A Parameterized Three-Dimensional Finite Element Model of a Slab Track for Simulation of Dynamic Vehicle–Track Interaction

To meet the increased demands of freight and people transport by trains, the Swedish Transport Administration is evaluating the possibility of constructing new railways based on slab track design. In this work, models of a slab track have been developed in two and three spatial dimensions. The models were created by writing scripts in the programming language Python and by generating models in the commercial software ABAQUS. The models were subsequently used in dynamic vehicle–track interaction simulations in the in-house software DIFF. The two-dimensional slab track model consists of Rayleigh–Timoshenko beam elements, while the three-dimensional slab track model combines Rayleigh–Timoshenko beams and solid elements. All track parameters, geometries, materials and the foundation stiffness distribution are modifiable such that parametric studies can be conducted. Track models developed within the current project have been validated against an existing two-dimensional track model, in terms of receptance, track stiffness at the rail level and wheel–rail contact force. These numerical results give an indication if the assumptions for the existing two-dimensional model are valid, they also offer an opportunity to fine-tune said existing two-dimensional model according to a more detailed three-dimensional model in future work. The results in the current work indicate that the three-dimensional model is slightly stiffer. However, by tuning the design parameters, a similar track stiffness at the rail level can be achieved. Keywords: Vehicle–track interaction; Slab track; Ballastless track; Modeling; ABAQUS scripting