What is the function of the rails?
Jan 22, 2026
A steel rail is a long, rolled steel component that forms a smooth, continuous surface for wheels while transferring vertical, lateral, and dynamic forces to the sleepers and track foundation. Its cross-sectional shape and metallurgical properties are engineered to resist wear, fatigue, and deformation, providing stability, guidance, and long-term reliability in railway, industrial, and crane track systems.
What is the function of the rails?
Rails are the members of the track laid in two parallel lines to provide an unchanging, continuous, and level surface for the movement of trains. To be able to withstand stresses, they are made of high-carbon steel.
The main functions of rails in a railway track are as under:
- Rails provide a continuous and level surface for the movement of the trains with minimum friction with steel wheels of the rolling stock.
- Rails provide strength, durability and lateral guidance to the track.
- Rails transmit the axle load to sleepers, which transfer the same load to the underlying ballast and formation.
- Rails bear the stresses developed due to heavy vertical loads, breaking forces and temperature variance.
Types of Rails
The first rails used were double headed (DH) and made of an I or dumb-bell section. The idea was that once the head wore out during service, the rail could be inverted and reused. Experience, however, showed that while in service the bottom table of the rail was dented to such an extent because of long and continuous contact with the chairs that it was not possible to reuse it.
This led to the development of the bull headed (BH) rail, which had an almost similar shape but with more metal in the head to better withstand wear and tear . This rail section had the major drawback that chairs were required for fixing it to the sleepers.
A flat-footed rail, also called a vignole rail , with an inverted T-type cross section of inverted T- type was, therefore, developed, which could be fixed directly to the sleepers with the help of spikes. Another advantage of the flat-footed rail is that it is a more economical design, giving greater strength and lateral stability to the track as compared to a BH rail for a given cross-sectional area.
As a professional rail fastener supplier, GNEE RAIL can provide different standard steel rail such as GB,American, BS, UIC, DIN, JIS, Australian and South Africa which used in railway lines, cranes and coal mining.
Chinese Standard steel Rail
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| 22 KG/M | 93.66 | 50.8 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | |
| 24 KG/M | 107 | 51 | 90 | 10.9 | 24.46 | |
| 30 KG/M | 107.95 | 60.33 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | |
| Heavy Rail | 38 KG/M | 134 | 68 | 114 | 13 | 38.733 |
| 43 KG/M | 140 | 70 | 114 | 14.5 | 44.653 | |
| 45 KG/M | 145 | 67 | 126 | 14.5 | 45.546 | |
| 50 KG/M | 152 | 70 | 132 | 15.5 | 51.514 | |
| 60 KG/M | 176 | 73 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.64 | |
| Crane Rail | QU 70 | 120 | 70 | 120 | 28 | 52.8 |
| QU 80 | 130 | 80 | 130 | 32 | 63.69 | |
| QU 100 | 150 | 100 | 150 | 38 | 88.96 | |
| QU 120 | 170 | 120 | 170 | 44 | 118.1 | |
JIS E 1103/1101 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: JIS E 1103/1101 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| JIS 15KG | 42.86 | 79.37 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | 9-10 |
| JIS 22KG | 50.8 | 93.66 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | 9-10 |
| JIS 30A | 60.33 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | 9-10 |
| JIS 37A | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 10-25 |
| JIS 50N | 65 | 153 | 127 | 15 | 50.4 | 10-25 |
| CR 73 | 100 | 135 | 140 | 32 | 73.3 | 10-12 |
| CR 100 | 120 | 150 | 155 | 39 | 100.2 | 10-12 |
DIN 13674-1-2003 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard：DIN 536 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| A55 | 55 | 65 | 150 | 31 | 31.8 | 10-12 |
| A55 | 65 | 75 | 175 | 38 | 43.1 | |
| A75 | 75 | 85 | 200 | 45 | 56.2 | |
| A100 | 100 | 95 | 200 | 60 | 74.3 | |
| A120 | 120 | 105 | 200 | 72 | 100 | |
UIC 860 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: UIC860 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| UIC50 | 70 | 152 | 125 | 15 | 50.46 | 12-25 |
| UIC54 | 70 | 159 | 140 | 16 | 54.43 | |
| UIC60 | 74.3 | 172 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.21 | |
BS11:1985 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: BS11:1985 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| 50 O | 52.39 | 100.01 | 100.01 | 10.32 | 24.833 | 6-18 |
| 60 A | 57.15 | 114.3 | 109.54 | 11.11 | 30.618 | |
| 75 A | 61.91 | 128.59 | 114.3 | 12.7 | 37.455 | 8-25 |
| 75 R | 61.91 | 128.59 | 122.24 | 13.1 | 37.041 | |
| 80 A | 63.5 | 133.35 | 117.47 | 13.1 | 39.761 | |
| 80 R | 63.5 | 133.35 | 127 | 13.49 | 39.674 | |
| 90 A | 66.67 | 142.88 | 127 | 13.89 | 45.099 | |
| 100 A | 69.85 | 152.4 | 133.35 | 15.08 | 50.182 | |
| 113 A | 69.85 | 158.75 | 139.7 | 20 | 56.398 | |
American Standard Steel Rail
| ASTM standard, AREMA standard | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Foot | Thickness | |||
| ASCE 25 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.4 | 6-12 |
| ASCE 30 | 42.86 | 79.38 | 79.38 | 8.33 | 14.88 | |
| ASCE 40 | 47.62 | 88.9 | 88.9 | 9.92 | 19.84 | |
| ASCE 60 | 60.32 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 29.76 | |
| ASCE 75 | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 12-25 |
| ASCE 85 | 65.09 | 131.76 | 131.76 | 14.29 | 42.17 | |
| ASCE 90 | 69.09 | 130.18 | 142.88 | 14.29 | 44.65 | |
| ASCE 115 | 69.06 | 139.7 | 168.28 | 15.88 | 56.9 | |
| ASCE 136 | 74.61 | 152.4 | 185.74 | 17.46 | 67.41 | |
| ASCE 175 | 109.86 | 152.4 | 152.4 | 38.1 | 86.8 | |
Rail Manufacture
The steel used for the manufacture of rails is made by the open hearth or duplex process and should not have a wide variation in its chemical composition. There are essentially four stages of rail manufacturing.
(a) Steel manufacturing process using a basic oxygen/electric arc furnace, including argon rinsing and degassing
(b) Continuous casting of blooms
(c) Rail rolling process including controlled cooling
(d) Rail finishing including eddy current testing, ultrasonic testing, and finishing
Since 2008, GNEE RAIL has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE produces high quality steel rails that meet with requirements of most countries. Standard rail, head hardened rail, heavy rail,light rail,crane rail and other types are all available here, as one of the China main rail supplier, GNEE RAIL has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.
