Rail grinding adds life to intermediate strength rails at FAST

摘要

Rail testing has been an integral part of evaluation of track components at Transportation Technology Center, Inc.'s (TTCI) Facility for Accelerated Service Testing (FAST). In 2012, TTCI initiated a performance test of intermediate strength (IS) rails, which concluded in 2016 after 598 million gross tons (mgt) due to multiple shell formations on the high rail. Four out of six rail types developed shells and transverse defects, which included a standard strength (SS) rail type used as the baseline comparison.