Separate track impact factor application depending on track types through correlative analysis with track support stiffness

Abstract

Track impact factor (TIF) is a coefficient for estimating the increase of train dynamic load and is a major factor for the evaluation of dynamic stability of railway tracks. Many kinds of TIF in ballasted and ballast-less slab tracks consider only speed as a variable in different regions of the world. Because of this lack of clarification, nations such as Korea and those in the Middle East, and South East Asia are implementing overly simplified calculation methods for TIF, resulting in inconsistent maintenance of different railway track types. A comparative analysis of theoretically track support stiffness (TSS) and trackside measurement calculated TSS at wheel-rail contact point shows different values (depending on speed) between ballasted and ballast-less slab tracks. Based on this finding, this paper investigates a TIF formulation method that considers both dynamic wheel load and speed as variables, and a separate application of TIF formulation depending on track types is proposed. A clarified distinction of how these parameters (TSS and TIF) interact differently between ballasted and ballast-less slab track structures can be an important factor in case of track designing and maintenance aspects.