MECHANICS OF A RAIL JOINT
In theory, the forces acting on a bolted rail joint depend on
several factors such as: joint bar type (e.g. long-toe angle bar or
short-toe joint bar), length of the joint bar, rail size, tie-ballast
support conditions, bolt tension, number of bolts, and joint
anomalies (such as rail end gap, rail height mismatch, tread
mismatch, and end batter). The mechanics of a bolted joint
must also account for dynamic impact loads.