Investigation of the mechanics of rail failure in the event of contact fatigue defects in cold conditions

During operation in transit, rails are exposed to the combined effects of various loads (power, temperature, atmospheric), under the influence of which complex and usually interrelated processes occur in the rail metal: plastic deformation of metal, the development of various types of irregularities on the surface of the rolling head. The occurrence of surface injuries and their development, the development of internal defects of contact fatigue origin. All this leads to significant changes in the service properties of the rails. The article discusses the causes of elastic stresses at the crack tip in an infinite plate during the movement of rolling stock. As a result of the conducted research, there were identified methods of repairing defects in the rail heads, which allowed raising the issue of continuing operation of rails with defects.