Rail Vehicle Dynamics and Train-Track Interaction

Stefano Beretta, Stefano Bruni

Dipartimento di Meccanica, Politecnico di Milano tel. +39022399 {8246} {8495}
e-mail {stefano.beretta}{stefano.bruni}@polimi.it

TITOLO PRESENTAZIONE
Lesson 21:
SOTTOTITOLO
Train-track interaction
• Milano, XX mese issues,
20XX noise
and vibration in railways
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 The importance of train-track interaction effects

Understanding the interaction between vehicle and track is of

fundamental importance to:
• Reduce dynamic forces and stresses in the running gear
• Manage properly the wheel-rail interface (reduce wear, RCF, …)
• Reduce the impact of trains on the infrastructure (wear, fatigue,
ballast settlement, failure of track components, …)
• Improve long-term behaviour of the infrastructure and optimise
its LCC cost.
• Improve the environmental impact of railway transportation
(particularly the emission of noise and vibration)

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Vehicle-track interaction is a broad subject

vehicle/track
Wheel /rail characteristics
profiles Contact
area
Wheel wear
Contact
Rail wear forces
and
corrugation Contact
fatigue
vibrations
friction

Wheel /rail
Long-term
noise
behaviour of
the track

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1. VERTICAL TRACK DYNAMICS AND THE
MECHANISM OF EXCITATION OF TRAIN-
TRACK INTERACTION

4
Vertical track dynamics / FRF

• The receptance H (inverse of dynamic stiffness):

– depends on the frequency of the load. 𝑧𝑟 = 𝐻𝑟 𝐹
– varies with the pre-load applied
– Varies across the sleeper span

F F

zr zr

Excitation between two sleepers

zr/F [m/N]

Excitation above one sleeper

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 Vertical track dynamics / FRF

Around 100Hz. In-phase vibration of

rail and sleepers over the ballast F3
zr/F [m/N]

6
 Vertical track dynamics / FRF

Around 300-500 Hz. The rail

is vibrating over the rail pads F
zr/F [m/N]

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Vertical track dynamics / FRF

Pinned-pinned frequency, 700-1100

Hz. The rail is vibrating with a
F
wavelength which value is twice the
sleeper spacing
zr/F [m/N]

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Vertical track dynamics / FRF

• Pin-pin frequency:
– Euler-Bernouilli beam 𝑓=
𝜋 𝐸𝐼
= 1213,6 Hz
2𝐿2 𝑚
• UIC 60 m= 60 kg/m
• EI= 6.4 MNm2 .
• sleeper spacing L= 0.65 m
• Euler–Bernoulli beam theory is not very accurate when
the wavelength of the vibration is short
• Shear deformation of the rail and rotatory inertia has to
be included for a better estimation (around 25% less).
This is done in the Rayleigh–Timoshenko beam

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Vertical wheel dynamics / FRF

MS

zw/F [m/N]

MU

F
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Train/track interaction in the frequency domain: the
“moving irregularity model”

zw

zr

From: K. Knothe, S. Grassie, Modelling of railway track and vehicle/track interaction at high frequencies.
Vehicle System Dyn. 22, 209–262 (1993)

1
𝐹= 𝑧
𝑧𝑤 + 𝑧𝑟 = 𝑧𝑖𝑟𝑟 𝐻𝑤 + 𝐻𝑟 𝑖𝑟𝑟
𝐻
𝑧𝑤 = 𝐻𝑤 𝐹 𝑧𝑤 = 𝑤 𝑧𝑖𝑟𝑟
𝐻𝑤 +𝐻𝑟
𝑧𝑟 = 𝐻𝑟 𝐹 𝐻
𝑧𝑟 = 𝑟 𝑧𝑖𝑟𝑟 11
𝐻𝑤 +𝐻𝑟
Train/track interaction in the frequency domain

Zr/w/F [m/N]

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Train/track interaction in the frequency domain

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2. VIBRATION SOURCES

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 Vibration sources. Long wavelength
irregularities
These irregularities cause low-frequency excitation of the
train and the track: f=V/λ
Track settlement
– Thousands and thousands of train passages deformations of
the ballast sub-ballast and terrain lead to new track position:
track settlement.
– Wavelengths in the order of meters to hundreds of meters
– It is a “living” phenomenon
– Special attention to
• Transition from ballasted to ballast less track
• Transition to bridge
Rail manufacturing
– The rail manufacturing process causes further rail irregularities
with wavelengths in the order of some metres
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Vibration sources. Short wavelength
irregularities

• Roughness
– The combined existing roughness
of the wheel and the rail is the
critical parameter for the rolling
noise source. Grinding the rail and
turning the wheel ensures a
minimal noise generation.

• Corrugation

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Vibration sources. Impact loads

• Wheel flats
• Rail joints

– Welded joints 

– Expansion joints or fishplated joints 

• Switches

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Vibration sources. Wheel out-of
roundness
• An out-of-round wheel will excite the train – track structure with one or several
frequencies corresponding to the wavelengths of the wheel out-of-roundness.
• A wheel of radius r =0.45 m (approximately) gives an irregularity of wavelength
l=2,8/N m (N being the number of defects per revolution).

N=1 exocentric N=2 oval N=3 “triangular-like”

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Vibration sources. Wheel flats

1500 1500

1000 1000
Acceleration profile
500 for a vehicle
500 having
A (m/s2)

A (m/s2)
0 wheel 0 defects

-500 -500

-1000 -1000

-1500 -1500
0 2 4 6 8 0 2 4
t (s) t (s)
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3. VIBRATION TRANSMISSION

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Generation and transmission of noise and vibration

Periodic defects Periodic defects

(corrugation (corrugation)
Local defects Local defects
(wheel flats or (welding,
others) discontinuities)

Wheel Rail
irregularities irregularities
Vibration Low
frequencies
transmission
through ground
Wheel and rail
Structure borne
vibration transmission buildings
Airborne
transmission

Vibration Mid-
Noise to the transmission to frequencies
neighbourhood the interior of the
High
frequencies vehicle
passengers
Aerial noise to
the interior of the
vehicle

neighbours

passengers

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 Different paths for the transmission of noise and
vibration

Structural vibration
Radiated noise
Soil vibration.
Propagation path

Propagation Coupling to Propagation Coupling to

Train-track Coupling to building through walls and
through
interaction soil/ rock foundation building floors of
soil/rock
structure rooms
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Noise Transmission: mitigation measures

• In order to reduce the negative effects of noise/vibration source one might address:
– The source itself

– Transmission path

– Receiver

• Focusing on the source:

– Is generally more efficient

– But may imply design changes and losing performance

• Study the vibration/noise transmission paths:

– From the source to the receiver

– Combination of structure and airborne transmission

– It is key to be able to have a clear evaluation of their influence in the total level

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Ground borne vibration. Mitigation measures

The “mass-spring system”

10
10
5.12

F
Hh(   1) 1
H(   2) 1

Ft/F
Hh(   2)
H(   1)
Hh(   3)
H(   0.5) 0.1
0.1

0.023
0.01
0.01
0 2 4 6 8 10
Ft 0
f [Hz] 9.995
2 
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Ground borne vibration. Mitigation measures

• Mass-spring • Under ballast

systems mats

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Ground borne vibration. Mitigation measures

Pandrol’s «Vanguard» rail fastening system

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Ground borne vibration. Mitigation measures

The «Milano» type

mass-spring
system

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Ground borne vibration. Mitigation measures

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4. RAIL CORRUGATION

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What is rail corrugation?

• Rail corrugation occurs in many lines

and is a frequent phenomenon on most
rail transit systems.
• The waves caused by this periodic wear
on the top of the rail:
– generates noise disturbance for people
living near the track and discomfort for
passengers
– it is one of the main reasons for track
and vehicle damage.

0.15 l
PK30130

Amplitud de Desgaste
0.10

0.05

(mm) A
0.00

-0.05

-0.10

-0.15
-500 -300 -100 100 300 500
Posición (mm)

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The mechanism of formation of rail corrugation

• There have been many studies on rail corrugation that span for more than a
century. A general consensus is that rail corrugation growth is due to several
mechanisms which could be combined in different ways, and consequently there
is not a unique general procedure for its treatment
• Most authors agree that dynamic and structural factors are the main reasons for
the generation of rail corrugation.

Traction,
friction, contact Dynamic
conditions, etc.. Profile
loads changes
Mechanism that Damage/wear
profile
fixes the defect mechanism
wavelenght

• However, apart from rail grinding, a general consensus on the causes and
solutions to avoid corrugation in sharp curves on transit systems has not yet
been reached
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 Measures to reduce rail corrugation

Grinding Reprofiling
strategies and/or grinding

Corrective
solutions
Axle torsion
stiffness
Rail pad
Modifications Preventive stiffness
unsprung mass solutions Track
Active modifications
steering Rail
metallurgy
Modifications Modifications in
Variation wheel/rail contact Track
unsprung mass
train operation stiffness

Wheel/rail conformity Preventive

Vary vehicle grinding
Improve steering Friction control speed Vary type of Track
vehicles design
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Friction modifiers High Positive Friction (HPF) fluid

• Friction modifiers are used to mitigate problems related to wheel-rail contact,

such as squeal noise and wear. It was also believed that HPF is beneficial for
avoiding corrugation.
• Therefore, the effect of HPF is double. First, it reduces the friction between
wheel and rail and second, changes the friction characteristics from negative to
positive.

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Friction modifiers: effect on corrugation

0.16
Corrugation without HPF after 52 months

0.14

0.12 Corrugation evolution with HPF HPF Corrugation evolution without HPF
aplication
Amplitude (mm)

stop
0.1

0.08
Rail
0.06 Grinding

0.04

0.02

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52
measurement month
Mean rail corrugation amplitude evolution during the test
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THANKS FOR LISTENING

NOTE: some slides and results in this presentation are

from my colleagues Andrea Collina (Politecnico di
Milano) and Jordi Vinolas (Universidad Nebrija, Madrid).
Their help with preparing this lesson is gratefully
acknowledged.

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