Methodology for evaluating thermal track buckling in dual gauge tracks with continuous welded rail

Abstract

In the National Spanish railway network, two types of track gauge with continuous welded rails (CWR) are currently in use: the "Iberian" wide gauge (1668 mm) and the standard gauge (1435 mm). In order to improve links and freight traffic between different lines and with the rest of Europe, a dual gauge track with three rails was developed. This solution modifies the classical track configuration, so it is necessary to develop new methodologies and studies to understand its behavior. Among other loads 2 applied on a CWR track, a considerable rise in temperature induces compressive stresses in the three rails that can lead to lateral track buckling. Moreover, on dual gauge tracks the addition of the third rail increases the axial compression, which may lead to track instability. For this reason, a three-dimensional CWR model is developed in this study to be used for dual gauge track buckling analysis on straight tracks subjected to temperature load. The CWR dual gauge track model consists of beam and spring elements, in which a non-linear behaviour of the ballast is considered. The results obtained may be used to predict the buckling capacity of the CWR on dual gauge tracks with respect to different parameters such as lateral resistance, lateral imperfections, sleeper spacing or torsional stiffness.

Review of Track Gauge for Trans-Sumatera Railway Revitalization and Development

“…Nevertheless, the 1,000 mm and 1,067 mm network is not considered here. All new railways in Spain have been built using double track and the best technology, and no more use narrow gauge because no rolling stock can run on the narrow gauge track (Villalba et al, 2017;Almech et al, 2019;Adif-Fichas Informativas, 2019). In Spain, double track with standard gauge (1,435 mm); built with specifications; electrified double track; electrified single track.…”

An analytical model for the prediction of thermal track buckling in dual gauge tracks

“…As a result, the resolution must be done in two steps and only curvature influence was compared and evaluated. More recently, Villalba et al 15 applied a 3-D finite element model to the analysis of dual gauge track stability and a numerical model was developed. The overall conclusion is that the risk of buckling is far greater for dual-gauge tracks.…”

Nonlinear buckling instabilities of interspersed railway tracks

“…This implies that previous studies have slightly overestimated the buckling temperature of ballasted tracks. Although track buckling has been widely investigated [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46], interspersed tracks and their inconsistency have never been fully analysed. The previous study of buckling of interspersed tracks has been preliminary studied using linear analysis and found that the interspersed track can improve the buckling strength of the ageing railway track [47].…”