Snakehead

{
  "id": "MLC-T-IND-007251",
  "term": "Snakehead",
  "field": "Industrial and trades",
  "definition": "A failure mode of early strap-iron rails where a section of the iron strap delaminates from its wooden stringer, breaks free, and curls upward. The pointed end of the broken rail could pierce the floor of a passing railcar, causing catastrophic damage and injury to passengers. This type of failure became obsolete with the widespread adoption of solid iron T-rails and later, steel rails, which do not delaminate in this manner.",
  "subject": "Rail equipment",
  "translations": {
    "de": "Schienenkopf",
    "es": "cabeza de serpiente",
    "fr": "tête de serpent"
  },
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/industrial/snakehead/"
}