Effects of Superelevation and Train Speed on Rail Performance

MxV Rail (formerly TTCI) conducted research on two 6.2-degree test curves to understand the effects of superelevation (SE) and speed on rail performance. The SE was the primary test variable between the curves. Based on the median operating speed recorded at the test site (~24 mph), balance SE for the 6.2-degree test curves was 2.5 inches. For the test, one curve was designed with 1 inch of SE deficiency at ~1.5 inches, while the other curve was designed with 1 inch of SE excess at ~3.5 inches. The objective of this research was to quantify the effects of elevation deficiency or elevation excess on rail performance when operating trains in revenue service.1,2 Test results evaluated rail wear and rolling contact damage (RCD) as performance criteria between test curves for both high and low rails. The testing methods used MiniProf rail profile measurement equipment to evaluate rail wear. RCD was evaluated…