Expert Webinar: State of the Art & Current Practice on Rail-Structure Interaction in North America
Ying Tan & John Lobo from HDR examined the current methods for performing rail-structure interaction (RSI) analysis and the acceptance criteria prescribed through various transit agencies and national guidelines in the United States and Canada. They compare these methods and criteria to the European code. A numerical analysis compares the results of two different methods for a simplified structure. The results show that the method is deeply entwined with the design philosophy and acceptance criteria and that acceptance criteria must be chosen strictly based on the methods adopted for analysis. Many transit agencies in the United States and Canada provide inadequate guidelines on how rail-structure interaction analysis should be performed or provide a mix of requirements from European and North American methods, which can result in overly conservative structure design. This paper highlights the need for a clear national guideline that prescribes the methods of analysis and corresponding acceptance criteria and recommends an approach to address the gap in current methods in the United States and Canada.
