The effect of lateral creepage force on rail corrugation on low rail at sharp curves

In Japanese narrow gauge lines, short pitch corrugations on low rail at sharp curved track whose radius of curvature is less than 600 m pose very large problems that are noise and track deterioration caused by large vibration excited with interacting forces between rail and wheel. This paper describes the lateral force has great influence on the formation of short pitch corrugations on low rail and the effect of the lubrication on low rail to reduce lateral force on preventing the formation of corrugations through a couple of years investigation on a revenue line as a countermeasure. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.