Dynamics of a vehicle–track coupling system at a rail joint

Abstract

The dynamic behavior at a rail joint is examined using a two-dimensional vehicle-track coupling model. The track system is described as a finite length beam resting on a double layer discrete viscous-elastic foundation. The vehicle is represented by a half car body and a single bogie. The influence of the number of track layers considered, the number of rail elements between two sleepers and the beam model type is investigated. Parametric studies both of the coupling model and the analytic formulae are carried out in order to understand the influence of the main track and vehicle parameters on the P1 and P2 peak forces. Finally, the results in terms of P2 force from the present model have been compared not only with measured values but also with other simulated and analytical solutions. An excellent agreement between simulated and measured values has been found and the variation with respect to analytical formulae has been quantified.

The role of track stiffness and its spatial variability on long-term track quality deterioration

“…A finite element approach is developed approximating the deformation of the rail within an element using nodal values of displacement and rotation and assuming a third order Hermitian interpolation. Four beam elements are considered within each sleeper-spacing considered sufficient to achieve a good resolution of results [18]. The beam is characterized by the mass per unit length m ̅ r , the steel density ρ, the crosssectional area A, the element length l, flexural rigidity EI, the shear coefficient κ and the shear modulus G.…”

The effect of railway local irregularities on ground vibration

“…They also evaluated the resulting dynamic forces at the discrete supports of the rail under different train speeds. Grossoni et al (2015) proposed a parametric study to understand the dynamic behaviour of a rail joint and the influence of track and vehicle parameters.…”

Formulation of a Linearized Model for Vehicle‐Track Interactions

“…Additionally, the train-track dynamic simulations under transient conditions also show remarkable significance to railway maintenance, assessment, rolling fatigue, safety, etc. See for instance, Handoko and Dhanasekar [20] pointed out that the traction and braking forces are seldom considered in the practice of wagon dynamics simulation, although these forces will greatly modify the wheel-rail contact parameters and then the wheelset dynamics; Liu et al [21] also studied the mechanism of wheelset longitudinal vibration by analysing the process of wheel/rail rolling contact; generally, the track defects can cause profound effects to the dynamics of the railway wagon; Zhang and Dhanasekar [22] noticed this problem and published a model for the dynamics of wagons subject to braking/traction torques on a perfect track by explicitly considering the pitch degree of freedom for wheelsets [23,24] and extended this model for cases of lateral and vertical track geometry defects and worn railhead and wheel profiles; Grossoni et al [25] examined the dynamic behaviour at a rail joint using a two-dimensional vehicle-track coupling model, where the influence of the number of layers and the number of elements between two sleepers and the beam model are investigated. Laterally, Zong and Dhanasekar [26] considered the gap between rail joints to account for thermal movement and to maintain electrical insulation for the control of signals and/or broken rail detection circuits; besides, railhead can provide high stresses due to the passage of heavily loaded wheels through a very small contact patch [27], and a multibody dynamic model was developed in [28] to accurately model and analyse the track dynamic behaviour in vicinity of rail discontinuities; recently Zong and Dhanasekar [29] provided a idea of simplifying the design of the IRJs consisting of only two pieces of insulated rails embedded into a concrete sleeper; Ling et al [30] presented a formulation for a passive roadrail crossing involving stiffened edges of the raised road pavement to minimise the risk of failure of wheel-rail contact using a nonlinear three-dimensional multibody dynamics model; additionally, a series of work on impact derailment due to lateral collisions between heavy road vehicles and passenger trains at level crossings and the associated derailments had also been conducted in [31][32][33][34].…”