Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 6 Oct 2019 |
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The role of stiffness variation in switches and crossings : comparison of vehicle-track interaction models with field measurements. / Grossoni, Ilaria; Le Pen, Louis; Jorge, Pedro; Bezin, Yann; Watson, Geoff; Kostovasilis, Dimitrios; Powrie, William.
In: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 06.10.2019.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of stiffness variation in switches and crossings
T2 - comparison of vehicle-track interaction models with field measurements
AU - Grossoni, Ilaria
AU - Le Pen, Louis
AU - Jorge, Pedro
AU - Bezin, Yann
AU - Watson, Geoff
AU - Kostovasilis, Dimitrios
AU - Powrie, William
PY - 2019/10/6
Y1 - 2019/10/6
N2 - The performance of Switches and Crossings (S&Cs) compared with plain line is complicated by the presence of movable parts, changing rail geometry and nonuniformities in the composite and/or trackbed stiffness. These features lead to complex vehicle-track interactions and higher maintenance costs. The trackbed stiffness is the least well controlled engineering property. A greater variability in trackbed stiffness leads to higher differential trackbed settlement and associated poorer track quality. At S&C changes in trackbed stiffness are exacerbated by changing rail properties which also contribute to changes in the overall composite track stiffness. This work focuses on the role of variations in stiffness on S&C performance. Field measurements of bearer displacement were carried out using geophones at an S&C equipped with Under Sleeper Pads (USPs). Vehicle-S&C interaction was modelled using a multi-body system and finite element method. The trackbed stiffness along the whole of the S&C was inferred using the measurements of track deflections in an iterative back-calculation taking account of changing rail properties. It is shown that not including the variation in trackbed/composite stiffness leads to significant under/overestimates of the wheel-railcontact forces. USPs are shown to reduce absolute maximum loads, but may increase the variation in deflection.
AB - The performance of Switches and Crossings (S&Cs) compared with plain line is complicated by the presence of movable parts, changing rail geometry and nonuniformities in the composite and/or trackbed stiffness. These features lead to complex vehicle-track interactions and higher maintenance costs. The trackbed stiffness is the least well controlled engineering property. A greater variability in trackbed stiffness leads to higher differential trackbed settlement and associated poorer track quality. At S&C changes in trackbed stiffness are exacerbated by changing rail properties which also contribute to changes in the overall composite track stiffness. This work focuses on the role of variations in stiffness on S&C performance. Field measurements of bearer displacement were carried out using geophones at an S&C equipped with Under Sleeper Pads (USPs). Vehicle-S&C interaction was modelled using a multi-body system and finite element method. The trackbed stiffness along the whole of the S&C was inferred using the measurements of track deflections in an iterative back-calculation taking account of changing rail properties. It is shown that not including the variation in trackbed/composite stiffness leads to significant under/overestimates of the wheel-railcontact forces. USPs are shown to reduce absolute maximum loads, but may increase the variation in deflection.
KW - S&C
KW - Switch panel
KW - Crossing panel
KW - Trackbed stiffness
KW - Composite track stiffness
KW - Field measurements
KW - Geophones
KW - Vehicle-track interaction
KW - FE approach
KW - MBS approach
KW - USP
M3 - Article
JO - Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit
JF - Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit
SN - 0954-4097
ER -