FIELD TESTS OF GLUED INSULATED RAIL JOINTS WITH USAGE OF SPECIAL PLASTIC AND STEEL FISHPLATES

ISSN 2307–3489 (Print), ІSSN 2307–6666 (Online) Наука та прогрес транспорту. Вісник Дніпропетровського національного університету залізничного транспорту, 2019, № 2 (80) ЗАЛІЗНИЧНА КОЛІЯ ТА АВТОМОБІЛЬНІ ДОРОГИ UDC 625.143.46 A. NEMETH1*, S. FISCHER2 1*Dep. «Transport Infastructure and Water Resources Engineering», Szechenyi Istvan University, Egyetem Sq., 1, Gyor, Hungary, 9026, tel. + 36 (96) 613 544, e-mail , ORCID 0000-0002-3477-6902 2Dep. «Transport Infastructure and Water Resources Engineering», Szechenyi Istvan University, Egyetem Sq., 1, Gyor, Hungary, 9026, tel. + 36 (96) 613 544, e-mail , ORCID 0000-0001-7298-9960 FIELD TESTS OF GLUED INSULATED RAIL JOINTS WITH USAGE OF SPECIAL PLASTIC AND STEEL FISHPLATES Purpose. The aim was to compare behavior of polymer-composite fishplated and control steel fishplated (type GTI and MTH-P) glued insulated rail joints in railway track. Methodology. After laboratory tests (shear tests of glue materials, 3-point-bending tests, axial pull tests), as well as field inspections, trial polymer-composite and control (steel) fishplated glued insulated rail joints were built into railway tracks with (almost) the same border conditions (rail profiles, cross section parameters, track condition, etc.). The authors summarize in this paper the results of field tests related to polymer-composite, as well as control (steel) fishplated glued insulated rail joints between 2015 and 2018 considering measured data of track geometry recording car and straightness tests. Findings. The investigation and diagnostics of experimental (fiber-glass reinforced fishplate) and control (steel fishplate) rail joints (straightness tests, track geometry recording car measurements) are in progress. Originality. The goal of the research is to investigate the application of this new type of glued insulated rail joint where the fishplates are manufactured at high pressure, regulated temperature, glass-fiber reinforced polymer composite plastic material. The usage of this kind of glued insulated rail joints is able to eliminate the electric fishplate circuit and early fatigue deflection and it can ensure the isolation of rails’ ends from each other by aspect of electric conductivity. Practical value. The polymer-composite fishplated glued-insulated rail joints and control steel fishplated rail joints were built into the No. 1 main railway line (Kelenföld-Hegyeshalom) in Hungary at three different railway stations. The accurate time could not be determined when the polymer-composite fishplated glued-insulated rail joints reach the end of their lifetime as the result of previous research. In this article the investigation of deterioration process of glued-insulated rail joints is demonstrated. Keywords: polymer-composite; fishplate; rail joint; railway; field test Purpose In this paper the authors summarize the railway measurement results related to APATECH (Russian branded) glued insulated rail joints with special fibre-glass reinforced plastic (polymercomposite) fishplates. According to railway maintenance experiences of Hungarian Railways (MÁV) and Raaberbahn, Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurth Railway (GYSEV in Hungarian abbreviation, or ROeEE in German abbreviation), glued insulated steel fishplated joints need a lot of maintenance source due to rail deformations (especially settlements). The next problem Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International doi: 10.15802/stp2019/165874 60 is the false railway control signal due to rail end failures that results railway capacity restriction. Other problems are for example: glue material, endposts, rail ends, rail profile inner corner wear and plastic deformation. In the international literature the researchers have been dealt with the following subtopics (the order does not mean the relevancy and the list was not made with the demand of fullness). In the following (in the literature review) the authors write only ‘rail joints’, but, of course, e.g. mechanical rail joints mainly differ from ‘insulated rail joints’, as well as from ‘glued insulated rail joints’: © A. Nemeth, S. Fischer, 2019 ISSN 2307–3489 (Print), ІSSN 2307–6666 (Online) Наука та прогрес транспорту. Вісник Дніпропетровського національного університету залізничного транспорту, 2019, № 2 (80) ЗАЛІЗНИЧНА КОЛІЯ ТА АВТОМОБІЛЬНІ ДОРОГИ – standards and prescriptions related to design, dimensioning and structural configuration [15, 27] – determination of general failures and failure patterns of rail joints and identification of the reason of breakdown [9, 10, 21, 24, 25, 26, 30, 37, 39, 40, 41, 46, 50, 54, 60, 66, 70], – improvement (reinforcement) and development of rail joints (mechanical joints, insulated joints, as well as glued insulated joints) and elements of these rail joints [2, 12, 19, 21, 22, 23, 26, 28, 30, 32, 37, 40, 46, 53, 54, 58, 60, 70], – analysis of the effect of different materials of rail endpost on carrying capacity (strength) and stiffness of rail joints [2, 16, 21, 22, 23, 26, 60], – investigation of rail joints’ in mechanical and electrical aspects [2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39, 46, 50, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 66, 69, 70], – examination of deformation (mainly deflection) behavior of rail joints, as well as the stress distribution in the rail head and fishplates; examination of wheel-rail contact in the aspect of stress and/or strain distribution, as well as wear behavior [2, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 28, 30, 33, 34, 37, 38, 46, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 69, 70], – investigation of the effect of the arc shape at railhead edges on the stress distribution in the rail head [12, 57], – analysis of sleeper settlement and stress distribution on the contact surface between sleepers and ballast bed, considering the usage of geosynthetic reinforcement solutions or without them [1, 9, 10, 19, 34, 36, 39, 46, 54, 58, 64], – investigation of support properties of rail joints and rail tracks as well as ballast deformation [1, 35, 36, 37, 46, 60, 64], – investigation of glue material quality adequacy related to glued insulated rail joints [52, 53, 66, 67], – analysis of the quantity of glue material between fishplates and rail web due to assembly process, as well as the effect of the glue surface patterns on carrying capacity (strength) of rail joints [52, 53, 66, 67], – investigation of epoxy de-bonding phenomena [52, 53, 66], – examination of the effect of the angle between the rail longitudinal axis and rail joint cut Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International doi: 10.15802/stp2019/165874 (endpost) (i.e. square and inclined rail joints) on the mechanical behavior of the rail joint [8, 11, 12, 13, 18, 37, 38, 58, 68], – analysis of the effect of the size of the endpost [19, 21, 22, 23, 26, 57, 58], – investigation of lipping (and/or ratchetting) at the contact lines between rail ends and endpost elements [25, 26, 28], – analysis of electric arc burning a (...truncated)