Methods of Reducing Wear of Rails

Wear is one of the most important factors affecting the structural life of railways. In urban railways, the curved track results in more wear than tangent track. Furthermore, the wear is frequently detected in a sharply curved track. Wear leads to reduction in the durability of railway as well as increase in the risk of derailment.

Followings are some different techniques and methods for reducing wear of rails:

1. Use of special alloy steel
2. Good maintenance of track
3. Reduction of expansion gap
4. Reduction of the number of joints
5. Exchange of inner and outer rail on curve
6. Use of lubricating oil on the guage face
7. By coning of wheel
8. Tilting of rails
9. interchanging inner and outer rails