Numerical modeling of mechanically earth walls stabilized by plate anchors under the vibration of high-speed train

Abstract

The advancement of technology with an increasing population has led to the requirement for high-speed mobility trains. High-speed transportation by trains requires passing through soft soil conditions, which requires stability. High-speed trains are used nowadays in developed countries to reduce travel time. When the train moves at a critical speed, it can significantly increase the dynamic responses of the components on the railway lines. The present study examines the results of 3D numerical modeling, considering the impact of the high-speed train passing through the mechanical earth wall stabilized by plate anchors. Numerical modeling was carried out using Plaxis 3D finite element software. The impact of various factors such as the speed of the train (180, 200 & 250 Km/h), the number of plates (single, double, and triple), and the number of train tracks (1 & 2 tracks) have been investigated. The Hardening soil with small strain model has been used for modeling the behavior of the backfill soil. In this study, the geometrical characteristics of the Thalys high-speed train were used to model the train passing through the walls of 6 meters that were stabilized with plate anchors. From the results, it was concluded that Increasing train speed from 160 to 250 Km/h increases the settlement under the rails by 11% and increases the horizontal displacement of the wall by 13%. It was confirmed that increasing train speed will result in an increase in the settlement under the rails and increases the horizontal displacement of the wall in all investigated cases. Increasing the number of plates along with decreasing their dimensions has a positive effect on the wall’s performance with regard to the horizontal displacement of the wall. Also, it should be mentioned that by increasing the number of train tracks from 1 to 2, the settlement under the rails increased by 5%, and the horizontal displacement of the wall increased by 20%.

Keywords

• thalys high-speed train
• retaining wall
• plate anchor
• numerical modeling
• vibration
• reinforced soil
• finite element method
• plaxis 3d