Numerical investigation of porous composite honeycomb track slab under point load

Traditional railway infrastructures include ballasted beds and concrete slab tracks. The additive manufacturing technology enables the application of porous structures in railway infrastructures. In this article, two types of porous supporting layers acting as the track supporting layer are designed. The nonlinear FEM simulations of composite porous track infrastructures are carried out to study the mechanical performance of the porous honeycomb track slab under point loads using nonlinear material properties. The track performance, including deflection and acceleration, of different track components, are compared with a conventional ballasted track to evaluate the feasibility of the 3D printed structures. This study can help the development of 3D printed porous composite honeycomb structures in railway engineering.