A fatigue limit diagram for plastic rail clips

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop a fatigue limit diagram for plastic rail clips. Firstly, a new fatigue limit diagram was formularized based on the mechanical properties of material and its fatigue limit under repeated load. The diagram is represented by the relationship between the mean strain and the strain amplitude. Secondly, the material of the clip was tested to obtain the accurate values of the fundamental properties that constitute the diagram. Finally, fatigue tests were carried out and the fatigue limit diagram was compared with the test results in order to check the validity of the diagram. As a result, it was concluded that the new fatigue limit diagram is available for estimating the fatigue strength of plastic rail clips. © 2014 WIT Press.