Why do steel railway tracks have gaps between them?

The gaps left between successive rails on a railway track, the reason is that the rails expand in summer. The gap is provided to allow for this expansion. If no gap is left, the expansion in summer will cause the rails to bend sideways. That will result in train accidents.

Why is there ballast on train tracks?

The crushed stones are what is known as ballast. Their purpose is to hold the wooden cross ties in place, which in turn hold the rails in place. The answer is to start with the bare ground, and then build up a foundation to raise the track high enough so it won’t get flooded.

Why are railway tracks laid on wooden or iron sleepers?

Railway tracks are laid on large sized wooden sleepers so that the thrust due to the weight of train is spread over large area . This reduces the pressure on the ground which would prevent the yielding of the ground.

What is railway ballast made of?

Rail Track Ballast is typically made from crushed granite which has been screened to remove undesirable fines thus creating a hard wearing, free draining and easily cleaned aggregate. Typically Rail Track Ballast is packed between, below, and around the sleepers by specialised equipment.

What type of steel is used in railway tracks?

Railroad track steel is typically 1084 or equivalent hot rolled steel. This is a medium carbon steel with 0.7\% to 0.8\% carbon and 0.7\% to 1\% manganese. This type of steel is great for heat treating.

What is distance between railway track?

Standard Gauge The distance between the two tracks in this railway gauge is 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in). In India, standard gauge is used only for urban rail transit systems like Metro, Monorail and Tram.

What is the distance between train tracks?

The US standard railroad gauge is 4 feet, 8.5 inches (Gauge means width between the two rails). The U.S. federal safety standards allow the standard gauge to vary from 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 9 1⁄2 in (1,460 mm) for operation up to 60 mph (97 km/h).

Why do railroad tracks have gaps in them?

Gaps in railroad tracks keep the tracks from buckling in hot weather. The distinctive gap in railroad tracks hasn’t always been there. Initially, designers of railroads butted the tracks right up against each other for a smooth ride.

What is the purpose of the rails on a railway track?

Their purpose is to hold the wooden cross ties in place, which in turn hold the rails in place.

Why are railroad tracks made of deep steel?

This is a requirement for good reason – it allows for deeper heat treatment. For railroad tracks to perform well in the long term, there are two really important qualities that the steel needs to have: high wear resistance and resistance to fracturing. The deeper heat treatment allows the steel to have higher strength properties.

How are railway tracks joined together?

The traditional method of joining the rails is to bolt them together using metal fishplates (jointbars in the US), producing jointed track. For more modern usage, particularly where higher speeds are required, the lengths of rail may be welded together to form continuous welded rail (CWR).