Problem of damage to curved switch rails in ordinary turnouts

The article presents the problem of excessive wear of curved switch rails in ordinary railway turnouts, which is characterized by spallings and the decrement of material on a certain length of the switch rail near the tip. The problem is important, as such wear arises in turnouts on railway lines after several months of exploitation following modernization. The probable reasons behind the excessive wear of switch rails in railway turnouts are indicated on the basis of laboratory tests performed in accordance with PN-EN 13674-1:2011 and PN-EN 13674-2+A1:2010, as well as on the basis of simulations and analyses carried out by the fi nite element method (FEM).