INNOTRACK Deliverable 4.2.1 -- Simplified relation for the influence of rail/joint degradation on operational loads and subsequent deterioration

Report, 2007

In this tentative report we present a summary of the work carried out during approximately the first nine months of the INNOTRACK project regarding the influence of rail/joint degradation on operational loads and subsequent deterioration. The focus is here on the vertical train–track interaction and related deterioration. The work within this field can be divided in two categories. The first concerns the collection of input and validation data. In this category the current deliverable includes measurements of in-field axle loads, in-field monitoring of squats and compilation of material data. The second category is the actual numerical simulation and resulting quantifications of increased operational loads and deteriorations. Here the deliverable includes a state-of-the-art study of the effect of material characteristics on material deterioration and the practical implications. Further, the deliverable contains reports of parametric studies of the influence of rail corrugation, the growth of larger rail cracks, the influence of the design of insulated joints and the influence of rail squats.