Dynamic Rail Overturning: Modelling and Application

An analytical model for examining the dynamic equilibrium is utilized to determine the lateral deflection and rotation of the rail subjected to time dependent lateral and vertical forces, and constant axial force. Galerkin's method was applied to remove the partial dependents of the differential equations of motion. The method resulted in a system of coupled ordinary differential equations in the time domain. Normal mode method of dynamic analysis was utilized to decouple the system of differential equations and convert them to a set of second order differential equations with constant coefficients. This model together with other defined parameters of the rail and fasteners is utilized to investigate several case studies of dynamic behavior of the rail. Comparison between these dynamic cases and static tests has been done. It is recommended that multiple axial load should be considered in the future dynamic studies.