Studies of Snow-Dropping from a Train on a Turnout due to Dynamic Excitations

Abstract

Snow accumulated on a train underframe may detach itself in places where rail discontinuity causes an excitation to the train. In turnout areas, this may cause serious problems when snow buildup from beneath the rolling stock drops into the gap between the switch blade and the stock rail and disrupts the turnout operation. This paper studies the connection between rail discontinuities and snow dropping off the train underframe by means of a theoretical survey and monitoring systems in train underframes and turnout areas. The first measurement setup presented in this paper enables experimental insight into the correlation between snow detachment patterns and excitation-created accelerations of the rolling stock. The second measurement in turnout areas reveals that the snow-detaching behavior is clearly dependent on the outdoor air temperature and the velocity of the rolling stock.