Insulating joint
An insulated joint is an electrically insulated rail joint . It separates two free reporting sections of a track . In addition, two insulating joints per rail are installed one behind the other at system separation points as barrier joints in order to separate the return current, especially between the DC and AC voltage areas.
In the past, strap connections made of wood with intermediate layers of wood or leather were used. Today, plastic-coated steel straps are used, especially in gap tracks. For short-term troubleshooting, there are also plastic interlayers, which are inserted into the tab chamber between rails and matching tabs. It is also possible to produce an insulating joint with a plastic intermediate layer as a glued joint. In any case, it is problematic that insulating joints in uninterrupted tracks represent a foreign body that is prone to failure. Over time, the changing load caused by axles running over them destroys the bonding force of the adhesive, the intermediate layer between the rail ends can break off, as a result of which the two rail heads come into contact by being rolled over.
If necessary, the location of an insulating joint can be identified by an insulating symbol , previously the insulating boundary symbol. In Germany, this is a low stake with a flat cap that shows a blue arrow in the direction of the track on a white background. In Switzerland a stake with a round yellow cap is used. The isolation symbol shows how far a track can be occupied without hindering the switching of neighboring points. In Italy, a stone painted red and yellow ( Picchetto limite per circuiti di binario ) is used to indicate the end of an isolated track section, and the insulating tabs are painted red and yellow.
literature
- Railroad Lexicon . Transpress, Berlin, 6th edition 1981.
Individual evidence
- ↑ REGOLAMENTO SUI SEGNALI. (PDF) Rete Ferroviaria Italiana , 2016, p. 202 , accessed on January 7, 2017 (Italian).
