A method to test ballasted high-speed railway tracks

The transit of high speed trains produces vibrations in the surrounding environment that can be harmful for the buildings next to the railway. To know, in progress of the railway construction, the entity of the vibrations transmitted, it is very useful to determine a force input that simulates the train passage, in order to apply it to fixed positions on the top of the embankment, to perform measures in situ. This paper concerns the study of this input in parametric form through a simple analytical model. We model the track as a beam on elastic Winkler ground subjected to an alternate moving load. Using the superposition principle, we analyse the load of every axle, comprehending its alternate components, and therefore the train's one. A comparison with models FEM points out the adequacy of the parametric model to the objectives. The force, at various speeds, is the input we can apply through simple actuators positioned on the top of the embankment.