Rail Fracture Flashcards
1
Q
Why will a crack spend most of its life small before growing rapidly as it gets worse?
A
As a crack grows, there is less area of beam to carry the bending stresses - therefore the region of crack tip increases.
Stress Intensity increases as area of steel becomes less and less.
2
Q
Why is it important to detect small cracks?
A
As small cracks become big cracks quite rapidly - Stress Intensity
3
Q
What is the cracking mechanism in Rails?
A
Major principle stresses are Compressible pressures.
This results in; Rolling contact fatigue, which then leads to Gauge corner cracking.
4
Q
What is the solution for Rolling contact fatigue?
A
Grind before they become too large.
