The problems of arising vertical irregularities in operating railway track

Abstract

Arising during railway track structure operating the geometrical irregularities of track in vertical plane are the additional sources of interaction between the trains and track. These irregularities have got an unintentional character (arising in random way during track operating, e.g. irregularities in track, change of track geometrical parameters or inhomogeneity of track support) and intentional character (arising e.g. during railway track lifting by VSS plate). The unintentional irregularity causes among other things an additional increase of deflections and stresses in track structure elements, which lead to failures and wear of track elements. Such arising the longitudinal irregularity in track is the reason for various forms of contact between sleeper and ballast. Track stiffness in unloaded state (without forces from trains) causes that the sleepers in various ways rest on the ballast. The analysis of load transfer from wheel by rail to the railway sleeper allows for visualizing the effects of such irregularity for railway track. Furthermore a shape of arising irregularity causes the decrease of train wheel traction efficiency understanding as the degree of its tractive adhesion utilization resulting from static loads. In paper an experimental analysis of arising irregularity in CWR track during its operating is enclosed.