LITERATURE REVIEW ON BLOCK JOINTS

Block joint is an insulator that separates adjoining rails so as to block the track circuit
current. Generally they are required at the boundaries of the track circuit and at the point
and crossing where the polarity of track circuit is to be changed; the joints should ideally
offer infinite resistance (not less than 1000 ohms).

Block joint components and their quantity:

1. fish bolt and nut 4Nos
2. bush 8Nos
3. backing plate 4Nos
4. insulating plate 4nos
5. end post 1Nos
6. right hand side channel 2Nos
7. left hand side channel 2Nos
8. fish plate 2Nos

Note: these insulation components are available in different sizes to suit different
selections of rails viz. 60kg, 52kg, 90R, 75R.

Types of insulated block joints:

♦ Insulated block joint Class ‘A’
♦ Insulated block joint Class ‘B’
♦ Insulated block joint Class ‘C’

Material of block joints:

Class A is made up of a special type of wood and used in yards where the speed of trains
is slow.
Class B is made up of nylon 66
Class C also called glued insulated rail joints and are procured or manufactured by
engineering departments and mostly used in mail line for high speed trains.
There two types of glued joints Class C as listed below:
♦ G3(L) types- it has six bolts
♦ G3(S) types-it has four bolts
 1. Steel insert –for strength and rigidity
2. Polyurethane insulation-a high grade thermoset;excellent electrical insulation
properties; virtually unaffected by moisture; temperature and sunlight; totally
encapsulates the steel insert
3. Dimple Design- deforms on assembly to ensure maximum contact and load
distribution on fishing area and web of rail
4. Close fitting bolts- assists location thus reducing relative movement; fitted with
self locking nut
5. Glass filled nylon end post- high impact resistance effectively eliminates closure
of rail gap; 4 and 6 hole versions; long life-suitable for continuous welded or
jointed rail

Possible common failures on block joints:

♦ Scales
♦ Shavings
♦ Insulator failures
♦ Overlap
♦ Foreign objects

Solutions that have been tried already to solve the above mentioned problems:
♦ Cutting of overlapping rail on block joint
♦ Use of manual labour to help brush off the scales and shavings in a rail track using a
brush
♦ Putting grease on the rail track to reduce that friction that would result from the
formation of shavings
♦ Use of epoxy