ABSTRACT
Three theoretical models, simulating the dynamic behaviour of railway tracks at frequencies up to 5 kHz are presented in a companion paper. This chapter presents experimental results obtained on several European tracks. Many different theoretical models are available nowadays to simulate the dynamic behaviour of railway tracks. Three of them, aimed specifically at the dynamic behaviour related to noise generation, are presented in a companion paper. In order to assess the validity of these models, the experimental characterisation of several European tracks has been performed. The experimental procedure is described briefly. Then, experimental results are presented and a detailed comparison between measurements and predictions is made. Finally, the range of validity of the model is analysed and further investigations aiming at improving the model accuracy and the knowledge of track parameters are proposed. The track accelerance in the lateral direction is well predicted with model 3 which accounts for the rail cross-section deformation effects.
