Course detail

Railway Constructions I

FAST-NNA009Acad. year: 2026/2027

Switches and crossing, types, turnout parts. The geometry of sets of switches and common crossings. Manufactured types and notation.
The single turnout, stock rail, switch rail (blade), common and crossings, sleepers, fastenings systems. Operating and locking systems. Crossings and slip points.
Turnout collections. Crossovers, junctions, sets of turnouts. Turnouts in curves.
High-speed turnouts, development of new turnouts structures.

Wheel-rail interface, wheelset and track dimensions, equivalent conicity, lateral movement of wheelset on the straight track
Wheel-rail contact stresses, Hertz theory, adhesion and adhesion force, train resistances
The vehicle in a curve, Vogel theory, Heumann theory, forces on the wheelset, derailment condition
Track loads, vertical, lateral and longitudinal forces, influence of higher operation speed
Static track design, rail stresses, sleeper stresses, vertical stresses on ballast bed and formation, computer models
The rail, manufacturing, welding, testing and acceptance, rail failures, rail grinding
Theory of continuous welded rail. Longitudinal forces, the stability of continuous welded rail.
Modern railway track structures.
Dynamic track design. Principles, the simple dynamic model of track wheel interaction. Dynamic models of the track, critical train velocity, the dynamic response on vehicle, wheelset, transfer of vibrations between wheel and rail.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Otto Plášek, Ph.D.

Department

Institute of Railway Structures and Constructions (ZEL)

Entry knowledge

Track alignment design parameters and its spatial positions, railway track design.
Railway substructure, subdivision and construction of rail substructure and its construction layers, construction and shape of the earth formation
Railway superstructure and modern railway structure design.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Extent and forms are specified by guarantor’s regulation updated for every academic year.

Aims

The objective of the subject is to introduce students to the problems of interaction between railway vehicle and track, static track design, switches, crossings and turnouts and to practise acquires knowledge and skills.
A student acquires skills in interaction between railway vehicle and track, static track design, switches, crossings and turnouts.

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

ESVELD, Coenraad. Modern railway track. 2nd ed. Zaltbommel: MRT-Productions, c2001. ISBN 90-800-3243-3. (EN)
IŽVOLT, Libor, Janka ŠESTÁKOVÁ a Michal ŠMALO. Železničné staviteľstvo 2: Diagnostika, mechanizácia prác a technologické postupy údržby železničnej jazdnej dráhy. Žilina: EDIS, 2015. ISBN 978-80-554-1169-9. (SK)
LICHTBERGER, Bernhard. Track compendium: track system, substructure, maintenance, economics. 2. Hamburg: DVV Media Group, 2011. ISBN 978-3-7771-0421-8. (EN)
PLÁŠEK, Otto, Pavel ZVĚŘINA, Richard SVOBODA a Milan MOCKOVČIAK. Železniční stavby: Železniční spodek a svršek. Brno: Akademické nakladatelství CERM, 2004. ISBN 80-214-2621-7. (CS)

Recommended reading

FRÝBA, Ladislav. Dynamika železničních mostů. Praha: Academia, 1992, 326 s. ISBN 80-200-0262-6. (CS)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPC-SIK Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

  • Programme CZV1-AKR Lifelong learning

    specialization PNM , 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Otto Plášek, Ph.D.

Syllabus

  • 1. Wheel-rail interface, wheelset and track dimensions, equivalent conicity, lateral movement of wheelset on the straight track.
  • 2. Wheel-rail contact stresses, Hertz theory, adhesion and adhesion force, train resistances. Vogel theory, Heumann theory, forces on wheelset, derailment condition.
  • 3. Static track design, rail stresses, sleeper stresses.
  • 4. Theory of continuous welded rail. Longitudinal forces, stability of continuous welded rail.
  • 5. Permanent way on bridges. Continuous welded rail on bridges.
  • 6. The single turnout, turnout collections
  • 7. Design of switches and crossings, design of turnouts in a curve
  • 8. Simple turnout connections. Single crossover in curve.
  • 9. Structural components of switches and crossings. stock rail, switch rail (blade), common and crossings, bearers, locking device, fastenings systems.
  • 10. Sets of turnouts.
  • 11. Vertical stresses on ballast bed and formation and its deformation resistance. Climatic conditions.
  • 12. Dynamic track design. Principles, the simple dynamic model of track wheel interaction. Dynamic models of track, critical train velocity, dynamic response on vehicle, wheelset, transfer of vibrations between wheel and rail.
  • 13. The rail, assessment, defects and failures , grinding.

Exercise

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Ing. Miroslava Hruzíková, Ph.D.
Ing. Tomáš Říha

Syllabus

  • 1. Wheel-rail interface, wheelset and track dimensions, equivalent conicity, lateral movement of wheelset on the straight track.
  • 2. Vogel theory, Heumann theory, forces on wheelset
  • 3. Static track design, calculation of rail stresses and deflection
  • 4. Calculation of longitudinal forces, stability of continuous welded rail
  • 5. Permanent way on bridges. Continuous welded rail on bridges.
  • 6. Layout of single turnout
  • 7. Single turnouts in curve
  • 8. Single crossover in curve
  • 9. Simple turnout connections
  • 10. Sets of turnouts
  • 11. Consultations
  • 12. The design drawings delivery
  • 13. Credit.