A numerical model for the cyclic deterioration of railway tracks

An elasto-plastic material model is proposed that can be used to simulate the cyclic deterioration of railway tracks. The model describes the envelope of the irreversible, plastic material response generated during a cyclic loading process, thereby distinguishing the mechanisms of frictional sliding and volumetric compaction. The reversible response is represented by a pressure-dependent, hypo-elastic material law. After the numerical integration of the model is specified, the model is calibrated on laboratory experiments and employed in a finite-element case study of the long-term settlement behaviour of a railway track. The main features of the model are illustrated by comparing the computed response with the response obtained by in situ track measurements. .