Comparison Investigation on Acting Force and Dynamic Behavior of Articulated Switch Sleeper in Turnout System

Abstract:

The nonlinear characteristic of ballast’s support under sleeper and the special construction of articulated joints being considered, the acting force and vibration response of articulated and ordinary switch sleeper are simulated as the trains running through the turnout with a calculation model for global turnout based on finite element method（FEM）.Results show that compared with the common one, the track with articulated switch sleepers has a lower rigidity which changes evenly along the railway’s longitudinal direction and improves its dynamic performance. Furthermore, the fatigue strength of articulated switch sleeper is higher with its lower stress amplitude. Additionally, when the vehicles running on the turnout main (or turnout branch),the switch sleepers’ vibration curves have changed, the articulated joints have weakened effectively the attack from switch sleeper’s end in the turnout branch (or turnout main) to ballast bed underneath whose service life will be prolonged greatly.