What Properties Should Rail Fasteners Have?

Rail fastener is one of the important components used to fix railway track. They are usually made of metal and are strong and durable enough to support and hold the rails in place, ensuring that the train can operate safely and stably while traveling. The connection between the rail and the sleeper is realized by the intermediate connecting parts. The intermediate connection parts are also called fasteners, whose function is to effectively maintain the reliable connection between the rail and the sleeper for a long time, prevent the rail from moving relative to the sleeper, and give full play to its cushioning and damping performance under the dynamic action, delaying the accumulation of residual deformation of the track.

With the application of concrete sleepers and wide sleepers, especially the application of ballastless tracks, higher requirements have been put forward for rail fasteners. Concrete sleepers are made from a wide range of sources and have good track stability. They can meet the requirements of high-speed and large-traffic volumes of trunk railways and have a long service life. However, they are prone to failure due to cracks, are heavy in mass, difficult to replace, and have poor elasticity.

In addition to connecting rails and sleepers, adjusting rail gauge and super-high functions, fasteners must also have sufficient longitudinal resistance to prevent rail crawling and reasonable elasticity to reduce vibration of the wheel-rail system.

As an important part of the track system, rail fasteners have a variety of performance requirements, including but not limited to the following aspects:

Sufficient buckling pressure

This is an important guarantee for the connection between rails and sleepers. Sufficient buckling force means that when the rail bends and rotates, the rail bottom will not be displaced longitudinally along the pad, that is, the longitudinal resistance of the fastener is required to be greater than the longitudinal resistance of the track bed. Of course, the buckling pressure should not be too high, otherwise the elasticity of the fastener will drop sharply and the service life of the fastener will be affected.

Proper elasticity

Appropriate elasticity can reduce the pressure of load on the ballast bed, reduce the unsprung vibration acceleration, and extend the service life of the components. The elasticity of fasteners is mainly provided by rubber cushion plate and elastic strip. In terms of concrete tie line, the elasticity of concrete tie is much worse than that of wooden tie. Therefore, the elasticity of the concrete pillow line in the vertical and horizontal directions is mainly provided by fasteners

Has a certain track gauge and horizontal adjustment amount

In order to adapt to changes in rail surface elevation and track gauge, rail fasteners should have sufficient adjustment in all directions. Especially in concrete sleeper tracks and ballastless tracks, the adjustment amount of rail fasteners is more prominent.

Anti-corrosion properties

Since the railway environment is often moist and corrosive, rail fasteners need to have good corrosion resistance to extend their service life and maintain their functional integrity.

In addition, rail fasteners should be simple in structure, easy to install and disassemble, and have sufficient durability and insulation properties.

As an important component connecting rails and supporting structures, rail fasteners have the same history as railway development. From the original wooden sleeper spike fastener to the concrete sleeper elastic fastener, every innovation is a concrete manifestation of railway development.

In general, the performance requirements of rail fasteners are the result of comprehensive considerations from many aspects, aiming to ensure the safe, stable and reliable operation of the railway system.

As a professional steel rail supplier, Glory Rail can supplier both steel rail and rail accessories, such as rail clips, rail pads, rail joint, etc. If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us!