Abstract
In this paper, experimental and theoretical investigations have been conducted to evaluate the axial force of a hook bolt which clamps a sleeper and a railway track. The experimental tests were carried out by fastening the hook bolt with a torque wrench and the axial force of the bolt is measured form three pairs of strain gauges, bonded on counterfacing sides of the bolt. The axial force is determined from the 3 points gauge data using the least square method. In analytical part, the curved beam theory is used to model the specimens and thereby we have calculated the moment distribution of the hook bolt. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical ones and it is shown that the present analytical solution is available for estimating the axial force of the hook bolt.
