The effect of large-scale variation in the support stiffness on railway track degradation is studied using a frequency-domain approach. The model used can deal with parametric excitation due to both the discrete sleeper spacing and arbitrary large-scale spatial track non-uniformity. Adopted stiffness profiles are based on realistic datasets in the literature. The sensitivity to degradation is assessed by quantifying the energy dissipation in the substructure over the influence zone. Results show that the effect of spatial stiffness variation generally increases with the speed, for any subgrade condition; system resonance however leads to increased degradation at resonance speeds and increases with the mean value of the track stiffness. The speed is shown to have a larger influence in the presence of non-uniformity than it has for uniform track with a mean value of the same non-uniform track stiffness, independent of this mean value. In general, support stiffness non-uniformity and poor track conditions (in terms of a low overall stiffness) may have comparable effects; the combination of both is a worst-case scenario. Predictions are independent from the randomness for measured datasets and have therefore general validity. Further, an excellent correlation is found between the spatial variation of the dynamic track stiffness, the differential energy dissipation in the substructure, and the work performed by the moving contact load with respect to the track, independent of the train speed. This confirms existing empirical evidence of the dynamic track stiffness for non-uniform track as an indicator for degradation.@en

This study addresses the contribution of spatial variance in the railway track support stiffness to the expected long-term track degradation. Hereto, a novel frequency-domain model is developed with a double periodicity ‘layer’, capable of dealing with both sleeper periodicity and arbitrary non-uniformity in track properties. The model application focuses on a locally reduced support stiffness (hanging sleeper) along the track. The resulting susceptibility to degradation is assessed by quantifying the mechanical energy dissipated over the influence length under a moving train axle. Different descriptions of this energy amount are benchmarked with respect to their predictive value. In the presence of a degraded sleeper support, hanging sleepers are found to develop faster with increasing train speed; the speed effect may be estimated as roughly linear. Moreover, degradation increases progressively with an increasing local relative stiffness reduction. Coincidence of the train speed corresponding to the sleeper passing frequency with the first resonance peak of the system leads to severely increased degradation; increased damping however attenuates dissipation peaks at resonant speeds and shifts their position upwards. The effect of a degraded support is most significant on soft subgrades. The effect of multiple degraded sleeper supports increases up to three sleepers, for any train speed. With respect to the system parameters, particularly the railpad stiffness has significant effect; especially for high-speed tracks a high pad stiffness is very unfavorable. Other effective control parameters in the case of degraded sleeper supports are the sleeper spacing and the rail cross-sectional properties; for example replacing a 54E1 with a 60E1 rail profile may reduce energy dissipation with roughly 30% on high-speed track. An increasing unsprung vehicle mass is unfavorable for track degradation, again with the effect increasing with the train speed. The developed methodology is shown to have significant potential with respect to railway track design in terms of multi-parametric optimization for concrete cases with a given input in terms of soil properties and operational regime.@en

This paper studies the effect of railway track design parameters on the expected long-term degradation of track geometry. The study assumes a geometrically perfect and straight track along with spatial invariability, except for the presence of discrete sleepers. A frequency-domain two-layer model is used of a discretely supported rail coupled with a moving unsprung mass. The susceptibility of the track to degradation is objectively quantified by calculating the mechanical energy dissipated in the substructure under a moving train axle for variations of different track parameters. Results show that, apart from the operational train speed, the ballast/substructure stiffness is the most significant parameter influencing energy dissipation. Generally, the degradation increases with the train speed and with softer substructures. However, stiff subgrades appear more sensitive to particular train velocities, in a regime which is mostly relevant for conventional trains (100–200 km/h) and less for high-speed operation, where a stiff subgrade is always favorable and can reduce the sensitivity to degradation substantially, with roughly a factor up to 7. Also railpad stiffness, sleeper distance and rail cross-sectional properties are found to have considerable effect, with higher expected degradation rates for increasing railpad stiffness, increasing sleeper distance and decreasing rail profile bending stiffness. Unsprung vehicle mass and sleeper mass have no significant influence, however, only against the background of the assumption of an idealized (invariant and straight) track. Apart from dissipated mechanical energy, the suitability of the dynamic track stiffness is explored as an engineering parameter to assess the sensitivity to degradation. It is found that this quantity is inappropriate to assess the design of an idealized track.@en

The long-term behaviour of railway track has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Improvements in long-term structural performance reduce demands for maintenance and increase the continuous availability of railway lines. The focus of this paper is on the prediction of the sensitivity of a track design to long-term deterioration in terms of track geometry. According to the state of the art literature, degradation is often investigated using empirical models based on field measurement data. Although a rough maintenance forecast may be made employing empirical models, the predictions are not generic, and the physical processes which govern track degradation under train operation remain unclear. The first aim of this study is to present a mathematical model to elucidate the underlying physics of long-term degradation of railway tracks. The model consists of an infinitely long beam which is periodically supported by equidistantly discrete sleepers and a moving unsprung mass which represents a travelling train. The mechanical energy dissipated in the substructure is proposed to serve as a measure of the track degradation rate. Secondly, parametric studies on energy dissipation are conducted to identify effects of various track design parameters on the susceptibility of the track to degradation, as well as the effect of the train speed. It has been shown that the track/subgrade stiffness is the most influential parameter on degradation whereas other system parameters do influence the degradation rate but at lower magnitudes. The conclusions can be used to optimise the track design in the early stage for better long-term structural performance of railway tracks.

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