Review article

The paper examines the effect of some operational factors on the cyclical crack resistance of the beam with an inner transverse crack of the circular shape. The beam with the cross-section of an uneven I-beam joist is positioned on a solid elastic foundation and is subjected to repeated loading by concentrated force. The temperature dependence of the number of loading cycles required for the defect to grow to a given size is established. In addition, on the basis of the principle of the independence of the forces, the residual resource of the beam is assessed in the case of an arbitrary system of forces. The proposed calculation scheme is used to assess the durability of rails.