Dynamic Interaction of Vehicle and Discontinuous Slab Track Considering Nonlinear Hertz Contact Model

AbstractThis paper develops a new two-dimensional numerical model of vehicle/discontinuous slab track dynamic interaction. The vehicle is simulated as a multibody system with 10 degrees of freedom. The slab track is represented by a three-layer model that consists of a continuous rail layer, a discontinuous concrete slab layer, and a continuous concrete base layer. All the slab track layers are modeled by Euler-Bernoulli beam elements with finite lengths. In the New Model (NM), the wheel/rail contact is modeled by nonlinear Hertz springs for the first time. This results in an improvement in the modeling of the slab track/rolling-stock dynamic interaction. The governing differential equations of the model are derived in the time domain and solved in a coupled form. Through several numerical examples, the accuracy and the computational efficiency of the NM in various vehicle/slab track conditions is illustrated.