Three dimensional FEM of moving coordinates for the analysis of transient vibrations due to moving loads

This paper is concerned with the transient vibration analysis of railway-ground system under fast moving loads. A 3D finite element method in a convected coordinate system moving with the load is formulated, together with viscous-elastic transmitting boundary conditions in order to limit the finite element mesh. A method is proposed to introduce Rayleigh type material damping in the finite element formulation in the moving coordinate system, while measures have also been taken to improve the numerical stability of the solution procedure. The performance of the transmitting boundary and the entire solution procedure are assessed via comparison with the ordinary finite element solution of some relatively simple problems and through a comparison with field measurements. The reasonable agreement found from these comparisons demonstrates the validity of the proposed method.