Why is that the outer rail is higher than than the inner rail of curve in a railroad track???

Question

Why is that the outer rail is higher than than the inner rail of curve in a railroad track???

Answer 1

That angle is called cant.  The main functions of cant are:

to have a better distribution of loads on both rails

to reduce the wear of rails and rolling stock

to neutralize the effect of lateral forces

to provide comfort to passengers

You can find out more at the link below.

Answer 2

Good question.

That is called the "super-elevation", usually just shortened in the everyday world to elevation.

It allows the trains to go much faster around the curves, exactly the reason NASCAR tracks are banked.

In addition it reduces wear on the outside rail by allowing gravity to take some of the stress off the outer rail.

And, it helps the track stay in place on the roadbed, flat curves have a very strong tendency to slide to the outside over time and this minimizes the forces, reducing rail wear and track maintenance.

Answer 3

It is in fact called 'super-elevation' and that is an engineering term...

Answer 4

Doing so counteracts centrifugal force.

Answer 5

The train will tend to lean to the outside when making a bend so if the track leans towards the inside it will allow the train to take the bend at a higher speed without derailing.

Answer 6

To counter react the affects of centrifugal force.

Answer 7

During turns, because of the centrifugal forces, the railway train will have a tendency of tilting away from  the direction of the turn thereby upsetting the whole train. The outer rails are raised slightly to contain the effects of the centrifugal forces and keep the 'center of gravity' of the train within the tracks. In other words, the raised outer rail helps to keep the train settled down in the tracks and the centrifugal force is converted to extra gravity force.

Answer 8

It's banked...sort of like a racetrack.  That way, when centrifugal force pulls on the train to the outside during a turn, it won't derail.

Answer 9

I've always called it super-elevation, but I'm not sure if that's a colloquialism or an engineering term. Anyway, here's a little tidbit for you.

Track speed on our line used to be around 45 miles per hour, which has long since lowered to 10 or 15. A couple of the curves are still super-elevated, and the joints are all sunken on the inside rail. Between the low joints and the low speed, it's a gut-shaking experience!

Answer 10

the elevation of the track in cuves help with centrificul force and keeps train on tracks in curve

Answer 11

the same reason that nascar tracks are banked they can take the turns faster, without worrying about flipping over.