20.500.12556/DKUM-94169 Evaluation of ballasted railway track response in potentially critical areas using vibration measurements In railway infrastructure, particularly where concrete sleepers are employed, certain critical zones exhibit pronounced degradation of the ballast layer. Previous studies have identified several contributing factors, including the presence of welds, heterogeneity in the substructure beneath the sleepers, and variations in the track’s geometric parameters. Of these factors, the presence of welds seems to have the most significant influence. This article aims to determine whether differences in the ballast railway track’s response to traffic loads at weld locations can be identified in the initial phase, before obvious damage appears. Vibration responses in terms of displacement, velocity, and acceleration were measured on upgraded concrete sleepers equipped with rubber under-sleeper pads. The results indicate that velocities and accelerations at rail weld locations differ significantly from those in adjacent track sections, when the railway track is in an intact, undamaged condition. These results suggest a high likelihood of damage formation in these critical locations, indicating the necessity of preventive measures to mitigate damage. Possible mitigation measures that could help reduce the formation of damage are proposed. ballast railway track degradation critical areas welds vibration parameters measurements mitigation measures železniška proga z balastom degradacija kritična območja zvari parametri vibracij meritve blažilni ukrepi true false true MDPI Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/14/4363 Članek v reviji 2025-08-06 14:18:31 2025-08-06 14:18:32 2025-08-07 03:09:17 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 13 str. iss. 14, [article no.] 4363 Vol. 25 July 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-05-23 2025-07-10 2025-07-12 656.2 244902403 10.3390/s25144363 1424-8220 sensors-25-04363.pdf sensors-25-04363.pdf 1 DF5449E4E317AE0C5F3473301A3F7EFE 3cbea6ad58c4d135f59b21e0eeb5d0a296f590125e125f0e2aa7d0fbc5f4eb2d bec26247-72bf-11f0-81cc-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=194859 https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/14/4363 0 c4f3ec82-72bf-11f0-81cc-00155d000105 https://dk.um.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=194860 Fakulteta za gradbeništvo, prometno inženirstvo in arhitekturo 0 0 0