Mechanism of cross-level settlements and void accumulation of wide and conventional sleepers in railway ballast

The cross-level and twist irregularities are the most dangerous irregularity types that could cause wheel unloading with the risk of derailments and additional maintenance expenses.However,the mechanism of the irregularities initiation and development is unclear.The motivation of the present study was the previous experimental studies on the application of wide sleepers in the ballasted track.The long-term track geometry measurements with wide sleepers show an enormous reduction of the vertical longitudinal irregularities compared to the conventional track.However,wide sleepers had higher twist and cross-section level irregularities.The present paper aims to explain the phenomenon by discrete element method(DEM)modeling the development process of sleeper inhomogeneous support at cross-level depending on the sleeper form.The DEM simulations show that the maximal settlement intensity is up to 3.5 times lower for a wide sleeper in comparison with the conventional one.Nevertheless,the cross-level differential settlements are almost the same for both sleepers.The particle loading distribution after all loading cycles is concentrated on the smaller area,up to the half sleeper length,with fully unloaded zones under sleeper ends.Ballast flow limitation under the central part of the sleeper could improve the resilience of wide sleepers to the development of cross-level irregularities.The mechanism of initiation of the cross-level irregularity is proposed,which assumes the loss of sleeper support under sleeper ends.The further growth of inhomogeneous settlements along the sleeper is assumed as a result of the interaction of two processes:ballast flow due to dynamic impact during void closing and on the other side high pressure due to the concentration of the pressure under the middle part of the sleeper.The DEM simulation results support the assumption of the mechanism and agree with the experimental studies.

Analysis of mesoscopic mechanical dynamic characteristics of ballast bed with under sleeper pads

The meso-dynamical behaviour of a high-speed rail ballast bed with under sleeper pads(USPs)was studied.The geometrically irregular refined discrete element model of the ballast particles was constructed using 3D scanning techniques,and the 3D dynamic model of the rail-sleeper-ballast bed was constructed using the coupled discrete element method-multiflexible-body dynamics(DEM-MFBD)approach.We analyse the meso-mechanical dynamics of the ballast bed with USPs under dynamic load on a train and verify the correctness of the model in laboratory tests.It is shown that the deformation of the USPs increases the contact area between the sleeper and the ballast particles,and subsequently the number of contacts between them.As the depth of the granular ballast bed increases,the contact area becomes larger,and the contact force between the ballast particles gradually decreases.Under the action of the elastic USPs,the contact forces between ballast particles are reduced and the overall vibration level of the ballast bed can be reduced.The settlement of the granular ballast bed occurs mainly at the shallow position of the sleeper bottom,and the installation of the elastic USPs can be effective in reducing the stress on the ballast particles and the settlement of the ballast bed.

Influence of unsupported sleepers on the dynamic stability of ballasted bed based on wheelset impact tests

The unsupported sleeper can change the load characteristics of ballast particles and thus affect the dynamic stability of a ballasted bed.In this work,a laboratory test was constructed on a ballasted track containing unsupported sleepers.The ballasted track was excited by a wheelset,and the influence of unsupported sleepers on the dynamic stability of a ballasted bed was studied.The results show that the main frequency of the sleeper vibration appeared at 670 Hz,and the first-order rigid vibration mode at the frequency of 101 Hz had a significant effect on the condition without the unsupported sleeper.When the sleepers were continuously unsupported,the vibration damping effect of ballasted bed within the frequency range of 0–450 Hz was better than that at higher frequencies.Within the frequency range of 70–250 Hz,the vibration damping effect of the ballasted bed with unsupported sleepers was better than that without the unsupported sleeper.Owing to the excitation from the wheelset impact,the lateral resistance of the ballasted bed with unsupported sleepers whose hanging heights were 30,60,and 90 mm increased by 37.43%,12.25%,and 18.23%,respectively,while the lateral resistance of the ballasted bed without the unsupported sleeper remained basically unchanged.The unsupported sleeper could increase the difference in the quality of the ballasted bed between two adjacent sleepers.In addition,test results show that the hanging height of the unsupported sleeper had little effect on the lateral resistance of a ballasted bed without external excitation,but had an obvious effect on the rate of change of the lateral resistance of a ballasted bed and the acceleration amplitude of the sleeper vibration under the wheelset impact.

Numerical Study on Lateral Buckling Mode of Pipelines Laid on A Sleeper

Because non-buried submarine pipelines under cyclic thermal loading are prone to global buckling,sleepers are commonly laid along the pipeline route to induce a series of relatively small and controllable lateral buckling.A finite element model which can simulate the transformation of pipeline laid on a sleeper from vertical buckling to lateral buckling is established in this work.The parameters of sleeper affecting pipeline buckling modes are analysed,and a new kind of sleeper is proposed aimed at avoiding antisymmetric buckling.Results show that the lateral trigger force can avoid antisymmetric lateral buckling when acting between 1℃and 13℃before the critical buckling temperature.The range increases slightly with increasing trigger force.Compared with an ordinary sleeper,the proposed new sleeper with slider can reduce the critical buckling temperature by 25%,which significantly improves the success rate of sleepers.

Discrete element method of improved performance of railway ballast bed using elastic sleeper

With the development of high-speed and heavy-haul railway in China, problems like insufficient thickness of ballast bed and overlarge track stiffness are obvious. Ballast may break into small particles and their contact status will deteriorate under cyclic loading, resulting in ballast degradation. Discrete element method(DEM) was used to research improved performance of ballast bed using elastic sleeper. Clusters were generated by bonding spheres to model real ballasts, while broken bonds were utilized to distinguish breakage. Two kinds of ballast beds with elastic sleeper and conventional sleeper were established, respectively. After applying cyclic loading to the models, differences of mechanical properties between two models were analyzed by contrasting their dynamic behavior indexes, such as particle contact force, sleeper settlement, vibration velocity and acceleration, breakage characteristic. The results illustrate that compared with conventional sleeper, elastic sleeper increases sleeper settlement, while reduces ballast vibration and contact force between particles, which could depress ballast breakage.

Rates of oxygen consumption and tolerance of hypoxia and desiccation in Chinese black sleeper(Bostrichthys sinensis)and mudskipper(Boleophthalmus pectinirostris)embryos

The rates of oxygen consumption, tolerance of hypoxia and desiccation of the Chinese black sleeper （ Bostrichthys sinensis） and mudskipper （Boleophthalmus pectinirostris） embryos were investigated. The pattern of oxygen consumption of the Chinese black sleeper embryos was similar to that of the mudskipper ones. The lowest rates of oxygen consumption [ （ 1.65 ±0. 66） nmol/ （ind. ·h） ] of the Chinese black sleeper embryos 16 h after fertilization and the lowest rates of oxygen consumption [ （0.79± 0.08 ）nmolf（ ind. · h） ] of the mudskipper embryos 6 h after fertilization were recorded, respectively. Then the rates of oxygen consumption of these two species embryos increased gradually until hatching [ （8.26 ± 1.70 ） nmolf（ ind.· h） in the Chinese black sleeper, （2.69 ± 0.23 ）nmolf（ ind. · h） in mudskipper]. After exposure to hypoxia water （0.16 mg/dm^3）, bradycardia of the embryos occurred in both the Chinese black sleeper and the mudskipper. However, the Chinese black sleeper embryos survived approximately 45 min longer than the mudskipper ones. After exposure to desiccation at a relative humidity of 58%, bradycardia of the embryos was observed in both the Chinese black sleeper and the mudskipper, and the Chinese black sleeper embryos lived approximately 9 min longer than the mudskipper ones.

Experimental investigation of the dynamic behavior of railway track with sleeper voids

The deterioration of the sleeper support on the ballasted track begins with the accumulation of sleeper voids.The increased dynamic loading in the voided zone and the ballast contact conditions cause the accelerated growth of the settlements in the voided zones,which results in the appearance of local instabilities like ballast breakdown,white spots,subgrade defects,etc.The recent detection and quantification of the sleeper voids with track-side and onboard monitoring can help to avoid or delay the development of local instabilities.The present paper is devoted to the study of the dynamic behavior of railway track with sleeper voids in the ballast breakdown zone.The result of the experimental track-side measurements of rail acceleration and deflection is presented.The analysis shows the existence of the dynamic impact during wheel entry in the voided zone.However,the measured dynamic impact is subjected to the bias of the track-side measurement method.Both the mechanism of the impact and the measurement aspects are explained by using the one-beam model on viscoelastic foundation.The void features in the dynamic behavior are analyzed for the purpose of track-side and onboard monitoring.A practical method of the void parameter quantification is proposed.

MODIFICATION THE CEMENTIOUS MATERIAL OF ULTRA-HIGH-STRENGTH SLEEPER CONCRETE

This paper presents investigation results on the natural ultra-fine mineral flour of crystalline silica fume (CSF) and porous quartz sand stone (PQSS) which can modify cement mortar strength under hydrothermal synthesis reaction (HSR) in the autoclave-cured condition. The replacement of cement by CSF and PQSS can signifi cantly increase the Jflerural and compressive strength which reach 22MPa and 150MPa respectively and de-crease the porosity oj the cement mortar. The ratio oj fine aggregation, standard sand to cementions material has sig nificant influence on the mortar strength. The mechanisms involved in cement and natural mineral flour and the HSR are presented. CaO/SiO2 ratio ranges from 3. 20 to 1. 11. the main hydrate phase is C2SH and there is not Tober-morite through X-Ray diffraction qualitative analysis. The new and ultra-high strength cementious material as basic material of sleeper concrete can he used in prestressed reinforcement sleeper concrete.

Stability issues of the continuous welded rail track on the concrete sleepers on the curves with radius R ≤ 300 m

This paper describes the economic and technological benefits of installing continuous welded rail （CWR） track on sharp （radius≤300 m） railway curves. A new form of prestressed concrete sleepers developed by the V. Lazaryan Dniprope- trovsk National University of Railway Transport is shown to improve the lateral shift resistance of CWR track in sharp curves and the use of anchor sleepers on tangents is shown to make it possible to lower the fastening temperature of the CWR track in order to increase the rail lifespan.

Dynamic Response of Elastic Sleeper Ballasted Track on Bridge

A vehicle-track-bridge coupling dynamics model was built based on the theory of vehicle-track coupling dynamics. Using this model, a comparison was made between the dynamic response of an elastic sleeper ballasted track and a common sleeper ballasted track on bridge under the same working conditions. The results show that laying elastic sleepers on the bridge could solve the problem of large track stiffness caused by a thin ballast thickness, and improve the dynamic response of the bridge. This is beneficial to train operation safety and riding comfort.

Application of International Standards in the Design of Monoblock Contrete Sleepers for Argentinian Railways

It is presented a State of the Art of international standards in the field of monoblock concrete sleepers design and calculation.Taking into account the fact that the Argentinian broad track gauge(1,676 mm)is different to international track gauge(1,435 mm)that is worldwide used,a comparative analysis is developed in order to evaluate the performance of internationals standards in the design of the sleepers used in Argentinian railways.Recommendations for future research are provided.

Experimental and parametrical investigation of pre-stressed ultrahigh-performance fiberreinforced concrete railway sleepers

In this study,ultrahigh-performance fiber-reinforced concrete(UHPFRC)used in a type B70 concrete sleeper is investigated experimentally and parametrically.The main parameters investigated are the steel fiber volume fractions(0%,0.5%,1%,and 1.5%).Under European standards,35 UHPFRC sleepers are subjected to static bending tests at the center and rail seat sections,and the screw on the fastening system is pulled out.The first cracking load,failure load,failure mode,crack propagation,load–deflection curve,load–crack width,and failure load from these tests are measured and compared with those of a control sleeper manufactured using normal concrete C50.The accuracy of the parametric study is verified experimentally.Subsequently,the results of the study are applied to UHPFRC sleepers with different concrete volumes to investigate the effects of the properties of UHPFRC on their performance.Experimental and parametric study results show that the behavior of UHPFRC sleepers improves significantly when the amount of steel fiber in the mix is increased.Sleepers manufactured using UHPFRC with a steel fiber volume fraction of 1%and a concrete volume less than 25%that of standard sleeper B70 can be used under the same loads and requirements,which contributes positively to the cost and surrounding environment.

新型冷冻载体Cell Sleeper在微量人精子冷冻中的应用

目的:评价一种新型的冷冻载体cell sleeper用于微量人类精子的冷冻效果。方法:将60例患者的精液标本液化,PureSperm梯度离心处理后进行两部分实验。第一部分运用cell sleeper在不同液量(0.5μl,1μl和2μl)含有冷冻保护剂的液滴进行精子冷冻,液氮中冷冻2周,比较冻融前后各组精子存活率和活力,以找到cellsleeper用于微量精子冷冻的最佳液量条件。在第一部分实验摸索的液量条件下,进行第二部分cell sleeper中进行单精子冷冻,并与常规冻存管进行比较。结果:第一部分实验中,三组精子解冻后的活力和存活率均较冷冻前下降,但三组间解冻后精子存活率和活力比较无差异。第二部分实验中,cell sleeper组精子解冻后的回收率和存活率明显高于常规冻存管组。结论:cell sleeper是一种理想的微量精子冷冻载体,解冻后可保证较高的精子回收率和存活率。

钢管混凝土双块式轨枕无砟轨道结构疲劳性能试验研究

新型钢管混凝土(CFT)双块式轨枕克服了桁架钢筋双块式轨枕存在的生产制造复杂、存放易锈蚀、运营阶段易开裂等问题,可广泛应用于高速铁路和城市轨道交通无砟轨道结构。为检验CFT双块式轨枕无砟轨道结构的疲劳性能,采用11根预制CFT双块式轨枕现浇制作足尺无砟轨道结构节段模型,开展橡胶隔振垫式减振轨道和现浇整体式轨道节段的疲劳试验,揭示其疲劳损伤特性,分析典型疲劳加载循环次数后静载作用下轨道结构应变和变形分布及其演化规律。研究结果表明:1.5倍静轴重的疲劳荷载累计作用500万次后,减振节段及整浇节段CFT双块式轨枕无砟轨道结构混凝土均未出现肉眼可见的裂缝,轨枕与现浇道床整体工作性能良好,疲劳性能满足规范要求;停机开展静载试验过程中轨道结构各测点混凝土横向应变值随荷载增大而近似线性增大,最大拉压应变值均远小于混凝土的极限应变值,工作状态良好;轨道整浇节段道床板中处于整体受拉的状态,可见设置层间连接钢筋实现了道床与底座的共同工作;疲劳试验过程中轨道结构测点竖向位移值总体随着静载的增大而逐渐增大,位移量级较小,满足规范要求,减振轨道节段竖向位移值及其变化率大于整浇轨道节段。研究结果可供类似研究及钢管混凝土双块式轨枕无砟轨道结构工程应用参考。

基于数字图像相关的地聚物混凝土轨枕的力学性能分析

随着混凝土轨枕在我国的广泛应用,混凝土的生产带来大量的能源消耗和碳排放。地聚物作为一种新型低碳材料,能在节能减碳的同时消耗矿渣和粉煤灰等固废。目前,针对地聚物应用于铁路轨枕的相关研究,如混合使用水泥与粉煤灰、矿渣的地聚物混凝土轨枕及其裂缝扩展特性的研究还比较有限。本文设计2种配合比的地聚物混凝土并制造成轨枕,使用数字图像相关(Digital Image Correlation)技术,在轨下截面的三点弯曲实验下分析2种配合比下轨枕挠度、裂缝扩展特性及裂缝宽度发展规律。研究结果表明,2种配合比地聚物混凝土轨枕的抗弯承载力均高于普通混凝土轨枕。相比于普通混凝土轨枕,地聚物混凝土轨枕在较低的静荷载作用下挠度较大,但随着荷载的增加轨枕挠度的增长速度较慢,刚度损失较小,弹性阶段延续的荷载区间更长,这种特征在配合比为Geo50的地聚物混凝土轨枕上更为显著。2种配合比的轨枕微裂纹萌生的荷载相近,分别为130 kN和120 kN。在较低荷载下2种轨枕裂缝扩展相差不大,在较高荷载下配合比为Geo100的地聚物轨枕的裂缝发展加快,裂缝宽度值和增长速度都大于Geo50。配合比为Geo100的地聚物混凝土轨枕主要表现为受弯正截面破坏,配合比为Geo50的地聚物混凝土轨枕主要表现为受剪斜拉破坏。掺入部分水泥代替矿渣和粉煤灰的地聚物能使所制成轨枕在较高的荷载下保持更高刚度和更缓慢的裂缝扩展速度,该方案有助于推动地聚物应用于混凝土轨枕,促进铁路双碳战略贯彻与实施。

钢管混凝土双块式轨枕道床复合受力性能试验

新型钢管混凝土(CFT)双块式轨枕采用钢管混凝土取代了桁架钢筋的连接构件作用,具有结构简单、安全耐久性好等优点。为研究钢管混凝土双块式轨枕与现浇混凝土道床所形成的轨道结构的复合受力性能,采用某实际工程的材料和工艺制作了一段足尺CFT轨枕减振道床和现浇整体道床,经疲劳试验验证后,用绳锯将其沿横向切割成单承轨台和双承轨台的CFT轨枕道床试件,分别开展试件的轨下截面加载试验和中间截面加载试验,分析道床试件中轨枕、现浇道床、底座板混凝土和钢筋的应力、变形及裂缝的开展演化规律。试验结果表明:CFT轨枕道床受力破坏过程均表现出整体工作、带裂缝工作和破坏的典型三阶段特征;中间截面加载试件破坏时受拉钢筋被拉断而受压区混凝土未被压碎,类似于低筋破坏,轨下截面加载试件因竖向裂缝和弯剪区段斜裂缝之间的混凝土被压碎剥落而失效,受拉纵筋未屈服,类似于斜压破坏;CFT轨枕整体道床试件抗裂能力、承载能力更高,整体道床试件开裂荷载约为减振道床试件相应值的4.7倍,其极限荷载约为减振道床的2.3倍,道床与底座板之间采用拉结钢筋连接后能大幅提升轨道结构刚度和承载能力。CFT轨枕与现浇道床界面黏结及整体工作性能良好,研究成果可供钢管混凝土双块式无砟轨道理论研究和工程应用参考。

新型钢管混凝土枕式无砟轨道动力响应试验研究

采用钢管混凝土构件连接轨枕块形成钢管混凝土轨枕,基于钢管混凝土轨枕设计城市轨道交通用钢管混凝土枕式无砟轨道结构。为掌握钢管混凝土枕式无砟轨道结构在城市轨道交通列车运行条件下的力学性能,验证结构设计的安全性、合理性,分别在减振地段、普通地段铺设钢管混凝土枕式无砟轨道,通过行车试验,测试分析不同列车行驶速度下无砟轨道钢轨、轨枕、道床结构的动力响应。研究结果表明:在列车车速为40、60和80 km/h运行条件下,轮轨垂向力最大值为86.18 kN,横向力最大值为13.99 kN,脱轨系数最大值为0.21,轮重减载率最大值为0.23,测试值均明显小于相应的安全限值,无砟轨道结构满足行车安全性要求;在列车动荷载作用下,钢管混凝土轨枕钢管压应力最大值为3.55 MPa,拉应力最大值为3.77 MPa;轨枕块压应力最大值为1.32 MPa;道床钢筋压应力最大值为2.30 MPa,拉应力最大值为3.54 MPa;道床底压应力最大值0.22 MPa。这些动力响应结果均满足材料的的限值,表明结构保持了良好的力学性能,结构设计合理可行。

基于离散元研究裂缝对轨枕动力特性的影响

为研究具有内部缺陷的混凝土轨枕对轨道结构动力特性的影响,采用PFC软件建立二维混凝土轨枕模型,对其施加正弦循环荷载。在左侧钢轨下方的轨枕内部中心线设置横向、竖向裂缝,并考虑3个不同幅值荷载的作用,对比不同内部缺陷和幅值荷载下钢轨、轨枕的动力响应。研究结果表明:对于均匀弹性基础上的轨枕,钢轨下方区域轨枕内部缺陷对钢轨的动力响应几乎无影响;只有裂缝周围的轨枕局部动力特性会受到影响,横向裂缝会导致裂缝下方轨枕的位移减小,竖向裂缝会导致裂缝周围局部位移增大,但影响很小;裂缝区域轨枕速度差别不大,但裂缝区域轨枕加速度幅值有突变,最大值约为无裂缝轨枕加速度的1.5倍,并且横裂缝轨枕的局部加速度幅值比竖裂缝的大;随着荷载幅值增加,裂缝对轨枕局部动力响应的影响加剧;采用离散元构建的非均质混凝土轨枕模型可以模拟带缺陷混凝土轨枕的相关问题,其得到的数值解可靠。

稳定车-轨道耦合作用下轨排响应特性试验研究

稳定车作为一种大型轨道交通运维装备,对保障铁路线路运行安全至关重要,但是其不具备道床横向阻力的在线感知能力,难以实时智能控制作业参数。为探究稳定车作业时在线感知道床横向阻力的方法,在试验线路上开展轨排动力学试验,测量稳定车-轨道耦合作用下的轨排横向载荷和轨排横向位移,并依据现有标准及现场原位试验法,测量标记轨枕处的道床横向阻力。根据实测的试验数据,采用函数模型拟合道床横向阻力与轨排横向载荷以及轨排横向位移的关系式。并进一步构建径向基函数(Radial Basis Function, RBF)神经网络,采用正交最小二乘学习算法训练网络参数,建立三者之间的非线性模型,对比函数拟合与RBF神经网络模型的准确性。结果表明:道床横向阻力测试中,随着测试轨枕承受横向载荷的增加,轨枕横向位移非线性增大。轨排动力学试验中,轨排横向载荷、轨排横向位移与道床横向阻力之间存在非线性关系。采用函数拟合得到的关系式一定程度上反映了道床横向阻力的非线性变化趋势,但拟合误差较大。采用RBF神经网络建立的模型,在测试集验证中精度更高。道床横向阻力的离线检测方法效率低下,基于RBF神经网络模型的车载感知方法可以提高检测效率。研究成果可为稳定车作业中实时在线感知道床横向阻力及智能控制作业参数提供理论支撑。