What are the expansion gaps in railway tracks?
What are the expansion gaps in railway tracks? These gaps which are of the order of a few millimeters, are provided to allow room for the rails to expand the rise in temperature due to the atmospheric temperature as well as the friction caused by running of train. All materials expand when heated and contract when cooled.
What is the gap between railway lines called?
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge.
What is the expansion joint gap in the railroad?
Expansion joint gaps are the gaps which are deliberately left between the rail ends to allow for expansion of the rails in hot weather. These gaps have a prefer length of 7.5mm~8mm and anything beyond this range is considered as risk. These gaps are found after each 20 m (66 feet) of rails.
Why don t train tracks have expansion joints?
High speed rail track also don't use expansion joints, the rails are continuously welded, which means that instead of expanding/contracting with seasons, they pack quite some tension or compression, which is basically worn by the strength and friction of these concrete slabs.