Three-dimensional modelling of differential railway track settlement using a cycle domain constitutive model
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2016

A method for simulation of differential (spatially varying) track settlement in a ballasted railway track is presented. It employs a cycle domain constitutive model to determine accumulated plastic (permanent) deformation of the granular layers supporting the track. The constitutive model is adopted for both the ballast and the sub-ballast but with different parameter sets. The proposed framework can be used to predict differential track settlement accounting for heterogeneous (space-variant) track characteristics and loading conditions. Here, it is demonstrated for three-dimensional continuum modelling of a railway crossing panel subjected to a large number of axle passages. Because of the design of the crossing panel and the transient character of the impact loads on the crossing, the load transferred into the track bed is not uniform along the track, and the resulting differential settlement leads to vertical irregularities in track geometry. The spatial variation of track settlement is calculated both along the sleepers and along the rails. The influences of the number of adjacent sleepers accounted for in the model and the stiffness of the subgrade on the predicted settlement at the crossing are studied.

shakedown

3D finite element analysis

ballast

cyclic loading

differential track settlement

railway switch and crossing

Författare

Magnus Ekh

Chalmers, Tillämpad mekanik, Material- och beräkningsmekanik

Jens Nielsen

Dynamik

International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics

0363-9061 (ISSN) 10969853 (eISSN)

Vol. 40 12 1758-1770

Ämneskategorier

Maskinteknik

DOI

10.1002/nag.2515

Mer information

Skapat

2017-10-07