Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910

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Transactions of the American Society of?by Various

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Title: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 Final Report of Special Committee on Rail Sections, Paper No. 1177
Author: Various
Release Date: July 8, 2006 [EBook #18785]
Language: English
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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
INSTITUTED 1852
TRANSACTIONS
Paper No. 1177
FINAL REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON RAIL SECTIONS.[A]

Your Special Committee on Steel Rails, since their appointment in 1902, have held numerous meetings, not only of their own body, but also in conference with Committees representing other Societies and the steel rail makers. The results of their deliberations have been presented to the Society in their reports presented on--
January 21st, 1903[B] " 18th, 1905 " 17th, 1906 " 16th, 1907 July 9th, 1907 December 6th, 1907 " 18th, 1908 November 30th, 1909
As previously reported to you, the Rail Committee of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association is also acting for the American Railway Association; and the latter organization has guaranteed to it the necessary funds to make exhaustive tests and observations as to the wear, breakage, etc., etc., of steel rails. This work is being prosecuted, and will of necessity require several years.
Your Committee feels that it has nothing to add to the several reports which it has presented to the Society, particularly as, so far, the several cardinal principles outlined in them are being practically followed in the several used and proposed specifications and rail sections.
In view of the foregoing, your Committee would respectfully ask to be discharged so that the field may be clear if at any future time the Society should desire to again place the subject in the hands of a Committee.
JOSEPH T. RICHARDS, C. W. BUCHHOLZ, E. C. CARTER, S. M. FELTON, ROBERT W. HUNT, JOHN D. ISAACS, RICHARD MONTFORT, H. G. PROUT, PERCIVAL ROBERTS, JR., GEORGE E. THACKRAY, EDMUND K. TURNER, Approved in connection with the attached report: WILLIAM R. WEBSTER.
JUNE, 1910.
PHILADELPHIA, JUNE 1ST, 1910.
I have signed the Report of the A. S. C. E. Rail Committee,--"Approved in connection with the attached report," as I feel that the report is too condensed, and assumes that all are familiar with the Rail situation, especially what has been done by the other Societies.
The work undertaken by this Committee has been delegated by The American Railway Association to the Rail Committee of The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association, and it therefore seems appropriate to give the results of their work, up to date, to our members in convenient form for reference, especially as our rail specifications have not been worked to, and they have offered a better specification that will be worked to, and no doubt largely used by the members of this Society. The specification is attached to this report.
In presenting this specification to the Annual Meeting at Chicago in March last, the Committee said:[C]
"A new specification should not be proposed at this time without careful consideration. So far as we know, no railroad company has purchased rails under the specifications approved by the American Railway Association and referred to us; nor do we know of any railway company that has succeeded in buying rails during the past two years according to a specification entirely satisfactory to the railroad company. We believe that all of the specifications under which rails have been rolled have been compromises on the part of both parties, with the general result that neither party is entirely satisfied. Our experience during the year has brought to our attention some defects in all of the specifications now before us, and acting under the impression that there is a distinct feeling that we should revise our specifications, we offer the attached specifications for your consideration. Our Association has no specification for Open-Hearth Steel Rails, and in order to comply with the instructions, a specification for Open-Hearth Steel Rails is included.
"We believe it necessary to submit a sliding scale for the percentages of carbon and phosphorus, which provides for increasing the carbon as the phosphorus decreases. The fixing of this scale properly is a matter requiring care, and we admit that our knowledge on the subject is limited. The American Railway Association specification calls attention to this matter in the following words: 'When lower phosphorus can be secured, a proper proportionate increase in carbon should be made.' The