B

Ballast
Rock or gravel material placed on the roadbed for the purpose of holding the track in line and surface.

Ballast Curb
A longitudinal timber placed along the outer edge of the floor on ballast deck bridges to retain the ballast.

Basic-Oxygen Steel Making
The term basic-oxygen steel making is used generically to describe a process in which molten iron is refined to steel under a basic slag in a cylindrical furnace lined with basic refractories by directing a jet of high-purity gaseous oxygen onto the surface of the hot metal baths.

Batter
The flattening of the running surface at rail ends from wheel impact.

Bessemer Process
The conversion of liquid pig iron to steel by forcing air at atmospheric temperature through the metallic bath in a converter in which no extraneous fuel is burned, resulting with the oxidation or reduction of the carbon, manganese and silicon to the extent desired and their removal in the form of slag. As more carbon and manganese are removed than finally required, the proper addition of these elements must be made to the metal on completion of the blow.

Blank Rails
Rails having no bolt holes.

Bolted Rail Crossing
A track crossing in which all the running surfaces are made of rolled rail held together with bolts.

Bolted Rigid Frog
A frog built essentially of rolled rails, with fillers between the rails, and held together with bolts.

Bond
A cable or metal strap connecting two rails to establish an electrical circuit.

Branding
The identification markings hot rolled in raised figures and letters in the rail web indicating the weight of rail and section number, name of manufacturer and mill, and year and month rolled.

Burrs
The rough edges left at the end of a rail when sawed or on the side of the web when drilled.