How to choose railroad spike

The railroad spike is used to fasten railway track, it fix the steel rail to the rail base. As the common types of railway fastener in railway transportation, the railroad spike has been created earlier and ungraded along with the continuous development of railway track.

At present, the commonly used railway spikes in China include screw spikes, wooden thread spikes, and dog spikes. These types of railroad spikes are used in different ways, but their functions are same.

For some new buyer, the first question is how to choose suitable railroad spikes from all types of railroad spike. To solve this problem, we learn each type of railroad spike one by one.

Screw spike

The screw spike is usually made of steel No. 3. Because the surface of the nail rod is threaded, it is called a screw spike. Its pull-out resistance is 0.5 to 1.0 times larger than that of ordinary railroad spike, but the thrust resistance is 50% less. Due to the inconvenience of disassembly and assembly, it is difficult to adjust the gauge distance, and it is generally applied to the railway switch.

Dog spike

Common railroad spikes, also known as hook spikes or dog spikes, are mainly used for the connection of rails or rail pads and wooden sleepers. Ordinary railroad spikes are made of No. 3 hot rolled steel(GB standard). The cross section of the shank is a square of 16 mm on each side and the nail length is 165 mm. The head of the spike is in the shape of a mushroom, and the shape of the lower part of the nail head is adapted to the shape of the bottom of the rail. The surface of the shank shall be smooth and clean, the flash edge shall not exceed 2 mm, and the displacement of the shank relative to the center line of the nail head shall not exceed 1 mm in any direction. There must be no cracks at the joint between the nail head and the shank. The top of the spike is chisel-shaped, and the chisel is perpendicular to the wood grain to avoid splitting the wooden pillow. The tip edge is straight, and the top end does not allow burrs or folds that affect the use. There should be no air bubbles and excessive burns and cracks that hinder the use on the surface of the spikes.