Development and Verification of Fatigue Testing Device for Rail Fastening Clamps

The rail fastening clamp (or clip) is a crucial part of the rail fastening system that links the rail to the sleeper and transmits the trainload to the substructure. Due to the large tensile stress that occurs during initial fastening and the stress fluctuation that occurs during train operation, this clamp is structured to be vulnerable to fatigue. Furthermore, if concurrent damage occurs at the site, it can result in the train’s derailment, therefore careful control is important to prevent it. Recently, fatigue-induced damage in clamps have been reported during train operations on railway lines, however, research into this is lacking. In this study, the existing fatigue test research cases for the rail fastening system clamps that are extensively used at home and overseas were investigated. A novel fatigue testing device that can replace the present fatigue testing method was designed based on this. A fatigue test was conducted on a tension clamp (SKL15) and the experimental equipment’s appropriateness was assessed through data analysis to confirm the developed experimental equipment.