Steel rail shall provide smooth, stable and continuous rolling surface for the passing train wheels. In electrical railway or automatic block section, railway track can also be used as track circuit.
What are ordinary rails made of?
Ordinary railway rails are primarily made of high-strength, high-carbon steel, an alloy engineered for durability, hardness, and wear resistance to support heavy loads and impacts, with elements like manganese, silicon, and sometimes chromium added for enhanced properties. This robust material replaced older iron tracks for better performance and longevity.
Key Material Properties
- High Carbon Content: Increases tensile strength and hardness, crucial for enduring stress.
- Manganese: Boosts strength and resistance to abrasion.
- Silicon: Helps control oxide formation during manufacturing.
- Low Phosphorus & Sulfur: Limits brittleness and improves impact resistance.
| Steel Grade | C(%) | Si | Mn | Cr | V | P | S | Tensile Strength (Rm/MPa) |
| U71Mn | 0.65~0.76 | 0.15~0.58 | 0.70~1.40 | – | – | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥880 |
| U75V | 0.71~0.80 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.75~1.05 | – | 0.04~0.12 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥980 |
| U78CrV | 0.72~0.82 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.70~1.05 | 0.30~0.50 | 0.04~0.12 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.030 | ≥1080 |
| U77MnCr | 0.72~0.82 | 0.10~0.50 | 0.80~1.10 | 0.25~0.40 | – | ≤0.035 | ≤0.025 | ≥980 |
| U76CrRE | 0.71~0.81 | 0.50~0.80 | 0.80~1.10 | 0.25~0.35 | 0.04~0.08 | ≤0.035 | ≤0.025 | ≥1080 |
Types of Steel Rails
- Carbon Steel Rails: Standard rails made with controlled carbon and manganese content for general use.
- Alloy Steel Rails: Contain additional elements like vanadium, titanium, or chromium for superior strength and toughness, used in demanding conditions.
- Heat-Treated Rails: Hot-rolled rails subjected to controlled heating and cooling to refine their structure, significantly improving strength and service life.
Different Standard Track Rails
Different standard track rails vary by gauge (width like Standard 1435mm, Narrow, Broad), profile/shape (Flat-Bottom/Vignoles, Bullhead, Double-headed, Grooved), and international standards (BS, UIC, DIN, JIS, etc.), all designed for specific speeds, loads, and environments, from heavy freight to high-speed passenger lines and urban trams.
Chinese Standard steel Rail
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Light Rail | 8 KG/M | 65 | 25 | 54 | 7 | 8.42 |
| 9 KG/M | 63.5 | 32.1 | 63.5 | 5.9 | 8.94 | |
| 12 KG/M | 69.85 | 38.1 | 69.85 | 7.54 | 12.2 | |
| 15 KG/M | 79.37 | 42.86 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | |
| 18 KG/M | 80 | 40 | 80 | 10 | 18.06 | |
| Classification | Height(mm) | Head (mm) | Bottom (mm) | Thick(mm) | Weight (kg/m) | |
| Heavy Rail | 38 KG/M | 134 | 68 | 114 | 13 | 38.733 |
| 43 KG/M | 140 | 70 | 114 | 14.5 | 44.653 | |
| 45 KG/M | 145 | 67 | 126 | 14.5 | 45.546 | |
| 50 KG/M | 152 | 70 | 132 | 15.5 | 51.514 | |
| 60 KG/M | 176 | 73 | 150 | 16.5 | 60.64 | |
| Classification | SIZE(mm) | theoretical weight | |||||||||
| height | bottom width | head width | waist depth | ||||||||
| Crane rail | QU70 | 120 | 120 | 70 | 28 | 52.8 | |||||
| QU80 | 130 | 130 | 80 | 32 | 63.69 | ||||||
| QU100 | 150 | 150 | 100 | 38 | 88.96 | ||||||
| QU120 | 170 | 170 | 120 | 44 | 118.1 | ||||||
JIS E 1103/1101 Standard Steel Rail
| Standard: JIS E 1103/1101 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size | Dimension(mm) | Weight (kg/m) |
Length(m) | |||
| Head | Height | Bottom | Thickness | |||
| JIS 15KG | 42.86 | 79.37 | 79.37 | 8.33 | 15.2 | 9-10 |
| JIS 22KG | 50.8 | 93.66 | 93.66 | 10.72 | 22.3 | 9-10 |
| JIS 30A | 60.33 | 107.95 | 107.95 | 12.3 | 30.1 | 9-10 |
| JIS 37A | 62.71 | 122.24 | 122.24 | 13.49 | 37.2 | 10-25 |
| JIS 50N | 65 | 153 | 127 | 15 | 50.4 | 10-25 |
| CR 73 | 100 | 135 | 140 | 32 | 73.3 | 10-12 |
| CR 100 | 120 | 150 | 155 | 39 | 100.2 | 10-12 |
Since 2008, GNEE RAIL has been supplying steel rails of different grades for more than 18 years, steel rails from GNEE is highly recommened in China and abroad.Wtih cutting edge equipment, GNEE produces high quality steel rails that meet with requirements of most countries. Standard rail, head hardened rail, heavy rail,light rail,crane rail and other types are all available here, as one of the China main rail supplier, GNEE RAIL has been working on supplying economical green railway products all over the world.