Bulletin - American Railway Engineering Association Volume 23 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 Excerpt: ...testing with the head in tension and with the base in tension. The original method was to test with the base in tension (that is, base down), but the work of the Rail Committee early showed that more information as to the interior condition of the rail is obtained with the head in tension, and its results more nearly correlate with the interior segregation of carbon and phosphorus. The testing with the head down is a better safeguard against failures such as split heads and horizontal fissures, and probably also against transverse fissures, than the testing with the base down, and rails should therefore be tested with the head down. Surface Inspection. The practice as regards the surface inspection of rails seems to be much the same on all railroads. Its purpose is to classify the rails into No. 1 and No. 2, with an occasional rejection on account of excessive defectiveness of surface. In general the rails are "walked" on four sides, they are examined for straightness, the drilled holes examined for pipes and correctness of drilling, the heat numbers checked and the loading supervised. To some extent the harder or softer rails are kept separate in loading. The Southern Railway has the front ends of all rails milled in order to better detect the presence of pipes. Records of Manufacture. Most of the roads keep only general records of the details of manufacture or not any. The inspection by Hunt & Co. includes the placing of inspectors to observe and record the details of manufacture beginning with the making of the steel in the open-hearth or bessemer plant, giving especial attention to any irregularities. Checking Against Errors. Reliance is generally put upon the mills whose procedure is usually satisfactory, but sometimes count is kept of th...