Multi-Hazard Effects of Crosswinds on Cascading Failures of Conventional and Interspersed Railway Tracks Exposed to Ballast Washaway and Moving Train Loads

Abstract

The interspersed railway track is an enhanced timber railway track, spot-replacing damaged wooden sleepers with new concrete sleepers to improve the bearing capacity of existing railway lines. Although this interspersed solution is characterised by low cost and short maintenance time, the interspersed tracks have worse stability than concrete tracks and can deteriorate quickly when exposed to extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and floods. In many cases, heavy rains and floods are accompanied by strong winds. Ballast washaway can often be observed under flood conditions while the mass of trains is unevenly distributed on two rails due to the effect of lateral wind load and rail irregularities. The current work is the first in the world to investigate the collective multi-hazard effects of ballast washway and uneven axle loads on the vulnerability of conventional and interspersed railway tracks using nonlinear FEM software, STRAND 7. The train bogie is modelled by two sets of point loads. The maximum displacement, bending moment and twists have been studied to evaluate the worst condition. The novel insights will help the railway industry develop proper operations of interspersed railway tracks against naturally hazardous conditions.

Agent-based modelling of high-speed railway interdependent critical infrastructures facing physical and cyber threats

“…Such simulations can lead to risk mitigation measures or strategies that can positively affect individual and collective human behaviours. However, very few studies have been devoted to obtain a deeper understanding into complex mobility systems exposed to environmental stresses in the specific urban context (Yang et al, 2018;Fu et al, 2023). In fact, the systems resilience of complex, interconnected transport systems has not been thoroughly investigated.…”

Classification of External Vibration Sources through Data-Driven Models Using Hybrid CNNs and LSTMs

“…Te general vibration mitigation methods include (i) vibration mitigation at the source, such as using highly damped track structures to mitigate train-induced vibration [6,7], (ii) vibration mitigation at the propagation path, such as implementing vibration isolation piles in the ground between the external excitation and the building [8,9], and (iii) passive vibration isolation in sensitive buildings, such as installing vibration isolation tables under sensitive instruments and historical artefacts [10]. Te vibration isolation measures for sensitive buildings require targeted design according to the specifc vibration source type and the magnitude of vibration it generates.…”

Wear Prediction of Curved Switch Rail in High-Speed Turnout and Influence of Wheel and Rail Wear on Vehicle Dynamic Performance

“…Kaewunruen et al [13][14][15][16][17] studied the railway system from multiple perspectives. They proposed a new hybrid numerical-analytical method for predicting the vertical leveling loss of railway track geometry under dynamic cyclic loadings, comprehensively considering operational, vehicle, and track conditions [13].…”

“…The train-track-soil interaction model was established to analyze the dynamic wheel-rail interaction under track irregularities [14]. The effects of conditions such as floods, crosswinds, and moving train loads on the track were also considered [15][16][17]. In addition, Pradhan et al [18] performed wear calculations for vehicles running on a route in India and made recommendations.…”