Development of track geometry inspection equipment for high-speed comprehensive inspection train in China

Purpose–This study aims to analyze the development direction of track geometry inspection equipment for high-speed comprehensive inspection train in China.Design/methodology/approach–The development of track geometry inspection equipment for highspeed comprehensive inspection train in China in the past 20 years can be divided into 3 stages.Track geometry inspection equipment 1.0 is the stage of analog signal.At the stage 1.0,the first priority is to meet the China’s railways basic needs of pre-operation joint debugging,safety assessment and daily dynamic inspection,maintenance and repair after operation.Track geometry inspection equipment 2.0 is the stage of digital signal.At the stage 2.0,it is important to improve stability and reliability of track geometry inspection equipment by upgrading the hardware sensors and improving software architecture.Track geometry inspection equipment 3.0 is the stage of lightweight.At the stage 3.0,miniaturization,low power consumption,self-running and green economy are co-developing on demand.Findings–The ability of track geometry inspection equipment for high-speed comprehensive inspection train will be expanded.The dynamic inspection of track stiffness changes will be studied under loaded and unloaded conditions in response to the track local settlement,track plate detachment and cushion plate failure.The dynamic measurement method of rail surface slope and vertical curve radius will be proposed,to reveal the changes in railway profile parameters of high-speed railways and the relationship between railway profile,track irregularity and subsidence of subgrade and bridges.The 200 m cut-off wavelength of track regularity will be researched to adapt to the operating speed of 400 km/h.Originality/value–The research can provide new connotations and requirements of track geometry inspection equipment for high-speed comprehensive inspection train in the new railway stage.

Field investigation on effects of railway track geometric parameters on rail wear

Rail wear has dramatic impact on track performance, ride quality and maintenance costs. The amount of rail wear is influenced by various elements among which geometric parameters play an important role. The amount of wear in Iran’s railway lines and its imposed maintenance costs oblige us to make modifications on the various geometrical parameters. In order to ensure the effectiveness of these changes, it is necessary to investigate these parameters and their effects on the wear. This research is aimed at studying the effects of different track geometrical parameters on the vertical and lateral wear by conducting a three phase field investigation. The first phase was carried out at the switches of a station, the second phase at a straight line, and the third at a curved line out of the station. The results obtained are analyzed and the role of each track geometrical parameter in the rail wear is discussed. Recommendations for prevention or reduction of rail wear are presented.

Optimization of superelevation runoff model for cycling tracks

To improve the possible superelevation runoff models for the cycling track design,at first,two existing representative superelevation runoff models used in China were investigated and fitted. Then,an optimization methodology was proposed,which was focused on the track geometry itself,without the consideration of the physical characteristic of the cyclist,assuming that less vertical curvature values correspond to less riding time. The riding performance formulae were obtained with the variables of riding time,riding velocity and vertical curvature of cycling track. Finally,with the refined adjustment on the vertical curvatures with the help of cycling track design software and considering the effect of horizontal alignments,the optimized models were finalized. It is clearly seen that these optimized models take the form of quartic parabola and are verified to achieve 0.005-0.021 s improvement in the event of 200 m time trial.

Causes, effects and control of seasonal frost action in railways

Seasonally cold climate and resulting frost action set great demands to railway track substructure in order to maintain Irack geomelry. Chal- lenges culminate on high-speed lines, where the tolerances for roughness are the tightest. Problems may result in highly increased Irack maintenance and need for temporary speed reslrictions. The causes of frost action can be associated with subsoil, subballast or ballast. The major concern in frost protection is to avoid the freezing of frost susceptible subsoil by using sufficient thickness of subballast and relying on non-fi＇ost-susctible subballast material. This paper provides an overview of the main research findings on the role of ballast, subballast and subsoil in frost acedon. In new comlruclion the material specificalions, design procedures and construction methods have been developed to ensure adequate performance of Irack subscatt, but special challenges exist in managing existing Wacks that were not designed for modem requirements. In order to perform cost-effective and sustainable track maintenance, it is necessary to recognize the problem areas and define the root-causes of problems. For locating the problem sections and defining the causes of defects, a sophisticated analysis based on integration of track geometry and ground penetrating radar （GPR） data has been developed and is summarized in this paper,

PEPT study of particle motion for different riser exit geometries

Laboratory and industrial risers are equipped with exits of many different layouts, and numerous publications discuss the influence of riser exit geometry on local and overall solids hydrodynamics in the riser. The present paper reviews literature findings--mostly based upon indirect experimental techniques and often somewhat contradictory, Direct measurement of particle velocity and particle occupancy near and in the riser exit provide a better indication of the effect of riser exit geometry. Positron Emission Particle Tracking （PEPT） was used in this work for the first time to investigate the exit region of the riser, An abrupt or sharp exit causes particles to be knocked out of the gas flow, so forming a recirculation or reflux region in the upper part of the riser. This is much less pronounced with a curved or gradual exit.