Objective Rail joint welds can adversely affect vehicles and tracks, necessitating research into the influence of rail welds on the wheel-rail dynamic response of floating slab tracks.

Method A vehicle-steel spring floating slab track coupled dynamics model is established. First, the differences in wheel-rail dynamic response between the above track type and traditional short sleeper tracks are investigated. Then, the effects of welds with different straightness conditions on the wheel-rail dynamic response and their potential impact on track components are studied.

Result & Conclusion  The P2 force generated by weld excitation on the steel spring floating slab track is significantly smaller than that on the short sleeper track. Weld excitation on the floating slab track induces more intense car-body vibration, thereby reducing the ride comfort. The wheel-rail P2 force at the weld increases with improved weld straightness, but is relatively less influenced by vehicle speed. The significant impact force at the weld generated by the wheel-rail causes notable transient tensile fluctuations in the fastening clips, which in turn may shorten the fatigue life of the clips.