Types of Rail Joints are Used on Railway Lines

A railway line is made up of many sections of rails, and each section of the rails needs to be connected by connecting rail fasteners. Variety types of rail joints and bolts are the connecting rail fasteners used for the connection between two rails. According to different rail joint bar dimensions and materials, types of rail joints can be classified into different categories. Next, we will detailed description about the types of rail joints under their differences.

Different Classifications for Types of Rail Joints

Heavy rail joint and light rail joint

The difference between heavy rail and light rail is the weight of the rail per unit length. The rail joints used on the rail with a weight of more than 30kg per meter is called the heavy rail joint, and the rail joints used in the rail with a weight of less than 30kg per meter is called the light rail joint. Heavy rail according to the use can be divided into general heavy rail and crane rail, general heavy rail is mainly used for high load railway track, crane rail is mainly used for crane track. Therefore, heavy rail joint can also be divided into crane rail type and general type. They also have different rail joint bar dimensions.

Insulation rail joint and normal rail joint

Due to the special needs of certain railways, various types of rail joints with insulation characteristic are required. Insulated rail joint is made of a high-strength composite material. Types of rail joints made of this material have the characteristics of anti-corrosion, anti-rust, anti-ultraviolet, no conducting, non magnetic, etc. Insulation rail joint shall be used with insulation supporting equipment such as insulation rail bolt, insulation block and insulation sleeve.

Types of rail joints with holes and rail joints without holes

Usually, there are oval holes in the rail joint. There are two types of rail joints depending on the fastening capacity. They are four-hole rail joints and six-hole rail joints. They have different rail joint bar dimensions and the six-hole rail joint with stronger fastening capacity. The rail joint without holes is a special rail joint. Customers who customize this type of rail joint usually fix the rail joint on the rail by welding. This method requires higher welding technology of workers and requires more complex installation steps. Therefore, the economic cost of welding rail joint without holes connection is higher.

Compromise rail joint and bulged rail joint

Compromise rail joint and bulged rail joint are different from the ordinary rail joints, and they have a special shape. They are used for rail connections in special situations. The compromise rail joint has the same width as the ordinary rail joint, and the rear part is wider than the front part. It is used for rails with different front and rear fastening sizes on special parts of the rail. When misalignment occurs between two sections of rails, or the misalignment position caused by the difference of rail type, the bulged rail joint should be used. The middle of the bulged rail joint is arched. The part of railway rail fixed with bulged rail joint bar belongs to the vulnerable part under stress, so it needs to be paid special attention to and maintained regularly.