A non-reflecting boundary for use in a finite element beam model of a railway track

Jiannan Yang*, David J. Thompson

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Some beam-like structures such as a railway track are effectively infinite in nature. Analytical solutions exist for simple structures but numerical methods like the finite element (FE) method are often employed to study more complicated problems. However, when the FE method is used for structures of infinite extent it is essential to introduce artificial boundaries to limit the area of computation. Here, a non-reflecting boundary is developed using a damped tapered tip for application in a finite element model representing an infinite supported beam. The FE model of the tapered tip is validated against an analytical model based on Bessel functions. The reflection characteristics of the FE tapered tip are quantified using a wave/FE superposition method. It is shown that the damped tapered tip is much more effective than its constant counterpart and achieves reduction of the model size. The damped tapered tip is applied to a simple FE railway track model and good agreement is found when its point mobility is compared with an analytical infinite track model.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-217
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Sound and Vibration
Volume337
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2015

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© 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

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