A vibration prediction model for culvert-type railroad underpasses

The prediction method is based on a sub-structuring approach with three key ingredients: an emission 2D finite element model that simulates the track; a slab model based on Kirchhoff theory and the Rayleigh-Ritz method using trigonometric shape functions; and sidewall-models using a formulation of a finite-length beam on a viscoelastic foundation. The emission model estimates the contact forces for the slab using the vertical dynamic behavior of the railway track, and the slab model accounts for the contribution of the soil-structure interaction that takes place at the sidewalls by means of the frequency-dependent stiffness at the corresponding joints.