Characterization of elastic wave propagation in high-speed railway tracks considering temperature effects

• Published in: Journal of vibration and control 2024-06
• Main Authors: Caiyou, Zhao, Qingmin, Hui, Ping, Wang, Xinhao, Zhang, Mingjing, Geng, Yezhou, Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1077-5463; 1741-2986
• DOI: 10.1177/10775463241263398

This study establishes a three-dimensional infinite-length periodic ballasted track model, considering the effect of coupling between bending and torsion and the impact of sleeper width. The GPWE method is employed to investigate the energy bandgap structure of the track. The results show three vertical bending wave bandgaps below 1500 Hz: 0–109 Hz, 110–167 Hz, and 1081–1126 Hz. The node responses from a hammer impact experiment are used in the WSM to calculate the frequency dispersion curves, which confirms the validity of this model. The model is then utilized to analyze the influence of rail temperature forces and temperature-dependent fastener stiffness on the vibration transmission characteristics of the track within a temperature range of −35°C to 25°C. As temperature increases, the starting and cutoff frequency values and the width of bandgaps both decrease nonlinearly and later stabilize, with the width of the Bragg bandgap showing a significant reduction of 83%. The vibration attenuation rate in the bandgap gradually increases and finally stabilizes, especially above 15°C, while the vibration transfer characteristics are not significantly affected by temperature.