Optimized joint repair effects on damage evolution and arching mechanism of CRTS II slab track under extreme thermal conditions

Abstract

To address the issue of extreme thermal-induced arching in CRTS II slab tracks due to joint damage, an optimized joint repair model was proposed. First, the formula for calculating the safe temperature rise of the track was derived based on the principle of stationary potential energy. Considering interlayer evolution and structural crack propagation, an optimized joint repair model for the track was established and validated. Subsequently, the impact of joint repair on track damage and arch stability under extreme temperatures was studied, and a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility of joint repair and the evolution of damage after repair was conducted. The results show that after the joint repair, the temperature rise of the initial damage of the track structure can be increased by 11 °C. Under the most unfavorable heating load with a superimposed temperature gradient, the maximum stiffness degradation index SDEG in the track structure is reduced by about 81.16% following joint repair. The joint repair process could effectively reduce the deformation of the slab arching under high temperatures, resulting in a reduction of 93.96% in upward arching deformation. After repair, with the damage to interfacing shear strength, the track arch increases by 2.616 mm.

Keywords

CRTS II slab track / optimized joint repair / arching mechanism / temperature load / damage initiation and evolution

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Central South University