Experimental and finite element fatigue assessment of the spring clip of the SKL-1 railway fastening system.

Highlights • A FE model of the SKL-1 system was developed and experimentally validated. • The mechanical response and the fatigue behavior were satisfactorily reproduced. • A novel method was implemented to assess the influence of mean stress on fatigue. • The FE model shows that fatigue alone cannot be the failure mechanism of spring clips under in-service conditions. Abstract The fastening system that links the rail and the sleeper in railway lines is an element of high responsibility, since its failure may lead to the derailment of the train. This paper combines an experimental approach and a Finite Element model to assess the structural integrity of the spring clip of the SKL-1 fastening system, used assiduously in high-speed lines. Our results prove that fatigue is not the failure mechanism that explains the fractures of clips as pointed out by other authors, provided the following requirements: the material has received the appropriate thermomechanical treatments; the assembly of the clip has been carried out with precision; and the system has not suffered anomalous in-service overloads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]