A discussion about the limitations of the Eurocode’s high-speed load model for railway bridges

High-speed railway bridges are subjected to normative limitations concerning maximum permissible deck accelerations.For the design of these structures,the European norm EN 1991-2 introduces the high-speed load model(HSLM)—a set of point loads intended to include the effects of existing high-speed trains.Yet,the evolution of current trains and the recent development of new load models motivate a discussion regarding the limits of validity of the HSLM.For this study,a large number of randomly generated load models of articulated,conventional,and regular trains are tested and compared with the envelope of HSLM effects.For each type of train,two sets of 100,000 load models are considered:one abiding by the limits of the EN 1991-2 and another considering wider limits.This comparison is achieved using both a bridge-independent metric(train signatures)and dynamic analyses on a case study bridge(the Canelas bridge of the Portuguese Railway Network).For the latter,a methodology to decrease the computational cost of moving loads analysis is introduced.Results show that some theoretical load models constructed within the stipulated limits of the norm can lead to effects not covered by the HSLM.This is especially noted in conventional trains,where there is a relation with larger distances between centres of adjacent vehicle bogies.

Investigation into rail corrugation in high-speed railway tracks from the viewpoint of the frictional self-excited vibration of a wheel–rail system

A finite element vibration model of a multiple wheel-rail system which consists of four wheels, one rail, and a series of sleepers is established to address the problem of rail corrugation in high-speed tracks. In the model, the creep forces between the wheels and rail are considered to be saturated and equal to the normal contact forces times the friction coefficient. The oscillation of the rail is coupled with that of wheels in the action of the saturated creep forces. When the coupling is strong, self- excited oscillation of the wheel-rail system occurs. The self-excited vibration propensity of the model is analyzed using the complex eigenvalue method. Results show that there are strong propensities of unstable self-excited vibrations whose frequencies are less than 1,200 Hz under some conditions. Preventing wheels from slipping on rails is an effective method for suppressing rail corrugation in high-speed tracks.

Characteristics of wheel-rail vibration of the vertical section in high-speed railways

In order to analyze the characteristics of wheel-rail vibration of the vertical section in a high-speed railway, a vehicle-line dynamics model is established using the dynamics software SIMPACK. Through this model, the paper analyzes the influence of vertical section parameters, including vertical section slope and vertical curve radius, on wheel-rail dynamics interaction and the acting region of wheel-rail vibration. In addition, the characteristics of wheel- rail vibration of the vertical section under different velocities are investigated. The results show that the variation of wheel load is not sensitive to the vertical section slope but is greatly affected by the vertical curve radius. It was also observed that the smaller the vertical curve radius is, the more severe the interaction between the wheel and rail be- comes. Furthermore, the acting region of wheel-rail vibration expands with the vertical curve radius increasing. On another note, it is necessary to match the slope and vertical curve radius reasonably, on account of the influence of operation speed on the characteristics of wheel-rail vibration. This is especially important at the design stage of vertical sec- tions for lines of different grades.

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.

Prediction of high-speed train induced ground vibration based on train-track-ground system model

The development of analysis on train-induced ground vibration is briefly summarized. A train-track- ground integrated dynamic model is introduced in the paper to predict the ground vibration induced by high-speed trains. Representative dynamic responses of the train-track-ground system predicted by the model are presented. Some major results measured from two field tests on the ground vibration induced by two high-speed trains are reported. Numerical prediction with the proposed train-track-ground model is validated by the high-speed train running experiments. Research results show that the wheel/rail dynamic interaction caused by track irregularities has a significant influence on the ground acceleration and little influence on the ground displacement. The main frequencies of the ground vibration induced by high-speed trains are usually below 80 Hz. Compared with the ballasted track, the ballastless track structure can produce much larger train-induced ground vibration at frequencies above 40 Hz. The vertical ground vibration is much larger than the lateral and longitudinal components.

Accumulative deformation in railway track induced by high-speed traffic loading of the trains

Prediction and control of the permanent settlement of a track caused by traffic loading from trains is crucial to high-speed railway design and maintenance. In this study, a unified prediction model of accumulative deformation of geomaterials used in railway construction subjected to cyclic loadings is introduced and calibrated using physical model testing. Based on this versatile model, a calculation approach to determine the track structure settlement under repeated loadings caused by the movement of the wheel axle of the train is proposed. Regression analysis on the physical model testing is adopted to determine the parameters involved in the computational approach. Comparison of model test data and computed results shows that the parameters obtained from the back-analysis are consistent throughout the various testing conditions, and the proposed calculation approach is capable of satisfactorily predicting the accumulative settlement of the railway roadbed and subgrade soil for various axle loads and loading cycles. A case study of a high-speed railway is performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach in realistic engineering applications. The computation results from the settlement development of a roadbed and subgrade soil are presented and discussed.

Analysis of ground vibrations induced by high-speed train moving on pile-supported subgrade using three-dimensional FEM

The pile-supported subgrade has been widely used in high-speed railway construction in China.To investigate the ground vibrations of such composite foundation subjected to moving loads induced by high-speed trains(HSTs),three-dimensional(3D)finite element method(FEM)models involving the pile,pile cap and cushion are established.Validation of the proposed model is conducted through comparison of model predictions with the field measurements.On this basis,ground vibrations generated by HSTs under different train speeds as well as the ground vibration attenuation with the distance away from the track centerline are investigated.In addition,the effects of piles and pile elastic modulus on ground vibrations are well studied.Results show that the pile-reinforcement of the subgrade could significantly contribute to the reduction of ground vibrations.In particular,the increase of elastic modulus of pile could lead to consistent reduction of ground vibrations.However,when the pile elastic modulus is beyond 10 GPa,this benefit of pile-reinforcement on vibration isolation can hardly be increased further.

Model tests on XCC-piled embankment under dynamic train load of high-speed railways

Piled embankments,which offer many advantages,are increasingly popular in construction of high-speed railways in China.Although the performance of piled embankment under static loading is well-known,the behavior under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is not yet understood.In light of this,a heavily instrumented piled embankment model was set up,and a model test was carried out,in which a servo-hydraulic actuator outputting M-shaped waves was adopted to simulate the process of a running train.Earth pressure,settlement,strain in the geogrid and pile and excess pore water pressure were measured.The results show that the soil arching height under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is shorter than under static loading.The growth trend for accumulated settlement slowed down after long-term vibration although there was still a tendency for it to increase.Accumulated geogrid strain has an increasing tendency after long-term vibration.The closer the embankment edge,the greater the geogrid strain over the subsoil.Strains in the pile were smaller under dynamic train loads,and their distribution was different from that under static loading.At the same elevation,excess pore water pressure under the track slab was greater than that under the embankment shoulder.

Ground-borne vibration generated by high-speed train viaduct systems in soft-upper/hard-lower rock strata

An experimental study and theoretical analysis were carried out to explore the ground-borne vibration generated by elevated high-speed railway in rock strata.Taking a typical rail line constructed on rock area in China as the research object,a set of field tests was performed on Rizhao-Lankao High-Speed Railway,the bridge and ground vibrations were measured as trains passed at 330−340 km/h,then the transferring law and spatial distribution under individual frequencies were investigated.The experiment results indicate that the bridge frequency spectrum exhibited relatively high-frequency vibration peaks caused by short-wavelength irregularity;ground vibration farther than 30 m away can be amplified with a higher frequency and numerous components.Furthermore,the wave propagation equation of a stratified rock strata was established based on direct-stiffness method to explore the vibration attenuation rules via frequency-domain analysis.It is found that the rock area has a weaker correlation between vibration transmissibility and frequency,thicker and harder rock strata loss their vibration attenuation capacity.It can be concluded that the high-speed railways induced vibration on rock strata shows a wide frequency band and large amplitude,the design of reducing vibration aimed at specific frequency is important according to next more detailed numerical study.

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.

Theoretical analysis on ground vibration attenuation using sub-track asphalt layer in high-speed rails

Using a finite element method （FEM） program, a Portland cement concrete slab trackbed （So）, and a sub- track asphalt roadbed （RAC-S） were modeled under high- speed train loads to analyze their responses to ground vibration attenuation, by considering 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 thick sub-track asphalt layer replaced on the top of the upper subgrade. FEM results show that the vibration amplitude of RAC-S is at least three times lower than the vibration for So. The maximum vibration amplitude of RAC-S is linearly increased with train speed. The vertical acceleration is found to be reduced by more than 10 % when the asphalt layer thickness is increased from 10 to 20 cm. However, the reduction in vertical acceleration is only about 1% when the thickness of the asphalt layer changes from 20 to 30 cm. The vibration level is slightly lower if the asphalt layer has higher resilient modulus in the seasons of autumn or winter. This theoretical analysis indicates that a railway substructure that consists of a 10-20 cm thick high modulus asphalt layer located at the top of trackbed shows a good performance in ground vibration control for high-speed rails.

In-Situ Test on Fatigue Characteristics of Top-Mounted Dividable Pile-Board Subgrade for High-Speed Railway

To simulate the fatigue characteristics of the pile-board structure under long-term dynamic load, using the in-situ dynamic testing system DTS-1, the forced vibration loading was repeated one million times at different cross-sections of the pile-board structure for high-speed railway. The dynamic deformation, permanent deformation and dynamic stress of main reinforcements were measured. The test results show that the dynamic responses of the pile-board structure almost did not vary with the forced vibration times under the simulated trainload. After one million times of forced vibration, the permanent deformations of the midspan section of intermediate span and midspan section of side span were 0.7 mm and 0. 6 mm, respectively, and there was no accumulative plastic deformation at the bearing section of intermediate span.

Experimental and numerical studies on vibration characteristics of a railway embankment

In order to study the dynamic response of the rail embankment under different speeds and moving load of following vehicles,a model experiment with a ratio of 1:10 is established to test the time history of acceleration and the earth pressure of the embankment at various train speeds.Using the ABAQUS finite element calculation software,a train load is applied through the FORTRAN subroutine,thereby establishing a three-dimensional finite element model with the same size as the model experiment.The data and conclusions of the finite element method model are verified by the model experiment.The model also makes some supplements to the model experiment.The experimental results show that with the increase of speed,the peak acceleration and earth pressure of the embankment also increase.By analyzing the experimental data,it can also be found that the vertical acceleration of the embankment is much greater than the axial acceleration and the lateral acceleration.In addition,the elastic modulus of the soil and the sleeper pitch also have some influence on the acceleration.

Structural analysis and design of frost resistance function for subgrade of high-speed railway ballasted track in cold regions

According to the technical characteristics of short fixed wheelbase of a high-speed carriage, a subgrade-track integrated space mechanical response analysis model is proposed for trains under the action ofbiaxial load after the comparison of the stress distribution characteristics of the ballast track subgrade bed structures for high-speed railway under the action of uniaxial load and biaxial load. The loading threshold value （high-cycle long-term dynamic strength） under the circum- stance where the cumulative deformation of subgrade structure gradually develops and finally reaches the convergent state, and its relationship with the foundation coefficient K30 were deduced, based on the characteristics of cumulative defor- mation evolution obtained from the unit structure filling model test under the action of cyclic loading. In view of structure stability and frost resistance requirements of the railway subgrade in cold regions, technical conditions to maintain good service performance of subgrade structure of high-speed railway ballasted track are discussed and analyzed. Study results show that the additive effect manifests itself obviously for railway train bogies under the action of biaxial load than uni- axial load, which has a significant dynamic effect on the subgrade bed bottom and a slight effect on the surface layer. Thus, the adoption of a biaxial load model in the design of a high-speed railway subgrade accurately reflects the vehicle load. Pursuant to the structure design principle, the design method of the subgrade structure of high-speed railway ballasted track is proposed to meet the technical requirements such as structural strength, bearing stiffness and high-cyclic and long-term stability. Technical indicators are obtained for the variation of thickness of the surface layer of reinforced sub- grade bed in the double-layer subgrade mode along with the change of K30 at the subgrade bed bottom. The double-layer structure mode of ＂closure on the upper layer and drainage on the lower layer＂ was proposed in order to meet the water- proofing and drainage requirements of the upper layer of the subgrade bed in cold regions. A dense-framework graded gravel filler with weak water permeability at a coefficient of 10 4 cm/s is used on the upper layer and the void-framework graded gravel filler at the water permeability coefficient of 10 2 cm/s is adopted on the lower layer.

Railway Traffic Vibration Impact Analysis on Surrounding Buildings by FEM—Case Study: TER (Regional Express Train) Dakar—AIBD

The vibrations induced by railway traffic can affect the stability of structures, buildings and buried structures. To evaluate this impact, this study was carried out considering the case of the Regional Express Train which will connect Dakar to Blaise Diagne International Airport. For that, the modeling software Plaxis dynamic [1], able to generate harmonic loads, is used and permitted to have a dynamic analysis and comparison between static and dynamic load for one passage of the train for 2.56 s. In the modeling, two behavior laws were used those of Mohr Coulomb for the layers of soil, embankments and the form layer, and then the linear elastic model for the rest of the elements. The results obtained showed extreme vertical displacements 40.18 mm for the building and when no load is applied on the track, there was 40.24 mm for a static load, and 40.17 mm for a dynamic load. Also, it was observed for the track a displacement of 33.73 mm for a static load and 19.83 mm for a dynamic load. However, further studies are necessary to take into account the permanent deformation after an accurate cycle of train passage in order to better evaluate the railway traffic impact.

Investigation of insulation layer dynamic characteristics for high-speed railway

Dynamic performance of insulation is one of the key parameters during the insulation application for high-speed railway subgrade. This paper conducted laboratory and field tests for the materials and dynamic load, especially for thermal performance, elastic deformation, and accumulated deformation of insulation materials. Experiment results show that mechanical properties of insulation layer structure are stable, which satisfies the requirements of the high speed railway.

Analysis of rail-bridge interaction of a high-speed railway suspension bridge under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes

Due to the limitations of railway route selection,some high-speed railways are inevitably built near or across fault zones.To study the distribution of rail-bridge interaction under different load history states of suspension bridges under three types of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes,this paper takes China’s longest high-speed railway suspension bridge—Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge-as the background and establishes a spatial model of the rail-bridge interaction of a suspension bridge.The results show that:under the constant load state,the distribution of additional force under three types of pulse-type earthquakes is generally consistent,and pulse-type earthquakes produce more significant responses than non-pulse-type earthquakes;with fling-step pulse being the largest,it is advised to specifically consider the influence of the fling-step pulse in the calculation.Under the initial condition of the main beam temperature loading history,all rail-bridge additional forces increase significantly,particularly affecting the steel rail system.The value of the rail-bridge interaction additional force under the near-fault earthquake in the initial state of the suspension bridge when the train deflection load is loaded from the tower to the mid-span is more significant and particularly unfavourable.The initial effect of the braking load will weaken the effect of the deflection load loading history.The results of the study indicate that the effect of the initial state of suspension bridges is an important factor influencing the rail-bridge interaction under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes,which needs to be considered in future seismic design.

Impact of extreme climate and train traffic loads on the performance of high-speed railway geotechnical infrastructures

High-speed railways are very important in global transportation.However,the railway subgrade is significantly affected by the environment due to its exposure to the atmosphere.At present,global warming is the primary trend in world climate change and seriously damages railway infrastructure.Owing to the coupling effect of extreme environmental and train loads,various subgrade problems tend to arise,such as settlement,ballast fouling,and mud pumping,thus inducing frequent railway accidents and reducing travel safety.Insights into the problems triggered by extreme climate and train loads are critical to the design and long-term operation of high-speed railway subgrades.This study therefore presents a detailed survey of recent advances in typical subgrade problems through analyzing the problem formation mechanisms and influences.Traditional and emerging detection/monitoring technologies in respect of subgrade problems are discussed in detail,as well as pre-accident and post-accident maintenance methods.Finally,according to the existing challenges in long-term subgrade shakedown assessment,an outlook on open opportunities is provided for future research.

Mitigation of high-speed trains vibrations by expanded polystyrene blocks in railway embankments

The vibrations induced by the passage of high-speed trains(HSTs)are considered a crucial issue in the field of environmental and geotechnical engineering.Several wave barriers have been investigated to reduce the detrimental effects of HST-induced vibrations.This study is focused on the potential implementation of an innovative mitigation technique to alleviate the developed vibrations.In particular,the use of expanded polystyrene(EPS)blocks as partial fill material of embankment slopes was examined.The efficiency of the proposed mitigation technique was numerically investigated.More specifically,a 3 D soil-track model was developed to study the cross-section of a railway track,embankment,and the underlying soil layers.The passage of the HST,Thalys,was simulated using a moving load method,and the soil response was calculated at several distances from the track.Several parameters influenced the effectiveness of the examined mitigation measure.Therefore,to ensure an optimal design,a robust procedure is necessary which considers the impact of these factors.Hence,the implementation of EPS blocks on several embankments with different geometry,in terms of height and slope angle,was investigated.

Ground vibration analysis under combined seismic and high-speed train loads

The rise of high-speed railway induces an increased probability of serious derailment accidents of operating high-speed trains during earthquakes.A two-and-half-dimensional finite element model(2.5D FEM)was developed to investigate the ground vibration under combined seismic and high-speed train loads.Numerical examples were demonstrated and the proposed method was turned out to provide an effective means for estimating ground vibration caused by high-speed train load during earthquakes.The dynamic ground displacement caused by combined seismic and high-speed train loads increases with the increase of the train speed,and decreases with the increase of the stiffness of ground soil.Compared with the seismic load alone,the coupling effect of the seismic and high-speed train loads results in the low-frequency amplification of ground vibration.The moving train load dominants the medium–high frequency contents of the ground vibration induced by combined loads.It is observed that the coupling effects are significant as the train speed is higher than a critical speed.The critical train speed increases with the increase of the ground stiffness and the intensity of the input earthquake motion.