Torsional Effect on Track-Support Structures of Railway Turnouts Crossing Impact
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 143, Issue 2
Abstract
The introduction of special crossings and rail turnouts provides flexibility in the rail network as it allows for vehicles to switch between various tracks, thereby maximizing the utilization of current infrastructure. Turnouts are a costly and critical feature to a rail system as they suffer adverse operational loads, compared with a straight rail track, and thus require regular maintenance. This leads to the question of whether a turnout can be justified for flexibility against upkeep costs throughout the life of the turnout. Therefore, great consideration is given to the interaction between the turnout components and reducing wear in service, as failed components may have adverse effects on the performance of neighboring components. This paper presents a development of three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) model, fostering nonlinearities in materials’ behaviors, to analyze the forces and reactions in a railway turnout system. The analysis provides new findings of critical sections in the turnout and further enables alterations to be made to the initial design of members to accommodate for the increased effects. The FE model is composed of standard concrete sleepers with rail and a tangential turnout radius of 250 m. The turnout structure is supported by a ballast layer, which is represented by a deformable solid. The FE model is the first in the world to predict the torsional behavior of the turnout and its fragile support by considering multiwheel impacts, which would simulate in-service and cyclic loading and will be adapted as a set of concentrated loads to represent a coupled locomotive negotiating the turnout. The simulations demonstrate the significance of the third medium to suppress the torsional effect of the crossing forces on supporting bearers.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to University of Western Sydney and RailCorp for their support throughout this study. Also, the third author wishes to thank the Australian Government for awarding him Endeavour Executive Fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and Chalmers University of Technology. The authors deeply appreciate the European Commission for RISEN: Rail Infrastructure Systems Engineering Network (H2020-MSCA-RISE Project No. 691135) and S-CODE: Switch and Crossing Optimal Design and Evaluation (H2020-S2 R Project No. 730849).
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 143 • Issue 2 • February 2017
Copyright
©2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 4, 2014
Accepted: Aug 19, 2016
Published online: Nov 22, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Apr 22, 2017
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