Railway Dynamics and Maintenance

A special issue of Vibration (ISSN 2571-631X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 13273

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal and IDMEC-Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: structures subjected to moving loads; semi-analytical methods; railway track dynamic modeling; optimization; geosynthetics in rehabilitation of railway tracks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last decade, European railway network capacity has experienced a rapid increase, all with the purpose of fulfilling the requirements of the White Paper published by the European Commission, which requested a switch of passenger and freight transportation from road to rail to protect the environment by reducing CO2 emissions and energy savings. By increasing network capacity, the railway tracks that are currently installed and in use are being expected to withstand more than what they were designed for in terms of axle load, train speed, and frequency of passages. As a result, more efficient, effective, and sustainable maintenance is required. Additionally, it is becoming more urgent to conduct economic-based widespread research for cost-effective improvement of rail transport to come up with rehabilitation strategies. To achieve these objectives, which are not only restricted to European network problems, it is necessary to have:

  • Reliable dynamic models of railway tracks providing usable numerical results within a reasonable computational time, with acceptable precision and accounting for uncertainty of mechanical properties of railway track components;
  • Effective solutions for vibration mitigation;
  • Sustainable solutions for transition zones;
  • Efficient methods for monitored data analysis to identify critical regions;
  • Reliable performance indicators of railway structure to measure the added value of rehabilitation interventions;
  • Cost–benefit analysis based on an economic feasibility study adapted to railway problematics in order to identify the most beneficial maintenance strategies.

This Special Issue intends to summarize recent developments in the topics identified above. Other submissions on related topics are also welcome.

Dr. Zuzana Dimitrovová
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • dynamic models of railway track
  • vibration mitigation
  • transition zones
  • identification of critical regions
  • sustainable rehabilitation
  • performance indicators of railway structure
  • cost–benefit analysis

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

32 pages, 43879 KiB  
Article
Design and Modeling of Viscoelastic Layers for Locomotive Wheel Damping
by Mpho Podile, Daramy Vandi Von Kallon, Bingo Masiza Balekwa and Michele Cali
Vibration 2021, 4(4), 906-937; https://doi.org/10.3390/vibration4040051 - 16 Dec 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3085
Abstract
Rail–wheel interaction is one of the most significant and studied aspects of rail vehicle dynamics. The vibrations caused by rail–wheel interaction can become critical when the radial, lateral and longitudinal loads of the vehicle, cargo and passengers are experienced while the vehicle is [...] Read more.
Rail–wheel interaction is one of the most significant and studied aspects of rail vehicle dynamics. The vibrations caused by rail–wheel interaction can become critical when the radial, lateral and longitudinal loads of the vehicle, cargo and passengers are experienced while the vehicle is in motion along winding railroad paths. This mainly causes an excessive production of vibrations that may lead to discomfort for the passengers and shortening of the life span of the vehicle’s body parts. The use of harmonic response analysis (HRA) shows that the wheel experiences high vibrational amplitudes from both radial and lateral excitation. The present study describes a numerical and experimental design procedure that allows mitigation of the locomotive wheel resonance during radial and lateral excitations through viscoelastic layers. It is proven that these high frequencies can be reduced through the proper design of damping layer mechanisms. In particular, three parametric viscoelastic damping layer arrangements were analyzed (on the web of both wheel sides, under the rim of both wheel sides and on the web and under the rim of both wheel sides). The results demonstrate that the correct design and dimensions of these viscoelastic damping layers reduce the high-amplitude resonance peaks of the wheel successfully during both radial and lateral excitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Dynamics and Maintenance)
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24 pages, 6967 KiB  
Article
Applicability of a Three-Layer Model for the Dynamic Analysis of Ballasted Railway Tracks
by André F. S. Rodrigues and Zuzana Dimitrovová
Vibration 2021, 4(1), 151-174; https://doi.org/10.3390/vibration4010013 - 22 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3310
Abstract
In this paper, the three-layer model of ballasted railway track with discrete supports is analyzed to access its applicability. The model is referred as the discrete support model and abbreviated by DSM. For calibration, a 3D finite element (FE) model is created and [...] Read more.
In this paper, the three-layer model of ballasted railway track with discrete supports is analyzed to access its applicability. The model is referred as the discrete support model and abbreviated by DSM. For calibration, a 3D finite element (FE) model is created and validated by experiments. Formulas available in the literature are analyzed and new formulas for identifying parameters of the DSM are derived and validated over the range of typical track properties. These formulas are determined by fitting the results of the DSM to the 3D FE model using metaheuristic optimization. In addition, the range of applicability of the DSM is established. The new formulas are presented as a simple computational engineering tool, allowing one to calculate all the data needed for the DSM by adopting the geometrical and basic mechanical properties of the track. It is demonstrated that the currently available formulas have to be adapted to include inertial effects of the dynamically activated part of the foundation and that the contribution of the shear stiffness, being determined by ballast and foundation properties, is essential. Based on this conclusion, all similar models that neglect the shear resistance of the model and inertial properties of the foundation are unable to reproduce the deflection shape of the rail in a general way. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Dynamics and Maintenance)
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19 pages, 3685 KiB  
Article
Simulation of Torsional Vibration of Driven Railway Wheelsets Respecting the Drive Control Response on the Vibration Excitation in the Wheel-Rail Contact Point
by Fritz Trimpe, Sönke Lück, Rolf Naumann and Corinna Salander
Vibration 2021, 4(1), 30-48; https://doi.org/10.3390/vibration4010003 - 25 Dec 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5579
Abstract
For the stability verification of railway wheelsets in Germany, dynamic torsional stresses must be respected as they affect the axle and press fit stability of a wheelset. These dynamic stresses are applied to a wheelset by torsional vibration. However, dynamic stresses cannot be [...] Read more.
For the stability verification of railway wheelsets in Germany, dynamic torsional stresses must be respected as they affect the axle and press fit stability of a wheelset. These dynamic stresses are applied to a wheelset by torsional vibration. However, dynamic stresses cannot be predicted by calculation, and so time-consuming and cost-intensive test runs are performed to measure the maximum dynamic stresses. Therefore, this article deals with the setup of a simulation model that shall enable the simulative prediction of maximum dynamic torsional stresses. This model respects that vibration excitation originates from the wheel-rail contact point and that the vibration energy input comes from a high-frequency drive train control. The first results show successful simulation of vibration excitation and correlations between adhesion change and maximum dynamic stresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Dynamics and Maintenance)
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