The developed vertical coupling model of Vehicle-Track-Subgrade which considered subgrade layer vibration is presented. The equations of motion for the ballast, top and bottom subgrade layers are presented in detail. Through inputting different coefficients, the dynamic response of track-subgrade system in a seasonal frozen region in different seasons is obtained by the developed model and the uneven freeze-thaw action of subgrade soil is presented in this model. The effect of subgrade inhomogeneity induced by uneven freeze-thaw on the dynamic response of track-subgrade system was studied and the conclusions are as follows. The force at the interface of ballast and top subgrade layer and the deformation of ballast induced by a passing train changed sharply at the stiffness mutation zone. The force and deformation decreased with increasing stiffness ratio with the same amplitude of irregularities as the excitation source. The force and deformation were larger with larger amplitudes of irregularities. There was an obvious effect of uneven deformation and stiffness of subgrade on the dynamic response of track-subgrade system.
To investigate the vibration characteristics of a railway subgrade in different seasons, three field experiments were carried out in the seasonally frozen Daqing area of China during spring, summer, and winter. The vibration characteristics and attenuation rates of the subgrade induced by passing trains were investigated, and the influences of the season, train speed, train type, train load, and number of train compartments are described in this paper. The results show that: (1) near the rail track the vibration in the vertical direction was more significant than in the lateral and longitudinal directions, and as the distance from the railway track increased, the acceleration amplitudes and the attenuation rates all decreased in all three directions; (2) the acceleration amplitudes and attenuation rates decreased in the three different study seasons as the distance from the railway track increased, and the attenuation rates in the freezing period were the largest; and (3) the acceleration amplitude induced by a freight train was greater than that by a passenger train, and the subgrade vibration increased with increasing passenger train speeds when the number of train compartments was similar. These results have great significance for enhanced understanding of the characteristics of train-induced vibration embankment response in seasonally frozen regions, and provide essential field monitoring data on train-induced vibrations in order to improve the performance criteria of railroading in seasonally frozen regions.
