
At the end of its useful life, the scrap value of
rail can be as little as 15% to 20% of its
original cost.
Proper management of this precious asset will
have a positive impact on the users bottom
line, operating ratio and net asset value.
Understanding the stress environment will
help determine the ultimate life expectancy of
the rail.
Stresses in Rail- Types
Contact and Dynamic Stresses
Residual Stress
Thermal Stresses

Note:
There is a little effect of this sleeper density
on the stresses in rails.
So whatever the stresses are going to be
caused, they are going to be caused because
of the loads which are applied from the top.
Contact and Dynamic Stresses
As the name suggests, contact stresses arise as a result
of the wheel contacting the rail.
The magnitude of the stress depends on the applied
forces, the material and the geometry of the contacting
surfaces.
If the forces are applied perpendicular to the contacting
surfaces, the maximum contact stresses do not occur at
the contact surface but occur in a region located inside
the two bodies and just below the contact point.
If a horizontal force, such as friction, is introduced, the
maximum contact stress can be pulled to the
contacting surfaces.
Stresses Due to Eccentric Vertical
Loads
There are certain times or there are conditions
where in the eccentric loads are caused.
As soon as there is an eccentric loading
condition, then there will be a bending moment
which will get created.
This bending moment will create a torsion.
The torsion affects the rails and also its
supports.
So that is why, this is a type of a stress which
has to be taken care of while designing the
sections.
Stresses Due to Eccentric Vertical
Loads
Stresses Due To Horizontal Load
The lateral thrust is most of the time gets
produced at the head of the rail sections.
It produces certain amount of lateral deflection
at the rail head.
As the rail foot is being fixed at the bottom to
the sleeper there is again a tendency the
twisting of the rail may also get caused.
So in this case also there are two aspects which
are going to be initiated or stimulated together,
that is, the lateral deflection and the twisting of
the rail.
Lateral deflection also causes lateral
movement of sleepers on either side.
Contact shear stress under
Repeated Load Condition
This causes metal of the wheel tread and rail
gets fatigue
Stresses Due to Sharp Curves
Stresses occur on Lower Fillets due to Sharp
curves
Thermal Stresses
Thermal stresses are generated by the difference
between the ambient temperature and the rail laying
temperature.
Stresses that arise from uniform temperature change
are considered axial. They heat or cool the rail uniformly.
Stresses that arise from temperature variations in the
rail (as the sun heats one side of the rail, then the other)
can cause rail lateral bending.
When combined with wheel loads, thermal stresses can
be high enough to cause a pull-apart rail fracture.
In some instances, such as during cold snaps, thermal
stresses, alone, can cause a rail pull-apart.
Fig: High heat resulted in thermal expansion of these rails,
buckling this .............section of railway.
THANK YOU