Study of the dynamic vehicle-track interaction in a railway turnout

This paper analyzes the vertical dynamic response of a railway track subjected to traffic loads in a turnout, especially around the switch blades and the crossing nose. In order to study the influence of vehicle and track parameters on the vehicle-track dynamics, a numerical feedback interaction between a multi-body model of the vehicle and a 3D finite elements model of the track is carried out. For this purpose, two different models are developed. In the first one, the track is modeled by means of a FE model in the time domain through ANSYS software; while in the second one, the vehicle is simulated as a multi-body model by means of VAMPIRE PRO software. The influence of different parameters (e.g., speed, sprung masses, track stiffness and vehicle eigenfrequencies) on the generation of dynamic loads in a turnout, especially in the switch blades and the crossing nose, is studied. Finally, the vibrations induced by the passing of the vehicle are calculated for different scenarios.