Research on railway track structures from subsoil to rails

The Railway Track Structures Research Team consists of about 10 researchers.The research area includes track components from subsoil stability through the structural layers to sleepers, rails and wheel-rail contact. Essential parts of the research area are also bridges and the life cycle and monitoring of track structures.

The main emphasis of activity is experimental research based on diverse arrangements from laboratory scale material analyses to field measurements and full-scale loading tests. Research methods are complemented by calculational analyses of performance of structures and literature reviews of international research results.
Research on track structures has long traditions at TUT. References to finished research reports are found on the publications list.

The basis of the on-going track structure research is the Life Cycle Cost Efficient Track research programme (TERA) implemented in co-operation with the Finnish Transport Agency.

TERA focusses on the life-cycle economy of technical track solutions

Defective performance of any of the several components of the track structure may have wide-ranging financial as well as safety consequences. The primary aim of the Life Cycle Cost Efficient Track programme is to generate information in its research areas to support life cycle economic choices. The focal points are existing tracks and their improvement. The research of the TERA programme is mainly applied and practical. The research topics consist of problems related to day-to-day decision making resulting from insufficient knowledge of the performance of tracks and the factors contributing to it that have major cost effects. The research programme comprises the following seven sub-areas:

1. Train-track interaction and life cycle of rails
    
2. Superstructure-embankment interaction and life cycle of concrete sleepers
    
3. Effect of mechanical deformation behavior of embankment and frost action on unevenness of track
    
4. Subsoil stability calculations and improvement methods
    
5. Load-bearing capacity evaluation of bridges
    
6. Overall economics and assessment of life cycle costs of track
    
7. Measuring technology and monitoring of track
    

The Track Structures Research Team is led by Associate Professor Antti Nurmikolu