Interface behaviour analysis of China railway track system Ⅱ slab ballastless track under temperature action and initial gap damage

The interface damage is considered to be one of the main diseases of China Railway Track System (CRTS) Ⅱ slab ballastless track, which will affect the long-term performance of the track structure and safety operation of high-speed trains. This study aims to reveal the interface damage mechanism between the track slab and the cement asphalt (CA) mortar layer of CRTS Ⅱ slab ballastless track, under different combinations of temperature actions and initial gap damage. A three-dimensional finite element model of CRTS Ⅱ slab ballastless track was established, in which a cohesive constitutive model was incorporated to simulate the interaction behavior of the interface. The interface damage evolution under different temperature actions and initial gap damage was analyzed. The analysis results show that: (1) Overall temperature has a more obvious effect on interface damage compared with temperature gradient, and the greater the overall temperature drops, the lower the decrease of interface damage will be; (2) When initial gap damage occur at the slab end, the growth rate of interface damage under temperature gradient is greater than that under overall temperature; The interface will begin to delaminate when the overall temperature drop reaches −50°C and the gap length becomes greater than one fastener spacing; and (3) When initial gap damage occur at the slab edge, the influence of overall temperature on interface damage is greater than that of temperature gradient; The interface gap damage reaches level II (according to TG/GW 115-2012) at the slab edge under the combination of −50°C and −50°C/m, while the slab center interface is unlikely to be damaged under negative temperature.