A non-reflective boundary model applied to finite element analysis of railway track structure

The actual railway track is an almost infinitely long structure. This characteristic determines that the vibration in the rail will only travel far away along the rail without generating a reflected wave. However, when using finite element method, it is necessary to artificially set boundary conditions at the ends of rails. Unreasonable boundary conditions will generate reflected waves and return to the interior of the rails, which will affect the analysis results. In order to solve this problem, this paper proposes a scheme of applying a tapered tip at the end of rail and incorporating gradual damping. By analyzing the conical taper, the range of damping and other factors, a most suitable solution is proposed. By comparison, the structure can greatly reduce the intensity of the reflected wave, demonstrating the effectiveness of the structure.