Search Results (14)

The “rail track superstructure–subgrade” system is a sophisticated engineering structure critical in ensuring safe and efficient train operations. Its analysis and design rely on mathematical modeling to capture the interactions between system components and the effects of both static and dynamic loads. This paper offers a detailed review of contemporary modeling approaches, including discrete, continuous, and hybrid models. The research’s key contribution is a thorough comparison of five primary methodologies: (i) quasi-static analytical calculations, (ii) multibody dynamics (MBD) models, (iii and iv) static and dynamic finite element method (FEM) models, and (v) wave propagation-based models. Future research directions could focus on developing hybrid models that integrate MBD and FEM to enhance moving load predictions, leveraging machine learning for parameter calibration using experimental data, investigating the nonlinear and rheological behavior of ballast and subgrade in long-term deformation, and applying wave propagation techniques to model vibration transmission and evaluate its impact on infrastructure. Full article

Container transport is one of the most promising modes of international freight transport. Railway container transport is mainly carried out using flat cars. Container cars can be damaged under the most unfavorable operating load conditions of a 1520 mm track gauge, i.e., shunting collisions. In this context, an improvement to the supporting structure of flat cars is proposed to ensure their strength, involving the installation of special superstructures in their cantilever parts to limit the movement of the containers. The choice of the superstructure profiles was made on the basis of the section modulus of their components. Mathematical modeling of the dynamic loading of a flat car with containers in the event of a shunting collision was carried out. The determined value of acceleration was taken into account in the calculation of the strength of the load-bearing structure of the flat car. It was found that the maximum stresses were 24% lower than the allowable stresses. Therefore, the strength condition of the flat car was met. The results of this study will contribute to reducing damage to container transport vehicles in service, to the formulation of recommendations for their construction and to an increase in their profitability, including in international transport. Full article

The development of rail transport necessitates expanding environmentally friendly infrastructure. However, specific challenges arise in desert and sandy regions. One innovative solution to manage the effects of windblown sand on desert railways is the use of hump slab track superstructure. This paper develops a solid–fluid aerodynamic model based on ANSYS Fluent 2021 R2 software to simulate the hump slab track during a sandstorm. The model is validated through wind tunnel testing. A case study of a railway sandstorm in the Shuregaz region of Iran is presented, evaluating various sandstorm parameters and hump heights to determine their impact on sand concentration and particle velocity within the sand transit channels. The results indicate that increasing the sand particle diameter (from 150 to 250 µm) leads to higher sand concentration (up to 40%) and lower sand movement velocity (up to 28%). These results have been observed with a higher incremental approach concerning the sand flow rate. Conversely, increasing sandstorm velocity (from 10 to 30 m/s) decreases sand concentration and increases sand movement velocity up to 80% and 150%, respectively. Additionally, a 25 cm hump height significantly enhances sand passage by creating larger channels. Full article

The planning application and approval process of railway tracks is generally accompanied by a vibration immission assessment. Starting with the source spectrum, which is ideally obtained through measurements, the German guideline VDI 3837 recommends a series of multiplications using transfer spectra which account for the various subdomains of the wave propagation path, such as the effect of the superstructure, the free field propagation, the soil-structure coupling and the transmission inside buildings. Typically, these one-third octave spectra are an average over empirical reference values. While simplified empirical relations are prone to a large variance, the use of artificial vibration sources allows the actual vibration transmission behavior from the tracks to the immission points to be quantified. Using so-called transfer admittances, also known as transfer mobilities, which account for all dynamic interactions along the transmission path (track, tunnel structures, foundations, structural properties), together with force density spectra for relevant rail vehicles, the authors investigate the practical application of the method presented in Report No. 0123 of the Federal Transit Administration (2018) for the frequency range 5–200 Hz. The article demonstrates how such force density spectra were obtained for the most common train types in the Austrian rail network at two different track sections using artificial vibration sources. Furthermore, practical aspects are discussed and a recently developed approximation method for estimating line transfer admittances from point transfer admittances using simplified models is introduced. Full article

Switches are an essential, safety-critical part of the railway infrastructure. Compared to open tracks, their complex geometry leads to increased dynamic loading on the track superstructure from passing trains, resulting in high maintenance costs. To increase efficiency, condition monitoring methods specific to railway switches are required. A common approach to track superstructure monitoring is to measure the acceleration caused by vehicle track interaction. Local interruptions in the wheel–rail contact, caused for example by local defects or track discontinuities, appear in the data as transient impact events. In this paper, such transient events are investigated in an experimental setup of a railway switch with track-side acceleration sensors, using frequency and waveform analysis. The aim is to understand if and how the origins of these impact events can be distinguished in the data of this experiment, and what the implications for condition monitoring of local track discontinuities and defects with wayside acceleration sensors are in practice. For the same experimental configuration, individual impact events are shown to be reproducible in waveform and frequency content. Nevertheless, with this track-side sensor setup, the different types of track discontinuities and defects (squats, joints, crossing) could not be clearly distinguished using characteristic frequencies or waveforms. Other factors, such as the location of impact event origin relative to the sensor, are shown to have a much stronger influence. The experimental data suggest that filtering the data to narrow frequency bands around certain natural track frequencies could be beneficial for impact event detection in practice, but differentiating between individual impact event origins requires broadband signals. A multi-sensor setup with time-synchronized acceleration sensors distributed over the switch is recommended. Full article

In the interaction of the rolling stock and the upper structure of the railway track, intense dynamic loads occur. They have a destructive effect both on the parts of the rolling stock and on the elements of the superstructure of the track. In order to develop a durable, rational and reliably functioning design of cars and locomotives with good dynamic properties and good indicators of the impact of rolling stock on the railway track, along with theoretical computational studies, experimental studies are also required, which are usually the final stage in the design and implementation of rolling stock or the modernization of existing ones, such as locomotives and wagons, in order to improve their strength and dynamic performance. This article presents the results of field tests to determine the dynamic performance of the type CKD6e diesel locomotive. The description of the preparation of the CKD6e shunting locomotive for testing is given. An analysis of the dynamic performance of a diesel locomotive during the passage of turnouts, on a straight section of the track and in a curve with a radius of 400 m, was carried out. The studies performed showed that the minimum value of the stability factor against wheel derailment on a straight section of the track is significantly higher than the standard value. The experimentally obtained ratio of frame forces to the static load from the wheelset on the rails, the coefficients of vertical dynamics of the first and the second stages of suspension and the coefficient of stability against derailment of the wheel from the rail were registered on the track section in a curve with a radius of 400 m meet the current requirements. A calculation scheme and equations of vertical oscillations are proposed, an analysis is carried out according to the graphs of movements of bogies and a locomotive body when moving along irregularities of different lengths at different speeds. Full article

Almost 25% of the environmental pollution, measured by the indicator of global greenhouse emissions, is emitted by transport. Changes in the mobility behavior of the population will be essential if the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of the EU Commission’s Green Deal are to be attained. Accordingly, the existing infrastructure has to transform into a sustainable transport infrastructure through further optimizations in the future. Therefore, continuous optimizations and improvements of designs, materials, and processes are crucial to achieving long-term sustainability. This study investigates different superstructures with the method of life cycle assessment using the example of the emerging high-performance infrastructure at the Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT). The study analyzes all relevant life cycle stages (A1–C4) and validates different effects of service lifetimes of superstructure elements on the open track and in the tunnel. The results, which are presented in the form of GWP, AP, and NRCED, show that there is environmental reduction potential, especially in the stage of use. As more frequent modernization cycles and the associated remanufacturing of superstructure elements account for a significant proportion of the total environmental impact, lifetime extending optimization of products yields improvements in the ecological footprint. Full article

The superstructure of modern railway lines uses tons of technical polymeric material spread along the track with mechanical, insulating and damping functions. Many of these parts are rejected because they do not pass the quality controls, generating a large accumulation of plastic waste of high economic value. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining the optimum degree of recyclability by mechanical crushing of geometrically defective (and so rejected) railway fastenings flanged plates injected with short fiberglass-reinforced polyamide. After recycling, the material must guarantee its physical and mechanical properties required to ensure the future in-service conditions of the highly responsible components that guarantee the maintenance of the railway gauge. Viscosity, mechanical properties (tensile test), Charpy and fracture toughness as well as fatigue performance were determined for ten successive recyclings. It has been found that the drop of viscosity is the most restrictive limitation, allowing three recyclings of the material. All the properties measured have experienced a noticeable reduction after 10 recyclings. Specifically, viscosity is reduced by 15%, ultimate strength by 70%, yield stress by 41% strain under maximum load lost by 70%, Young’s modulus lost by 38%, Charpy impact strength by 70%, fatigue resistance by 69% and fracture toughness lost by 80%. With the development of this study and taking into account that the market price of the flanged plates is valued at approximately 8 k€/km, of which around 5 k€/km corresponds to the raw material, the recovery of this material not only represents a great environmental benefit but also an economic one. Full article

This study provides a systematic method for determining the proper rent fee of a port railway station with a litigation case study of Busan port container terminal. The Port Rail Station Operating Company (PRSOC) leases and operates the port railway station of the port authority (PA). The PA wants to receive a rent fee with the goal of recovering the investment cost, and the PRSOC wants to pay rent to the extent that it can generate an appropriate profit. In order to reasonably estimate the rent fee, this study attempted using a method of estimating the capacity-based demand of the rail station. A recent discussion of terminal rentals concerns what to rent. That is, will only the infrastructure be leased, or will the substructure and the superstructure be leased? Will the infrastructure, superstructure, and equipment be leased? Rail station capacity encounters a bottleneck when measuring railroad track capacity, i.e. RMGC capacity. In other words, arbitrary demand estimation leads to operating losses for PRSOC and may also cause losses to investors because investment costs cannot be recovered. In this study, data such as investment cost, operating cost, and sales required for the construction of the rail station were collected from the Ministry of Ocean and Fishery, PA, and PRSOC. Based on these data, a proper rent fee is proposed by analyzing the cash flow on the premise of operation for the next 30 years. This study adopts the discounted cashflow (DCF) method because DCF allows an objective and consistent comparison of rent fee levels from the PA and PRSOC perspectives. Using DCF, this study finds that the proper rent fee from the perspective of the PA is USD 397,045, while the PRSOC’s proper rent fee is USD 355,801. Thus, it is reasonable to set the standard for determining the proper rent fee by calculating and comparing the rent fee level from the perspective of PA’s investment cost recovery and PRSOC’s operating balance maintenance perspective. This study suggests that the DCF method should be applied to standardize the rent fee calculation system for the port railway station. Full article

Sleeper spacing has been a taboo subject throughout the railway’s history. Safety concerns related to the structural integrity have been the main causes of not addressing this matter. There are no specific and clear recommendations or guidelines in relation to this matter and the distances do not go more than 0.8 m. In order to go beyond this current situation, the following research paper analyses the influence of the spacing between sleepers on the behaviour of ballasted tracks by performing a dynamic simulation with finite elements in two dimensions for different track configurations, different elements, geometries, and separations within the frame of the ODSTRACK project. The variables studied are the vertical displacements, the forces and stresses on the most important elements of the superstructure, as well as the vertical accelerations in the sleepers and the train. The values obtained from the numerical simulations were compared with the maximum permitted values according to the guidelines. To limit this distance to the most restrictive variable among those analysed, it is necessary to make important assumptions, such as the permissible values and effective support contact areas between the sleepers and the ballast. The preliminary analyses carried out shed light on a possible increment of the spacing between sleepers’ axes up to more than 0.8 m. This suggests that important savings in railways construction costs can be achieved, and they will help to develop the next stage of the ODSTRACK project. Full article

The increasing need for railway planning and design to connect growing cities in inland mountainous areas has pushed engineering efforts toward the research of railway tracks that must comply with more restrictive constraints. In this study, a multiobjective alignment optimization (HAO), commonly used for highway projects, was carried out to identify a better solution for constructing a high-speed railway track considering technical and economic feasibilities. Then, two different and innovative scenarios were investigated: an unconventional ballastless superstructure, which is more environment-friendly than a gravel superstructure, and a reduced cross-section in a tunnel, which enables a slower design speed and then, less restrictive geometric constraints and earthmoving. The results showed that the first solution obtained a better performance with a slight increase in cost. Moreover, both scenarios improved the preliminary alignment optimization, reducing the overall cost by 11% for the first scenario and 20% for the second one. Full article

Concrete fatigue behaviour has not been extensively studied, in part because of the difficulty and cost. Some concrete elements subjected to this type of load include the railway superstructure of sleepers or slab track, bridges for both road and rail traffic and the foundations of wind turbine towers or offshore structures. In order to address fatigue problems, a methodology was proposed that reduces the lengthy testing time and high cost by increasing the test frequency up to the resonance frequency of the set formed by the specimen and the test machine. After comparing this test method with conventional frequency tests, it was found that tests performed at a high frequency (90 ± 5 Hz) were more conservative than those performed at a moderate frequency (10 Hz); this effect was magnified in those concretes with recycled aggregates coming from crushed concrete (RC-S). In addition, it was found that the resonance frequency of the specimen–test machine set was a parameter capable of identifying whether the specimen was close to failure. Full article

In a fixed-end arch railway bridge restraining the displacement and rotation at the support to constrain the longitudinal deformation of the superstructure, vertical deformation occurs according to temperature change. Due to such deformation, periodic change in long-wavelength track irregularity occurs, which, by increasing the vertical train body acceleration, degrades ride comfort. In the present study, the vertical deformation of a fixed-end arch railway bridge and the accompanying track irregularity changes were measured during the summer and winter, respectively. Based on the measured data, the relationships among the ambient temperature, the temperature of the bridge members, the deformation of the bridge, and the track irregularity were investigated. Additionally, the correlation between the train body acceleration and the long-wavelength track irregularity was examined, and a method of controlling long-wavelength track irregularity considering seasonal temperature change was discussed. Full article

This study presents a new scheme for autonomous health monitoring of railroad infrastructure using a continuous stream of structural health monitoring data. The study utilized measured strains from an optimized sensor set deployed on a double track, steel, railway, truss bridge located in central Nebraska. The most common failure mode for the superstructure of this structural system is the stringer-to-floor beam connection failure, which was the focus of this study. However, the proposed methodology could be used to assess the condition of a wide range of structural elements and details. The damage feature adopted in this framework was the variations of Proper Orthogonal Modes (POMs) of the measured structural response. To automatically detect the occurrence, location, and intensity of deficiencies from the POMs, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) were adopted. POM variations, which are traditionally input (load) dependent, were ultimately utilized as damage indicators. To alleviate the variability of POMs due to non-stationarity of the train loads, a preset windowing of measured output was completed in conjunction with automated peak-picking. Furthermore, input variability necessitated implementing ANNs to help decouple POM changes due to load variations from those caused by deficiencies, changes that would render the proposed framework input independent; a significant advancement. Damage “scenarios” were artificially introduced into select output (strain) datasets recorded while monitoring train passes across the selected bridge. This information, in turn, was used to train ANNs using MATLAB’s Neural Net Toolbox. Trained ANNs were tested against monitored loading events and artificial damage scenarios. Applicability of the proposed, output-only framework was investigated via studies of the bridge under operational conditions. To account for the effects of potential deficiencies at the stringer-to-floor beam connections, measured signal amplitudes were artificially decreased at select locations. Finally, to validate the applicability of the proposed method using low-cost measurement devices, the measured signals were corrupted by high levels of white, Gaussian noises featuring spatial correlations. It was concluded that the proposed framework could successfully identify 20 damage indices, which were artificially imposed on measured signals under operational conditions. Full article