Steady-State Algorithm with Structural Periodicity: Application to Computation of Railways’ Ballast Plastic Strains

The geometry of ballasted railway tracks is crucial for ensuring railway safety and efficiency. This paper introduces the use of innovative steady-state algorithms designed to compute plastic strains in linear geotechnical structures like railway ballast layers, within Finite Element Methods (FEMs). Facing the specificities of moving loads, traditional step-by-step algorithms, while simple and adaptable, are computationally expensive and time-consuming. In contrast, the proposed steady-state algorithms leverage an Eulerian approach to describe the movement of loads significantly reducing computational time while maintaining accuracy. This paper proposes these algorithms as a methodological improvement and demonstrates the applicability and efficiency of the method for non-periodic structures, as well as for periodic structures, such as railway tracks with evenly spaced sleepers. This paper demonstrates the applicability and efficiency of theses algorithms through comparative studies with traditional methods on typical railway structures. The results show that the presented algorithm not only matches the accuracy of step-by-step methods but also drastically reduces computation time and data storage requirements. This advancement has practical applications for railway infrastructure managers, enabling more efficient and accurate predictions of track geometry evolution and preventing incidents through improved maintenance strategies.