Rail corrugation: Characteristics, causes, and treatments

Abstract

Rail corrugation is a phenomenon of great diversity but appears now to be substantially understood. This review proposes some differences in classification of the phenomenon to take account of work undertaken since a widely cited review was published by Grassie and Kalousek in 1993, it attempts to fill holes in an overall understanding of the problem, and answers questions that remained open in 1993 and several that have arisen since. All types of corrugation that have been documented to date are essentially constant-frequency phenomena. By treating the vehicle-track system in its entirety, treatments are proposed that impinge upon track and vehicle design as well as upon the wheel-rail interface where corrugation appears. There is no neat solution to rail corrugation, but it can be treated comprehensively and in many cases also prevented by using products that are already commercially available. Since the frequency of common wavelength-fixing mechanisms varies roughly in the range 50-1200 Hz, trains travelling at different speeds can produce corrugation of substantially similar wavelength by different mechanisms in different locations. Although historical data can no longer be checked, this is the most likely explanation of the belief that rail corrugation was a substantially constant-wavelength phenomenon.

Measurement methods and analysis tools for rail irregularities: a case study for urban tram track

“…This kind of corrugation may also appear in the track for light axle load traffic (less than 200 kN). Furthermore, in some circumstances, this defect is more evident in the correspondence of the sleepers [19].…”

“…The presence of local imperfections, as welds and joints, acts like triggering factor, determining the position of the corrugation along the rail. The damage of the inner rail in the curve is caused by a mechanism of the driven axles [19]: the phenomenon starts when the one wheel traction ratio is close to the friction limit, thus causing the slip and then the oscillation of the other wheel in correspondence with the second natural frequency of torsional resonance [21], as shown in Fig. 4.…”

“…The result of this phenomenon is wear of the rail with a geometric wavy development, with uniform wavelengths and appearance, and depth that can quickly reach tenths of a millimeter [19].…”

Rail Corrugation Effects on the Dynamic Behavior of Clips of Rail Fastening System in Operation Environment of Urban Railway

“…2.1 파상마모 발생현황 [5] 도시철도 운영환경에서 파상마모에 의한 레일체결장치 클립의 진동 특성을 분석하기 위하여, 속도(V) 90km/h인 직선 1개소 (SP1)와 곡선(R 800m, C 120mm) 내측 레일 2개소(SP2, SP3)를 샘플개소로 선정하여 파상마모를 측정하였다. 여기서 C는 설 정캔트를 의미한다.…”

Determination of the effect of rail/wheel vibrations on railway dynamic on ballasted line

“…Bunlar için; yol geometrisi bozuklukları, ray ve tekerlek yüzeyindeki düzensizlikler, cebireli ray contaları, makas ve kruvazman geçişleri, yol rijitliğinin değişmesi gibi bir çok neden sayılabilir. Ray tekerlek temasında değişken travers aralığı, makas geçişleri, lokal yol oturmaları gibi periyodik olmayan nedenlerden dolayı harmonik olmayan yükler oluşurken, ray ondülasyonları, ray contaları, tekerlek aplatisi (yassılaşma) gibi periyodik nedenlerden dolayı harmonik yükler oluşmaktadır [3,4]. En düşük öz frekans, tüm yol çerçevesinin öz frekansıdır.…”