Gauge-corner cracking
Definition
A specific RCF pattern where cracks initiate at the gauge corner of the rail head, the edge most heavily loaded by wheel flange contact in curves. The cracks are angled steeply at the surface but can turn transversely as they deepen.
Related terms
- Press-fit fretting
- Relative micro-motion between a wheel or disc pressed onto an axle at its interference fit, generating fretting fatigue damage and pits that...
- RAIB
- Rail Accident Investigation Branch: the independent UK body that investigates railway accidents with the objective of improving safety, operating under the same...
- Rolling contact fatigue (RCF)
- Surface and subsurface fatigue damage caused by cyclic wheel-rail contact stress. Micro-cracks initiate at the rail surface, typically in the gauge-corner region,...
- Squats
- Flat-bottomed depressions in the rail running surface accompanied by internal crack systems, another manifestation of rolling contact fatigue caused by wheel slip...
- Track geometry measurement
- Systematic recording of gauge, cross-level, twist, alignment, and surface profile along a route using dedicated measurement vehicles, producing a continuously updated map...
Explained in
- Rail and Infrastructure Failure InvestigationA specific RCF pattern where cracks initiate at the gauge corner of the rail head, the edge most heavily loaded by wheel flange contact in curves. The cracks a...