Analytical model of the dynamics of railway sleeper

Abstract

The periodically supported beam is an analytical model of the dynamics of a railway track, where each rail together with its supports (sleepers) is independent of the other one. However, the sleepers connect the two rails and their behaviour could influence the response. This study develops an analytical model for this type of track by considering the sleepers as Euler-Bernoulli beams resting on a visco-elastic foundation. By using a relation between the reaction forces and displacement of the periodically supported beam [1], we can obtain a dynamic equation of a sleeper based on Dirac delta distribution. Then, the response of the sleepers can be obtained by using the Green function. This model is a fast method to calculate the dynamic responses of railway sleepers and track.