The Influence of Track Structure Parameters on the Dynamic Response Sensitivity of Heavy Haul Train-LVT System

Background: In order to study the applicability of Low Vibration Track (LVT) in heavy-haul railway tunnels, this paper carried out research on the dynamic effects of LVT heavy-haul railway wheels and rails and provided a technical reference for the structural design of heavy-haul railway track structures. Methods: Based on system dynamics response sensitivity and vehicle-track coupling dynamics, the stability of the upper heavy-haul train, the track deformation tendency, and the dynamic response sensitivity of the vehicle-track system under the influence of random track irregularity and different track structure parameters were calculated, compared and analyzed. Results: Larger under-rail lateral and vertical structural stiffness can reduce the dynamic response of the rail system. The vertical and lateral stiffness under the block should be set within a reasonable range to achieve the purpose of reducing the dynamic response of the system, and beyond a certain range, the dynamic response of the rail system will increase significantly, which will affect the safety and stability of train operation. Conclusions: Considering the changes of track vehicle body stability coefficients, the change of deformation control coefficients, and the sensitivity indexes of dynamic performance coefficients to track structure stiffness change, the recommended values of the vertical stiffness under rail, the lateral stiffness under rail, the vertical stiffness under block, and the lateral stiffness under block are, respectively 160 kN/mm, 200 kN/mm, 100 kN/mm, and 200 kN/mm.

Deterioration and Cavity of Surrounding Rocks at the Bottom of Tunnel Under the Combined Action of Heavy-Haul Load and Groundwater: An Experimental Study

In China, the first tunnel was built in accordance with the 30-ton heavy-haul railway standard. Based on the change in water and soil pressure obtained from long-term on-site monitoring, the cavity mechanism of the surrounding rock at the bottom of a heavy-haul railway tunnel under rich water conditions was explored in this study. The cavity characteristics and degradation depth of the three types of surrounding rock under different axial loads and hydrodynamic pressures were analyzed through laboratory tests. The structural defects at the bottom of the tunnel and local cracks in the surrounding rock were determined to provide a flow channel for groundwater. The dynamic load of heavy-haul trains causes groundwater to exert high hydrodynamic pressure on the fine cracks. The continuous erosion of the bottom surrounding rock leads to a gradual loss of surrounding rock particles, which would further exacerbate with time. The cohesive soil surrounding rock is noticeably affected by the combined action of heavy-haul load and groundwater in the three types of surrounding rock, and the surrounding rock cavity is characterized by overall hanging. In the simulation experiment, the particle loss of the surrounding rock reached 1,445 g, which is 24.2% higher than that of the pebble soil surrounding rock and 40.8% higher than that of sandy soil surrounding rock. The findings of this study could be helpful for developing methods for defect prediction and treatment of heavy-haul railway tunnels.

A Scheduling Approach for the Combination Scheme and Train Timetable of a Heavy-Haul Railway

Heavy-haul railway transport is a critical mode of regional bulk cargo transport. It dramatically improves the freight transport capacity of railway lines by combining several unit trains into one combined train. In order to improve the efficiency of the heavy-haul transport system and reduce the transportation cost, a critical problem involves arranging the combination scheme in the combination station (CBS) and scheduling the train timetable along the trains’ journey. With this consideration, this paper establishes two integer programming models in stages involving the train service plan problem (TSPP) model and train timetabling problem (TTP) model. The TSPP model aims to obtain a train service plan according to the freight demands by minimizing the operation cost. Based on the train service plan, the TTP model is to simultaneously schedule the combination scheme and train timetable, considering the utilization optimal for the CBS. Then, an effective hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) is designed to solve the model and obtain the combination scheme and train timetable. Finally, some experiments are implemented to illustrate the feasibility of the proposed approaches and demonstrate the effectiveness of the HGA.

Research on Dynamic Response Characteristics for Basement Structure of Heavy Haul Railway Tunnel with Defects

Based on the basic principle of thermodynamics, an elastoplastic damage constitutive model of concrete is constructed in this paper. The model is realized and verified in FLAC3D, which provides a solid foundation for the study of dynamic response and fatigue damage to the base structure of a heavy haul railway tunnel. The dynamic response and damage distribution of the base structure of a heavy-duty railway tunnel with defects were numerically simulated by the concrete elastic-plastic damage constitutive model. Then, by analyzing the response characteristics of the tunnel basement structure under different surrounding rock softening degrees, different foundation suspension range and different foundation structure damage degree are determined. The results show the following: (1) The elastoplastic damage constitutive model of concrete can well describe the stress–strain relationship of materials, especially with the simulation results of post peak softening being in good agreement with the test results, and the simulation effect of the unloading–reloading process of the cyclic loading and unloading test also meet the requirements. (2) The initial stress field and dynamic response of the tunnel basement structure under the action of train vibration load are very different from the ideal state of the structure design when the surrounding rock of the base is softened, the base is suspended, or the basement structure is damaged. With the surrounding rock softening, basement hanging, or basement structure damage developing to a certain extent, the basement structure will be damaged. (3) The horizontal dynamic stress amplitude increases with the increase in the softening degree of the basement surrounding rock. The horizontal dynamic stress of the measuring point increases with the increase in the width of the hanging out area when the hanging out area is located directly below the loading line. When the degree of damage to the basement structure is aggravated, the horizontal dynamic tensile stress of each measuring point gradually decreases. (4) The maximum principal stress increment increases with the increase in the fracture degree of the basement structure, while the minimum principal stress increment decreases with the increase in the fracture degree of the basement structure, but the variation range of the large and minimum principal stress increments is small. The research results have important theoretical and practical significance for further analysis of the damage mechanism and control technology of the foundation structure of a heavy haul railway tunnel with defects.