Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Experimental study
3. Finite-element analysis
4. Results and discussion
5. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Appendix A. Supplementary material
Research Data
References
Abstract
Rail fastening systems on a slab track at railway bridge ends are often damaged, which increases the maintenance costs. The serviceability evaluation of a rail fastening system on a slab track at railway bridge ends is based on the assumption that the stiffness of the rail fastening system is linear. The behavior of the rail fastening system on slab track at the railway bridge ends is studied in detail in this study. In the experimental model, the abutment and pier of the railway bridge were considered to be directly connected to two H-beams through a rail and rail fastening systems. A stiffness model of the rail fastening system for the finite-element analysis was established by performing a clamping-force test. In the finite-element analysis, the rail fastening system was considered as both linear and nonlinear stiffness models. The experimental and numerical results were very similar when the rail fastening system was considered as the nonlinear stiffness model. With the same uplift force acting on the rail fastening system, the displacement results of the nonlinear stiffness model were larger than those of the linear stiffness model. Therefore, it is necessary to employ the nonlinear behavior of the rail fastening system and investigate a displacement-based design method of the rail fastening system when evaluating the serviceability of the rail fastening system on the slab track at railway bridge ends.
Introduction
With the exponential growth of high-speed railway (HSR) networks [1–3], construction of railway bridges is constantly increasing. Because bridges are essential parts of HSR infrastructures for crossing valleys, existing train lines, and other obstacles. In addition, the application of slab track systems [4,5] to the railway bridges is constantly increasing. The slab track systems have been developed and implemented in a number of situations, including high-traffic and high-speed lines, in a number of countries. The slab track is being installed to offer increased passenger comfort and require minimal maintenance over time. In the case of railway bridges with slab tracks, vertical deformation of girders can lead to excessive rail deformation at the bridge ends, which may result in a larger load being applied to the rail fastening systems, which is in contrast to ballasted track systems. The geometric tolerances and tension and compression forces have a significant influence on the design of closed and open bridge joints for slab track [6]. Additionally, in the case of a rail fastening system with high stiffness, a large load is generated in the slab track [7]. These problems at the railway bridge ends need to be more attention as the high-speed lines increase.