JR Tokai has developed a new shape of “tongue rail” for the Tokaido Shinkansen, and began testing it on the main line in January. The company plans to confirm the effectiveness of the new rail and introduce it to all lines in the future.
Tongue rails are part of the point-switching equipment used to change the course of a train, and have a trapezoidal cross section with a thin end. The tong rail is aligned with the basic rail to guide the wheels and change the course of the train, but its complex shape is prone to wear and cracks, and the short replacement cycle (ordinary rail: about 15 years, tong rail: about 2 years) requires night work each time.
The new tongue-and-groove rail has a new shape for the top and sides of the head. The top of the head is higher than before so that it makes contact with the rail at the more inner part of the wheel (the part with the larger diameter), which reduces lateral pressure and makes it harder to wear.
In addition, the inner side of the tongue rail is sloped more gently to increase the contact area with the wheel, which distributes lateral pressure and slows the progress of wear. In addition, the shape of the outer side of the tongue rail (the side in contact with the basic rail) is modified to increase its thickness to increase strength and reduce cracking.
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