The approximate modelling of a “rail vehicle-railway track- substructure” system

Abstract

A system “railway vehicle–railway track–substructure” was analysed. Rails were modelled as the Bernoulii-Euler beams on an elastic foundation. Two load cases were considered a) static load from the train to the railway track, b) dynamic load from the train moving with the constant velocity. As a result, the fourth-order differential equation was obtained. Both, material data and operating parameters were determined by components of the equation. To solve this equation, the finite difference method was used. This method was described considering such matters as space step, time step, discretization, and moving load modelling. Evaluation of usefulness of a selected method in modelling a railway infrastructure was the purpose of the authors. The obtained results were compared with results received by analytical way. The presented, simplified model: railway vehicle–infrastructure–substructure after appropriative validation will be used later on to analyse various technical solutions and materials in designing railway constructions. Keywords: numerical methods, finite difference method, railway infrastructure, dynamic impact factor

Keywords

• numerical methods
• finite difference method
• railway infrastructure
• dynamic impact factor