IMPROVED STRESS ANALYSIS FOR CROSS-TIE TRACKS

Presently, the dominant method for calculating rail stresses and rail-tie contact forces is based on the model of a beam on a Winkler base. One shortcoming of this analysis is that it neglects the effect of the moments that the ties exert on the rails when the rails deflect in the vertical plane. The paper presents an improved analysis of this problelm. It also suggests a simple method for the determination of the track parameters that enter the analysis and demonstrates its use on actual track test data. Paper concludes with a comparison of analytical and track test results.