Dynamic response of an embedded railway track subjected to a moving load

A dynamic computational model for the embedded railway track subjected to a moving load is developed in this paper. The model consists of two-layer Euler-Bernoulli beams and continuous viscoelastic elements. The lower beam, the upper beam are employed to model the concrete slab and the rail, respectively, whilst the continuous viscoelastic elements model the soil reaction and the fill material. The problem is solved by employing Newmark-β numerical integration method. The effects of the speed of the moving loads, the rail type, and the spring stiffness of rail supports are studied. Results indicate that the dynamic response of rail and slab increases with the larger moving load speeds, whilst the response of rail and slab decreases with the increase of spring stiffness and heavier rail used.