Wave propagation related to high-speed train - A scaled boundary FE-approach for unbounded domains

Analysis of wave propagation in solid materials under moving loads is a topic of great interest in railway engineering. The objective of the present paper is three-dimensional modelling of high-speed train related ground vibrations; in particular the question of how to account for the unbounded media is addressed. For efficient and accurate modelling of railway structural components taking the unbounded media into account, a hybrid method based on the combination of conventional finite element method and scaled boundary finite element method is established. In the paper, element matrices and solution procedures for the Scaled Boundary Finite Element Method (SBFEM) are derived. A non-linear finite element iteration scheme using Lagrange multipliers and coupling between the unbounded domain and the finite element domain are also discussed. Two numerical examples including one example demonstrating the dynamical response of a railroad section are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.