New problems of continuously welded rail track maintenance in high traffic areas

Abstract

   The paper analyzes the state and evaluates the continuously welded rail track stability. The operation of a continuously welded rail track (CWR) on domestic railways has shown highly effective results, which is facilitated by a number of design solutions (the use of high-quality rails with differentiated thermal strengthening, reliable string-concrete sleepers, crushed stone ballast from hard rocks, screw-dowel fastenings, including lining ones). These factors create all necessary conditions for ensuring the safe movement of trains.
   The impact of two-section DC electric locomotives 2ES10 Granit on the track in terms of evaluating the longitudinal and transverse forces is considered. An analysis of the state of the track infrastructure in the areas of circulation of new electric locomotives revealed another problem an increase in the defectiveness of rails.
   The problem of intensive growth in the number of places for temporary restoration of CWR due to the establishment of a strict temperature regulation for the elimination of places for temporary restoration of defective rails, which contributed to their intensive widespread accumulation, was studied. An analysis of the development dynamics of places for temporary CWR restoration from 2000 to 2020 is given.
   An assessment of the ballast prism state on the railway network showed that when the tonnage is operating from 0 to 250 millions of grass cargo tons, the greatest number of damage to the prism is caused by slashes with a length of 6 to 10 meters that indicates the presence of a problem in eliminating local mud splashes.
   The current methods for calculating the CWR stability of a temperature-stressed type, as well as measures that ensure the CWR stability, depending on its state, are considered.