Matrix coupled model for the vehicle-track interaction analysis featured to the railway crossing

This paper presents a matrix coupled model for the vehicle?track interaction analysis with the crossing panel taken into account. In this model, the wheel?rail contact is assumed to be elastic and solved by the mathematical matrix formulations. Specifically, the determination of the two-point contact during the transition of the wheel load in the crossing panel is demonstrated. To improve the efficiency while ensuring the accuracy in the simulation, a time step size varying solution is applied in the model. The performance of the crossing is validated using field measurement results and simulation results from other numerical methods. The comparable results proved that the model is capable to catch the main features of the wheel?rail interaction in the crossing panel. Moreover, the effect of track irregularities on the vehicle?track interaction is analysed. The simulation results indicate that track irregularities mainly affect wheel?rail interaction in the regular track. In the crossing panel, the variation of the rail geometry plays a dominant role in the wheel?crossing interaction rather than the track irregularity. This study contributes to the perfection of the current model for the vehicle?track interaction analysis and will help to provide more comprehensive guidance for the design, construction and maintenance of the railway track. In the railway track design and construction, the numerical modelling of the vehicle?track interaction play an important role. Based on the overall vehicle?track system, Zhai et al. [1] established a coupled vehicle?track dynamics model. In the past a few years, this model was continuously improved to address different problems [2?5]. So far, the track system is mainly modelled as a regular track lane. Railway turnouts (switches & crossings) as essential components that provide flexibility for trains to pass from one track to another have not been considered in the model. A crossover is a pair of turnouts in the railway track that connects two paralleled railway track lines. The standard layout

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This paper introduces a matrix coupled model for vehicle-track interaction analysis with a focus on the crossing panel. The model assumes elastic wheel-rail contact and demonstrates the determination of two-point contact during the transition of the wheel load in the crossing panel. Results show the model's capability in capturing the main features of wheel-rail interaction and analyze the impact of track irregularities on the interaction.