Science Behind It: Why Are There Stones On Railway Tracks?

Why are there stones on the rails? Today we will explore the answer to this very interesting question. You must have seen railroad tracks covered with countless stones. What is the science behind this? This ancient solution was solved nearly 200 years ago to facilitate the transportation of people and goods over thousands of kilometers.

Before we dive into the reasons why, let us first tell you that these stones beside the railway tracks are called ballast. What is that? Read on.

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What is track ballast?

The crushed stone along the railway track is collectively called ballast. The word “ballast” comes from a nautical term for stones used to stabilize ships. It was crushed stone and gravel used to balance the weight of British coal ships returning home.

Ballast is the roadbed on which the railway line is laid. The railway tracks are not fixed to the ground, but float on the ballast. The weight of the ballast and the railway tracks keeps the line stable.

Ballast is placed under, between and around the railroad sleepers. It is usually about 25 to 30 centimeters thick, but sometimes thicker, depending on the volume of traffic on the line.

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Railway tracks consist of two parallel rails at a fixed distance from each other. The rails are connected by railroad sleepers (called sleepers in Europe) and spikes (a large nail also called a cut nail or crampon). The railroad sleepers are made of wood or concrete. The rails are bolted to the railroad sleepers.

Did you know? Robert Livingston Stevens is credited with inventing the railroad spike. The first use of the spike was in 1832.

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What types of stone can be used as track ballast?

Interestingly, only certain types of stone are used as track ballast. The material used for ballast is usually high-quality igneous or metamorphic rock that is blasted during the mining process to obtain the ideal ballast material. The ballast material is uniformly graded and irregular in shape.

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The following materials can be used as ballast on railway tracks: crushed stone, gravel, fly ash (cinder), concrete, and sand.

Ash was once considered a good ballast material because it drains quickly. Until 1922, nearly 90% of the ballast used by the former Northeastern Railroad in the United States was ash. Studies have shown that ash may be a good ballast material, but the sulfides contained in ash are highly chemically harmful to railroad ties and other track components. As a result, ash was removed from the list of acceptable materials for railroad ballast.

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Why are there stones on the rails?

Above, we have briefly understood what ballast and track structure are. Let us understand why there are stones (ballast) on railway tracks. Ballast helps to:

• Provides the ballast for railroad tracks.
• Withstands the compressive loads of sleepers, rails and rolling stock.
• Promotes proper drainage on the track so that water does not remain on the track.
• When the train passes by, the track is held in place.
• Maintains track geometry and prevents vertical, longitudinal and lateral displacement.
• Provides insulation and avoids problems with track power supply.
• Absorbs noise and vibration.
• Suppress vegetation on tracks.

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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Optical Illusion