Numerical analysis of nonlinear properties of rail fastening systems

Higher demand on vibration isolation of track structure in nowadays leads to a trend of lower stiffness of rail fastening system accompanied with larger deformation of its rubber component. Nonlinear properties of rubber material under large deformation thus should be taken into account. Uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression and planar tension experiments of a rubber material were carried out to defined mathematical material models by using Abaqus. Accuracy of the material model and model coefficients were supported by good agreement between measured and simulated results. A shear type and a bonded compressed type of rail fastening system are designed and produced with the same rubber material. Quasi-static experiment of these two rail fastening systems were performed and simulated as well. Predictions of the preload dependent nonlinear properties of the two different rail fastening systems by Abaqus were found to be in good agreement with experiments. Nonlinearities of the two specimens, due both to the intrinsic rubber material properties and the geometric characteristics, were well analyzed and explained. This is believed to contribute to product designing and geometrical optimization with rubber component under general or local large deformation.