An insulated rail joint is a component used to join two abutting rails whilst keeping them electricallyudseparated from one another. This allows for the construction of track circuits and train detectionudwithin signalling systems. Electrical failure of the joints can be caused by plastic flow of the rail steeludover the insulating gap, known as lipping. In the following paper this failure mode has beenudexperimentally modelled using twin disc testing and indicative conclusions have been formed. It hasudbeen found in this testing that endpost thickness does not have an effect on the rate of lipping, butudthe endpost and rail material do. An endpost with higher compressive strength will perform betterudwhile tougher / harder rail steel will also improve performance. The application of a laser clad layerudof tougher material on the running surface, however, gave the greatest resistance to lipping.
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