Railway Interchange 2019

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Stray Current Mitigation in Various Track Structures (Room 101 D)

24 Sep 19
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Tracks: AREMA Technical Sessions By Date- Passenger & Tranist, AREMA Technical Sessions By Functional Group- Passenger & Tranist, Technical Sessions By Day- Tuesday

This paper summarizes corrosion control measures for stray current prevalent in an electrified rail-transit environment. Methods developed to protect various metallic and reinforced concrete infrastructure based on the type of track structure will be discussed in detail. The track structures that will be evaluated include: 1. Tie and Ballast 2. Direct Fixation 3. Embedded Tracks 4. Tracks in Aerial Structures 5. Tracks in Tunnels 6. Green Tracks For each of these trackwork systems, corrosion control measures to mitigate stray currents will be presented. The magnitude of stray current is affected largely by the rail-to-ground resistance. Generally, the lower this resistance is, the less isolated the rails are. Since the running rails are typically the primary traction power return current path for an electrified system, leakage from the rails into the surrounding track structure is more likely to occur. Serious safety and/or stray current corrosion problems can arise if this phenomenon is ignored. A high track-to-earth resistance (i.e. well isolated rails) is one is the most important aspects of stray current control. Attention to trackwork design and construction can ensure both well-insulated rails and high track-to-earth resistance. Increasing the resistance of the running rails to earth is one is the most effective methods of reducing stray current levels on transit and neighboring infrastructure. Tables with recommended rail-to-earth resistance criteria for each track system will be provided. *Missed this Session or want to view it again? Stop by the VirtualAREMA kiosk located in the Registration area to purchase this product today!