What are the requirements of a good rail joint?

Rail fishplate, which is bolted to the ends of two railroad tracks to join them together, is widely used in light rail, heavy rail and crane rail. So if the quality of the railway fish plate is poor, the caused consequence would be unimaginable. As to the fastening system, fish bolt is the other important part and always firstly chosen in the part of fastening. In general, the rail fastening system is consisting of fish bolt, flat washer and spring washer. Every two fishplates mostly need four or six suits of fish bolt.

What are the requirements of a good rail joint?

A good rail joint must provide continuous, strong, and level track for trains while allowing for expansion, resisting forces, and remaining economical to install and maintain, ensuring strength, stiffness, elasticity, and precise alignment to prevent derailments and wear.

Key Requirements for a Good Rail Joint:

• Strength & Stiffness: Must match the strength and rigidity of the main rail section to handle heavy loads and impacts.

• Continuity & Alignment: Provide a continuous, flat surface and maintain precise gauge (distance between rails) and vertical/lateral alignment to prevent wheel bounce or deviation.

• Elasticity: Offer sufficient flexibility to absorb vibrations and shocks from passing trains.

• Expansion & Contraction: Allow for longitudinal movement (expansion/contraction) due to temperature changes, preventing rail buckling.

• Durability & Wear: Contact surfaces should wear gradually, resisting battering, and the joint should have a long service life.

• Ease of Maintenance: Simple design for easy removal, replacement, and minimal upkeep.

• Resistance to Forces: Withstand longitudinal forces from acceleration/deceleration to reduce rail creep.

• Cost-Effective: Economical for initial setup and ongoing maintenance.

• Versatility: Should ideally work with various sleeper types and rail dimensions (e.g., compromise joints for different sections).

What are the three types of rail joints?

The three primary types of rail joints, classified by sleeper (tie) placement, are Supported Joints, where a sleeper is directly under the rail ends; Suspended Joints, where the joint hangs between two sleepers; and Bridge Joints, similar to suspended but with a connecting plate (bridge plate) for added stability. Other classifications exist, like common, compromise, and insulated joints, but these three focus on structural support.

Common Rail Joint  Specification

Common rail joint is with regular shape, 4 holes or 6 holes, and it is most commonly used in railway track. We have the strength to produce different standard rail joint suiting for all types of rails. The products we manufacture are the following:

GB (Chinese) Standard Rail Joint

• Size: 43kg, 50kg, 60kg, 75kg
• Material: Chinese steel grade 55#
• Standard: TB/T2345-2008
• Elongation A: ≥9%
• Brinell Hardness: HBW 227-388

BS Standard Rail Joint

• Size: BS75R, BS80A, BS90A, BS100A, BS113A
• Material: Chinese steel grade 40#
• Standard: BS47-1
• Tensile Strength Rm: 550-650 Mpa
• Elongation A: ≥18%

UIC Standard Rail Joint

• Size: U79 – UIC54, U85 – UIC60
• Material: Chinese steel grade 40#
• Standard: UIC864-4, UIC864-8
• Tensile Strength Rm: 550-650 Mpa
• Elongation A: ≥18%

DIN Standard Rail Joint

• Standard: DIN 5902-1995
• Material: Chinese steel grade Q235
• size: 1. FL10- FL20: FL10, FL14, FL18, FL20
• 2. FL30–FL41: FL30, FL33, FL41, FL49
• Elongation A: FL10- FL20≥21% FL30–FL41≥23%

GNEE RAIL can provide you with different rail joints such as GB, AREMA, BS, UIC, AS, African standard, South American standard, and different types such as common rail joint, compromise rail joint, bulge rail joint, insulated rail joint and glued insulated rail joint, etc. Our products have been exported to more than 20 countries and areas and more than 50 types of rail joints of standard and nonstandard are available for global customers.

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