Experimental study on the vibration reduction characteristics of the floating slab track for 160 km/h urban rail transit

Urban rail transit has been developed rapidly worldwide due to its significant social and economic benefits. At the same time, it is also faced with some key technologies to be solved urgently, such as train speed raise, the impact of train-induced vibration on the track structure and surrounding environment, and the evolution of the vibration reduction performance during long-term service. In this study, the vibration characteristics of the high-speed steel spring floating slab track (HSFST) suitable for a 160 km/h line during fatigue were investigated and compared to that of the ordinary track using full-scale indoor laboratory models. The results show that: 1). After 5 million loading cycles, the change rates of the fastener system stiffness, the track system stiffness, and the damping ratio were 6.7%,-6.6%, and-4.5%. 2). The time-domain analysis showed that HSFST could signifi-cantly reduce the amplitude of ground acceleration. Fatigue action has reduced the acceleration amplitude of each track component while increasing the displacement amplitude and vibration attenuation time. 3). The slab-ground subsystem was the main attenuation section for HSFST, which could reduce the vibration energy greatly. The vibration reduction of HSFST (Before cyclic loading) and HSFST (5 million) were 26.3 dB and 24.0 dB. The vibration levels of track components showed an attenuation trend along the longitudinal direction. Although the fatigue loading would aggravate the vibration level, the track system could still play an excellent working performance.