Experimental Study on Vibration Characteristics of Unit-Plate Ballastless Track Systems Laid on Long-Span Bridges Using Full-Scale Test Rigs

In this work, we present a series of hammering tests on full-scale unit-plate ballastless tracks used for long-span bridges. There is no denying that it is a new attempt to pave ballastless tracks on high-speed railway long-span bridges; the related issues deserve to be studied, and especially the vibration characteristics. Hence, the vibration characteristics and transmission rules of the ballastless track with geotextile or rubber isolation layers are explored, and the vibration reduction effect of the rubber isolation layer is analyzed. The main conclusions are as follows: the isolation layers change vibration modes and transmission characteristics of ballastless tracks; the introduction of the rubber isolation layer makes the excited vibration frequency range of the ballastless track concentrated; and the vibrations of the ballastless track with the rubber isolation layers are stable. Moreover, the rubber isolation layer has an obvious attenuation effect on vibration transmission in ballastless track structures. When the vibration is transmitted from the rail to the bridge deck, the vibration level differences of the ballastless track with rubber isolation layers are 20 dB larger than that of the ballastless track with the geotextile isolation layers. The vibration attenuation rate of the rubber isolation layer is about ten times larger than that of geotextile isolation layer.