Renewal of Rail Track: Requirement of Track Material

Requirement of Track Material

It is important that the exact quantities of track material are conveyed to the site. Any excess material gets wasted, whereas shortage of material results in difficulties and delays in carrying out renewal work. It is normally desirable to have a small spare stock of extra material ready in case of unforeseen contingencies.

The exact quantity of material required for 1 km of track is calculated as given below.

If the track is an ST sleeper track with 52-kg rails and sleeper density M + 7 (where M is the length of the rail in metres, which is normally 13 m on BG), then the calculations are as follows.

Rails

Fish bolts Each joint requires four fish bolts:

Number of fish bolts = 4 × number of rails per km = 4 × 154 = 516

Fish plates Each joint requires two fish plates:

Number of fish plates = 2 × number of rails per km = 2 × 154 = 308

Keys Four keys are required per sleeper:

Number of keys = 4 × 1540 = 5160

Loose jaws Four loose jaws are required per sleeper:

Number of loose jaws = 1540 × 4 = 5160