RANDOM-FIELD MODELING OF RAILWAY TRACK IRREGULARITIES

Track irregularity is considerably important in track-vehicle studies. Recorded data of these irregularities form a basis to develop track s tandards. This also helps specify track inputs to the vehicles. In thi s paper random field models for vertical irregularity data obtained fr om Indian railways has been presented. It is shown that irregularity i n the vertical profile can be modeled as stationary Gaussian random fi eld, which can be defined in terms of the power spectral density (PSD) function. Such a model can predict the values of peak amplitudes in a given track length. Further, the absolute vertical profile of the lef t and right rails belong to the isotropic random field. The implicatio n of this in describing the input matrix of multiaxle vehicles is disc ussed.