To date, turnouts are divided into several types. In addition, each of them has its own brand of crosses. How to determine which of them has this or that translation? Everything is quite simple - the mark is presented in the form of a fraction, and the figure indicated as the numerator is the width of the core, and the denominator is its length.
Description of turnouts
To date, the mark of the cross can indicate not only the length and width of its elements, but also the value of the angle that exists between the working faces of the core. Currently, such brands as 1/9, 1/11, 1/6 and others are actively used.
Railroad workers have technical maintenance rules (PTE), which have a clause regulating the installation of certain transfers on different types of tracks. For example, the mark of the cross on the main tracks, as well as on the pick-up and drop-off passenger, cannot be more than 1/11. If the translation refers to the cross or single, following the cross, then it cannot be cooler than 1/9.
If the turnout is located on a straight segment of the path, then the mark of its cross is kept within 1/9. If the railroad tracks belong to the group of freight pick-up and drop-offs, then the required marks of crosspieces of turnouts are 1/9, and if the transfer is symmetrical, then no more than 1/6. All other routes under the same conditions are marked with a cross 1/8 or 1 / 4,5, if it belongs to the group of symmetrical.
The main types of construction
A cross is a rigid structure that can have moving or fixed elements. To date, the crosses of the last variety have gained the most popularity. The main working details for such products was the core, which has working faces, as well as two guardrails.
The cross mark, as already mentioned, is associated not only with the width and length parameters, but also with the angle between the working faces. In the Russian Federation, turnouts 1/9, 1/11, 1/18, 1/22 became the most common.
Straight Cross
Turnouts may have different working faces. Depending on this, they can be rectilinear or curvilinear. The most common are rectilinear types of structures. The verges of such transfers are direct in both directions. If everything is quite simple and clear with how to determine the mark of the crosspiece of the turnout switch, then it is very difficult to immediately determine the position of the faces.
The main difference between straightforward and others is the ability to use the same cross both legal and left-wing translations. Also, the mentioned cross can be operated in both the ordinary and symmetrical type of translation.
Crosspiece of curvilinear type
The cross-type mark of the curvilinear turnout differs in that the working face of both the core and the guardrail has the outline of a curve line, from where its name came from. It is worth noting here that such designs have certain advantages even over straightforward ones, and they are concluded in that the length of the translation itself is reduced. If you keep the original length, then it will be possible to significantly increase the radius.
The use of crosspieces of this type is common only on industrial railways. However, they have a number of negative aspects:
- in terms of manufacturing, they are quite complex;
- you can use the cross of a gentle mark only for direction in one direction, since you can’t use it to translate to the right or left side;
- to put this part in a symmetrical turnout also fails.
Crosses can differ not only in faces, but also in design. They can be of three types - solid, precast rail or precast with a cast core.
Speed parameters
The most common types of ordinary turnout switch are 1/18 and 1/22 crosses. The maximum speed on tracks with such transfers is 80 and 120 km / h, respectively. As for the movement of rolling stock in transfers, the cross mark of which is 1/9 and 1/11, and the path belongs to the direct type, then the speed here cannot be higher than 100 and 120 km / h. And on the side of this path, the speed cannot exceed 40 km / h.
If the mark of the crosspiece of the turnout switch is 1/11, and the rails themselves are of the P65 type, then the speed can be no more than 50 km / h, while translating the symmetrical type this value can be increased to 70 km / h.
It is worth noting that transfers can also be cross-linked. Most often, the railroad switch is made at a double angle with ordinary translations. 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 produce more gentle arrows. To date, the best example of a gentle cross is brand 1/65. Such a transfer is used in a high-speed line, allowing the train to travel at speeds up to 220 km / h.
Cast core spider
Today, in the Russian Federation, the prefabricated type with a cast core of a one-sided type is most often used. A distinctive feature of these crosses is that here both the core and the wear part of the guardrails are an integral cast type construction. As a rule, high-manganese steel is used as the feedstock for this brand of crosspieces. The guardrails are made of standard rails, after which the core joins them.
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 when compared with solid castings, the connection of all the elements here will be somewhat worse. The most common brand of cast core crosses were in the United States.
Solid Type Crossings
The design of this crosspiece is quite simple - it consists of one cast part. The advantage was that this significantly increased the strength of the part, as well as stability. However, in production, you have to spend much more metal.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, these designs have found their application in turnouts with a cross mark of 1/11. The type of translation 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 castings differ not only in greater strength and stability, but also in longer service life. In addition, the spider itself contains a minimal amount of detail.
It is also worth recalling such an existing variety as a high-speed solid cast cross. It differs in that it has a full cross section with a diaphragm of rigidity. In order for the wheels of the rolling stock to move more smoothly along the cross, the transverse profile of the antennae has two sections. The design marking in this case is 1/20 in the external slope and 1/7 in the internal. Among hard crosses, solid castings are considered the most high-quality specimens.
Prefabricated rail
The core of such crosses consists of two separate parts, which are cut to each other. These parts are sections of rails that are interconnected. The kit of the named design also includes guardrail inserts and a certain number of bolts required for assembly.
They are completely assembled from parts of rails and are currently not produced on the territory of the Russian Federation. This type has a lot of drawbacks, 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 crosspieces manifest much faster than other types.
Types of transfers in the direction
Currently, a variety of turnouts are used, which allow you to direct rolling stock:
- The simplest type among them is a single switch. 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 crosspiece indicates that one of the directions is completely straightforward.
- 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 at the 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 intersections at an angle.
Movable translations: crosspiece with movable guardrail
To date, the most common are crosses with a movable guardrail and a movable core. The application of the first of them is most common in those turnouts, which are most actively used in congresses in one direction. In addition, they are great for translations on high-speed tracks. 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 rail track of a continuous type, which allows such a section of the track to pass at a sufficiently high speed.
If the rolling stock moves in the opposite direction, then the guardrail will be wrung out by wheel flanges. And in this case, a hit by the surface of the wheel about the core of the core may occur. In order to avoid such a problem, in the crosspiece of this type, it is necessary to slightly lower the level of the location of the core, in relation to its antennae. Although you can do the opposite - raise the guardrails above the core.
Movable core
On the territory of the Russian Federation, two slightly different types of designs with a moving core are produced. In the first type, it consists of special wit rails. In addition, it has quite flexible branches. The installation of such crosses is necessary on tracks where it is necessary to realize a speed of movement of up to 200 km / h or even more. The second type of this design consists of a movable core of a rotary prefabricated type.
Crosses with a movable core have certain advantages. The point is 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 stage. It is important to note that in this case there is no need for the installation of counter rails, and the service life of the movable core is about 4-5 times longer than that of a fixed one.
The disadvantage is that it is necessary to install additional rotary mechanisms that will provide core movement. Separately, we can say about the brand of the universal joint cross. It is made of steel grade 20X.
Counter rails
Separately, it should be said about the counter rails. Their main task in the turnout is the direction of the wheels of the rolling stock in the desired gutter. 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 linings. As a connection, bolts are used.