Experimental investigation on the invert stability of operating railway tunnels with different drainage systems using 3D printing technology

In recent years, the invert anomalies of operating railway tunnels in water-rich areas occur frequently,which greatly affect the transportation capacity of the railway lines. Tunnel drainage system is a crucial factor to ensure the invert stability by regulating the external water pressure(EWP). By means of a threedimensional(3D) printing model, this paper experimentally investigates the deformation behavior of the invert for the tunnels with the traditional drainage system(TDS) widely used in China and its optimized drainage system(ODS) with bottom drainage function. Six test groups with a total of 110 test conditions were designed to consider the design factors and environmental factors in engineering practice,including layout of the drainage system, blockage of the drainage system and groundwater level fluctuation. It was found that there are significant differences in the water discharge, EWP and invert stability for the tunnels with the two drainage systems. Even with a dense arrangement of the external blind tubes, TDS was still difficult to eliminate the excessive EWP below the invert, which is the main cause for the invert instability. Blockage of drainage system further increased the invert uplift and aggravated the track irregularity, especially when the blockage degree is more than 50%. However, ODS can prevent these invert anomalies by reasonably controlling the EWP at tunnel bottom. Even when the groundwater level reached 60 m and the blind tubes were fully blocked, the invert stability can still be maintained and the railway track experienced a settlement of only 1.8 mm. Meanwhile, the on-site monitoring under several rainstorms further showed that the average EWP of the invert was controlled within 84 k Pa, while the maximum settlement of the track slab was only 0.92 mm, which also was in good agreement with the results of model test.

Reasonable compensation coefficient of maximum gradient in long railway tunnels

This paper deals with the theory and calculation methods for compensation of the gradient in railway tunnels through theoretical analysis, numerical calculation, and statistic regression methods. On the basis of the principle that the resultant force is zero, the formula of the maximum calculated gradient was derived for the freight and passenger line and high-speed passenger special line. The formula of aerodynamic drag in tunnel is provided using the domestic and foreign relevant experimental investigations, and revised with modem train and engineering parameters. A calculation model of aerodynamic drag when the train goes through a single-tracked tunnel was built. Finally, the concept of maximum calculated gradient was adopted to revise the formula for compensation of the gradient in railway tunnels.

Fatigue damage analysis of ballastless slab track in heavy-haul railway tunnels

A ballastless slab track,which is commonly used in the track structures of heavy-haul railway tunnels,was analysed based on field measurement data of the Fuyingzi Tunnel on the Zhangtang Railway.In accordance with the measured data,the dynamic load thresholds and distributions on the surface and bottom of the ballastless slab track were investigated.A fatigue damage analysis of the ballastless slab track was performed based on the dynamic load time–history curve.The results show that the ballastless slab track can accomplish train load attenuation and reduce the dynamic load from heavy-haul trains by 47.22%from the surface to the bottom.In addition,the distribution at the bottom of the ballastless slab track exhibited a triangular shape,and the dynamic load threshold at the line centre accounted for 78.67%of that at the track position.Meanwhile,the distribution at the surface was saddle-shaped;the dynamic load threshold at the track position accounted for 79.55%of that at the line centre position.The fatigue damage of the ballastless slab track was analysed effectively by combining the measured data and the linear fatigue damage theory.Moreover,the accuracy of the calculation results was verified based on the measured dynamic stress of the ballastless slab track structure.The dynamic action of the train load led to more-concentrated damage to the track bed,and the damage occurred earlier than that in the ordinary line.The axle load was the primary influencing factor of the track bed fatigue damage,and the damage mainly occurred in the track position.These results provide a theoretical basis for performing stress analysis and designing parameters for ballastless slab tracks in heavy-haul railway tunnels.

Model test on dynamic characteristics of invert and foundation soils of high-speed railway tunnel

A dynamic model test(CL = 4) at different velocities of train,namely different loading frequencies,is carried out to study the dynamic characteristics of a high-speed railway tunnel invert and its foundation soils.Not only are the accelerations,dynamic coefficients,dynamic stresses of the invert and foundation soils emphatically analyzed,their relationship with the velocity of the train are discussed in detail.Through laboratory testing,the attenuation of vibration propagating from up the rails is obtained and the calculation formula of the speed influence coefficient of the tunnel invert is preliminarily established.The depth of the foundation soils influenced by vibration is also determined in this study.It is shown that the responses of the tunnel invert and foundation soils to vibration are slightly increased with the velocity of the train;circumferential stresses in the bottom of the invert are tensile stresses and maximum stresses appear under the foot of the rails;the dynamic soil pressures of the foundation decrease quickly with the distance away from the tunnel invert and an exponential relationship exists between them.

Finite-State Markov Wireless Channel Modeling for Railway Tunnel Environments

In recent years,high-speed railways(HSRs)have developed rapidly with a high transportation capacity and high comfort level.A tunnel is a complex high-speed rail terrain environment.It is very important to establish an accurate channel propagation model for a railway tunnel environment to improve the safety of HSR operation.In this paper,a method for finite-state Markov chain(FSMC)channel modeling with least squares fitting based on non-uniform interval division is proposed.First,a path loss model is obtained according to measured data.The communication distance between the transmitter and receiver in the tunnel is non-uniformly divided into several large non-overlapping intervals based on the path loss model.Then,the Lloyd-Max quantization method is used to determine the threshold of the signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)and the channel state quantization value and obtain the FSMC state transition probability matrix.Simulation experiments show that the proposed wireless channel model has a low mean square error(MSE)and can accurately predict the received signal power in a railway tunnel environment.

A Study of the Suitable Measurement Location and Metrics for Assessing the Vibration Source Strength Based on the Field-Testing Data of Nanchang Underground Railway

Underground railway vibration source strength is one of the key values used for environmental impact assessment and the evaluation of mitigation measure’s performance.However,currently there is no international standard of measuring the underground railway vibration source strength for such purposes.The available local standards and industrial guidelines do not agree on measurement locations as well as the metrics for presenting the source strength.This has caused many confusions.This paper aims to study the suitable measurement location and metrics using the data from a large scale field-testing carried out at the Nanchang underground railway(Metro Line 1,China)in 2017.200 passing trains were recorded during the test at two different sections of the railway line,one with the spring floating slab installed and the other without.Three locations were chosen at each section,including one in the middle of the track and two on the tunnel wall at different heights.Based on the results of statistical analysis,the maximum of z-weighted vertical vibration level(VLzmax)obtained at a lower measurement location on the tunnel wall is the best for representing the underground railway vibration source strength,which is 76.66 dB obtained from this study.

Vehicle–track–tunnel dynamic interaction:a finite/infinite element modelling method

The aim of this study is to develop coupled matrix formulations to characterize the dynamic interaction between the vehicle,track,and tunnel.The vehicle–track coupled system is established in light of vehicle–track coupled dynamics theory.The physical characteristics and mechanical behavior of tunnel segments and rings are modeled by the finite element method,while the soil layers of the vehicle–track–tunnel(VTT)system are modeled as an assemblage of 3-D mapping infinite elements by satisfying the boundary conditions at the infinite area.With novelty,the tunnel components,such as rings and segments,have been coupled to the vehicle–track systems using a matrix coupling method for finite elements.The responses of sub-systems included in the VTT interaction are obtained simultaneously to guarantee the solution accuracy.To relieve the computer storage and save the CPU time for the large-scale VTT dynamics system with high degrees of freedoms,a cyclic calculation method is introduced.Apart from model validations,the necessity of considering the tunnel substructures such as rings and segments is demonstrated.In addition,the maximum number of elements in the tunnel segment is confirmed by numerical simulations.

Scientific problems and research proposals for Sichuan–Tibet railway tunnel construction

The Sichuan–Tibet railway construction has received significant attention from both China and abroad.The new section from Ya’an to Nyingchi is about 1018.6 km long,including 69 tunnels with a total length of 841.7 km.The longest tunnel(Yigong tunnel)is 42.4 km long.The successful construction of the Sichuan–Tibet railway depends largely on tunnel construction.Due to the complex conditions,tunnel construction for the Sichuan–Tibet railway poses great challenges to the research community.This paper aims to illustrate the necessity of interdisciplinary and joint research to solve problems associated with tunnel construction that will be encountered in the immediate future and facilitate the communication and exchange of ideas between disciplines.To this end,based on a systematic analysis of the available data related to Sichuan–Tibet railway tunnels,six major aspects of the geology,environment,and engineering conditions are identified.Next,based on the engineering responses from the Sichuan–Tibet railway tunnels,potential technical problems and risk characteristics are predicted and evaluated.Further,six key scientific issues are identified and discussed based on a coupled multi-layer analysis of essential tunnel engineering issues.Finally,research directions,technical ideas,and research methods that should be carried out for this project are proposed.

Comparative analysis between single-train passing and double-train intersection in a tunnel

Aerodynamic pressure significantly impacts the scientific evaluation of tunnel service performance.The aerodynamic pressure of two trains running in a double-track tunnel is considerably more complicated than that of a single train.We used the numerical method to investigate the difference in aerodynamic pressure between a single train and two trains running in a double-track tunnel.First,the numerical method was verified by comparing the results of numerical simulation and on-site monitoring.Then,the characteristics of aerodynamic pressure were studied.Finally,the influence of various train-tunnel factors on the characteristics of aerodynamic pressure was investigated.The results show that the aerodynamic pressure variation can be divided into stage I:irregular pressure fluctuations before the train tail leaves the tunnel exit,and stage II:periodic pressure declines after the train tail leaves the tunnel exit.In addition,the aerodynamic pressure simultaneously jumps positively or drops negatively for a single train or two trains running in double-track tunnel scenarios.The pressure amplitude in the two-train case is higher than that for a single train.The maximum positive peak pressure difference(P_(STP))and maximum negative peak pressure difference(P_(STN))increase as train speed rises to the power from 2.256 to 2.930 in stage I.The P_(STP) and P_(STN) first increase and then decrease with the increase of tunnel length in stage I.The P_(STP) and P_(STN) increase as the blockage ratio rises to the power from 2.032 to 2.798 in stages I and II.

Refined model analysis of basement rock degradation mechanism of heavy-haul railway tunnel

This study investigated the degradation mechanism of the surrounding rock of a heavy-haul railway under a water-rich condition,based on the construction of the Taihangshan tunnel for the Wari Railway,a heavy-haul railway that used standard construction practices for axle loads of 30 t.Remote monitoring demonstrated that the coupling effect between the dynamic load of a heavy-haul train and the groundwater leads to the deterioration and hollowing of the surrounding rock.This study clarified the void evolution process and deterioration mechanism of the basement rock under the comprehensive influence of the groundwater–train dynamic load using a refined discrete element numerical simulation.The results revealed that the groundwater was the primary influencing factor in the deterioration of the lower part of the heavy-haul railway tunnel.Rock particles were gradually lost under the effects of long-term erosion due to groundwater and heavy-haul trains,which inevitably damaged the basement rock after the construction was completed.Based on this observation,the critical conditions for the deterioration and attenuation law of the physical parameters of the basement rock were obtained.The results of this study can provide ideas and serve as a reference for the forecasting and disaster treatment of basement rock damage in heavy-haul railway tunnels.

Unsteady slipstream of a train passing through a high-speed railway tunnel with a cave

The cave is of great importance for the storage of equipment and to avoid having workers in the tunnel,but it changes the tunnel section,leads to a change of slipstream and affects the safety of trains and workers.The Re-normalization group(RNG)k-εturbulence method is used to investigate the slipstream induced by a single train passing through a double-track tunnel at 350 km/h.The slipstream in a tunnel with and without a cave is compared.The slipstream components in three directions are reported comprehensively.The results show that the existence of a cave changes the slipstream at the tail of the train.At measurement points before and after the train passes the cave,the intensity of the slipstream at the tail ismitigated;as the train passes the cave,the tail slipstream is enhanced to a certain extent.With increasing lateral distance,the peak value of the slipstream with a cave decreases faster than that without a cave.These findings suggest that the presence of a cave mitigates the slipstream intensity,but special attention should be paid to the design of ancillary facilities,especially their relative location.