Codiing system for rail defects in accordance with IRS 70712

Abstract

Rail defects due to the rolling contact fatigue have a significant place in the Handbook of Rail Defects in the framework of UIC Code 712 in 2002. The paper presents the system for coding and classification of rail defects according to UIC recommendation IRS 70712 in 2018. The presented classification does not cover all known defects due to the rolling contact fatigue (e.g. stud and belgrospi defects). It is recommended that Infrastructure Manager should supplement the Handbook of Rail Defects with the types of defects noticed on its railway network. The authors recommend information that should be included in the database of rail defects, in order to monitor the development of defects, taken measures and their efficiency, as well as to enable the exchange of statistical data on rail defects at the international level.

Keywords

• railway
• maintenance
• rail defect
• coding system
• rolling contact fatigue