Analytical evaluation of the influence of vertical bridge deformation on HSR longitudinal continuous track geometry

A high-speed railway (HSR) bridge may undergo long-term deformation due to the degradation of material stiffness, or foundation settlement during its service cycle. In this study, an analytical model is set up to evaluate the influence of this long-term vertical bridge deformation on the track geometry. By analyzing the structural characteristics of the HSR track-bridge system, the energy variational principle is applied to build the energy functionals for major components of the track-bridge system. By further taking into account the interlayer's force balancing requirements, the mapping relationship between the deformation of the track and the one of the bridge is established. In order to consider the different behaviors of the interlayers in compression and tension, an iterative method is introduced to update the mapping relationship. As for the validation of the proposed mapping model, a finite element model is created to compare the numerical results with the analytical results, which show a good agreement. Thereafter, the effects of the interlayer's different properties of tension and compression on the mapping deformations are further evaluated and discussed.