Finite Element Analysis of CRCP Slab Track System Designed with Active Crack Control

Ballastless track is designed for long time period of service up to 60 years or even more. It has main goal to achieve a high performance and less significant maintenance during the service. One development of the standard design, which can be introduced to improve a conventional in-situ casted railway slab track, e.g. continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP), is by implementing active crack control construction type. In this system, a CRCP slab is cut in a spacing interval immediately after it reaches a certain level of sufficient hardening state. This study is conducted to discuss the standard design procedures and the performance of slab track using CRCP as rail supporting structure (e.g. Rheda 2000) based on the long year experience of its implementation in Germany and to study parameters of cut spacing and subgrade bearing capacity of the Rheda-2000 designed with active crack control system. A static Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been carried out using 3D model in ANSYS to assess the performance of the standard Rheda-2000 designed with active crack control system based on ultimate limit state design criteria. The substructure support is also ranged to investigate the limit performance of the system and to represent different levels of subgrade bearing capacity. The assessment is mainly based on the safety factor and comprises a combination of theoretical, analytical, empirical and FEA methods of ballastless track design procedures. The results demonstrate that there is a critical length of cut spacing of the slab and certain required bearing capacity limit of the substructure to achieve an equilibrium and optimal slab track designed with active crack control system.