Text 2b Rails

Read and translate the text.

The original rails were made of I section, the idea being that when the top table or head of this doubled-headed rail was worn, the rail could be inverted and re-used. Such rails are supported in cha­irs which rest on sleepers. It was found that the lower table was dented by the chairs and could not be used. This led to the develop­ment of the bull-headed rail with a similar shape but with more metal added to the head to permit wear. The lower table was made of just sufficient sire to be able to bear the stresses which are induced in it by moving loads. Side by side with the development of the double-headed and bull-headed rails, a flat-footed rail, which is of an in­verted T shape, was introduced. The advantage of these гаils lies in the fact that for the same weight, flat-footed rails are stronger than bull-headed rails; also no chairs are necessary and the foot of the rail may be spiked direct to the sleepers. On the other hand, it is claimed for the bull-headed rail that it gives a more solid and smoother track, and that the advantages of elimination of the chairs is offset by the necessity of using bearing plates under flat-footed rails to distribute heavy loads on sleepers made from soft wood. Fol­lowing ere a few more points in favor of each type.

a) The B.H. rail keeps better alignment of track than the F.F. rail.

b) P.F, rails are cheaper than B.H. rails.

c) F.F. rails, as such, have more lateral or side strength than B.H. rails. Recent research on lateral

strength of traok3 has however shown that the lateral strength of track structure as a whole is not

appreciably affected by the type of rail used.

d) F.F. rails require fewer fastenings than B.H. rails.

e) The fastenings with F.F. rails have a tendency greater than the B.H. rails to get loose, particularly

if they are laid on wooden sleepers. The wave effect in the rails tends to loosen the spikes with

which the rail is held to the sleepers.

By far the largest mileage, nearly 90%, of railway track in the world, is laid with flat-footed rails. Various other types of rails have been designed but as their use has been very small, they need not be considered here.

Notes: B.H. rail - Bull-head rail, F.F. rail - Flat footed rail

Words and Expressions to be Remembered

I section, a doubled-headed rail, a bull-headed rail, a lower table, a flat-footed rail, a T shape, the foot of the rail, lateral a., a bearing plate, a top table, head n., chair n., dent v., wear n., v., bear v., induce v., alignment n., affect v., fastenings n.. loosen v., spike n., v.

Words and Expressions to be Reviewed

Invented a., support v., rest n., v., lead v., shape n., v., add v., permit v., sufficient a., stress n., introduce v., advantage n., v., designer n., weight n., sleeper n., solid a., smooth a., eli­mination n., necessity .., distribute v., soft a., point n., in favour of, research n., v., appreciably adv., require v., particularly adv., wave n., v., tend v., mileage n., design n., v., consider v.

Exercise 1. Pronounce the following correctly:

Original, I section, the idea, doubled-headed, worn, wear, suf­ficient, advantage, elimination, necessity, favour, alignment, rese­arch, appreciably, require, fastenings, particularly, mileage, vari­ous.

Exercise 2. Practice reading the first paragraph of the text. Mind stres­ses, pauses and intonation.

Exercise 3. Give Russian equivalents of the following worde and word combinations:

I section, a doubled-headed rail, a ball-headed rail, a lower table, a flat-footed rail, an inverted T shape, an original design­er, the foot of the rail, it is claimed for, a more solid and smoo­ther track, lateral or side strength, a track structure, the wave effect, by far, side by side, bearing plates, moving loads.

Exercise 4. Give English equivalents of the following words and word combinations:

двутавровая сортовая сталь, опорные плиты, высокая скорость, верхняя полка двухголового рельса, головка, подошва, рельсовая под­кладка, двухголовый рельс, двухголовый рельс с более сильной рабо­чей головкой, нижняя полка рельса, выдерживать, широкоподошвенный рельс, правильное относительное расположение, боковая жесткость, путевое сооружение, намного, волновой аффект, с другой стороны, в пользу, преимущество, первый конструктор, древесина хвойных пород, протяженность, новые исследования, как единое целое.

Exercise 5. State the part of speech of the following words and trans­late them into Russians:

best, restful, resting, rested; shape, shaped, shapeless, shapelessness, shapely, shaping; stress; advantage, advantageous; point; pointed, pointedly, pointer, pointing; research, researcher, resear­ching, researched; wave, waving, waved, waveless; movement, move, movable, moveless, mover, moving, movability, moved, spike, spiked, spiking, claim, claimed, claiming, claimer, eliminate, elimination, eliminated, eliminating, eliminative; align, alignment; fasten, fast­ening, fastened, fastener, use, usable, using, used, usage, useful, useless* consider» consideration, considerable.

Exercise 6. Translate the following sentences Into English:

1 К верхнему строению относят рельсы, рельсовые скрепления, шпалы, балласт, соединения и пересечения рельсовых путей. 2 Рельсо­вые скрепления необходимы для прикрепления рельсов к шпалам и для соединения рельсов в стыках. 3 Стандартными и общепринятыми рельсами на всех дорогах мира являются рельсы широкоподошвенные. 4 Широкоподошвенный рельс состоит из трех основных частей: головка, подошвы и шейки, соединяющей головку с подошвой. 5 Рельсы являются главнейшим элементом верхнего строения пути. 6 В 1820 году Стивене ввел на американских железных дорогах широкоподошвенный рельс. 7 Виньоль, именем которого подошвенный рельс часто называют, ввел его в Англии. 8 В Германии перешли к применению широкоподошвенного рельса с 1830 года.

Exercise 7. Make up a list of all the prepositions in the text and give their Russian equivalents.

Exercise 8. Read the text “RAILS” and make up ten key questions to it.

Exercise 9. Tell the contents of the text "Rails" using the key questions as your plan.

Exercise 10. Make a written review of the text.

Exercise 11. Write a brief summary of the text in Russian.