SVC 323

Transportation Engineering
Module 01

Track Geometry
Prof. PJ (Hannes) Gräbe
Chair in Railway Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering

Track Geometry Terminology

Profile

Longitudinal Vertical Plane

Alignment

Horisontal Plane 2

1
Track Geometry: Vertical Plane

Superelevation
or Cant

Twist

Track Geometry: Track Plane

Gauge

15mm

2
 Geometry Measurement Vehicle

Condition Parameters
Track Geometry
Why do we measure track, • Profile (Top) Left & Right
rail and OHTE geometry • Alignment (Versine) Left & Right
• Superelevation / Cant
• Twist
Assets cannot be • Gauge
maintained effectively • Ballast Profile
without performance/ • Clearance
condition measurement

Rail Geometry
• Crown wear Overhead Track Equipment (OHTE)
• Side wear • Contact wire height
• Track slope
• Wire slope
• Stagger
6

3
 Track Measurements
• Functional condition measures
– Track geometry roughness
– Rail profile roughness
• Structural condition measures
– Rail defects
– Sleeper integrity
– Fastener strength
and integrity
– Ballast fouling
– Subgrade support

Condition Measurements

Why do we measure track, Geometry measurements

rail and OHTE geometry • Profile (Top) Left and Right
• Alignment (Versine) Left & Right
• Superelevation / Cant
Assets cannot be • Twist
maintained effectively • Gauge
without performance/ • Ballast Profile
condition measurement • Clearance
• Rail geometry (crown & side wear)
• OHTE parameters

4
Measurement systems

• Mid-chord ordinate system

(contact)
• Inertial system (non-contact)
• Level survey/Theodolite survey

Chord measurement

What is the relationship between

hn and the radius of the curve

10

5
Mid-chord ordinate response
Track geometry

Chord length

Rail elevation plot

Mid-chord ordinate plot 11

Mid-chord ordinate response

Track geometry

Chord length

Rail elevation plot

Mid-chord ordinate plot

12

6
 Vertical mid-chord ordinates

Frame of the geometry car

Unloaded shape

Loaded shape

z n 1  z n  1
hn   zn
2

14

Horizontal mid-chord ordinates

r n 1  r n  1
vn   rn
2

15

7
 Cant measurement

Cant
Measured by a level
gauge and two
inductive
transducers Level Meter
Twist Car Body
Calculated from cant
change over a twist
base length Inductive
Transducer
Inductive
Transducer

16

Gauge measurement

Gauge
Measured by a telescopic axle instrumented
with fixed and movable parts held against
the rail with air cylinders

Inductive
Transducer

Air Cylinder
Fixed Components of Telescopic Axle

Movable Components of Telescopic Axle

17

8
Example

15
mm Mid-Chord Offset
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15 2
mm2 25 Roughness, R
20
15
10
5
0
13000 13200 13400 13600 13800 14000 14200 14400 14600 14800 15000 15200
Distance, km

18

Track Roughness

19

9
Roughness calculation

 n 2 
 di 
 i 1 
R 
2

n
 
 

20

Example

15
mm Mid-Chord Offset
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15 2
mm2 25 Roughness, R
20
15
10
5
0
13000 13200 13400 13600 13800 14000 14200 14400 14600 14800 15000 15200
Distance, km

21

10
Geometry deterioration

22

23

11