A Zores section (also: ''Z-section'') was a railway beam section designed by French engineer, {{Interlanguage link multi, Charles Ferdinand Zores, fr, 3=Charles Ferdinand Zores, vertical-align=sup, in the second half of the 19th century for use in the supporting frames of various railway structures. They were very common in France. In other countries, such as Germany, the originally designated ''fer arrondi'' (''rounded profile'') became a standardised rolling mill profile for
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
, its shape resembling an upside down rain gutter. It was used as surfacing on steel bridges, covering the deck girders and forming the base on which gravel, concrete or plaster for the actual trackbed was laid. It was spaced 2 to 3 centimetres apart in order to improved drainage.
''Spezifikation''.
In: Gottwalt Schaper: ''Eiserne Brücken''. Ein Lehr- und Nachschlagebuch für Studierende und Konstrukteure. Wilhelm Ernst & Sohn, Berlin, 1908 (digitalised at archive.org) For the same purpose, usually for smaller loads, buckled plate was used.
Croquis profilé Zorès.png, Sketch of Zorès section
Fers Zores pour chemins de fer.jpg, Zores beams used for steel rail track sleepers.
Zöres-Eisen.png, Zores sections sold in Germany
References
Structural steel
Structural system
Architectural elements
Bridge design