Dynamic solution for vehicle–track interaction considering the elastoplasticity of track slabs

Abstract

In this work, an entire multi-rigid-body system with two-stage suspension systems is assumed to run on a slab track system, where the elastoplasticity of the track slab is modeled by Mindlin plate theory considered in a framework of three-dimensional vehicle–track dynamic system. Considering the elastoplasticity of track slabs, the nonlinearity and time- and stress-dependent track slab stiffness matrices must be accounted for in the time-domain dynamic solutions; therefore, a two-step iterative algorithm separating the vehicle–track system into vehicle–rail subsystem and track slab system is developed to solve the dynamic equations of motion for vehicle–track interactions. The numerical studies have shown the accuracy and efficiency of this method in calibrating the vehicle–track dynamic behavior in conditions of track slab elastoplastic deformation. Besides, it has shown that the longitudinal unevenness of the track support stiffness has significant influence on the plasticity of track slabs.