Lecture

Railway Track Design

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In course

CIVIL-463: Design and construction of roadways

Ce cours permet de maîtriser les principes et les bases de la conception des voies de circulation (infrastructures routières et ferroviaires). Il traite les bases des projets, la géométrie, la sécurité routière, les matériaux utilisés, les techniques de co ...

Description

This lecture covers the design of railway tracks, focusing on dimensioning the track components such as the sleeper, ballast, and rails. It explains the calculations for the load distribution, resistance to deformation, and stress analysis under the sleeper. The lecture also delves into the different types of materials used, like concrete sleepers, and the considerations for track structure based on traffic loads and speeds. The instructor presents a methodical approach to track design, including decision trees for selecting the appropriate materials and thickness of track components, as well as addressing issues related to frost depth. The lecture concludes with a practical exercise for students to apply the theoretical concepts learned.

Instructor

Micaël Tille

Official source

Related concepts (8)

Railway track

A railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as a train track or permanent way, is the structure on a railway or railroad consisting of the , fasteners, railroad ties (sleepers, British English) and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade. It enables trains to move by providing a dependable surface for their wheels to roll upon. Early tracks were constructed with wooden or cast iron rails, and wooden or stone sleepers; since the 1870s, rails have almost universally been made from steel.

Track gauge

In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge differences often present a barrier to wider operation on railway networks. The term derives from the metal bar, or gauge, that is used to ensure the distance between the rails is correct.

Track geometry

Track geometry is concerned with the properties and relations of points, lines, curves, and surfaces in the three-dimensional positioning of railroad track. The term is also applied to measurements used in design, construction and maintenance of track. Track geometry involves standards, speed limits and other regulations in the areas of track gauge, alignment, elevation, curvature and track surface. Standards are usually separately expressed for horizontal and vertical layouts although track geometry is three-dimensional.

Railroad tie

A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper (Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties transfer loads to the track ballast and subgrade, hold the rails upright and keep them spaced to the correct gauge. Railroad ties are traditionally made of wood, but prestressed concrete is now also widely used, especially in Europe and Asia.

Stress–strain analysis

Stress–strain analysis (or stress analysis) is an engineering discipline that uses many methods to determine the stresses and strains in materials and structures subjected to forces. In continuum mechanics, stress is a physical quantity that expresses the internal forces that neighboring particles of a continuous material exert on each other, while strain is the measure of the deformation of the material. In simple terms we can define stress as the force of resistance per unit area, offered by a body against deformation.

Related lectures (1)

Railway Infrastructure Design