Mechanism of short pitch rail corrugation: initial excitation and frequency selection for consistent initiation and growth

This paper proposes a new hypothesis for the formation process of short pitch rail corrugation. An FE wheel-track dynamic model is utilized to verify the hypothesis by reproducing corrugation initiation and consistent growth. It is found longitudinal compression modes are responsible for corrugation initiation with necessary initial excitation that allows flexibility for longitudinal vibration. Consistency between longitudinal compression and vertical bending eigenfrequencies of the wheel-track system is required for consistent corrugation growth, which also determines maximum corrugation amplitude. Corrugation initiates by frequency selection instead of wavelength fixing. The proposed mechanism can explain field observations including the wavelength and periodicity of corrugation in the Netherlands, why corrugation forms on continuously-supported tracks where pinned-pinned resonance does not exist, and the small variation between the corrugation wavelength and train speed.