IF articles

Summary Insulated rail joints, required to implement track circuits where automatic block signalling is used as a train protection system, are mechanical components of the track subject to impacts and damages that can drastically limit their useful life. Transit wheels battering may nucleate and propagate cr acks from the fishbolt holes until the railhead breaks leading in extreme cases to very serious accidents. In this article, a new type of insulated rail joint is introduced. Called ABJ – Absolutely Better Joint - it eliminates impacts when the wheels pass, preventing the formation of cracks therefore ensuring a high level of safety. Furthermore, the peculiar arrangement of the insulating elements makes the joint fail-safe, ensuring intrinsic safety in operation. The construction features of the ABJ, patented, and the results of the laboratory tests that validated the innovative design are shown.

https://www.medra.org/servlet/view?lang=it&doi=10.57597/IF.04.2025.ART.2