Rail anchors are applied to the rail base directly and lodge up against the tie. Rail anchors provide a large bearing surface against rail base and rail tie, preventing cutting and wear, and eventually to prolong the working life of the rail ties. Anchors are made for a specific rail weight and base width, which can be classified into two types: the Drive-on rail anchors and Spring type rail anchor.
Rail anchors are primarily used in wooden sleepers in practical applications for the following reasons:
Installation Limitations: Rail anchors function by clamping the rail base and hooking onto the sleeper. Wooden sleepers allow direct embedding of claws or steel plates for fixation. Concrete or steel sleepers have hard and brittle surfaces that cannot be "gripped" like wooden sleepers, making them generally unsuitable.
Force Characteristics: Wooden sleepers are prone to minor displacement under train longitudinal forces, and rail tie anchors effectively prevent rail creeping. Concrete sleepers inherently exhibit high rigidity, providing better overall longitudinal track stability. They typically do not require railroad anchors but instead use auxiliary anti-creeping measures such as gauge rods or rail braces.
Industry Practice: According to domestic and international railway standards, the application of railway anchors is almost exclusively concentrated in wooden sleeper tracks. Concrete sleeper tracks usually employ other forms of anti-creeping devices (e.g., anti-creep braces, rail clamps, tie rods, etc.).