Durability evaluation for existing railway engineering: a review

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the factors, evaluation techniques of the durability of existing railwayengineering.Design/methodology/approach – China has built a railway network of over 150,000 km. Ensuring thesafety of the existing railway engineering is of great significance for maintaining normal railway operationorder. However, railway engineering is a strip structure that crosses multiple complex environments. Andrailway engineering will withstand high-frequency impact loads from trains. The above factors have led todifferences in the deterioration characteristics and maintenance strategies of railway engineering compared toconventional concrete structures. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the key factors that affect thedurability of railway structures and propose technologies for durability evaluation.Findings – The factors that affect the durability and reliability of railway engineering are mainly divided intothree categories: material factors, environmental factors and load factors. Among them, material factors alsoinclude influencing factors, such as raw materials, mix proportions and so on. Environmental factors varydepending on the service environment of railway engineering, and the durability and deterioration of concretehave different failure mechanisms. Load factors include static load and train dynamic load. The on-site rapiddetection methods for five common diseases in railway engineering are also proposed in this paper. Thesemethods can quickly evaluate the durability of existing railway engineering concrete.Originality/value – The research can provide some new evaluation techniques and methods for thedurability of existing railway engineering.

Research and application of key technologies for data delivery in railway engineering design based on metadata

In view of the problems of inconsistent data semantics,inconsistent data formats,and difficult data quality assurance between the railway engineering design phase and the construction and operation phase,as well as the difficulty in fully realizing the value of design results,this paper proposes a design and implementation scheme for a railway engineering collaborative design platform.The railway engineering collaborative design platform mainly includes functional modules such as metadata management,design collaboration,design delivery management,model component library,model rendering services,and Building Information Modeling(BIM)application services.Based on this,research is conducted on multi-disciplinary parameterized collaborative design technology for railway engineering,infrastructure data management and delivery technology,and design multi-source data fusion and application technology.The railway engineering collaborative design platform is compared with other railway design software to further validate its advantages and advanced features.The platform has been widely applied in multiple railway construction projects,greatly improving the design and project management efficiency.

Research on railway BIM platform framework based on homemade graphics engine

At present,BIM platforms rely on foreign software.Homemade software and industry applications are mostly secondary developments,which present stranglehold problems caused by interruptions to the software supply.To solve the problem,key technical research on the 3D integrated design of railway engineering was stuedied based on homemade graphics engines to propose an innovative railway BIM platform framework.The entire process was completed from the top-level design to the engineering verification of the platform.The co-designed mechanism of a"center model and link"hybrid mode was constructed,which solved the difficulties of data management and increment synchronization at a large scale,achieving teamwork among surveying and mapping,alignments,and bridges.The results of this study could provide strong support for the development of BIM software for a whole railway and all majors.

Applying the AHP-FUZZY method to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: a case study of Chaidaer-Muli Railway

This article attempts to investigate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As a case study, Chaidaer-Muli Railway is used to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions. The AHP(Analytic Hierarchy Process) method is thus employed to establish the evaluation indicator system. The evaluation factor is selected by analyzing the mutual relation between the permafrost environment and roadbed engineering. Thus, a hierarchical structure model is established based on the selected evaluation indices. Each factor is weighted to determine the status in the evaluation system, and grading standards are built for providing a basis for the evaluation. Then, the fuzzy mathematical method is introduced to evaluate the measure effect of rubble roadbed engineering in permafrost regions along the Chadaer-Muli Railway. Results show that most of the permafrost roadbed is in a preferable condition(b) along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway due to rubble engineering measures. This proportion reaches to 86.1%. The proportion in good(a), general(c) and poor states(d) are 0.0%, 7.5% and 6.4%, respectively, in all the evaluation sections along the Chaidaer-Muli Railway. Ground-temperature monitoring results are generally consistent with AHP-FUZZY evaluation results. This means that the AHP-FUZZY method can be applied to evaluate the effect of rubble roadbed engineering measures in permafrost regions. The effect evaluation of engineering measures will provide timely and effective feedback information for further engineering design. The series of engineering measures will more effectively protect permafrost stability.

Integration and Optimization of Railway Engineering Laboratory Resources under the Background of"Double First Class"

With the continuous development of China's social economy,it has correspondingly promoted the development of the railway engineering experimental career,and has made tremendous progress in the cultivation of railway engineering experimental talents.At the same time,there are still many problems in the development of rail transit in the construction of"double first-class".Only by solving the existing problems can we further promote the smooth development of the training of railway engineering experimental talents.Therefore,the article mainly analyzes the problems and countermeasures of railway engineering experimental training,combined with the status and role of laboratories in the training of talents under the background of"double first-class",according to the society's demand for first-class engineering talents,we reformed and explored laboratory resource integration and optimization.

Railway Engineering Experimental Teaching Research Based on the Combination of Field Experiment and Virtual Reality(VR)Technology——Taking Central South University as an Example

At present,rail transit is developing rapidly in the world,and this means new and changing requirements for the training of talents in railway engineering experiments.Given the current problems of limited laboratory/field instruments for railway engineering experimentsand the safety/administrative difficulties of going to the frontline of railway lines to teach railway engineering experiemnts in the field,the Department of Railway Engineering of Central South University tried to introduce virtual reality(VR)technology to teach students experiments in the field of railway engineering.Through the virtualized experimental methods,students can carry out railway engineering experiments such as;vehicle wheel pair off-axis experiments,track geometry and position detection,etc.by immersive means.It was observed that after performing virtual simulation experiments,students appeared conversant in subsequent field experiments.Thus,VR greatly improves the teaching efficiency of railway engineering experiments.

The Innovation and Practice in Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway Construction

As a flagship project of Sino-Indonesia cooperation within the framework of“the Belt and Road”Initiative(BRI),Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Railway(Jakarta-Bandung HSR)is the first overseas high speed railway entirely implementing China's high speed railway technology with all systems,elements and industrial chain.It marks the success of extensive consultation,joint contribution and shared benefits between China and region states to achieve modernization.By studying the Jakarta-Bandung HSR project,this paper concludes the innovations and successful practices in“going global”of China's railway industry in terms of project organization,engineering construction,railway equipment,operation management,risk prevention and control,etc.Meanwhile,focusing on one of the eight major steps to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation proposed by President Xi Jinping—building a multidimensional“the Belt and Road”connectivity network,this paper puts forward the specific outlook for China's high speed railway to“go global”and jointly build“the Belt and Road”Initiative from two perspectives of international railway engineering and international scientific and technological cooperation.

Research on Experimental Teaching Reform of Railway Engineering under the Training of International Students

The railway engineering major shows extremely strong applicability,with the internationalization of railway engineering teaching and communication,how to solve the problem of cultivating the international students of the railway engineering major experimental teaching is a core problem that the railway engineering majors in universities need to solve at this stage.Through reform,a new type of experimental teaching system for railway engineering specialty was constructed,that is,the experimental course system and content system determined by the international students training program were taken as the core,the construction of teachers,experimental facilities,practice bases and other conditions as the basis,and the system construction and operation organization to build an organic whole composed of four elements for guarantee.It is closely integrated with the theoretical teaching system and relatively independent.It guarantees the realization of the goal of international students training.And it can integrate and optimize the experimental teaching links,content,methods and evaluation system,and build a“gradual experimentprofessional experiment-comprehensive experiment”progressive gradient experiment teaching system.Form a benign pattern of collaborative training of laboratories,practice bases and scientific research bases,mutual promotion of teaching and scientific research,and effectively promote the improvement of students’experimental innovation ability.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway:An Engineering Miracle

WHEN railway constructionworkers first came to theQinghai-Tibet Plateau, they were amazed at the majesty ofits snowfield scenery. Cut off from theoutside world, everything on the plateau- its snow-capped mountains, grassland,lamas, prayer banners, the Potala Palace,and the Tibetan people living 4,000 metersor more above sea level, has an aura ofmystery.Beautiful it may be, but Tibet lags behind other areas of China. Inadequate transportation facilities restrict its economic development, as it is only accessible by highway or air transportation.

Analysis of the Theoretical Foundation and Engineering Effect for Air-duct Embankment on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Based on the corresponding theories of engineering thermodynamics and hydro-dynamics, a careful study is made of the characteristics of air flow in different duct-embedded ways. According to critical Reynolds number, the atmospheric critical velocity of the duct with different diameters, which makes laminar flow different from turbulent flow, is calculated. Given the condition in which a forced flow occurs and the wind strength is larger than the atmospheric pressure gradient along the air-duct, a rational ratio of the length to the diameter is presented. Based on the above theory and field test data on soil temperature and embankment settlement, the advantages and disadvantages are discussed in details of all duct-embedded ways that might affect the stability of embankment.

Research on Railway Engineering Experiment Teaching Principles Based on Virtual Simulation Experiment Teaching——Taking the Floating Slab Vibration Damping Track Virtual Experiment as an Example

Virtual simulation teaching is an addendum to the experimental teaching mode of railway engineering,and the two teaching methods complement each other and merge with each other.In view of the current research,there is little discussion about the integration path of the two above.Based on the connotation and design of virtual simulation teaching,this research systematically expounds the integration of the real path and path optimization problems,and puts forward the railway engineering experimental teaching principles based on virtual simulation teaching.On the basis of this research,a virtual simulation experiment platform for vibration mechanics and its application in the floating slab vibration damping track was developed to make full use of three-dimensional modeling,virtual reality,human-computer interaction and other technologies,which can realistically simulate the vibration law and vibration damping effect of the rail transit system,and in the hope that the virtual simulation teaching can be widely used in the experimental teaching mode of railway engineering in the future.

A strategy for lightweight designing of a railway vehicle car body including composite material and dynamic structural optimization

Rolling stock manufacturers are finding structural solutions to reduce power required by the vehicles,and the lightweight design of the car body represents a possible solution.Optimization processes and innovative materials can be combined in order to achieve this goal.In this framework,we propose the redesign and optimization process of the car body roof for a light rail vehicle,introducing a sandwich structure.Bonded joint was used as a fastening system.The project was carried out on a single car of a modern tram platform.This preliminary numerical work was developed in two main steps:redesign of the car body structure and optimization of the innovated system.Objective of the process was the mass reduction of the whole metallic structure,while the constraint condition was imposed on the first frequency of vibration of the system.The effect of introducing a sandwich panel within the roof assembly was evaluated,focusing on the mechanical and dynamic performances of the whole car body.A mass saving of 63%on the optimized components was achieved,corresponding to a 7.6%if compared to the complete car body shell.In addition,a positive increasing of 17.7%on the first frequency of vibration was observed.Encouraging results have been achieved in terms of weight reduction and mechanical behaviour of the innovated car body.

Heinrich Hildebrand:A German Railway Engineer in Late Qing China

German engineer Heinrich Hildebrand came to China as a spy in 1891,serving at the German Embassy in Beijing and collecting Chinese railway information.In 1892,he began to work for Zhang Zhidong and participated in the construction of the Daye railway and Hanyang Iron Works,among other projects.Recommended by Zhang Zhidong,he was appointed as counselor of the China Railway Company by Sheng Xuanhuai.After Germany took Jiaozhou Bay in 1897,Hildebrand presided over the survey and construction of the Shandong Railway.He served as its General Director and chief engineer for ten years,which was the most important period of his career.As his identity switched from German spy in Zhang Zhidong’s staff to General Director of the Shandong Railway,his colonialist mentality gradually came to the fore,and he took a tough stance when dealing with Chinese officials and workers.He was highly appreciated by Zhang Zhidong and strongly opposed by Yuan Shikai.Western engineers in early modern China played a dual role in the course of China’s modernization.On the one hand,they promoted the cause of China’s modernization as professionals,and on the other hand,they often became spokesmen for and active agents of imperialism.

Current situation and development trend of design methods for subgrade structure of high speed railways

Purpose–This method will become a new development trend in subgrade structure design for high speed railways.Design/methodology/approach–This paper summarizes the structural types and design methods of subgrade bed for high speed railways in China,Japan,France,Germany,the United States and other countries based on the study and analysis of existing literature and combined with the research results and practices of high speed railway subgrade engineering at home and abroad.Findings–It is found that in foreign countries,the layered reinforced structure is generally adopted for the subgrade bed of high speed railways,and the unified double-layer or multi-layer structure is adopted for the surface layer of subgrade bed,while the simple structure is adopted in China;in foreign countries,different inspection parameters are adopted to evaluate the compaction state of fillers according to their respective understanding and practice,while in China,compaction coefficient,subsoil coefficient and dynamic deformation modulus are adopted for such evaluation;in foreign countries,the subgrade top deformation control method,the subgrade bottom deformation control method,the subsurface fill strength control method are mainly adopted in subgrade bed structure design of high speed railways,while in China,dynamic deformation control of subgrade surface and dynamic strain control of subgrade bed bottom layer is adopted in the design.However,the cumulative deformation of subgrade caused by train cyclic vibration load is not considered in the existing design methods.Originality/value–This paper introduces a new subgrade structure design method based on whole-process dynamics analysis that meets subgrade functional requirements and is established on the basis of the existing research at home and abroad on prediction methods for cumulative deformation of subgrade soil.

Quantitative Zoning Assessment of Crustal Stability Along the Yunnan-Tibet Railway Line,Western China

The planned Yunnan-Tibet railway goes through the northwest of Yunnan Province and the southeast of the Tibet Autonomous Region. Because of its location near the collision belt of the Eurasian and Indian plates, complex engineering geological conditions and difficult engineering geological problems are encountered. The study is aimed at making the zoning assessment of crustal stability along the railway line so as to provide a better base for its construction, especially its line selection. For this purpose, the following seven influencing factors of crustal stability were selected and quantified by grading and scoring： active fault, seismic activity, geo-stress field, geo-strain field, geothermal field, geo-hazard, and lithologic character. Of these factors, the active fault, seismic activity and geo-hazard are the three most prominent factors influencing the railway construction. Along the railway line there are 1731703 calculation units to be divided. The zoning assessment calculation was completed by ArcGIS-based information fusion method. The assessment results aid railway line selection and show that there are 10 stable sectors, 28 relatively stable sectors, 23 relatively unstable sectors, and 20 unstable sectors along the Yunnan-Tibet railway line.

New technologies for high-risk tunnel construction in GuiyangGuangzhou high-speed railway

Based on the construction of high risk tunnels in Guiguang-Guangzhou high-speed railway, several new technologies were developed for high-risk tunnel con- struction. First, an integrated advanced geological predic- tion was developed for tunneling in karst area. Then, a new system of ventilation by involving the dedusting technol- ogy was proposed and used in the field, which received a good air quality. Finally, a method to minimize the dis- tance between the working face and the invert installation was proposed by optimizing the invert installation and adopting the micro bench method. Applying the method to the project obtained an excellent result. The achievement obtained for this study would be able to provide a valuable reference to similar projects in the future.

System reliability evaluation of long railway subgrade slopes considering discrete instability

This paper develops a dual-indicator discrete method(DDM)for evaluating the system reliability performance of long soil subgrade slopes.First,they are segmented into many slope sections using the random finite element method,to ensure each section statistically contains one potential local instability.Then,the k-out-of-n system model is used to describe the relationship between the total number of sections n,the acceptable number of failure sections m,the reliability of sections R_(sec),and the system reliability R_(sys).Finally,m and R_(sys)are jointly used to assess the system reliability performance.For cases lacking spatial data of soil properties,a simplified DDM is provided in which long subgrade slopes are segmented by the empirical value of section length and R_(sec)is substituted by that of crosssections taken from them.The results show that(1)DDM can provide the probability that the actual number of local instabilities does not exceed a desired threshold.(2)R_(sys)decreases with increasing n or decreasing R_(sec);that is,it is likely to encounter more local instabilities for longer or weaker subgrade slopes.n is negatively related to the horizontal scale of fluctuation of soil properties and positively related to the total length of subgrade slopes L.(3)When L is sufficiently large,there is a considerable opportunity to meet local instabilities even if R_(sec)is large enough.

Detecting Plants on Railway Embankments

This paper investigates problems concerning vegetation along railways and proposes automatic means of detecting ground vegetation. Digital images of railway embankments have been acquired and used for the purpose. The current work mainly proposes two algorithms to be able to achieve automation. Initially a vegetation detection algorithm has been investigated for the purpose of detecting vegetation. Further a rail detection algorithm that is capable of identifying the rails and eventually the valid sampling area has been investigated. Results achieved in the current work report satisfactory (qualitative) detection rates.

Gao Zongyu:Engineer and Designer of World-class Bridges

PLANNED in 2003,construction of the 1,092-meter-long ShanghaiNantong Railway Yangtze River Bridge–the world’s longest rail-cumroad cable-stayed steel bridge–started in 2014.On completion in 2019,it will span the 130 km.between the two cities,shortening to one hour the drive from Shanghai to Nantong.

Viscoplastic solutions of time-dependent deformation for tunnels in swelling rock mass considering stress release

Excavation and control of tunneling responses in swelling soft-rock tunnels of Sichuan-Tibet railway under seepage conditions were studied.For this,a fractional viscoplastic(FVP)model for swelling soft rocks was established by introducing Abel dashpot and unsteady viscosity coefficient,considering additional swelling deformation and damage of rock caused by humidity effect.In view of the FVP model,the viscoplastic deformation solutions for rock mass surrounding tunnel under seepage conditions were derived and long-term mechanical responses of swelling rocks upon tunnel excavation were analyzed.Next,a stress release coefficient considering seepage and creep was proposed,based on which control responses considering stress release and failure mechanism of stress release measures were analyzed.The results showed that:(i)The one-dimensional(1D)FVP model has a good application for swelling rock and the three-dimensional(3D)FVP model could well describe the whole creep process of rock mass despite a much higher creep attenuation rate in the first stage of creep;and(ii)An appropriate stress release and deformation of surrounding rocks could effectively reduce the supporting resistance.However,upon a large stress release,the radius of plastic region could increase significantly,and the strength of the surrounding rock mass decreases greatly.The proposed solution could provide a theoretical framework for capturing the excavation and support responses for tunneling in swelling rock mass in consideration of time effect.