Search

Unevenness in track geometry, like longitudinal waves, track stiffness variations in transitions zones near bridges or culverts and irregularities like welds, insulated joints, switches and crossings, etc. induce dynamic forces into the wheel-rail interface of train and track. They are an important source for ground-borne vibrations. In the Netherlands, track unevenness is monitored to facilitate maintenance management using a Track Recording Car (TRC). Data of the TRC measuring campaigns is stored and available for stakeholders working in the field of rail maintenance or railway engineering. A database has been build using historical data of the TRC measurements dating back to 2013, together with meta data of track components such as insulated joints, switches, crossings, culverts, etc. To analyse the data, new parameters were defined how to best summarise PSD (Power Spectral Density) diagrams for characterising the track quality concerning environmental vibrations. This paper will show how these parameters can be used to compare track quality and quality of track components regarding environmental vibrations. The study analyses differences in track quality near transition zones like bridges, crossings and culverts in relation to vibration values. Results show that these parameters can give insight to railway professionals how to assess track quality and quality of track components in relation to vibration levels in dwellings nearby the track. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]