Failure analysis and fatigue life prediction of high-speed rail clips based on DIC technique

With the development of rail transportation, the fatigue failure of rail clips has become an issue, which affects the operational safety of trains. In this study, reasons for the fatigue failure of rail clips were investigated to improve their service life. A digital image correlation (DIC) technique was conducted to obtain strain fields, vibration modes, and natural frequencies of a rail clip. The strain and displacement of a rail clip under dynamic cyclic loading were also obtained. A fastener system refinement model was developed to analyze the static, dynamic, and modal responses of the clip. The experimental tests and modal simulation results were mutually verified. The fatigue life was analyzed based on the verified FE model. The results revealed that the maximum strain and minimum fatigue life occur at the heel of the clip, in good agreement with the actual fracture position. As the amplitude and frequency of dynamic cyclic load increased, the fatigue life of the clip decreased sharply. Moreover, the normal wheel–rail force accompanied by high-frequency rail corrugations accelerated crack initiation and reduced the fatigue life. The findings of this study provide guidance for improving the service life of rail clips.