An Experimental Investigation and Improvement of Insulated Rail Joints (IRJs) End Post Performance.

Insulated rail joints are a safety valve in railways that are used as part of the signalling system to determine the position of a train. Insulated rail joints are the weakest part of the railroad, where their life ranges between a third and half of the life of rails.
One of the most significant issues in insulated rail joints is metal flow, and damage and loss of the end post. Major causes of these issues include sliding wear, impact wear, wear due to rolling/sliding contact, and wear due to rail compression and plastic flow of rail material. In this study experimental investigations have been applied to improve insulated rail joints. The aim of this work was to experimentally determine the resistance to sliding wear, impact wear, rolling/sliding contact wear, compression wear of five specimens of end post materials with different properties against train wheel material (steel), and the influence of tests parameters and lubrication on these materials. The end post materials were classified into thermoplastic materials such as Nylon 12, Nylon 66 and Nylon66a materials and thermosetting materials such as Epoxy Glass and Phenolic Resin Bonded Fabric materials according to melting point temperature.