Application of novel fabricated ballastless track on new designed long-span urban bridges

Abstract

Abstract Fabricated ballastless track has witnessed increasingly wide application in large-span bridges of municipal railways. The current ballastless track standard is applicable to bridges with a main span of 200 m to 400 m. For the main span is longer than 400 m, it is necessary to ensure the travelling safety and comfort on the fabricated tracks. In this study, static and dynamic analysis models of train-track-bridge are established to explore the influence of complex ambient temperature changes and concrete shrinkage and creep on bridge deformation, followed by the analysis of the deformation coordination between long-span bridge and fabricated ballastless tracks, thereby revealing the dynamic response of the train-track-bridge system under the complex influence of temperature. The results show that when a train runs at a speed of 160 km/h, the existing ballastless track design standard is still applicable to a bridge span of 688 m. Compared with CRTS type III track, the adoption of the novel prefabricated ballastless track on long-span urban bridges provides higher safety and greater comfort, with comprehensive power performance improved by more than 10%. This design comprehensively takes into account the deformation coordination and dynamic performance of the rail bridge, providing a basis for the design and application of fabricated ballastless tracks on long-span bridges of urban railways.