Gripper to Defend Bolts in Magnetic Track Brake System

Carbide-tipped gripper dowel secures the bolted joints and plays a significant role in the safety and reliability of the magnetic track brake system. With mainline trains speeds over 250 km/hr the magnetic track brake is automatically activated in case of the emergency brake. As the train passes over switches, crossings, and narrow curves with track distortion, it creates an exceptional lateral and longitudinal force on the bolted joints. The introduction of a gripper between several bolts reduces the shear force of the bolt to a large extent. This solution has the added benefit of facilitating maintenance. The paper presents the application of the gripper in the magnetic track brake and the validation of the gripper using analytical and experimental tests. This study may be applied to a wide range of bolted joints. The experimental results demonstrate the ability of gripper and maximize the durability of the bolt to prevent bolt joint failures. The results indicate a higher shear force on the gripper. The study shows that the bolt safety factor has improved by 2.7 times in the magnetic track brake system.