Testing and Modelling of Elastomeric Element for an Embedded Rail System.

Modelling of elastomeric elements of railway components, able to represent stiffness and damping characteristics in a wide frequency range, is fundamental for simulating the train-track dynamic interaction, covering issues such as rail deflection as well as transmitted forces and higher frequency phenomena such as short pitch corrugation. In this paper, a modified non-linear Zener model is adopted to represent the dependences of stiffness and damping of the rail fastening, made of elastomeric material, of a reference Embedded Rail System (ERS) on the static preload and frequency of its deformation. In order to obtain a reliable model, a proper laboratory test set-up is built, considering sensitivity and frequency response issues.