prEN 16843

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-junij-2015
Železniške naprave - Infrastruktura - Mehanske zahteve za spoje v voznih tirnicah
Railway applications - Infrastructure - Mechanical requirements for joints in running rails
Bahnanwendungen - Infrastruktur - Mechanische Anforderungen an Fahrschienenstöße
Applications ferroviaires - Infrastructures - Exigences mécaniques des joints dans les
rails de roulement
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 16843
ICS:
45.080 7UDþQLFHLQåHOH]QLãNLGHOL Rails and railway
components
93.100 Gradnja železnic Construction of railways
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
DRAFT
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
March 2015
ICS 93.100
English Version
Railway applications - Infrastructure - Mechanical requirements
for joints in running rails
Applications ferroviaires - Infrastructures - Exigences Bahnanwendungen - Infrastruktur - Mechanische
mécaniques des joints dans les rails de roulement Anforderungen an Fahrschienenstöße
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 256.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United
Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to
provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without notice and
shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2015 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 16843:2015 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword .4
1 Scope .5
2 Normative references .5
3 Terms and definitions .5
4 Symbols and abbreviations .8
5 Requirements .9
5.1 Quality systems .9
5.1.1 General .9
5.1.2 Design requirements for mechanical rail joints – General .9
5.1.3 Joint clearance capacity for jointed track .9
5.1.4 Maximum rail length for jointed track . 10
5.1.5 Design approval . 10
5.2 Performance requirements for insulated rail joints . 11
5.2.1 Design requirements . 11
5.2.2 Mechanical requirements . 11
5.2.3 Electrical insulation requirements . 12
5.3 Field test requirements . 13
6 Type approval . 13
6.1 Non-insulated rail joints . 13
6.2 Insulated rail joints for CWR . 13
6.3 Insulated rail joints for jointed track . 13
7 Test methods . 14
7.1 General . 14
7.2 Mechanical tests . 14
7.2.1 Tensile strength test (longitudinal) . 14
7.2.2 Repeated bending test (vertical) . 17
7.3 Electrical insulation tests . 19
7.3.1 Test objective . 19
7.3.2 Test apparatus . 20
7.3.3 Test specimen . 20
7.3.4 Test procedure (dry) . 20
7.3.5 Test procedure (wet) . 21
7.3.6 Test report . 21
7.4 Field tests . 21
8 Acceptance tests for insulated rail joints . 21
8.1 General . 21
8.2 Geometrical and visual inspection . 22
8.3 Electrical insulation tests (only for prefab construction) . 22
8.4 Mechanical tests (only for prefab construction) . 22
8.5 Electrical insulation and mechanical tests (only for site construction) . 22
9 Identification and marking of insulated rail joints . 22
10 Documentation . 22
Annex A (informative) Design of track with mechanical rail joints . 24
Annex B (normative) Fishplates for mechanical rail joints . 28
B.1 Material . 28
B.2 Approval . 28
B.3 Tolerances . 28
B.4 Surface requirements . 29
B.5 Identification . 29
Annex C (normative) Residual gap test . 30
C.1 Test objective . 30
C.2 Test apparatus and test specimen . 30
C.3 Test procedure . 30
C.4 Test report . 30
C.5 Relation to other tests . 31
Annex D (informative) Static bending test . 32
D.1 Test objective . 32
D.2 Test apparatus and test specimen . 32
D.3 Test procedure . 32
D.4 Test report . 32
D.5 Relation to other tests . 33
Annex E (informative) Formula for bending moment . 34
Annex F (informative) Sample values for minimum tensile strength . 35
Annex G (informative) Sample values for bending moment . 36
Bibliography . 37

Foreword
This document (prEN 16843:2015) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 256 “Railway
applications”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
The following terms are used within to define the parties involved in using the EN as the technical basis for a
transaction:
— Customer: the Operator or User of the equipment, or the Purchaser of the equipment on the User's
behalf;
— Supplier: the body responsible for the use of the EN in response to the Customer's requirements.
Note: Due to fact that the EC has not yet been able to confirm the financial commitment for the New
Approach Consultants’ work in 2015, there are currently no New Approach Consultants in place for 2015.
Therefore the provisions of CEN-CENELEC Guide 15 cannot be met.
This shall not prevent the processing of draft standards nor the offering of harmonized standards to the
European Commission. In particular, draft standards can be sent to vote without Consultant assessment.
This note will be removed from the Foreword of the finalized publication.

1 Scope
This European Standard deals with mechanical rail joints for flat bottom rails 46 kg/m and over.
The scope of this standard is:
— to establish requirements for insulated and non-insulated rail joints, for stressed rail (continuous welded
rail, CWR) and unstressed rail (jointed track);
— to define mechanical and electrical requirements for type approval and for acceptance of insulated rail
joints which are manufactured in a factory (prefab construction) as well as assembled on-site (site
construction).
This standard specifies the minimum requirements. Special applications as for instance tram systems may
require different demands in certain paragraphs and should be agreed between customer and supplier.
The scope also excludes expansion joints (it is covered in EN 13232-8), and special joints in switch
constructions.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 10025-2:2004, Hot rolled products of structural steels - Part 2: Technical delivery conditions for non-alloy
structural steels
EN 10204, Metallic products - Types of inspection documents
EN 13674-1, Railway applications - Track - Rail - Part 1: Vignole railway rails 46 kg/m and above
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
mechanical rail joint
mechanical assembly with e.g. fishplates to join two rail ends; the assembly is designed to get the best
continuity of the running edge and to reduce additional vertical or lateral displacements due to interruption of
the rail inertias. See Table 1.
Table 1 – Overview of mechanical rail joints
Mechanical rail joint
For continuous welded
For jointed track
rail (CWR)
Insulated with Insulated without
Non-insulated Insulated
expansion expansion
Type approval: Type approval: Type approval:

see 6.1 see 6.3 see 6.2
3.2
standard mechanical rail joint
mechanical rail joint that connects two rails of the same profile
3.3
transitional mechanical rail joint
mechanical rail joint that connects two different rail profiles
3.4
non-insulated rail joint
mechanical rail joint which does not separate both rail ends electrically
3.5
insulated rail joint
mechanical rail joint with the additional function to separate both rail ends electrically
3.6
insulated rail joint for jointed track with expansion
insulated rail joint with expansion capacity which can accommodate longitudinal displacement of the jointed
rail length
3.7
insulated rail joint for jointed track without expansion
insulated rail joint without expansion capacity which can only resist the longitudinal forces of a jointed track
3.8
insulated rail joint for CWR
insulated rail joint without expansion capacity which can resist the forces in CWR
3.9
prefab construction
manufactured in a factory
3.10
site construction
manufactured in track (on-site) by an assembler
3.11
stressed rail
continuous welded rail (CWR)
3.12
unstressed rail
jointed track
3.13
fishplate
component applied in mechanical rail joints on each side of the rail on the fishing surfaces
3.14
fishplate bolts
bolts used in mechanical rail joints with special design to fit the fishplates
3.15
end post
insulating component between the two rail ends
3.16
joint clearance
functionally required distance between the two rail ends of a jointed track
3.17
suspended joint
unsupported joint situated between two supports with regular spacing
3.18
supported joint
joint situated on top of one support, one sleeper or a double sleeper
3.19
rail bond
electrical connection for traction currents in jointed track
3.20
rail bolt for earthing
bolt connected to the rail for earth bond
3.21
insulating bush
insulating component between bolt and rail or fishplate

Key
Top: rail ends
Middle: fishplate
Bottom left: insulating bush
Bottom right: fishplate bolt
For insulated joint without expansion: x = e
For mechanical rail joints and insulated rail joints with expansion: x = J
n
Figure 1 – Definition of parts and design parameters of mechanical rail joints
4 Symbols and abbreviations
Table 2 – Overview of symbols
Symbol Description Unit
D Diameter of fishplate bolt m
b
D Diameter of holes in fishplate m
f
D External diameter of insulating bush m
ib
D Diameter of holes in rail end M
r
E Young’s modulus of rail steel N/m
F Force in repeated bending test N
F Minimum force in repeated bending test N
min
F Maximum force in repeated bending test N
max
F Minimum tension strength in tension strength test N
s,min
F Tension strength in tension strength test N
s,t
H Height of rail section m
I Rail moment of inertia m
rail
J Joint clearance capacity m
c
J Minimum joint clearance m
min
J Maximum joint clearance m
max
J Nominal joint clearance with rails, fishplates and fishplate bolts at nominal position m
n
J Instantaneous joint clearance m
t
L Length of test specimen m
L Maximum rail length for jointed track m
jt,max
L Total length of fishplate m
f
L Longitudinal distance between axes of centre holes of the fishplate m
f1
L Longitudinal distance between axes of fishplate holes 1 and 2 m
f2
L Longitudinal distance between axes of fishplate holes 2 and 3 (optional) m
f3
L Longitudinal distance between clamps m
h
L Longitudinal distance between rail end and axis of the nearest rail hole 1 m
r1
L Longitudinal distance between axes of rail holes 1 and 2 m
r2
L Longitudinal distance between axes of rail holes 2 and 3 (optional) m
r3
L Longitudinal distance between vertical supports m
s
L Longitudinal distance between load insertion points m
w
M Required bending moment in repeated bending test Nm
r
M Bending moment in static bending test Nm
s
N Maximum tension force in the rail due to temperature difference N
max
Q Nominal wheel load N
d Average deflection of mechanical rail joint in static bending test m
Symbol Description Unit
d , d , d , d Deflections of mechanical rail joint in static bending test m
1 2 3 4
d Maximum average deflection of mechanical rail joint in static bending test m
max
e Thickness of end post (e = 0 if no end post is used) m
s, s , s Tolerances of fishplate in vertical deflection m
1 2
t, t , t Tolerances of fishplate in transverse deflection m
1 2
w Residual gap in residual gap test m
s
w Maximum residual gap in residual gap test m
s,max
w Maximum rail deflection in adjoining track structure M
max
Rail temperature variation in jointed track (difference between minimum and °
ΔT C
maximum rail temperature)
°
ΔT Temperature difference between neutral (stress-free) and minimum rail temperature C
°
α Linear thermal expansion coefficient of rail steel / C
γ Safety and correction factor -
c
γ Safety factor for variable loads -
s
5 Requirements
5.1 Quality systems
5.1.1 General
The supplier responsible for the parts or the whole mechanical rail joints shall be certified and have an audited
quality system approved by the customer.
5.1.2 Design requirements for mechanical rail joints – General
The general design shall satisfy the following requirements:
— to connect rail ends in such a way that the assembly may behave as a continuous beam in any direction;
— to limit relative displacements (vertical and lateral) of both rail ends while permitting longitudinal
displacement, if required, for thermal behaviour;
— to fulfil the compatibility with the rail fastening system;
— to be simple;
— to be carried out with the minimum elements required.
5.1.3 Joint clearance capacity for jointed track
The joint clearance capacity J is calculated as follows:
c
The nominal joint clearance J is:
n
J = L – 2L (1)
n f1 r1
Assuming that L = L (4 bolts assembly) and that L = L (6 bolts assembly only), the maximum joint
r2 f2 r3 f3
clearance J is:
max
J = J + (D – D ) + (D – D ) (2)
max n r b f b
with D ≥ D e D ≥ D .
r b f b
If insulating bushes are used then D shall be used instead of D .
ib b
The maximum joint clearance J shall be equal to the value defined by the customer.
max
The minimum joint clearance J is:
min
J = J – (D – D ) + (D – D ) (3)
max n r b f b
with D ≥ D e D ≥ D .
r b f b
If insulating bushes are used then D shall be used instead of D .
tb b
However, if this formula reveals that J < e then J = e, with e equal to the thickness of the end post, and
min min
e = 0 if no end post is used.
Finally the joint clearance capacity J is calculated as follows:
c
J = J – J (4)
c max min
5.1.4 Maximum rail length for jointed track
As a consequence of the joint clearance capacity J of a typical design of a mechanical rail joint for jointed
c
track, the rail length for jointed track is limited. The maximum rail length for jointed track L is depending on
jt,max
the variation of rail temperature ΔT, which shall be defined by the customer.
For mechanical rail joint for jointed track, the customer, or the supplier with the approval of the customer, shall
define:
— a table of values for:
— the longitudinal distances between the axes of the holes in the rail ends L and in the fishplates
r1–3
L ;
f1-3
— the diameters of the holes in the rail ends D and the fishplates D ;
r f
— the diameters of the fishplate bolts D ;
b
— the diameters of the insulating bushes D , if used;
ib
— J , J , J and J ;
n max min c
— a rule to give the maximum rail length for jointed track L depending on J , on the rail temperature
jt,max c
variation ΔT and on the lateral and longitudinal resistance of the track.
NOTE See Annex A for an example for the design of a track with mechanical rail joints.
5.1.5 Design approval
The general design of a mechanical rail joint shall be described by a technical documentation agreed between
the customer and the supplier including:
— the reference of the rail section according to EN 13674 series standards;
— overview drawing of the mechanical rail joint with the identification of the different components of the rail
joint;
— system drawing of track laying with the position of the rail joint axis and the distance between the
supports under the rail joint;
, D , D , D , L , L and L ;
— technical specification for the parameters D
r f f ib r1–3 f1–3 f
— technical specifications for fishplates, according to Annex B;
— technical specifications for components other than rail and fishplates (bolts, etc.);
in accordance with 5.1.3;
— calculation of J
c
in accordance with 5.1.4;
— L
jt,max
depending on rail
— all necessary installation and maintenance recommendations (especially a table of J
t
temperature).
For transitional mechanical rail joints the technical documentation shall include additional information for rail
profile on each side.
5.2 Performance requirements for insulated rail joints
5.2.1 Design requirements
The insulated rail joint shall satisfy the general design requirements of the mechanical rail joint as specified in
5.1.2.
5.2.2 Mechanical requirements
5.2.2.1 Tensile strength test (longitudinal)
The mechanical performance on tension is determined by performing the tensile strength test as described in
7.2.1. This test requires the minimum tension strength F for stage 1, and reveals the tensile strength F in
s,min s,t
stage 2.
The minimum tension strength F is calculated as follows:
s,min
F = N · γ
s,min max s
= EA · α · ΔT · γ (5)
rail 1 s
N maximum tension force in the rail due to temperature difference, in N
max
2 9 2
E Young’s modulus of rail steel in N/m , equal to 210·10 N/m
A
rail cross section area in m (rail profile specific)
rail
-5 °
α linear thermal expansion coefficient of rail steel, equal to 1,2·10 / C
°
ΔT temperature difference in C, defined by the customer
NOTE Difference between neutral (stress-free) and minimum rail temperature
γ
safety factor for variable loads, defined by the customer (recommended 1,5)
s
See Annex F for sample values for several rail profiles and maximum temperature differences.
The tension strength F of the mechanical rail joint shall be larger than the minimum tension strength F .
s,t s,min
F > F (6)
s,t s,min
The mechanical performance of the mechanical rail joint is approved if Formula (6) is fulfilled, if no visual
damage is noticed in any of the components of the mechanical rail joint after stage 1 of the tensile strength
test and, if applicable, the electrical insulation requirements are fulfilled.
5.2.2.2 Repeated bending test (vertical)
The mechanical performance on bending is determined by performing the repeated bending test as described
in 7.2.2. The bending moment M which shall be used for the repeated bending test, is calculated as follows
r
(see Annex E for the origin of this formula):
Q EI w
rail max
M = ⋅γ (7)
r c
Q nominal wheel load in N, equal to 125·10 N
2 9 2
E Young’s modulus of rail steel in N/m , equal to 210·10 N/m
I rail moment of inertia in m (rail profile specific)
rail
-3
w maximum rail deflection in adjoining track structure in m, equal to 1,5·10 m
max
γ safety and correction factor, equal to 1,5 for a suspended mechanical rail joint and 1,0 for a supported
c
mechanical rail joint
See Annex G for sample values for several rail profiles, nominal wheel loads and maximum rail deflections.
The mechanical performance of the mechanical rail joint is approved if no visual damage is noticed in any of
the components of the mechanical rail joint after the repeated bending test and, if applicable, the electrical
insulation requirements are fulfilled.
5.2.3 Electrical insulation requirements
The electrical insulation performance of an insulated rail joint is established according to the test method as
described in 7.3. The following requirements apply:
For the test on electrical insulation (dry) (see 7.3.4):
— rail – rail resistance shall be ≥ 30 MΩ;
— rail – fishplate resistance shall be ≥ 30 MΩ.
For the test on electrical insulation (wet) (see 7.3.5):
— rail – rail resistance shall be ≥ 200 kΩ;
— rail – fishplate resistance shall be ≥ 200 kΩ.
The electrical insulation performance of an insulated rail joint is also established during the mechanical tests
as described in 7.2.
Before the tension strength test (see 7.2.1) and before the repeated bending test (see 7.2.2), the following
values apply for the test on electrical insulation (dry):
— rail – rail resistance shall be ≥ 30 MΩ;
— rail – fishplate resistance shall be ≥ 30 MΩ.
After stage 1 of the tension strength test (see 7.2.1) and after the repeated bending test (see 7.2.2), the
following reduced values apply for the test on electrical insulation (dry):
— rail – rail resistance shall be ≥ 150 kΩ;
— rail – fishplate resistance shall be ≥ 150 kΩ.
The electrical performance of the insulated rail joint is approved if all the aforementioned electrical insulation
requirements are fulfilled.
5.3 Field test requirements
A field test, including a field test report, shall be done as specified in 7.4. The mechanical rail joint is approved
after a positive field test report.
6 Type approval
6.1 Non-insulated rail joints
The type approval consists of the following two stages, in which it is required:
— First stage:
— To fulfil design requirements in 5.1;
— For suspended rail joints, to fulfil the bending tests requirements in 5.2.2.2.
— Second stage:
— To fulfil field test requirements in 5.3.
6.2 Insulated rail joints for CWR
The type approval consists of the following two stages, in which it is required:
— First stage:
— To fulfil design requirements in 5.2.1;
— To fulfil mechanical requirements in 5.2.2;
— To fulfil electrical insulation requirements in 5.2.3.
— Second stage:
— To fulfil field test requirements in 5.3.
For type approval of prefab constructed insulated rail joints, the factory conditions and procedures apply.
For type approval of site constructed insulated rail joints it is required to assemble the joints under factory
conditions with the same material, except for the rail, and procedure as per the site design.
6.3 Insulated rail joints for jointed track
The type approval consists of the following two stages, in which it is required:
— First stage:
— To fulfil design requirements in 5.1;
— To fulfil mechanical requirements in 5.2.2, except 5.2.2.1;
— To fulfil electrical insulation requirements in 5.2.3.
— Second stage:
— To fulfil field test requirements in 5.3.
7 Test methods
7.1 General
In this section, three different test methods are described. Each of the tests requires its own test specimen.
Therefore three test specimens are required. The details of the test specimens are retrieved in the following
sections:
— Tensile strength test – see 7.2.1.3;
— Repeated bending test – see 7.2.2.3;
— Electrical insulation test – see Repeated bending test, 7.2.2.3.
7.2 Mechanical tests
7.2.1 Tensile strength test (longitudinal)
7.2.1.1 Test objective
The objective of the tensile strength test in longitudinal direction is to establish the ability of the mechanical rail
joint to resist an extreme tension force which might occur in track, while keeping its performance.
7.2.1.2 Test apparatus
— For this test, a test apparatus is required with a minimum load capacity of 20 % over the minimum
required value F , as defined in 5.2.2.1.
s,min
— Typically a load capacity of 2 500 kN will be sufficient.
— The test apparatus shall be able to apply a tension load at a constant rate (load-controlled).
— The tension load shall be recorded and expressed in kN with an accuracy of 1 % of the load capacity.
— The dimensions of the test apparatus shall be such that it can accommodate the test specimen.
°
— Finally the test apparatus shall be in a room where temperature is (23 ± 5) C.
7.2.1.3 Test specime
...