Hitte en spoorstaven
Geplaatst: 18 jul 2013, 16:03
Delen van Groot-Brittannië kreunen onder de hitte. Zoöok de spoorstaven.
Op BBC Online een interessante bijdrage over dit "heet" onderwerp
Het interessantste wat ik onthoud qua preventie van "kronkelende" staven: (1) bedding in gewapend beton; (2) de staven wit schilderen
Op BBC Online een interessante bijdrage over dit "heet" onderwerp

Het interessantste wat ik onthoud qua preventie van "kronkelende" staven: (1) bedding in gewapend beton; (2) de staven wit schilderen

(Bron)3. Rails expand
As anybody who has ever sat through GCSE or O-level physics knows, metal expands with heat.
On railways there are traditionally expansion joints, using small gaps in the rail. But once the rail has expanded to fill those gaps you are in trouble.
At London's Waterloo station on Monday one track buckled, causing chaos. Elsewhere, controllers have had to use speed restrictions to avoid damage occurring on hot rails. Last week, 200 ScotRail services were cancelled or held up because of the heat. In temperatures of 30C (86F) the rails themselves can easily reach 50C.
The UK network uses continuous welded rail as this is safer, stronger and allows trains to travel more quickly over it, Network Rail says. This means there are much longer, continuous sections of track but there are still expansion joints.
In addition, work can be done to "artificially stress" new pieces of track so they are more resistant to heat.
The way that railways are built is a key factor in the disruption, says Network Rail. In the UK and many other places rail is laid on sleepers set into ballast, typically crushed stone.
But some countries that have persistently hot weather have what is known as slab track, where the rails are laid on reinforced concrete. "A slab track system can contain much higher forces and so prevent track buckles," says Network Rail.
The catch is that it costs four times as much to lay and with the infrequency of hot weather in the UK no-one has yet pushed for a switch. It may one day get cheaper.
In the meantime, Network Rail has started painting some sections of rail white so that they absorb less heat.
And the nub of the problem is not just the heat but also an occasionally overcrowded rail system. Stations like Waterloo often operate at 100% capacity. Speed restrictions can quickly cause disproportionate disruption.