Monitoring and Expertise of Sections with a Sudden Change in Railway Track Stiffness—Transition Zones of Bridges

Abstract

The subject of the research is the investigation of the behavior of railway tracks in places with a significant change in the stiffness of the track. These parts can be designed from various structural elements and their materials, and this mainly results in a height change of the track level during its operation. These transition zones are monitored and expertly examined to detect undesirable deformations of the geometrical position of the track caused by the trains running. The transition zones are at the points where the fixed track transitions to the classic track bed, in our case it is their combination with bridge structures, especially at their supports. In Slovakia, under the conditions of the Railways of the Slovak Republic, the issue is topical within the framework of the modernization of trans-European railway corridors. The results of experimental measurements and their analysis will provide relevant data for subsequent research solutions for their new numerical modelling, which will ensure a smooth passage through these points of change without height fluctuations, vibrations, and shocks from the wheels of train sets.