ANALYSIS OF RAIL TRACK STRUCTURES (ARTS)--USER'S MANUAL, SECOND EDITION

The computer program ARTS for the static linear or non-linear analysis of rail track structures is presented. The finite element method is used and a choice of hexahedronal, tetrahedronal and beam elements is provided which can model non-homogeneous isotropic elastic material properties. The program allows the calculation of contact forces between two structures (i.e. the ground and the tie/rail system). There are two techniques for describing the material non-linearity. Triaxial test data for ballast or granular material may be processed in a cubical spline form to allow for variable Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, or a hyperbolic model may be employed. This permits the program to take into account the ballasts' stress path dependence and its no tension characteristic. A typical sample analysis has been selected to demonstrate the general problem solving procedure and the input and output descriptions.