Due to the amount of weight that the rails in a rail system must support, the rail bolts are made of hardened steel.
A rail bolt is used in railway track construction as a means of attaching track rails to the surface on which they are applied. In most cases, when a new rail system is built, the anchors for the rails are made of concrete, as opposed to traditionally made of wood. To attach the rail to the concrete anchors, the rail must be anchored to the concrete using a mounting bracket that holds the rail in place. Before the rail can be applied to the mounting bracket, the mounting bracket must be anchored to the concrete. This is done using a special track screw.
Due to the amount of weight that any track in the rail system must support at any given time, the anchoring system must be as strong as possible to prevent any possibility of displacement. As a result, most mounting brackets and guide pins are made from hardened steel. The steel is treated to prevent it from becoming susceptible to rust. These mounting systems using rail screws mount and anchor directly to the rail anchors, regardless of whether the rails are made of concrete, wood, or any other material.
The track bolt itself consists of more than just a threaded bolt. Rail bolts are generally three-part fasteners, consisting of a threaded stud, a boss or nut, and a lock washer. The washer prevents the track bolt from moving or loosening due to intense vibrations caused by a passing train.
The nut sits on the mounting bracket, above the tap where the screw will thread in, while the washer sits on top of the terminal. The mounting bracket and handle have opposing teeth which, when engaged with each other, prevent any slippage in the fixing process. After applying the lock washer to the top of the terminal, the screw is centered over the terminal and inserted into the rail anchor through the tap in the mounting bracket. Once the lock washer engages the bolt, it prevents the bolt from slipping or loosening.
As the belt pin is secured and secured through the mounting bracket to the belt anchor, the anchor pin or belt pin that is secured by the mounting bracket is pulled down. Then apply pressure to the bottom flange of the rail. This is the most common method of attaching a rail track to anchors defined for the rail system.