• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.661-678
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• 2013

As a new type of vibration reduction, the ladder track system has been successfully used in engineering. In this paper, a numerical model of the train-track-viaduct system is established to study the dynamic responses of an elevated bridge with ladder track. The system is composed of a vehicle submodel, a track submodel and a bridge submodel, with the measured track irregularities as the system self-excitation. The whole time histories of a train running through an elevated bridge with $3{\times}27m$ continuous PC box girders are simulated. The dynamic responses of the bridge such as deflections, lateral and vertical accelerations, and the vehicle responses such as derailment factors, offload factors and car-body accelerations are calculated. The calculated results are partly validated through the comparison with the experimental data. Compared to the common slab track, adapting the ladder sleeper can effectively reduce the accelerations of the bridge girder, and also reduce the car-body accelerations and offload factors of the train vehicle.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.169-177
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• 2016

Sliding slab track system, which consists of low friction sliding layer between track slab and bridge deck, is recently devised to reduce track-bridge interaction effect of continuously welded rail(CWR) without applying special devices such as rail expansion joint(REJ). In this study, a series of track-bridge interaction analyses of a long-span bridge with sliding slab track and REJ are performed respectively and the results are compared. The bridge model includes PSC box girder bridge with 9 continuous spans, and steel-concrete composite girder bridge with 2 continuous spans. The total length of the bridge model is 1,205m, and the maximum spacing between the two fixed supports is 825m. Analyses results showed that the sliding slab track system is highly effective on interaction reduction since lower rail additional axial stress is resulted than REJ application. Additionally, horizontal reaction forces in fixed supports were also reduced compared to the results of REJ application. However, higher slab axial forces were developed in the sliding slab track due to the temperature load. Therefore, track slab section of the sliding slab track system should be carefully designed against slab axial forces.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.145-151
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• 2018

In this study, the track-bridge interaction analysis was performed using an analytical model considering the track structure, thereby taking into account the linear conditions (R=650 m, cant variation $160{\pm}60mm$) and the dynamic characteristics of the bridge. As a result of the study, the allowable speed on the example bridge considered was calculated at 200 km/h based on vertical deflection, vertical acceleration, and irregularity in longitudinal level, but was also evaluated at 170km/h based on the coefficient of derailment, wheel load reduction, and lateral displacement of the rail head. It is considered desirable to set the speed 170km/h to the speed limit in order to secure the safety of both the bridge and the track. It is judged that there will be no problems with ensuring rail protection and train stability in the speed band.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.437-452
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• 2019

In this study, in-situ static and dynamic tests of four pre-stressed concrete (PC) track beams with different span lengths and curvatures in a straddle monorail transit system were reported. In the static load tests, the strain and deflection at critical sections of the PC track beams were measured to determine the load bearing capacity and stiffness. The dynamic responses of strain, deflection, acceleration, and displacement at key positions of the PC track beams were measured under different train speeds and train loads to systematically study the dynamic behaviors of the PC track beams. A three-dimensional finite element model of the track beam-vehicle coupled vibration system was established to help understand the dynamic behavior of the system, and the model was verified using the test results. The research results show that the curvature, span length, train speed, and train loads have significant influence on the dynamic responses of the PC track beams. The dynamic performance of the PC track beams in the curve section is susceptible to dynamic loads. Appropriate train loads can effectively reduce the impact of the train on the PC track beam. The PC track beams allow good riding comfort.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.78 no.2
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• pp.163-174
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• 2021

Track-bridge interaction has become an essential part in the design of bridges and rails in terms of modern railways. As a unique ballastless slab track, the longitudinal continuous slab track (LCST) or referred to as the China railway track system Type-II (CRTS II) slab track, demonstrates a complex force mechanism. Therefore, a comprehensive track-bridge interaction study between multi-span simply supported beam bridges and the LCST is presented in this work. In specific, we have developed an integrated finite element model to investigate the overall interaction effects of the LCST-bridge system subjected to the actions of temperature changes, traffic loads, and braking forces. In that place, the deformation patterns of the track and bridge, and the distributions of longitudinal forces and the interfacial shear stress are studied. Our results show that the additional rail stress has been reduced under various loads and the rail's deformation has become much smoother after the transition of the two continuous structural layers of the LCST. However, the influence of the temperature difference of bridges is significant and cannot be ignored as this action can bend the bridge like the traffic load. The uniform temperature change causes the tensile stress of the concrete track structure and further induce cracks in them. Additionally, the influences of the friction coefficient of the sliding layer and the interfacial bond characteristics on the LCST's performance are discussed. The systematic study presented in this work may have some potential impacts on the understanding of the overall mechanical behavior of the LCST-bridge system.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.291-306
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• 2020

The noise from the elevated lines of rail transit has become a growing problem. This paper presents a new method for the rapid prediction of the structure-borne noise from steel or composite bridges, based on the receptance and Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA), which is essential to the study of the generation mechanism and the design of a low-noise bridge. First, the vertical track-bridge coupled vibration equations in the frequency domain are constructed by simplifying the rail and the bridge as an infinite Timoshenko beam and a finite Euler-Bernoulli beam respectively. Second, all wheel/rail forces acting upon the track are computed by taking a moving wheel-rail roughness spectrum as the excitation to the train-track-bridge system. The displacements of rail and bridge are obtained by substituting wheel/rail forces into the track-bridge coupled vibration equations, and all spring forces on the bridge are calculated by multiplying the stiffness by the deformation of each spring. Then, the input power to the bridge in the SEA model is derived from spring forces and the bridge receptance. The vibration response of the bridge is derived from the solution to the power balance equations of the bridge, and then the structure-borne noise from the bridge is obtained. Finally, a tri-span continuous steel-concrete composite bridge is taken as a numerical example, and the theoretical calculations in terms of the vibration and noise induced by a passing train agree well with the field measurements, verifying the method. The influence of various factors on wheel/rail and spring forces is investigated to simplify the train-track-bridge interaction calculation for predicting the vibration and noise from steel or composite bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.713-723
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• 2017

As a new type of ballastless track, longitudinal continuous slab track (CST) has been widely used in China. It can partly isolate the interaction between the ballastless track and the bridge and thus the rail expansion device would be unnecessary. Compared with the traditional track, CST is composed of multi layers of continuous structures and various connecting components. In order to investigate the performance of CST on a long-span bridge, the spatial finite element model considering each layer of the CST structure, connecting components, bridge, and subgrade is established and verified according to the theory of beam-rail interaction. The nonlinear resistance of materials between multilayer track structures is measured by experiments, while the temperature gradients of the bridge and CST are based on the long-term measured data. This study compares the force distribution rules of ballasted track and CST as respectively applied to a long span bridge. The effects of different damage conditions on CST structures are also discussed. The results show that the additional rail stress is small and the CST structure has a high safety factor under the measured temperature load. The rail expansion device can be cancelled when CST is adopted on the long span bridge. Beam end rotation caused by temperature gradient and vertical load will have a significant effect on the rail stress of CST. The additional flexure stress should be considered with the additional expansion stress simultaneously when the rail stress of CST requires to be checked. Both the maximum sliding friction coefficient of sliding layer and cracking condition of concrete plate should be considered to decide the arrangement of connecting components and the ultimate expansion span of the bridge when adopting CST.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.1017-1044
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• 2015

This study aimed to investigate the random vibration characteristic of train-slab track-bridge interaction system subjected to both track irregularities and earthquakes by use of pseudo-excitation method (PEM). Each vehicle subsystem was modeled by multibody dynamics. A three-dimensional rail-slab- girder-pier finite element model was created to simulate slab track and bridge subsystem. The equations of motion for the entire system were established based on the constraint condition of no jump between wheel and rail. The random load vectors of equations of motion were formulated by transforming track irregularities and seismic accelerations into a series of deterministic pseudo-excitations according to their respective power spectral density (PSD) functions by means of PEM. The time-dependent PSDs of random vibration responses of the system were obtained by step-by-step integration method, and the corresponding extreme values were estimated based on the first-passage failure criterion. As a case study, an ICE3 high-speed train passing a fifteen-span simply supported girder bridge simultaneously excited by track irregularities and earthquakes is presented. The evaluated extreme values and the PSD characteristic of the random vibration responses of bridge and train are analyzed, and the influences of train speed and track irregularities (without earthquakes) on the random vibration characteristic of bridge and train are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.45-51
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of train-induced end rotation of simple supported track girder on the performance of a direct fixation track system (DFTS) in Yeongjong grand bridge. In this study, the influences of deflection of a DFTS and track girder on dynamic rail-track girder interaction forces for the track girder ends currently employed in airport express lines were assessed by performing field tests using actual vehicles running along the service lines. Therefore, the dynamic displacement of rail and track girder and the fastener stress on the center and ends sections of DFTS were measured for two different trains (AREX and KTX) running in Yeongjong grand bridge. A three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) model using the time-history function based on the design wheel load was used to predict the train-induced track and track girder displacement, and the FEA and field test results were compared. The analytical results reproduced the experimental results well within about 3-7% difference in the values. Therefore, the FEA model of DFTS on track girder is considered to provide sufficiently reliable FEA results in the investigation of the behavior of DFTS. Using the analytical and experimental results, the influence of train-induced end rotation of simple supported track girder on the interaction behavior of rail and track girder installed on a simple supported track girder ends, i.e., upward displacement of rail-track girder and the fastener stress, was investigated. It was found that the train-induced end rotation effect of track girder was not significantly affected by the upward displacement of rails and the fastener stresses of track girder ends. Further, the interaction behavior of rail and track girder were similar to or less than that of the general railway bridge deck ends, nevertheless the vertical displacement of track was higher than that of conventional DFTS on the general railway bridge. From the results, the dynamic responses of the DFTS on track girder ends were not significantly affected by the safety and stability of DFTS ends.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.715-720
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• 2002

The dynamic load effects, generated by moving trains, are transferred to the railway bridges through tracks. The dynamic load effects may vary due to the dynamic characteristics of the applied vehicle loads and the railway bridges including the track system. However, the track models have been neglected or simplified by spring elements in the most studies since it is quite complicated to consider the track systems in the dynamic analysis models of railway bridges. In this study track system on railway bridges are modeled using a three-dimensional discrete-support model that can simulate the load carrying behavior of tracks. A 40m simply supported prestressed concrete box-girder system adopted for high-speed railway bridges are modeled for simulation works. The train models are composed of 20 cars for KTX. The dynamic response of railway bridges are found to be affected depending on whether the track model is considered for not. The influencing rate depends on the traveling speed and different wheel-axle distance. The dynamic bridge response decreases remarkably by the track systems around the resonant frequency. Therefore, the resonance effect can be reduced by modifying the track properties in the railway bridge, especially for KTX trains.