Determining horizontal curvature of railway track axis in mobile satellite measurements

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The article discusses the applicability of a novel method to determine horizontal curvature of the railway track axis based on results of mobile satellite measurements. The method is based on inclination angle changes of a moving chord in the Cartesian coordinate system. In the presented case, the variant referred to as the method of two virtual chords is applied which consists in manoeuvring with only one GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver. The assumptions of the novel method are formulated, and the assessment of its application in the performed campaign of mobile satellite measurements is given. The shape of the measured railway axis is shown in the national spatial reference system PL-2000, and the speed of the measuring trolley during the measurement is calculated based on the recorded coordinates. It has been observed that over the test section, the curvature ordinates differ from the expected waveform, which can be caused by disturbances of the measuring trolley trajectory. However, this problem can easily be overcome by filtering the measured track axis ordinates to obtain the correct shape – this refers to all track segments: straight sections, circular arcs, and transition curves. The virtual chord method can also be the basis for assessing the quality of the recorded satellite signal. The performed analysis has shown high accuracy of the measuring process.