THE ASSESSMENT OF CONTACT FATIGUE ENDURANCE OF RAILS IN REAL OPERATING CONDITIONS

The article deals with the technique allowing the assessment of rail endurance with respect to contact fatigue durability with consideration of intensity of lateral wear of railhead. The method provides for taking into account the entire diversity of the rolling stock moving at different speeds on the certain railroad section, which is characterized by the curvature radius, the elevation of the outer rail, the upper structure of the railway track, and other operational factors. The method is based on the use of the program to assess the probabilistic characteristics of the interaction processes between the track and the rolling stock. The rail wear caused by contact fatigue defects, as well as due to durability determines mainly the service life of the railway track between major repairs.