Adaptive solid wave propagation - Influences of boundary conditions in high-speed train applications

Wave propagation in solid materials is of great interest in many engineering applications. The fact that the area of interest changes with time creates a number of computational problems such as the need for a mesh density varying in space and time. This means that the mesh must be continuously updated and controlled, rendering a large demand of computer effort. In certain applications like railway mechanics there are mobile loads. A load speed close to the natural speed in the underlying soil causes specific problems, shock waves being one of them. The transmitted waves have to leave the defined finite element domain without reflection, which imposes a need for certain modelling methods. The paper will deal with quality controlled FE-procedures for wave propagation including error estimation and mesh refinement/coarsening. As an application an important problem from railway mechanics is considered. When a high-speed train approaches an area with decreasing thickness of underlying soft soil on a stiff rock it is expected that the reflection of the wave will increase the total amplitude of the wave. We will study this problem with the procedures described above in full 3D with partly absorbing boundaries. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved