THE LATERAL BUCKLING OF RAILROAD TRACKS DUE TO CONSTRAINED THERMAL EXPANSIONS

Thermal buckling of jointed tracks has been a problem for quite some time. Its occurrence has greatly increased since the introduction of CWR. In spite of intensive research conducted in several countries over the past several decades, to date there are no reliable analyses to predict the buckling temperature of a railroad track. The purpose of this paper was to review the relevant test results and various analytical attempts to solve this problem. The discussion sought to review their deficiencies and thus pave the way towards a solution of the track- buckling problem.