The Dynamic Response of Railway Track to High Frequency Longitudinal Excitation

Abstract

The dynamic response of railway track to longitudinal forces is investigated. A model is presented of the rail as a uniform infinite bar resting on a continuous support. There is good agreement in the frequency range 50–1500 Hz between experimental data and the response calculated using this model.The support is significant up to a frequency of about 200 Hz, above which the rail is effectively a dashpot. The discrete nature of the support on sleepers is relatively unimportant. The track moves very much less under longitudinal forces than it does under vertical forces at these frequencies.