TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Characteristics of train passages over slab tracks from measurements and different track-soil models - Damage detection and ground vibration reduction N2 - The train passages over intact or damaged slab tracks on different soils have been calculated by the finite-element boundary-element or the wavenumber-domain method. The influence of track and soil parameters on the distribution of the track displacements and the soil forces has been analysed. The measured and calculated displacement time histories of train passages could be used to identify track damages such as lose sleepers or a lose track plate. The time histories and spectra of the soil forces can explain the measured ground vibration reduction of slab tracks. The calculated displacement and force distributions of slab tracks on continuous soils do not fulfil the Winkler hypothesis and Winkler models should not be used for track analysis. KW - Wavenumber domain KW - Continuous soil KW - Slab track KW - Soil forces KW - Track displacements KW - Track filter KW - Vehicle–track interaction PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/0954409719835036 SN - 0954-4097 VL - 234 IS - 2 SP - 142 EP - 160 PB - Sage CY - London AN - OPUS4-50266 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Realistic axle-load spectra from ground vibrations measured near railway lines N2 - Train-induced ground vibrations are generated by static and dynamic axle loads which can be calculated by vehicle-track-soil models and the vehicle and track irregularities. A fast prediction method has been developed which uses approximate transfer functions of layered soils. In the present contribution, this prediction method is used for the inverse calculation of the axle-load spectra from the measured ground vibration. The layered soils of some measuring sites show very differing ground vibration spectra in the amplitude range of 0.0001–1.0 mm/s as a consequence of the soft layer and stiff half-space, differing layer frequencies, as well as the far- and near-field measuring points. The back-calculation, however, yields axle-load spectra within a single order of magnitude around 1 kN. Axle-box measurements confirm the amplitude level of the axle loads. This standard axle-load spectrum can be used for a basic prediction at a new site. The separation of train and site-specific components allows a better evaluation of railway vibrations, for example, of different trains and different tracks. By eliminating the effects of differing soil characteristics, an important mid-frequency component has been found which lies between 8 and 32 Hz depending on the train speed. The origin of this dominant mid-frequency component is discussed using advanced prediction methods like moving constant loads, scattered axle impulses and axle-sequence spectra. PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/23248378.2015.1076624 SN - 2324-8378 VL - 3 IS - 4 SP - 180 EP - 200 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - Abingdon AN - OPUS4-34768 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Vehicle-Track-Soil Interaction of Isolated, Un-isolated and Damaged Railway Tracks N2 - This article deals with two topics of vehicle-track-soil interaction, the mitigation of railway induced ground vibration by soft track elements, and the identification of track damage. Theoretical results have been achieved by a combined finite-element boundary-element method (FEBEM). The theoretical results are confronted with measurements at four sites. Improved mitigation effects have been found for soft rail pads under heavy sleepers. The insertion loss, however, can be too optimistic if a strong vehicle track resonance occurs for the un-isolated reference track. Two measurement sites show this strong vehicle-track resonance at about 80 Hz, which has been approximated by using the results of a wide parameter study including the rail pad, ballast, and soil stiffness, as well as the ballast model and the soil layering. – The detection of slab track damage is mainly based on the differences of the receptance or compliance functions. Theoretical results have been confirmed by measurements at one site where a loss of contact between track plate and base layer was visible. Measurements at a second site with a hidden damage have been compared with the theoretical results of a loose sleeper. The differences between intact (or repaired) and damaged tracks are strong enough to encourage the further development of this method for the identification of track damages. KW - Railway track KW - Track-soil interaction KW - Ground vibration KW - Mitigation KW - Under-sleeper pads KW - Track damage monitoring PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.4203/ijrt.6.3.2 SN - 2049-5358 VL - 2 IS - 20 SP - 21 EP - 49 PB - Saxe-Coburg Publications CY - London AN - OPUS4-51257 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Simple and fast prediction of train-induced track forces, ground and building vibrations N2 - A simple and fast prediction scheme is presented for train induced ground and building vibrations. Simple models such as (1-dimensional) transfer matrices are used for the vehicle-track-soil interaction and for the building-soil interaction. The wave propagation through layered soils is approximated by a frequency-dependent homogeneous half-space. The prediction is divided into the parts “emission” (excitation by railway traffic), “transmission” (wave propagation through the soil) and “immission” (transfer into a building). The link between the modules is made by the excitation force between emission and transmission, and by the free-field vibration between transmission and immission. All formula for the simple vehicle-track, soil and building models are given in this article. The behaviour of the models is demonstrated by typical examples, that is the mitigation of train vibrations by elastic track elements, the low- and high-frequency cut-offs characteristic for layered soils, and the interacting soil, wall and floor resonances of multi-storey buildings. It is shown that the results of the simple prediction models can well represent the behaviour of the more time-consuming detailed models, the finite-element boundary-element models of the track, the wavenumber integrals for the soil, and the three-dimensional finite-element models of the building. In addition, measurement examples are given for each part of the prediction confirming that the methods provide reasonable results. As the prediction models are fast in calculation, many predictions can be done, for example to assess the environmental effect along a new railway line. The simple models have the additional advantage that the user needs to know only a minimum of parameters. So, the prediction is fast and user-friendly, but also theoretically and experimentally well-founded. KW - Railway induced vibration KW - Ground vibration KW - Layered soil KW - Building response KW - Excitation forces KW - Track and vehicle irregularities PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-513340 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40534-020-00218-7 SN - 2662-4745 VL - 28 IS - 3 SP - 232 EP - 250 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-51334 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Train-induced ground vibration due to the irregularities of the soil N2 - Many measurements of train induced ground vibrations show high amplitudes for a certain mid-frequency range. This ground vibration component cannot be well explained by dynamic loads of the train. Many characteristics indicate that the axle impulses, which are scattered by an irregular soil, are the excitation. This new understanding of railway-induced ground vibration is verified by numerical analysis. The response of the regular homogeneous and irregular inhomogeneous soils has been calculated by the finite-element method in frequency domain. A specific superposition of the impulse responses has been invented including time shift, axle sequence, track filter and hanning filter. The superposition yields the quasi-static component of the ground vibration which is restricted to very low frequencies and to the close near-field of the track. In case of an irregular soil of which the stiffness varies randomly in space, the superposition yields a mid-frequency ground vibration component from the scattering of the axle impulses. The existence and the importance of this component can thus be demonstrated by the calculations. Some rules of the influence of distance, train speed, soil stiffness, strength and width of the stiffness variation have been derived from the calculations. Many measurements show the unique explanation of the mid-frequency ground vibration component by the scattered axle impulses. KW - Train-induced ground vibration KW - Static axle loads KW - Quasi-static response; KW - Axle impulses KW - Irregular soil KW - Random stiffness variation KW - Scattered axle impulses PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2020.106438 SN - 0267-7261 VL - 140 SP - 106438 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - London AN - OPUS4-52006 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Resonances of railway bridges analysed in frequency domain by the modal-force-excitation, bridge-transfer and axle-sequence spectra N2 - In this article, the passage of different trains over different bridges will be studied for resonant excitation. The intensity of the resonance will be estimated in frequency domain by using three separated spectra. At first, the excitation spectrum of the modal forces is built by the mode shape and the passage time of the train over the bridge. The second spectrum is the frequency response function of the bridge which include the modal frequency, damping and mass. The third part is the spectrum of the axle sequence of the train. The influences of train speed, bridge length, bridge support, track irregularities, and train type on the resonance amplitudes will be analysed for each of these spectra separately for getting a better insight. A variety of axle-sequence spectra and corresponding rules will be presented for different vehicles and trains. As examples, the passage of a slow freight train over a long-span bridge, a normal passenger train over a medium-span bridge, and a high-speed train over a short bridge will be analysed. Corresponding measurements show the amplification, but also the cancellation of the subsequent axle responses. Namely in one of the measurement examples, the first mode of the bridge was amplified and the second mode was cancelled at a low speed of the train and vice versa at a higher speed. KW - Railway bridge KW - Bridge vibration KW - Train passage KW - Axle sequence KW - Resonance KW - Cancellation KW - Fequency domain PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.113282 SN - 0141-0296 VL - 249 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - London AN - OPUS4-53766 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - The role of vehicle dynamics in train-induced ground vibrations and the detection of irregular axle-pulse responses due to a varying track support stiffness N2 - Train-induced ground vibrations are all generated by the vehicle, by static or dynamic vehicle loads. The most important and most accepted excitation are the dynamic wheel loads from the passage over track irregularities. Dynamic wheel loads will be compared from parallel axle-box and ground vibration measurements at more than seven sites. Some low-frequency excitation of ground vibrations, typically between 10 and 30 Hz, cannot be found in the axle-box measurements. Therefore, other vehicle modes, such as rigid bogie modes, flexible carriage modes, rigid and flexible wheelset modes, have been analysed for additional excitation forces. These vehicle dynamics analyses give an explanation for higher axle-box results at high frequencies, but not for the excitation of the higher low-frequency ground-vibration component. Finally, the effect of the moving static train loads will be analysed. For a regular track and soil, the moving static train loads yield the quasi-static response which exists only in the low-frequency nearfield of the track. If the support stiffness is randomly varying along the track, the pulses on the track generate an additional low-frequency component which is called the irregular pulse responses. This component will be demonstrated by numerical analysis where all axle pulses are superposed in frequency domain. KW - Wheelset KW - Vehicle-track interaction KW - Rail roughness KW - Random dynamics and vibrations KW - Modal analysis PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/09544097221086064 SN - 0954-4097 VL - 236 IS - 10 SP - 1218 EP - 1233 PB - Sage CY - London AN - OPUS4-55000 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Different types of continuous track irregularities as sources of train-induced ground vibration and the importance of the random variation of the track support N2 - Irregularities of the track are a main cause of train-induced ground vibration, and track maintenance is of great importance. Although geometric irregularities at the wheel-rail contact are widely used, other types of irregularities, such as stiffness irregularities, irregularities from different track positions and irregularities in the wave propagation, were analysed in the present study. The track behaviour was investigated by a multi-beam-on-soil model. This track model is coupled with a vehicle model to calculate the vehicle–track interaction. The track model was also used for the track filtering, which transfers a track support error to the equivalent rail irregularity or, conversely, the sharp axle pulse on the rail to a smoother pulse on the soil. In the case in which this filtering varies randomly along the track, the pulses of the moving static load induce a certain ground Vibration component (“the scatter of axle pulses”). This effect was calculated by the superposition of axle pulses in the frequency domain and by a stochastic simulation. Simultaneous vehicle, track and soil measurements at a certain site were used to evaluate the different excitation and ground Vibration components. The agreement between calculations and axle-box and soil measurements is good. The ground vibrations calculated from rail irregularities and corresponding dynamic loads, however, clearly underestimate the measured ground vibration amplitudes. Only the static load that is moving over a varying track support stiffness can produce the important mid-frequency ground Vibration component by the scatter of axle pulses. KW - Train-induced ground vibration KW - Geometric vehicle and track irregularities KW - Stiffness variation KW - Multi-beam track model KW - Track filtering KW - Dynamic axle loads KW - Static axle loads KW - layered soil PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543846 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031463 SN - 2076-3417 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 22 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-54384 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Excitation of ground vibration due to the passage of trains over a track with trackbed irregularities and a varying support stiffness N2 - Train-induced ground vibration can be excited by wheel and track irregularities and by two kinds of irregularities of the soil, by geometric irregularities or by the spatially varying soil stiffness. For both types of irregularities, the effective track irregularity on top of the track is calculated in wavenumber domain and with wavenumber integrals. For a general multi-beam track model, the wavenumber integrals are solved numerically. The irregularities of the soil are filtered by the track when transferred from the bottom to the top of the track. The high-wavenumber irregularities are strongly reduced due to the bending stiffness of the track and the compliance of the support. In addition, soft track elements reduce directly the stiffness variation of the support. Therefore, the mitigation effect of elastic track elements for these excitation components seems to be important. For under-sleeper pads and slab tracks, calculation and measurements are presented including additional excitation components and the dynamic vehicle–track interaction, and the relevance of the excitation mechanisms is discussed based on the dynamic forces which are acting on the ground. Due to the restricted amplitudes, the parametric excitation by the stiffness variation seems to be less important than the geometric irregularities. The calculations yield the correct trends of the measurements and many details of the measured ballast, slab, and under-sleeper-pad tracks. KW - Varying track stiffness KW - Geometric trackbed irregularities KW - Multi-beam-on-support model KW - Elastic track elements KW - Parametric excitation PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/00423114.2014.968173 SN - 0042-3114 VL - 53 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 29 PB - Taylor & Francis CY - Basingstoke, Hants. AN - OPUS4-33032 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Auersch, Lutz T1 - Train induced ground vibrations: different amplitude-speed relations for two layered soils N2 - Ground vibrations created by running high-speed trains at speeds between 100 and 320 km/h are calculated in detail using transfer functions to model the effects of the moving loads. These transfer functions for layered soils are obtained by integration in the wavenumber domain. The train-induced vibrations in a soil that is considered to consist of single layers of two slightly different soils are analysed for different excitations: for their spectra, attenuation laws and amplitude-speed relations. An important mid-frequency component is shifted through the cut-on region of the layered soil with an increase in the train speed. The cut-on frequency divides the response of the layered soil into a low-frequency low-amplitude range and a high-frequency high-amplitude range. This leads to completely different train speed dependencies for the two soil layers with strongly increasing amplitudes around the cut-on frequency and almost constant amplitudes beyond this frequency. All calculated results closely agree with ground vibration measurements at two corresponding sites, especially if the mid-frequency component is calculated by axle impulses. KW - Ground vibration KW - Layered soil KW - Wavenumber integrals KW - Moving load KW - Excitation forces KW - High-speed trains KW - Measured railway vibrations PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/0954409712437305 SN - 0954-4097 VL - 226 IS - 5 SP - 469 EP - 488 PB - Sage Publ. CY - London AN - OPUS4-31162 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -