Timber Crosstie Spike Fastener Failure Investigation

2019Research ResultsPDFBriefRR 19-14SpikesFasteningsFailureFatigue (Mechanics)ScrewsGage (Rails)DerailmentsField testsRailroad tiesWood tiesBroken spikeslag screwselastic fastening systemswide gauge derailmentUnited StatesUnited States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development & TechnologyStuart, CameronRoadcap, TomDersch, Marcus S.University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Rail Transportation and Engineering CenterUnited States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research, Development, and TechnologyFederal Railroad AdministrationUniversity of Illinois\u2019 (UIUC) researchers completed an investigation of timber crosstie spike fastener failures on North American railroads between April and October 2018. This investigation, funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), included a review of derailment reports and literature, an industry survey, and an extensive program of field visits to determine the extent of spike failures in track and to characterize the track conditions where these failures occur. In addition, UIUC developed a preliminary finite element model (FEM) to help describe the spike failure modes. The investigation discovered that spike failures are prevalent under specific track conditions and they pose a significant risk to railroad operations.81