{"title":"Numerical studies of ballastless track-embankment vibrations considering track irregularities","authors":"Zihao Jin , Wei Zhang , Yixin Li , Xueyu Geng","doi":"10.1016/j.trgeo.2025.101536","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-speed railway systems require precise modelling of track-embankment dynamics to assess structural stability and safety. Existing models struggle to capture the complex nonlinear interactions between trains and track infrastructure. To overcome this limitation, a three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) model was developed to simulate the dynamic responses of track-embankment coupling systems based on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway, and it was validated with field measurements. The proposed model innovatively incorporates the geometric complexities of railhead and wheel tread surfaces, along with multiple track irregularities, ensuring realistic simulations. An empirical filtering rule was introduced to address high-frequency numerical noise, enhancing data processing accuracy. The validated model was used to investigate the effects of train speed and track irregularities on the vertical and lateral vibrations of railway system. Results show that vibration intensity rises as train speed increases, with vertical rail vibrations being 1.9 to 2.9 times stronger than lateral vibrations. Moreover, track irregularities amplify embankment vibrations, particularly at higher frequencies and shallower depths, while soil damping mitigates this effect at greater depths. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamic behaviour of ballastless track-embankment systems and contribute to the development of design and maintenance strategies for high-speed railway infrastructure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56013,"journal":{"name":"Transportation Geotechnics","volume":"51 ","pages":"Article 101536"},"PeriodicalIF":4.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Transportation Geotechnics","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214391225000558","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CIVIL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
High-speed railway systems require precise modelling of track-embankment dynamics to assess structural stability and safety. Existing models struggle to capture the complex nonlinear interactions between trains and track infrastructure. To overcome this limitation, a three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) model was developed to simulate the dynamic responses of track-embankment coupling systems based on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed railway, and it was validated with field measurements. The proposed model innovatively incorporates the geometric complexities of railhead and wheel tread surfaces, along with multiple track irregularities, ensuring realistic simulations. An empirical filtering rule was introduced to address high-frequency numerical noise, enhancing data processing accuracy. The validated model was used to investigate the effects of train speed and track irregularities on the vertical and lateral vibrations of railway system. Results show that vibration intensity rises as train speed increases, with vertical rail vibrations being 1.9 to 2.9 times stronger than lateral vibrations. Moreover, track irregularities amplify embankment vibrations, particularly at higher frequencies and shallower depths, while soil damping mitigates this effect at greater depths. These findings provide valuable insights into the dynamic behaviour of ballastless track-embankment systems and contribute to the development of design and maintenance strategies for high-speed railway infrastructure.
期刊介绍:
Transportation Geotechnics is a journal dedicated to publishing high-quality, theoretical, and applied papers that cover all facets of geotechnics for transportation infrastructure such as roads, highways, railways, underground railways, airfields, and waterways. The journal places a special emphasis on case studies that present original work relevant to the sustainable construction of transportation infrastructure. The scope of topics it addresses includes the geotechnical properties of geomaterials for sustainable and rational design and construction, the behavior of compacted and stabilized geomaterials, the use of geosynthetics and reinforcement in constructed layers and interlayers, ground improvement and slope stability for transportation infrastructures, compaction technology and management, maintenance technology, the impact of climate, embankments for highways and high-speed trains, transition zones, dredging, underwater geotechnics for infrastructure purposes, and the modeling of multi-layered structures and supporting ground under dynamic and repeated loads.