This research studies the development of lateral thermal expansion forces on a curved railway track. The geometric alignment of a railway right of way often requires railway tracks to be curved. This curvature which is usually defined by the radius of curvature or degree of curvature represents a higher level of complexity in the track’s analysis and design process. Particularly, presence of curvature on the track introduces multiple sources of force in the lateral (radial) direction, including, but not limited to, lateral thermal expansion, lateral wheel/rail forces due to centrifugal action, lateral components of vertical loads, bogie hunting and nosing effects of locomotives, and vehicle curving dynamics. Some of these forces are well understood such as centrifugal forces while some are not as well understood, such as lateral thermal expansion forces. To bridge this gap, this research studies the development of track-induced lateral thermal expansion forces on a curved railway track. In this research, the curved track is assumed to be an arbitrary arc section of a circular track and is modeled as an equivalent idealized circular ring for analysis. Owing to its importance, three analytical methods are used to include: 1) Timoshenko thermoelastic stress analysis in cylindrical coordinate system, 2) mechanics of thin wall cylinders and 3) adaptation of a variational calculus formulation method from a previous comparable study. A fourth analysis approach is also introduced using a commercially available finite element analysis package. The results of these analyses are compared through a wide range of parametric studies and are then validated by the finite element analysis. The results of this study showed that the several methods presented in this paper, could be used to approximate thermally induced expansion behavior (pre-buckling) on a curved railway track. While all three techniques are effective, the Timoshenko stress analysis method appears to be the most suitable as it is a direct method that examines the stress build up from the element level and takes into account additional material properties, such as the Poisson effect. The research resulted in a methodology for determining load transfer from thermally induced forces in curved railroad track to the fastener and supporting structure.

这项研究研究了弯曲铁路轨道上的横向热膨胀力的发展。铁路通行权的几何对准通常要求铁路轨道是弯曲的。通常由曲率半径或曲率度定义的此曲率表示轨道分析和设计过程中较高的复杂性。特别是，轨道上存在曲率会在横向（径向）方向上引入多个力源，包括但不限于横向热膨胀，由于离心作用而产生的横向轮/轨力，垂直载荷的横向分量，转向架摆动机车的收音效果以及车辆的弯曲动力。这些力中有些是众所周知的，例如离心力，而有些则不是很清楚，例如横向热膨胀力。为了弥合这一差距，本研究研究了在弯曲的铁路轨道上轨道引起的横向热膨胀力的发展。在这项研究中，假定弯曲轨迹是圆形轨迹的任意弧形截面，并建模为等效的理想圆环进行分析。由于其重要性，使用了三种分析方法，包括：1）圆柱坐标系中的季莫申科热弹性应力分析； 2）薄壁圆柱体的力学； 3）适应以前的可比性研究的变分演算公式化方法。还使用市售的有限元分析软件包介绍了第四种分析方法。这些分析的结果通过各种参数研究进行比较，然后通过有限元分析进行验证。这项研究的结果表明，本文介绍的几种方法可以用来近似估算弯曲铁路轨道上的热致膨胀行为（预屈曲）。尽管这三种技术都是有效的，但Timoshenko应力分析方法似乎是最合适的，因为它是一种直接方法，它可以检查从元素层面累积的应力并考虑其他材料特性，例如泊松效应。该研究产生了一种确定载荷的方法，该载荷用于确定从弯曲铁轨中的热感应力到紧固件和支撑结构的载荷传递。这项研究的结果表明，本文介绍的几种方法可以用来近似估算弯曲铁路轨道上的热致膨胀行为（预屈曲）。尽管这三种技术都是有效的，但Timoshenko应力分析方法似乎是最合适的，因为它是一种直接方法，它可以检查从元素层面累积的应力并考虑其他材料特性，例如泊松效应。该研究产生了一种确定载荷的方法，该载荷用于确定从弯曲铁轨中的热感应力到紧固件和支撑结构的载荷传递。这项研究的结果表明，本文介绍的几种方法可以用来近似估算弯曲铁路轨道上的热致膨胀行为（预屈曲）。尽管这三种技术都是有效的，但Timoshenko应力分析方法似乎是最合适的，因为它是一种直接方法，它可以检查从元素层面累积的应力并考虑其他材料特性，例如泊松效应。该研究产生了一种确定载荷的方法，该载荷用于确定从弯曲铁轨中的热感应力到紧固件和支撑结构的载荷传递。Timoshenko应力分析方法似乎是最合适的方法，因为它是一种直接方法，它可以检查从元素层面累积的应力，并考虑其他材料特性，例如泊松效应。该研究产生了一种确定载荷的方法，该载荷用于确定从弯曲铁轨中的热感应力到紧固件和支撑结构的载荷传递。Timoshenko应力分析方法似乎是最合适的方法，因为它是一种直接方法，它可以检查从元素层面累积的应力，并考虑其他材料特性，例如泊松效应。该研究产生了一种确定载荷的方法，该载荷用于确定从弯曲铁轨中的热感应力到紧固件和支撑结构的载荷传递。