Brands of crosses: characteristics, types, description

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Today, turnouts are divided into several types. In addition, each of them has its own brand of cross. How to determine which of them has a particular translation? Everything is quite simple - the brand is presented as a fraction, and the number indicated as the numerator is the width of the core, and the denominator is its length.

Description of turnouts

Today, the brand of a cross can indicate not only the length and width of its elements, but also the angle that exists between the working faces of the core. Currently, brands such as 1/9, 1/11, 1/6 and others are actively used.

Railway workers have technical operation rules (PTE), which contain a clause regulating the installation of certain transfers on different types of tracks. For example, the brand of the cross on the main tracks, as well as on the receiving and departing passenger tracks, cannot be more than 1/11. If the translation refers to a cross or a single one following the cross, then it cannot be steeper than 1/9.

If the switch is located on a straight linesegment of the path, then the brand of its cross is kept within 1/9. If the railway tracks belong to the group of freight receiving-departure ones, then the required brands of turnout crosses are 1/9, and if the switch is symmetrical, then no more than 1/6. All other tracks under the same conditions are marked with a 1/8 cross or 1/4, 5 if it belongs to the symmetrical group.

Main types of construction

A cross is a rigid structure that can have movable or fixed elements. To date, the crosspieces of the latter variety have gained the greatest popularity. The main working parts for such products were a core with working edges, as well as two guardrails.

The brand of the cross, as already mentioned, is associated not only with the width and length parameters, but also with the angle between the working faces. Turnouts 1/9, 1/11, 1/18, 1/22 have become the most common on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Straight-line cross

Turouts may have different working edges. Depending on this, they can be straight or curved. The most widespread are rectilinear types of structures. The edges of such translations are straight in both directions. If everything is quite simple and clear with how to determine the brand of the turnout cross, then it is very difficult to immediately determine the position of the faces.

The main difference between straight lines and others is the ability to use the samecrosspieces of both right-handed and left-handed translations. Also, the mentioned cross can be used both in the ordinary and in the symmetrical type of translation.

Curvilinear Cross

The brand of crosspiece of curvilinear type switch is distinguished by the fact that the working face of both the core and the guardrail has the shape of a curved line, hence its name. It is worth noting here that such constructions have certain advantages even over straight ones, and they are concluded in the fact that the length of the translation itself decreases. If you keep the original length, then it will be possible to significantly increase the radius.

The use of crosses of this type is common only on industrial railways. However, they also have a number of negative sides:

• in terms of manufacturing, they are quite complex;
• use the cross of a shallow mark can only be directed in one direction, since it cannot be used to transfer both to the right and to the left;
• packing this part into a symmetrical railroad switch will also fail.

Frogs can differ not only in faces, but also in design. They can be of three types - solid cast, prefabricated rail or prefabricated with a cast core.

Speed parameters

The most common types of ordinary railroad switches are 1/18 and 1/22 crosspieces. The maximum movement speed on paths with such transfers is 80 and 120km/h, respectively. As for the movement of rolling stock on transfers, the brand of crosses of which is 1/9 and 1/11, and the track belongs to the direct type, the speed here cannot be higher than 100 and 120 km/h. And on the side of such a path, the speed cannot exceed 40 km / h.

If the brand of the crosspiece of the turnout is 1/11, and the rails themselves are of the P65 type, then the speed can be no more than 50 km/h, but with a symmetrical type switch, this value can be increased to 70 km/h.

It is worth noting that translations can also be cross. Most often, the mentioned railroad switch is made at a double angle with ordinary transfers. If it is located in the neck of the station, for example, then the marking of the cross will be 2/9. In order to increase the speed of movement of the rolling stock along the side tracks, it is necessary to make more gentle arrows. To date, the best example of a shallow cross is the 1/65 mark. This transfer is used in a high-speed line, allowing the train to move at speeds up to 220 km / h.

Cold Core Cross

Today, on the territory of the Russian Federation, the prefabricated type with a one-sided type cast core is most often used. A distinctive feature of these crosses is that here both the core and the wear part of the guardrails are a one-piece cast-type construction. As a rule, high manganese steel is used as a feedstock for this brand of crosses. Guard rails are made from standard rails, after which tothe core is attached to it.

The main difference between this design and the prefabricated rail, for example, is that its service life is much longer, while the number of parts is reduced. Although if compared with solid cast ones, then the connection of all elements here will be somewhat worse. The most widely used brands of cast core crosses are in the USA.

One-piece crosspiece

The design of this cross is quite simple - it consists of a single cast part. The advantage was that this significantly increased the strength of the part, as well as stability. However, much more metal is used in production.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, these designs have found their application in turnouts with a brand of cross 1/11. The type of transfer itself is usually P65, and the speed of movement of the rolling stock in this case is 160 km / h along a straight section of the track. Under the same operating conditions, when compared with prefabricated rail, for example, solid cast ones differ not only in greater strength and stability, but also in a longer service life. In addition, the cross itself contains a minimum number of parts.

It is also worth remembering such an existing variety as a high-speed one-piece cross. It differs in that it has a full section with a rigidity diaphragm. In order for the wheels of the rolling stock to move more smoothly along the cross, the transverse profile of the antennae has twosite. The marking of the structure in this case is 1/20 on the outer slope and 1/7 on the inner. Among hard crosses, solid crosses are considered the highest quality specimens.

Prefabricated rails

The core of such crosspieces consists of two separate parts, which are attached to each other. These parts are sections of rails that are interconnected. The kit of the named design also includes guard liners and a certain number of bolts needed for assembly.

They are completely assembled from rail parts and are not currently produced in the Russian Federation. This type has a lot of shortcomings, among which the main ones are a large number of prefabricated parts and a small connection between them, which is why various defects in prefabricated rail crosses appear much faster than in other types.

Types of transfers by direction

Currently, a variety of turnouts are used to guide rolling stock:

• The simplest type among them is the single arrow type. It allows you to split one path into two different ones. The next type of configuration is ordinary or, as it is also called, straightforward. The installation of such a cross indicates that one of the directions is completely straight.
• The next type is symmetrical. Most often, this type of design is used in the most cramped conditions. The peculiarity here is that both of its directions deviate by the samethe same angle in different directions. Due to such a deviation, it is possible to achieve that the length of the turnout is minimal. These translations are used as double. In this case, two arrows are closely connected in the design, and one path can be divided not into two, but into three directions at once. Cross switches are designed to be placed at angled intersections.

Moving translations: cross with movable guardrail

To date, the most common are crosses with a movable guardrail and with a movable core. The use of the first of them is most common in those turnouts that are most actively used in exits in one direction. In addition, they are excellent for high-speed transfer applications. When the core is pressed against the guardrail due to the action of one or two springs, the dead space inside is closed. This creates a track of a continuous type, which allows such a section of track to be passed at a sufficiently high speed.

If the rolling stock is moving in the opposite direction, the guardrail will be pressed out by the wheel ridges. And in this case, there may be a hit by the surface of the wheel on the core of the core. In order to avoid such a problem, in this type of crosspiece, it is necessary to slightly lower the level of the core location in relation to its antennae. Although you can do the opposite - raise the guardrails above the core.

Moving core

On the territory of the Russian Federationare engaged in the production of two slightly different types of moving core construction. In the first type, it consists of special sharp rails. In addition, it has quite flexible branches. The installation of such crosses is necessary on the tracks, where it is necessary to realize the speed of movement up to 200 km/h or even more. The second type of named structure consists of a movable core of a rotary prefabricated type.

Spiders with a movable core have certain advantages. We are talking about the fact that the presence of flexible branches allows you to create a continuous rail track. The presence of such a track allows the rolling stock to maintain its speed at the same level that is observed on the haul. It is important to note that in this case there is no need to install counter rails, and the service life of the movable core is about 4-5 times longer than that of the fixed one.

The disadvantage is that it is necessary to install additional rotary mechanisms that will ensure the movement of the core. Separately, we can say about the brand of the cardan cross. It is made of steel grade 20X.

Counterrails

Separately it is worth mentioning the counter rails. Their main task in the turnout is to guide the wheels of the rolling stock to the desired chute. They are made in the same way as most other parts from conventional track rails. However, in some cases, they can also be created from rails with a special profile. Most often, counter rails are located on common track pads. Bolts are used as connections.