01518862

Component

Trains traveling at speeds approaching the critical speed (Rayleigh wave speed) of the substructural soil will produce significantly amplified track vibrations that can adversely affect the track structure and adjacent structures. Soft substructural soil conditions result in lower critical speed, and present a greater potential for amplified vibration response. Several models have been created to predict surface wave behavior in response to near critical speed travel. A field study has been initiated to investigate the dynamic response of soft soils expected to be subjected to near critical speeds from high speed trains in Rhode Island’s Great Swamp. The section of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor passing through the Great Swamp Management Area allows for train speeds of up to 150 mph. Soil conditions in the Great Swamp consist of soft swamp deposits of clay, silty clay, and peat. An instrumentation plan consisting of an array of triaxial accelerometers, a photo-electric sensor, and high speed video was successful in recording the track and ground response of both conventional and high speed trains. In order to investigate spatial and temporal variables affecting critical speed response, vibration recordings will be obtained for multiple sites within the study area at different times of the year.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR050 Railroad Track Structure System Design.

01503729

14-3938

English

13p

2014

Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; References

Acceleration (Mechanics); Accelerometers; Field studies; High speed rail; Railroad tracks; Soft soils; Soil structure interaction; Vibration

Great Swamp Management Area; Rhode Island

Geotechnology; Railroads; I42: Soil Mechanics

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2014 Paper #14-3938

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 27 2014 3:21PM