Track compensation with audiofrequency track circuits

Track Circuits (TCs) are the most diffused and popular train detection system and they are in close relationship to the concept of track integrity, in terms of robustness with respect to and monitoring of track defects (such as broken rails, component disconnection, etc.). In this paper the general modeling of TC transfer functions is presented, together with an analysis of the sensitivity to TC parameters treated as random variables and a verification of the optimal settings (transmitter and receiver impedance, compensating capacitor value and number of cells).