Temperature field test and prediction using a GA-BP neural network for CRTS II slab tracks

Abstract The CRTS II slab track, which is connected in a longitudinal direction, is one of the main ballastless tracks in China, with approximately 7365 km of operational track. Temperature loading is a very vital factor leading to slab track damages such as warping and cracking. While existing research on temperature distribution rests on either site tests in special environments or theoretical analysis, the long-term temperature field characteristics are not clear. Therefore, a long-term temperature field test for the CRTS II slab track on bridge-subgrade transition section was conducted to analyze the temperature field. A GA-BP (genetic algorithm optimized back propagation) neural network was trained on the test data to predict the temperature field. The vertical and lateral temperature distributions in four typical days were carried out. We found that the temperature along the track was distributed in a nonlinear manner. This was particularly distinct in the vertical direction for depths of less than 300 mm. The highest and lowest daily temperatures and the daily range of the temperature were analyzed. With the increasing depth, the daily highest temperatures and range of the temperature were smaller, the daily lowest temperatures were higher, and the time corresponding to this peak value appeared later in the day. Both the highest and lowest daily temperature could be predicted using the GA-BP neural network, though the accuracy in predicting the highest temperature was higher than that in predicting the lowest temperature.