Dynamic response of vehicle-track coupling system with an insulated rail joint

The dynamic behavior of vehicle and track systems is studied in the presence of an insulated rail joint through a two-dimensional vehicle-track coupling model. The track system is described as a finite length beam resting on a double layer discrete viscous-elastic foundation. The vehicle is represented through a half car body and a single bogie. These sub-systems are solved independently and coupled together through a Hertzian contact model, where the irregularity caused by the rail joint is modelled as a second order polynomial. A parametric study is carried out in order to understand the influence by the main track and vehicle parameters to the P1 and P2 peak forces. Finally, the results in terms of P2 force from the present model have been compared not only with measured values but also with both other simulated and analytical solutions and an excellent agreement between these values has been found.