ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Transition zones in railway tracks are locations with considerable changes in the vertical stiffness of the rail support. Typically they are located near engineering structures, such as bridges, culverts, tunnels and level crossings. In such locations, the differential settlement always exists and continually grows without proper maintenance. Due to the effect of the differential settlement and bending stiffness of the rails, hanging sleepers may exist, which are invisible under ordinary circumstances, but generate high displacements and impact during train passages. Therefore, a method to detect the differential settlement (Or hanging sleepers) of track transition zones is presented, which is combined with numerical simulations and field measurements.
