Measurement, Interpretation and Classification of South African Track Geometry

SUMMARY This paper reports on the present status of track geometry measurement and the applicable geometric standards in South Africa. A step is taken towards addressing the requirements with respect to a vehicle related description of the track. Due to the present lack of true longitudinal track profile measurements, an algorithm is used to estimate the Power Spectral Density values of the various geometric track irregularities. To conclude, some observations with respect to the stiffness of the track sub-structure are given and future work is recommended.