Technology Digests / Finite Element Analysis of Loading Environment of Screw Spikes

TD25-028

February 9, 2026
Authors
  • Yin Gao
  • Survesh Shrestha
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Key Findings

  • By maintaining friction between the tie plate and the tie, hold-down forces play a critical role in reducing spike stress.
  • Even load distribution among spikes significantly reduces stress. Uneven loading can lead to fatigue stress levels despite sufficient hold-down forces.
  • Three potential mitigation strategies emerge from these findings: - Using spring washers to preserve consistent hold-down forces and prevent loss of tie plate-tie contact under dynamic loading. - Applying modified screw spike designs to provide more uniform load sharing among spikes. - Enlarging the screw spike’s lower shaft diameter to reduce bending stress in the spike.

Finite Element Analysis of Loading Environment of Screw Spikes

MxV Rail has been actively investigating the causes of spike breakage and exploring potential mitigation strategies associated with elastic fastener plates. Previous studies have focused primarily on elastic fasteners utilizing cut spikes.1-3 These research findings indicated that cut spikes experienced uneven load distribution across spikes on the same plate, with stress levels exceeding fatigue limits. The use of screw spikes is one of the remedies for cut spike breakage because screw spikes provide stronger hold-down forces and are often made from premium materials that enhance fatigue resistance. Limited research has been conducted on the loading environment specific to screw spikes, particularly regarding the influence of the positive hold-down forces they provide. However, despite being limited, the previous research indicated that screw spikes could suffer a stress level that would cause a fatigue failure, and uneven load distribution was found among screw spikes.4-6 These analyses were largely based on individual spike…