Rail track resistance verification considering track-bridge-interaction

The main investigations of this dissertation are divided into three blocks. In the first block, a detailed background knowledge and a state of the art description of the permissible additional stresses in railway tracks due to track-bridge-interaction are given. The second block deals with the rail resistance under compressive forces in ballastless track systems. Accordingly, numerical and experimental investigations on the behaviour of rails in ballastless track systems under compressive axial forces in the vicinity of bridge joints were performed. It was found that the rail resistance under longitudinal compressive loads can be largely increased. The third block focuses on the rail resistance under tension. First, extensive experiments were conducted on rail behaviour for up to five million cyclic loads in both vertical and transverse directions. Subsequently, the sectioning method and the X-Ray diffraction method were applied to determine the residual stress distribution in the rail. As a result, a new Smith-diagram was achieved. In addition, two studies regarding rails from another batch are supplemented. Finally, it is concluded that the current limit values and approaches regarding the rail resistance in ballastless track systems under compression and tension considering track-bridge-interaction are too conservative, new verification approaches and limit values are proposed.