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Machinery's Handbook 28th Edition

SIZE OF RAIL TO CARRY LOAD

effect. From the table on page 276, the K factors are 1.20 and 0.85 for points A and B
respectively, derived from R/c = 20050 = 4. Thus, the actual stress due to bending at
point B is 1.20 38.4 = 46.1 N/mm2 (46.1 megapascals) in tension; and the stress at
point A is 0.85 38.4 = 32.6 N/mm2 (32.6 megapascals) in compression.
To these stresses at A and B must be added, algebraically, the direct stress at section
AB due to the 4 kN clamping force. The direct stress on section AB will be a tensile
stress equal to the clamping force divided by the section area. Thus, 40005000 = 0.8
N/mm 2. The maximum unit stress at A is, therefore, 32.61 0.8 = 31.8 N/mm 2 (31.8
megapascals) in compression, and the maximum unit stress at B is 46.1 + 0.8 = 46.9
N/mm 2 (46.9 megapascals) in tension.
Size of Rail Necessary to Carry a Given Load.The following formulas may be
employed for determining the size of rail and wheel suitable for carrying a given load. Let,
A = the width of the head of the rail in inches; B = width of the tread of the rail in inches; C
= the wheel-load in pounds; D = the diameter of the wheel in inches.

Then the width of the tread of the rail in inches is found from the formula:
C
B = ---------------1250D

(1)

The width A of the head equals B + 58 inch. The diameter D of the smallest track wheel that
will safely carry the load is found from the formula:
C
D = ------------(2)
AK
in which K = 600 to 800 for steel castings; K = 300 to 400 for cast iron.
As an example, assume that the wheel-load is 10,000 pounds; the diameter of the wheel
is 20 inches; and the material is cast steel. Determine the size of rail necessary to carry this
load. From Formula (1):
10,000
B = ------------------------ = 0.4 inch
1250 20
The width of the rail required equals 0.4 + 58 inch = 1.025 inch. Determine also whether a
wheel 20 inches in diameter is large enough to safely carry the load. From Formula (2):
10,000
D = ---------------------------= 16 14 inches
1.025 600
This is the smallest diameter of track wheel that will safely carry the load; hence a 20inch wheel is ample.
American Railway Engineering Association Formulas.The American Railway
Engineering Association recommends for safe operation of steel cylinders rolling on steel
plates that the allowable load p in pounds per inch of length of the cylinder should not
exceed the value calculated from the formula

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Machinery's Handbook 28th Edition

STRESSES PRODUCED BY SHOCKS

279

y.s. 13,000
p = -------------------------------- 600d for diameterd less than 25 inches
20,000
This formula is based on steel having a yield strength, y.s., of 32,000 pounds per square
inch. For roller or wheel diameters of up to 25 inches, the Hertz stress (contact stress)
resulting from the calculated load p will be approximately 76,000 pounds per square inch.
For a 10-inch diameter roller the safe load per inch of roller length is
32,000 13,000
p = ------------------------------------------ 600 10 = 5700 lbs per inch of length
20,000
Therefore, to support a 10,000 pound load the roller or wheel would need to be
10,0005700 = 1.75 inches wide.
Stresses Produced by Shocks
Stresses in Beams Produced by Shocks.Any elastic structure subjected to a shock will
deflect until the product of the average resistance, developed by the deflection, and the distance through which it has been overcome, has reached a value equal to the energy of the
shock. It follows that for a given shock, the average resisting stresses are inversely proportional to the deflection. If the structure were perfectly rigid, the deflection would be zero,
and the stress infinite. The effect of a shock is, therefore, to a great extent dependent upon
the elastic property (the springiness) of the structure subjected to the impact.
The energy of a body in motion, such as a falling body, may be spent in each of four ways:
1) In deforming the body struck as a whole.
2) In deforming the falling body as a whole.
3) In partial deformation of both bodies on the surface of contact (most of this energy will
be transformed into heat).
4) Part of the energy will be taken up by the supports, if these are not perfectly rigid and
inelastic.
How much energy is spent in the last three ways it is usually difficult to determine, and
for this reason it is safest to figure as if the whole amount were spent as in Case 1. If a reliable judgment is possible as to what percentage of the energy is spent in other ways than the
first, a corresponding fraction of the total energy can be assumed as developing stresses in
the body subjected to shocks.
One investigation into the stresses produced by shocks led to the following conclusions:
1) A suddenly applied load will produce the same deflection, and, therefore, the same
stress as a static load twice as great; and 2) The unit stress p (see formulas in Table 1,
"Stresses Produced in Beams by Shocks") for a given load producing a shock, varies
directly as the square root of the modulus of elasticity E, and inversely as the square root of
the length L of the beam and the area of the section.
Thus, for instance, if the sectional area of a beam is increased by four times, the unit
stress will diminish only by half. This result is entirely different from those produced by
static loads where the stress would vary inversely with the area, and within certain limits be
practically independent of the modulus of elasticity.
In Table 1, the expression for the approximate value of p, which is applicable whenever
the deflection of the beam is small as compared with the total height h through which the
body producing the shock is dropped, is always the same for beams supported at both ends
and subjected to shock at any point between the supports. In the formulas all dimensions
are in inches and weights in pounds.

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