Evaluating the Vertical Stiffness of Slab Tracks Based on Variation of Vertical Displacement of Rails

Slab tracks have several benefits respect to traditional tracks especially in high speed tracks. It is necessary to investigate the vertical stiffness effects of railway tracks on dynamic behavior of slab tracks, because of high importance of vertical displacement of railway tracks and also its relationship with stiffness of railway track. In this paper, sensitivity of the railway vertical displacement respect to vertical stiffness is studied with modeling and numerical analyses of railway structure. The suitable range of railway vertical stiffness can be evaluated by considering the allowed values of the railway vertical displacement and the obtained sensitivity analysis diagrams. In this innovative method, maximum and minimum values of railway stiffness are calculated and presented in graphs and tables by using the results of the analyses. According to the obtained results and the allowed values in UIC, the suitable vertical stiffness diagrams are presented and their numerical values are recommended for design of slab tracks.