Investigation on Effect of Reflective Coating on Temperature Field of CRTS Ⅱ Slab Ballastless Track under Sunlight

Abstract

The internal temperature variation of ballastless track is very complicated under the effect of a sunlit environment, and there are serious transverse and vertical temperature gradients, which will cause cracking and deformation of the structure. In this paper, an ANSYS temperature effect analysis model for ballastless track, considering box girder structure, is established based on the environmental information of the bridge and the characteristics of the structural system. The model considers the influence of solar radiation intensity, wind speed, air temperature, geographical location, bridge orientation, material parameters, and other factors on the boundary conditions, and can meet the needs of the daylight temperature response analysis and calculation of any complex bridge structure. On this basis, the effect and applicability of a solar reflective coating on ballastless track cooling are studied. The results showed that the calculated results of the finite element model agree well with the measured results. Under the high-temperature conditions in summer, sunlight and ambient temperature mainly have significant effects on the temperature and temperature gradient of the track slab, and the maximum vertical temperature gradient reaches 74.48 °C/m. The reflective coating can significantly reduce the track slab’s temperature and vertical temperature gradient, with a maximum temperature gradient reduction of 34%. The transverse temperature gradient of the track slab can be reduced by up to 54% by further application of the side reflective coating. This study can promote the application of reflective coatings on high-speed railway track structures.