Temperature Characteristics Analysis of the Ballastless Track under Continuous Hot Weather
Publication: Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 143, Issue 9
Abstract
In recent years, extreme weather has occurred frequently, which has exerted a harmful influence on ballastless track. This paper analyzes the heat transfer mechanism between ballastless track and the environment and presents bottom boundary conditions of the track temperature field based on theoretical derivation. A three-dimensional model is established for calculating the track temperature distribution while considering the geographical location and environmental conditions. A field test verifies this calculation model, and the temperature characteristics of the ballastless track under continuous hot weather are analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed method of determining the bottom boundary condition of ballastless track based on the climatic data is efficient and accurate. Under continuous hot weather, the long-term daily mean air temperature and stronger solar radiation cause continuous increase of the whole track temperature. As a consequence, the track temperature is 5–10°C above the air temperature, and there is a larger temperature gradient, which may induce curling deformation of the unitary ballastless track and buckling defects of the longitudinally-coupled slab. For maintenance of track structure, the proposed method is expected to predict the track defects caused by extreme weather based on the weather report.
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Acknowledgments
Financial supports for the research were provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51278431) and the Key Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U1434208).
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Published In
Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part A: Systems
Volume 143 • Issue 9 • September 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 14, 2017
Accepted: Apr 17, 2017
Published online: Jul 13, 2017
Published in print: Sep 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Dec 13, 2017
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