Fatigue life analysis of subway e-clips under multiwavelength rail corrugation excitation

Fatigue-induced clip fractures are the most common type of damage in railway systems, and they are exacerbated by rail corrugation. This research investigated the development of rail corrugation through long-term measurements and examined the impact of rail corrugation on the fatigue life of e-clips using a finite element model. The examination included different corrugation wavelengths, namely, short-pitch corrugation (SPC), long-pitch corrugation (LPC), and a new form of corrugation called superposed SPC and LPC. The results showed that increasing corrugation amplitude reduces an e-clip's fatigue life and alters the region in the clip where fatigue damage occurs. A short corrugation wavelength shortens fatigue life. On railway tracks with superposed SPC and LPC, a significant increase in LPC amplitude sharply reduces a clip's fatigue life, even under minuscule SPC amplitude. Effective measures are proposed to prolong the fatigue life of e-clips subjected to the effects of rail corrugation.