• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.37 no.12
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• pp.1547-1557
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• 2013

A forced vibration model of a rail system was established using the Timoshenko beam theory to determine the dynamic response of a rail under time-varying load considering the damping effect and stiffness of the elastic foundation. By using a Fourier series and a numerical method, the critical velocity and dynamic response of the rail were obtained. The forced vibration model was verified by using FEM and Euler beam theory. The permanent deformation of the rail was predicted based on the forced vibration model. The permanent deformation and wear were observed through the experiment. Parametric studies were then conducted to investigate the effect of five design factors, i.e., rail cross-section shape, rail material density, rail material stiffness, containment stiffness, and damping coefficient between rail and containment, on four performance indices of the rail, i.e., critical velocity, maximum deflection, maximum longitudinal stress, and maximum shear stress.