High-speed railway track components inspection framework based on YOLOv8 with high-performance model deployment

Railway inspection poses significant challenges due to the extensive use of various components in vast railway networks,especially in the case of high-speed railways.These networks demand high maintenance but offer only limited inspection windows.In response,this study focuses on developing a high-performance rail inspection system tailored for high-speed railways and railroads with constrained inspection timeframes.This system leverages the latest artificial intelligence advancements,incorporating YOLOv8 for detection.Our research introduces an efficient model inference pipeline based on a producer-consumer model,effectively utilizing parallel processing and concurrent computing to enhance performance.The deployment of this pipeline,implemented using C++,TensorRT,float16 quantization,and oneTBB,represents a significant departure from traditional sequential processing methods.The results are remarkable,showcasing a substantial increase in processing speed:from 38.93 Frames Per Second(FPS)to 281.06 FPS on a desktop system equipped with an Nvidia RTX A6000 GPU and from 19.50 FPS to 200.26 FPS on the Nvidia Jetson AGX Orin edge computing platform.This proposed framework has the potential to meet the real-time inspection requirements of high-speed railways.

Incompatible thermal deformation of interlayers and corresponding damage mechanism of high-speed railway track structure

In the service period,the instability of ballastless track bed are mostly related to the damage of interlayers which are mainly resulted from the incompatible thermal deformation of interlayers.The temperature field within the ballastless track bed shows significant non-uniformity due to the large difference in the materials of various structure layers,leading to a considerable difference in the force bearing of different structure layers.Unit Ballastless Track Bed(UBTB)is most significantly affected by temperature gradient.The thermal deformation of interlayers within UBTB follows the trend of ellipsoid-shape buckling under the effect of the temperature gradient,resulting in a variation of the contact relationship between structure layers and a significant periodic irregularity on the rail.When the train travels on the periodically irregular rail,the structure layers are locally contacted,and the contact zone moves with the variation of the wheel position.This wheel-followed local contact greatly magnifies the interlayer stress,causes interlayer damage,and leads to a considerable increase in the bending moment of the track slab.Continuous Ballastless Track Bed(CBTB)is most significantly affected by the overall temperature variation,which may cause damage to the joint in CBTB.Under the combined action of the overall temperature rise and the temperature gradient,the interlayer damage continuously expands,resulting in bonding failure between structural layers.The thermal force in the continuous track slabs will cause the up-heave buckling and the sudden large deformation of the track slab,and the loss of constraint boundary of the horizontal stability.For the design of a ballastless track structure,the change of bearing status and structural damage related to the incompatible thermal deformation of interlayers should be considered.

Advances in design theories of high-speed railway ballastless tracks

The design theories of the ballastless track in the world are reviewed in comparison with the innovative research achievements of high-speed railway ballastless track in China.The calculation methods and parameters concerning train load,thermal effect,and foundation deformation of high-speed railway ballastless track,together with the structural design methods are summarized.Finally,some suggestions on the future work are provided.

Experimental study on dynamic load magnification factor for ballastless track-subgrade of high-speed railway

The magnitude of dynamic load produced by high-speed trains depends on many factors,of which train speed is the most critical one.However,it is quite difficult to determine the effect of train speed on dynamic load using the theoretical methods due to the complexity of the interaction between vehicle and track-subgrade.Thus large-scale model test has gradually become an important approach for studying dynamic responses of ballastless track-subgrade of high-speed railway.In this study,a full-scale model of ballastless track-subgrade was constructed in accordance with the design and construction standards for Shanghai-Nanjing intercity high-speed railway line firstly.Then,the dynamic strain of slab and the dynamic earth pressure of subgrade were measured by conducting single wheel axle excitation test.In addition,the relationship between the dynamic load magnification factor（DLF） and the train speed was obtained.Finally,the DLF of track-subgrade under different train speeds was proposed,similar to that given by German Railway Standard.

Numerical analysis of high‑speed railway slab tracks using calibrated and validated 3D time‑domain modelling

Concrete slabs are widely used in modern railways to increase the inherent resilient quality of the tracks,provide safe and smooth rides,and reduce the maintenance frequency.In this paper,the elastic performance of a novel slab trackform for high-speed railways is investigated using three-dimensional finite element modelling in Abaqus.It is then compared to the performance of a ballasted track.First,slab and ballasted track models are developed to replicate the full-scale testing of track sections.Once the models are calibrated with the experimental results,the novel slab model is developed and compared against the calibrated slab track results.The slab and ballasted track models are then extended to create linear dynamic models,considering the track geodynamics,and simulating train passages at various speeds,for which the Ledsgard documented case was used to validate the models.Trains travelling at low and high speeds are analysed to investigate the track deflections and the wave propagation in the soil,considering the issues associated with critical speeds.Various train loading methods are discussed,and the most practical approach is retained and described.Moreover,correlations are made between the geotechnical parameters of modern high-speed rail and conventional standards.It is found that considering the same ground condition,the slab track deflections are considerably smaller than those of the ballasted track at high speeds,while they show similar behaviour at low speeds.

Study on the dynamic contact relationship between layers under temperature gradients in CRTSⅢ ballastless track

In areas with large temperature differences,the uneven distribution of temperatures in the CRTS III ballastless track slab due to daytime sunlight can cause warpage deformation,leading to periodic rail irregularities that increase the wheel-rail impact of high-speed vehicles and accelerate track structure damage.Therefore,it is necessary to study the dynamic contact relationship between the composite slab and the base plate during vehicle running.The results of the study show that:1)Under the influence of temperature gradients,the composite slab tends to deform elliptically.With a positive temperature gradient,the middle part of the track slab bulges upward,causing the slab to be supported by its four corners.Conversely,with a negative temperature gradient,the four corners of the track slab bulge upward,resulting in the slab being supported by its center.2)Temperature gradients can lead to separation between the composite slab and the base plate,reducing the contact area between layers.During vehicle running,the contact area between layers gradually increases,but the separation cannot be completely closed.3)The temperature gradient significantly affects the vertical displacement of the track.The vertical displacement in the middle of the slab increases with a positive temperature gradient.In contrast,the vertical displacement at the ends of the slab increases with a negative temperature gradient.4)The stress of self-compacting concrete at the side position significantly increases under a positive temperature gradient,with the vertical stress increasing by 2.7 times when the temperature gradient increases from 0 to 90℃·m^(-1).

Image-Aided Analysis of Ballast Particle Movement Along a High-Speed Railway

As a core infrastructure of high-speed railways,ballast layers constituted by graded crushed stones feature noteworthy particle movement compared with normal railways,which may cause excessive settlement and have detrimental effects on train operation.However,the movement behavior remains ambiguous due to a lack of effective measurement approaches and analytical methods.In this study,an image-aided technique was developed in a full-scale model test using digital cameras and a colorbased identification approach.A total of 1274 surface ballast particles were manually dyed by discernible colors to serve as tracers in the test.The movements of the surface ballast particles were tracked using the varied pixels displaying tracers in the photos that were intermittently taken during the test in the perpendicular direction.The movement behavior of ballast particles under different combinations of train speeds and axle loads was quantitatively evaluated.The obtained results indicated that the surface ballast particle movements were slight,mainly concentrated near sleepers under low-speed train loads and greatly amplified and extended to the whole surface when the train speed reached 360 km.h-1.Additionally,the development of ballast particle displacement statistically resembled its rotation.Track vibration contributed to the movements of ballast particles,which specifically were driven by vertical acceleration near the track center and horizontal acceleration at the track edge.Furthermore,the development trends of ballast particle movements and track settlement under long-term train loading were similar,and both stabilized at nearly the same time.The track performance,including the vibration characteristics,accumulated settlement,and sleeper support stiffness,was determined to be closely related to the direction and distribution of ballast particle flow,which partly deteriorated under high-speed train loads.

Research on the design of ballastless track in the subgrade section of highspeed railway in high earthquake-intensity area

According to the characteristics of complex terrain and bad geological conditions in the southwest mountainous area of China, it is proposed that cast-in situ double-block ballastless track with layers and blocks structure should be adopted preferentially in the subgrade section of high-speed railway, which is conducive to the construction, prolongation of service life and maintenance of the ballastless track. Based on the finite element model, the dynamic performance, structural strength and stability of double-block ballastless track under high earthquake-intensity action are analyzed. The analysis shows that the relative displacement between the base slab of ballastless track and the subgrade may occur under 9 degree earthquake action. A new CRTS double-block ballastless track structure with a concave-convex structure between the base slab and the subgrade is proposed in the subgrade section, and its additional stress and relative displacement under earthquake are analyzed. The results show that the additional stress and relative displacement of the new ballastless track structure and the subgrade under 9-degree earthquake actions are small, which meet the high stability requirements of high-speed railway.

Longitudinal forces of continuously welded track on high-speed railway cable-stayed bridge considering impact of adjacent bridges

A proven beam-track contact model was used to analyze the track-structure interaction of CWR (continuously welded track) on bridge. Considering the impact of adjacent bridges, the tower-cable-track-beam-pier-pile finite element model of the cable-stayed bridge was established. Taking a bridge group including 40-32m simply-supported beam and (32+80+112)m single-tower cable-stayed bridge and 17-32m simply-supported beam on the Kunming-Shanghai high-speed railway as an example, the characteristics of CWR longitudinal force on the cable-stayed bridge were studied. It is shown that adjacent bridges must be considered in the calculation of the track expansion force and bending force on cable-stayed bridge. When the span amount of adjacent bridges is too numerous, it can be simplified as six spans; the fixed bearing of adjacent simply-supported beams should be placed on the side near the cable-stayed bridge; the track expansion device should be set at the bridge tower to reduce the track force near the bridge abutment.

Beam-track interaction of high-speed railway bridge with ballast track

Based on the construction bridge of Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed railway(9-32 m simply-supported beam + 6×32 m continuous beam),the pier-beam-track finite element model,where the continuous beam of the ballast track and simply-supported beam are combined with each other,was established.The laws of the track stress,the pier longitudinal stress and the beam-track relative displacement were analyzed.The results show that reducing the longitudinal resistance can effectively reduce the track stress and the pier stress of the continuous beam,and increase the beam-track relative displacement.Increasing the rigid pier stiffness of continuous beam can reduce the track braking stress,increase the pier longitudinal stress and reduce the beam-track relative displacement,Increasing the rigid pier stiffness of simply-supported beam can reduce the track braking stress,the rigid pier longitudinal stress and the beam-track relative displacement.

Full-scale multi-functional test platform for investigating mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems of high-speed railways

Motivated by the huge practical engineering demand for the fundamental understanding of mechanical characteristics of high-speed railway infrastructure,a fullscale multi-functional test platform for high-speed railway track–subgrade system is developed in this paper,and its main functions for investigating the mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems are elaborated with three typical experimental examples.Comprising the full-scale subgrade structure and all the five types of track structures adopted in Chinese high-speed railways,namely the CRTS I,the CRTS II and the CRTS III ballastless tracks,the double-block ballastless track and the ballasted track,the test platform is established strictly according to the construction standard of Chinese high-speed railways.Three kinds of effective loading methods are employed,including the real bogie loading,multi-point loading and the impact loading.Various types of sensors are adopted in different components of the five types of track–subgrade systems to measure the displacement,acceleration,pressure,structural strain and deformation,etc.Utilizing this test platform,both dynamic characteristics and long-term performance evolution of high-speed railway track–subgrade systems can be investigated,being able to satisfy the actual demand for large-scale operation of Chinese high-speed railways.As examples,three typical experimental studies are presented to elucidate the comprehensive functionalities of the full-scale multi-functional test platform for exploring the dynamic performance and its long-term evolution of ballastless track systems and for studying the long-term accumulative settlement of the ballasted track–subgrade system in high-speed railways.Some interesting phenomena and meaningful results are captured by the developed test platform,which provide a useful guidance for the scientific operation and maintenance of high-speed railway infrastructure.

Applicability of small resistance fastener on long-span continuous bridges of high-speed railway

Ballastless tracks have been widely applied in high-speed railway (HSR). The adaptability research between continuous welded rails (CWR) and long-span bridges of HSR is of great practical engineering significance. Based on the HSR long-span continuous bridges, the integrative spatial finite element model of track-bridge-pier-foundation system was established with the nonlinear spring element simulating the longitudinal resistance between track and bridge. Comparative study on the various additional longitudinal forces of CWR using the common fasteners and small resistance fasteners was carried out. Analysis results indicate that the additional expansion forces and additional rail-breaking forces in long-span ballastless continuous girders can be reduced evidently by 40% 50% after adopting small resistance fasteners, but lead to greater rail broken gap. The small resistance fasteners have little influence on the additional force only caused by vertical load, but can reduce the additional force caused by vertical load combined with braking load by over 10%. Besides, transient analysis method is proved to be more accurate and safe in calculating additional longitudinal forces when the train running or braking on the bridge, compared with the traditional static method.

Mechanical characteristic variation of ballastless track in highspeed railway:effect of train–track interaction and environment loads

Due to the fact that ballastless tracks in highspeed railways are not only subjected to repeated train–track dynamic interaction loads,but also suffer from complex environmental loads,the fundamental understanding of mechanical performance of ballastless tracks under sophisticated service conditions is an increasingly demanding and challenging issue in high-speed railway networks.This work aims to reveal the effect of train–track interaction and environment loads on the mechanical characteristic variation of ballastless tracks in high-speed railways,particularly focusing on the typical interface damage evolution between track layers.To this end,a finite element model of a double-block ballastless track involving the cohesive zone model for the track interface is first established to analyze the mechanical properties of the track interface under the loading–unloading processes of the negative temperature gradient load(TGL)followed by the same cycle of the positive TGL.Subsequently,the effect of wheel–rail longitudinal interactions on the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the track interface is investigated by using a vehicle-slab track vertical-longitudinal coupled dynamics model.Finally,the influence of dynamic water pressure induced by vehicle dynamic load on the mechanical characteristics and damage evolution of the track interface is elucidated using a fluid–solid coupling method.Results show that the loading history of the positive and negative TGLs has a great impact on the nonlinear development and distribution of the track interface stress and damage;the interface damage could be induced by the wheel–rail longitudinal vibrations at a high vehicle running speed owing to the dynamic amplification effect caused by short wave irregularities;the vehicle dynamic load could produce considerable water pressure that presents nonlinear spatial–temporal characteristics at the track interface,which would lead to the interface failure under a certain condition due to the coupled dynamic effect of vehicle load and water pressure.

Development of a simulation model for dynamic derailment analysis of high-speed trains

The running safety of high-speed trains has become a major concern of the current railway research with the rapid development of high-speed railways around the world.The basic safety requirement is to prevent the derailment.The root causes of the dynamic derailment of highspeed trains operating in severe environments are not easy to identify using the field tests or laboratory experiments.Numerical simulation using an advanced train–track interaction model is a highly efficient and low-cost approach to investigate the dynamic derailment behavior and mechanism of high-speed trains.This paper presents a three-dimensional dynamic model of a high-speed train coupled with a ballast track for dynamic derailment analysis.The model considers a train composed of multiple vehicles and the nonlinear inter-vehicle connections.The ballast track model consists of rails,fastenings,sleepers,ballasts,and roadbed,which are modeled by Euler beams,nonlinear spring-damper elements,equivalent ballast bodies,and continuous viscoelastic elements,in which the modal superposition method was used to reduce the order of the partial differential equations of Euler beams.The commonly used derailment safety assessment criteria around the world are embedded in the simulation model.The train–track model was then used to investigate the dynamic derailment responses of a high-speed train passing over a buckled track,in which the derailmentmechanism and train running posture during the dynamic derailment process were analyzed in detail.The effects of train and track modelling on dynamic derailment analysis were also discussed.The numerical results indicate that the train and track modelling options have a significant effect on the dynamic derailment analysis.The inter-vehicle impacts and the track flexibility and nonlinearity should be considered in the dynamic derailment simulations.

Influence of interface crack on dynamic characteristics of CRTSⅢslab ballastless track on bridge

The damage of the self-compacting concrete in CRTSⅢslab ballastless track on bridge will lead to a partial void of the track slab,which will affect the comfort and safety of the train and the durability of the track slab and bridge structure.In order to study the impact of the interface crack on the dynamic response of CRTSⅢballastless track system on bridge,based on the principle of multi-body dynamics theory and ANSYS+SIMPACK co-simulation,the spatial model of vehicle-track-bridge integration considering the longitudinal stiffness of supports,the track structure and interlayer contact characteristics were established.The dynamic characteristics of the system under different conditions of the width,length and position of the interface crack were analysed,and the limited values of the length and width of the cracks at the track slab edge were proposed.The results show that when the self-compacting concrete does not completely void along the transverse direction of the track slab,the crack has little effect on the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle-track-bridge system.However,when the self-compacting concrete is completely hollowed out along the transverse direction of the track slab,the dynamic amplitudes of the system increase.When the crack length is 1.6 m,the wheel load reduction rate reaches 0.769,which exceeds the limit value and threatens the safety of train operation.The vertical acceleration of the track slab increases by 250.1%,which affects the service life of the track system under the train speed of 200 km/h.

Flexible Optimal Model and Algorithm for Track Utilization in High-speed Railway Stations

Track utilization is the most important technical operation in high-speed railway stations.It is an effective way to take flexible man-agement based on dispatchers’decision preferences into consideration for making track utilization plans to relieve the influence caused by unmeasurable unstructured factors.Thus,based on the flexible management concept and taking the flexible optimal for track utilization in high-speed railway stations as the object,time and space occupation safety trajectories of arrival routes,departure routes and tracks are all analysed.Then,taking the following constraints into consideration-minimum safety time intervals for var-ious routes and tracks occupation,space-time arc occupation and decision-makers’preferences-a flexible optimal model for track utilization in high-speed railway stations is established to maximize its balance and robustness and to minimize its volatility at the same time.Further,a flexible optimal solution based on a simulated annealing algorithm is designed to make a safety track utilization plan in high-speed railway stations integrating the dispatchers’decision preference.The results from the experiments show that the proposed methodology can effectively make satisfied safety track utilization plans based on decision-makers’preferences,which can improve its balance and robustness level significantly.Meanwhile,its volatility can be reduced as much as possible caused by flexible management based on artificial intervention to ensure the relative stability of the plan.

Elastic-plastic seismic response of CRTS II slab ballastless track system on high-speed railway bridges

China railways track structure II (CRTS II) slab ballastless track on bridge is one kind of track structures unique to China. Its main bearing component of longitudinal force is the continuous base plate rather than rail. And the track-bridge interaction is weakened by the sliding layer installed between base plate and bridge deck. In order to study the dynamic response of CRTS II slab ballastless track on bridge under seismic action, a 3D nonlinear dynamic model for simply-supported bridges and CRTS II track was established, which considered structures such as steel rail, fasteners, track plate, mortar layer, base plate, sliding layer, bridge, consolidation, anchors, stoppers, etc. Then its force and deformation features under different intensities of seismic excitation were studied. As revealed, the seismic response of the system increases with the increase of seismic intensity. The peak stresses of rail, track plate and base plate all occur at the abutment or anchors. Both track plate and base plate are about to crack. Besides, the rapid relative displacement between base plate and bridge deck due to the small friction coefficient of sliding layer is beneficial to improve the seismic performance of the system. During the earthquake, a large vertical displacement appears in base plate which leads to frequent collisions between stoppers and base plate, as a result, stoppers may be damaged.

Design theories and maintenance technologies of slab tracks for high-speed railways in China:a review

The durability and reliability of slab track structures are essential for the long-term safety and stable operation of high-speed railways.In order to provide a solid theoretical basis and technical reference for the advancement of high-speed railway quality,this paper comprehensively discusses design theories of slab track structures,service performance evolution and maintenance technologies,and reviews the innovation happening in the industry.On top of that,the damage evolution,fatigue features and durability of slab tracks,which are highly relevant to serviceability,are summarized,and the future research trend of slab track service behaviours is pointed out.In addition,this paper summarizes the rules of establishing standards for damage maintenance,typical solutions for repairing damage and methods of evaluating the maintenance outcomes that combine field tests and numerical simulations.It also envisions a future direction where advanced testing technologies would assist the evaluation of maintenance effects.

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.

Temperature-induced deformation of CRTS II slab track and its effect on track dynamical properties

Two finite-element models of the CRTS II slab track are presented to simulate temperature-induced deformations of the concrete track slab with no deterioration or with a deteriorated cement asphalt mortar(CAM).One model,which considers the fully bonding interface between the slab and the CAM layer,could applied to a track that is in good condition;the other model uses cohesive zone elements to simulate the deteriorated CAM with some possible interfacial separation and slip.Utilizing both of the models,temperature-induced warp deformations of track under various temperature loads are investigated.The influence of temperature deformation on the dynamic properties of the track is analyzed based on the train-track coupled dynamics.Numerical results show that the deteriorated CAM layer can significantly increase temperature deformations of a CRTS II track slab,which would produce tiny rail irregularities.There are clear differences between the deformation shapes of the track slabs that have an inseparable mortar layer and those have a separable mortar layer.The track slab with a deteriorated mortar layer showed more open curl distortion than the track slab in good condition.The dynamical response index of the slab track is intensified to a certain level due to the temperature deformation;with an increase of the train speed,the track dynamical responses increased linearly.However,rail irregularities due to the temperature deformations are very tiny.Even if a track is exposed to extreme temperature loads and the mortar layer is deteriorated,temperature deformation can have a negligible effect on the track’s dynamical properties.