Work

The Long-Term Inspection and Monitoring of Transition Zones with a Sudden Change in Railway Track Stiffness

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Transition zones are in the places on the track, with a change in the basic composition of the railway body. There are many sections with a sudden change in the stiffness of the structures built. When the trains are running, a longitudinal shock wave is created from the wheels, which hits these building objects with a higher stiffness and deforms the surroundings of these zones. The greatest attention should be paid mainly to the transition points from the fixed track to the classic track with a track bed, including objects of the railway substructure such as bridges, portals of tunnels, etc. As part of the research sections on the main corridor lines, a long-term inspection and monitoring was carried out with a continuous measurement system using the KRAB trolley. Height changes in the deflections of rails are evidence of their behavior. The measurements took place on a fixed track and a track with a ballast. Changes in the height jumps between the fixed railway track and the track with a gravel bed are significant and have been recorded since the tracks were put into operation. These certain height deflections allow designers to develop new, more durable construction designs.

Source: Infrastructures

DOI: 10.3390/infrastructures10050109

Authors: Stanislav Hodas, Jana Izvoltova, Erik Vrchovsky

Institution: University of Žilina

Language: English

Topic: Railway Engineering and Dynamics

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172