A contribution for integrated analysis of railway track performance at transition zones and other discontinuities

Paixão, André; Fortunato, Eduardo; Calçada, Rui

doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2016.02.126

Cited by 23 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 28 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…• Several dimensions for the long and short windows were tested and also the positioning of the small window within the large one was varied; • The length of the shorter window (10 m) was selected to be representative of the length of the track defects that typically occur at ballast and subgrade levels [2,64,65]; • The length of the longer window (200 m) was selected in order to reflect the length of the track adopted by railway engineers, when analysing track geometric parameters, for track quality classification and for tamping planning [66,67].…”

Section: Sliding Window For Track Changes Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Railway Track Condition Assessment at Network Level by Frequency Domain Analysis of GPR Data

et al. 2018

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Abstract:The railway track system is a crucial infrastructure for the transportation of people and goods in modern societies. With the increase in railway traffic, the availability of the track for monitoring and maintenance purposes is becoming significantly reduced. Therefore, continuous non-destructive monitoring tools for track diagnoses take on even greater importance. In this context, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique results yield valuable information on track condition, mainly in the identification of the degradation of its physical and mechanical characteristics caused by subsurface malfunctions. Nevertheless, the application of GPR to assess the ballast condition is a challenging task because the material electromagnetic properties are sensitive to both the ballast grading and water content. This work presents a novel approach, fast and practical for surveying and analysing long sections of transport infrastructure, based mainly on expedite frequency domain analysis of the GPR signal. Examples are presented with the identification of track events, ballast interventions and potential locations of malfunctions. The approach, developed to identify changes in the track infrastructure, allows for a user-friendly visualisation of the track condition, even for GPR non-professionals such as railways engineers, and may further be used to correlate with track geometric parameters. It aims to automatically detect sudden variations in the GPR signals, obtained with successive surveys over long stretches of railway lines, thus providing valuable information in asset management activities of infrastructure managers.

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Section: Sliding Window For Track Changes Detectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Railway Track Condition Assessment at Network Level by Frequency Domain Analysis of GPR Data

et al. 2018

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“…e study also demonstrates further applicability of the approach to assess the structural performance of railway tracks, by assessing how different wavelengths and amplitudes of the geometric irregularities affect degradation, running safety, and ride comfort, supported on dynamic train-track numerical simulations [25,26]. e contribution of this approach, applied to condition and performance monitoring of the railway track, can provide valuable information for railway infrastructure managers as early detection of track faults and input data for asset management tools to optimise maintenance operations [27,28].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…One possible application is its contribution to the early detection of critical locations in railway tracks that negatively affect the performance of this transport system. is approach can supported by a method proposed by the authors [26] that analyses how different wavelengths and amplitudes of the irregularities of the longitudinal level affect different critical aspects of the track performance, namely, (i) its degradation, (ii) the train running safety, and (iii) the passenger ride comfort. at method has been successful in anticipating the development of critical locations that affect the performance of the infrastructure in a previous railway line case study and, therefore, can be a valuable tool in maintenance and asset management activities of railway infrastructure managers.…”

Section: Track Geometry Data To Assess the Structural Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…e effect of track irregularities (with different wavelengths and amplitudes), caused by differential settlements, on the dynamic traintrack interaction is assessed by parametric numerical simulations, as in [25]. Because the characteristics of the track and trains of this present case study are practically the same as those for which the method was firstly demonstrated [26], the results of that parametric numerical study may also be used here to identify possible critical situations, based on the information regarding the analysis of track geometry records.…”

Section: Track Geometry Data To Assess the Structural Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

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Smartphone’s Sensing Capabilities for On‐Board Railway Track Monitoring: Structural Performance and Geometrical Degradation Assessment

Paixão

Fortunato

Calçada

2019

Advances in Civil Engineering

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Railway infrastructure managers run dedicated inspection vehicles to monitor the geometric quality of the track (among other aspects) to detect irregularities and ensure safe running conditions of railway lines, in accordance with specific regulations. Unfortunately, these inspections disturb the normal traffic operation, especially in networks with intense traffic; are generally carried out only a few times per year; and, consequently, do not provide prompt identification of critical situations. Considering the recent developments and cost reduction in sensing capabilities of smartphones, the authors present an approach to use these technologies to perform constant acceleration measurements inside in-service trains to complement the assessment of the structural performance and geometrical degradation of the tracks. Cross-correlation values above 0.85 were obtained between the standard deviations of the longitudinal level and the experimental vertical accelerations measured on-board a passenger train on an 11-km railway stretch. The results showed that the approach can be used to identify critical situations that affect the performance of the track, regarding passenger comfort, degradation rates, and risk of derailment. It may comprise a low-cost and crowdsourced complement to the general current practice of track geometric inspection by dedicated vehicles and contribute to an earlier detection of track malfunctions, consequently, to a more efficient maintenance planning and infrastructure management.

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“…To exhibit adequate performance it is expected that materials constituting the track's support layersin particular, the ballastexhibit resilient behaviour that provides near-complete deformation recovery at each load cycle. On the contrary, when permanent deformations develop, rail operation may be significantly affected, and significant structural damage may occur (Paixão et al, 2016).…”

Section: -Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Photogrammetry for digital reconstruction of railway ballast particles – A cost-efficient method

Paixão

Resende

Fortunato

2018

Construction and Building Materials

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Performance of traditional railway structure depends significantly on the behaviour of its support layers, particularly the ballast. This layer's rock particles are selected to ensure high mechanical strength, but traffic and mechanical maintenance break and wear the particles. Consequently, the layer incurs permanent deformations that degrade its strength and increase deformability and permeability. Particle physical characteristics, in particular those related to size and shape, influence their fragmentation and wear and must be studied accordingly. In addition, structural numerical models that represent individual particles, such as the discrete element method, have been increasingly used to model the infrastructure and therefore detailed geometrical characterization in the form of 3D digital models of the particles are necessary. This work contributes to this goal by investigating a contact-based cost-effective method that digitizes particle form and allows the determination of their geometric parameters. This method is described, compared with well-established laser scanning technique and then applied to study degradation of particles in Los Angeles and microDeval fragmentation tests.

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A contribution for integrated analysis of railway track performance at transition zones and other discontinuities

Cited by 23 publications

References 28 publications

Railway Track Condition Assessment at Network Level by Frequency Domain Analysis of GPR Data

Railway Track Condition Assessment at Network Level by Frequency Domain Analysis of GPR Data

Smartphone’s Sensing Capabilities for On‐Board Railway Track Monitoring: Structural Performance and Geometrical Degradation Assessment

Photogrammetry for digital reconstruction of railway ballast particles – A cost-efficient method

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