Vibration characteristics of floating slab track

Coupled equilibrium equations of suspended wheels and floating slab track system were solved with the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method to obtain the deflections, vibration velocities, and wheel–rail contact forces. The program was validated through several aspects. Cases with various vehicle speed, slab mass, and stiffness of slab bearing were analyzed to reveal the effects of slab bearing on track responses. The correlation between wheel–rail resonance and train speed was also discussed. It was found that rail deflections increase significantly as train speed increases. Although large slab mass may lower tuning frequency, it could also result in higher wheel–rail contact force and rail deflections. The floating slab track is effective in isolating loading above 10 Hz, which might present in some railway sections with irregularities. Adopting floating slab track for vibration control for environment along the railway may cause concerns about ride quality and track damages.