Dynamic interaction between vehicle and slab track—influence of track design parameters

Abstract

The vertical dynamic interaction between a high-speed railway vehicle and slab track is simulated in the time domain using a two-dimensional track model. The transient interaction problem is solved using an extended state-space vector approach in combination with a complex-valued modal superposition technique for the track model. The presented slab track model includes two layers of concrete beams, where the panels of the upper layer are described by possibly coupled beams of finite length, while the roadbed in the lower layer is a continuous beam. Both rail and concrete layers are modelled using Rayleigh-Timoshenko beam theory. The presented model is applied to calculate the influences of foundation stiffness gradient and track design parameters on various track responses. In particular, the influences of the thickness of the roadbed on the load distribution on the foundation, and of the stiffness of the rail pad on the bending moment in the concrete panels, are investigated in two demonstration examples.