Study on Wear Characteristics and Management Limit of Switch Rail in High-Speed Turnout

By using the field monitoring method, the actual wear characteristics of switch rail in high-speed turnout under different conditions of passing through the turnout were analyzed. Based on the risk analysis of derailment and the strength analysis of switch rail, the wear management limit of switch rail in high-speed turnout was researched. The results show that the main factor controlling the service life of curved switch rail is side wear. Under the facing and trailing passage conditions of turnout, the wear characteristics of curved switch rail in high-speed turnout present significant difference. For the trailing passage of turnout, the side wear of curved switch rail mainly occurs in the narrow section of the front end. For the facing passage of turnout, the side wear of curved switch rail mainly occurs in the back-end area with large top width. For the scrapped switch rail of turnout with trailing passage, the maximal side wear occurs at the 15 mm section, and the side wear amount is 3.9 mm, which doesn't reach the specification limit of 6 mm. While for the scrapped switch rail of turnout with facing passage, the side wear amount is more than 7.5 mm from the 35 mm section to the full section, which exceeds the specification limit. Based on this, in addition to meeting the requirements of maintenance rules, it is also necessary to ensure that when the wheel is lifted by 2 mm, the dangerous area with a tangent angle less than 43.6° of wheel profile does not contact the switch rail. At the 5 mm section position of curved switch rail, the limit of side wear is reduced from 6 mm to 3.5 mm in the specification. © 2022, Editorial Department of China Railway Science. All right reserved.