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Users Manual for Program TRC_CSV_TRACK

Table of Contents

Introduction

Program TRC_CSV_TRACK transforms files of type CSV. The CSV-track recordings are made with inertia based track recording vehicles.
Example of a track recording written in format: CSV.

Calculation procedure

• Read column CSV_COL_GAUGE from file INFIL
• Multiply with SCALE_GAUGE to translate into mm
• Add GAUGE_NOM
• Filter the errors in a N_SHORT_WAVES-order Butterworth low-pass filter with cutoff wave length of L_SHORT_WAVES [m]

• Read columns CSV_COL_VERTLEFT and CSV_COL_VERTRIGHT from file INFIL
• Calculate the average value of the two signals
• Multiply with SCALE_VERT to translate into mm
• Filter the errors in a N_SHORT_WAVES-order Butterworth low-pass filter with cutoff wave length of L_SHORT_WAVES [m]

• Read column CSV_COL_CANT from file INFIL
• Multiply with SCALE_CANT to translate into mm
• Filter the errors in a N_SHORT_WAVES-order Butterworth low-pass filter with cutoff wave length of L_SHORT_WAVES [m]
• Filter cant irregularities in two Butterworth filters. The high-pass filtered cant is written to column #5 in file UTFIL. The low-pass filtered cant is written to column #7 in file UTFIL. Cutoff wavelength for both high- and low- pass filter is L_CANT_WAVES and they are of order N_CANT_WAVES.

• Read columns CSV_COL_LATLEFT and CSV_COL_LATRIGHT long wave lateral errors left and right rail
• Calculate the average value of the two levels
• Multiply with SCALE_LAT to translate into mm
• Filter the errors in a N_SHORT_WAVES-order Butterworth low-pass filter with a cutoff wave length of L_SHORT_WAVES [m]
• Filter the errors in a N_LATERAL_WAVES-order Butterworth high-pass filter with a cutoff wave length of L_LATERAL_WAVES [m]

• Read column CSV_COL_CURVE
• Multiply the signal with SCALE_CURVE
• Filter the curvature in a N_CURVE_WAVES-order Butterworth low-pass filter with cutoff wave length of L_CURVE_WAVES [m]

• See cant irregularities above

• Divide designed cant by 2.
• Calculate the absolute value
• Change to a negative sign. In Gensys positive Z-direction is pointing downwards.

Input data

Input data is read in free format, valid separators between the input values are <space>, <comma>, <tab>, <equal sign> or <carriage return>. The commands can be written both in lower and upper case letters. The operation of the program is controlled by the commands described below; some of the commands also need arguments.

CALC_QN

Activate the calculation of QN-numbers according to UIC 518.
Program TRC_QNUMB_TRACK is used for the calulation of the QN-numbers.
Computation time could be saved if calculation of QN-numbers are skipped.

Declared= Character*3    Default= yes

CREATE_PLOT

Activate the generation of plots.
The following values are valid:

NO	=	Do not generate a plot
INTERACTIVE	=	Generate a plot in the interactive version of Mplot
BATCH	=	Generate a plot with the batch version of Mplot

Declared= Character*3    Default= INTERACTIVE

CSV_COL_CANT

Column in INFIL containing designed cant and cant irregularities.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 21

CSV_COL_CURVE

Column in INFIL containing designed curvature.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 20

CSV_COL_GAUGE

Column in INFIL containing gauge track irregularities.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 19

CSV_COL_LATLEFT

Column in INFIL containing lateral track irregularities left side.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 13

CSV_COL_LATRIGHT

Column in INFIL containing lateral track irregularities right side.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 16

CSV_COL_M

Column in INFIL containing the longitudinal distance in [m].
If CSV_DX= 0., this column is used to obtain the equidistant steps.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 3

CSV_COL_VERTLEFT

Column in INFIL containing vertical track irregularities left side.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 7

CSV_COL_VERTRIGHT

Column in INFIL containing vertical track irregularities right side.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 10

CSV_DX

Equidistant distance between the points in INFIL.
If CSV_DX= 0. program TRC_CSV_TRACK will try to find the equidistant steps automatically.
If CSV_DX> 0. the value of CSV_DX will be used as the equidistant step.

Declared= Real*4    Default= -1. (i.e. undefined)

DX

Equidistant step between the points written to UTFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 0.5 [m]

FILTER_SHORT_WAVES

Activate the filtering of short waves according to L_SHORT_WAVES and N_SHORT_WAVES.
Computation time could be saved if filtering of short waves are skipped.

Declared= Character*3    Default= yes

GAUGE_NOM

Add the value of GAUGE_NOM to column CSV_COL_GAUGE.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 1435. [mm]

INFIL

Track irregularity file from track recording car.
The file format is defined in command TYPE_INFIL.

Declared= Character*132    Default= Blank

L_CURVE_WAVES

Low pass filter cutoff wave-length for curvature.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 50 [m]

N_CURVE_WAVES

Order of the curvature low pass filter.
The filter is of type Butterworth in two stages, so called forward-backward filtering to avoid phase distortions. N_CURVE_WAVES must be an even number.

Declared= Integer*4    Default= 8

L_CANT_WAVES

Filter separating designed cant and cant errors.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 100 [m]

N_CANT_WAVES

Order of the cant separating filter.
The filter is of type Butterworth in two stages, so called forward-backward filtering to avoid phase distortions. N_CANT_WAVES must be an even number.

Declared= Integer*4    Default= 4

L_LATERAL_WAVES

High pass filter cutoff frequency for lateral track irregularities.
Track irregularities of very low frequencies can be measured by the track measuring car. However too long waves in the lateral track irregularities are not of interest, unless the vehicle speed is very high.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 125 [m]

N_LATERAL_WAVES

Order of the lateral high pass filter.
The filter is of type Butterworth in two stages, so called forward-backward filtering to avoid phase distortions. N_LATERAL_WAVES must be an even number.

Declared= Integer*4    Default= 8

L_SHORT_WAVES

Low pass filter cutoff frequency.
Track irregularities of very high frequencies can be measured by the track measuring car. However there is a doubt that these very high frequency waves really exists. Maybe these short waves is only caused by roughness of the surface of the rail, and when a wheelset rolls over the rail-surface maybe its roughness is flattened out by the contact pressure.
N.B. Please make sure that the filtering is activated under FILTER_SHORT_WAVES.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 2.5 [m]

N_SHORT_WAVES

Order of the low pass filter.
The filter is of type Butterworth in two stages, so called forward-backward filtering to avoid phase distortions. N_SHORT_WAVES must be an even number.
N.B. Please make sure that the filtering is activated under FILTER_SHORT_WAVES.

Declared= Integer*4    Default= 2

REMOVE_UCAT_WORK

Command which controls if the working directory "ucat_work" should be removed or not after the calculation.

Declared= Character*4    Default= 'NO'

SCALE_CANT

Scale factor for cant when reading column CSV_COL_CANT from file INFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 0.01

SCALE_CURVE

Scale factor for curvature when reading column CSV_COL_CURVE from file INFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 1.e-6

SCALE_GAUGE

Scale factor for curvature when reading column CSV_COL_GAUGE from file INFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 0.01

SCALE_LAT

Scale factor for curvature when reading column CSV_COL_LATLEFT and CSV_COL_LATRIGHT from file INFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 0.01

SCALE_VERT

Scale factor for curvature when reading column CSV_COL_VERTLEFT and CSV_COL_VERTRIGHT from file INFIL.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 0.01

TYPE_INFIL

Defines the file format of file INFIL.
Valid values are CSV.

Declared= Character*6    Default= "CSV"

UIC518_SPEED

Speed to be used when calculating track alignment quality in program trc_qnumb_track.

Declared= Real*4    Default= 160 [km/h]

UTFIL

Result file written in TRAX_WDESIGN-format.

Declared= Character*132    Default= trc_csv_track_UTFIL.trax_wdesign

Example:

Following example: Master.trc_csv_trackf can be used as a master file:

##
##    Input data for program "trc_csv_track"
##

#
#  How to read the CSV-file 
#
  CSV_COL_M      =  3               # Column containing the meters location along the track
# CSV_DX         =  0.              # Equidistant steps in INFIL
#
  CSV_COL_LATLEFT=  13   CSV_COL_LATRIGHT=   16      # Columns to be read from the CSV-file
  CSV_COL_VERTLEFT=  7   CSV_COL_VERTRIGHT=  10
  CSV_COL_GAUGE=    19   CSV_COL_CURVE=      20      CSV_COL_CANT=    21
  SCALE_CURVE= 1e-6
  SCALE_LAT  = 0.01      SCALE_VERT   =  0.01        SCALE_GAUGE = 0.01      SCALE_CANT =  0.01

  DX= 0.5               # Equidistant steps in the output data file UTFIL
# UIC518_SPEED=  80
# UIC518_SPEED= 120
  UIC518_SPEED= 160     # Speed when evaluating track quality
# UIC518_SPEED= 200
# UIC518_SPEED= 300
  REMOVE_UCAT_WORK= yes


#
#  Select track and filtering 
#

  INFIL= INFILE.csv
#
  L_LATERAL_WAVES= 120  # Filter the lateral track irregularities through a high pass
  N_LATERAL_WAVES= 2    # filter, in order to remove very long waves
#
  FILTER_SHORT_WAVES= yes
  L_SHORT_WAVES=  1     # Filter the irregularities through a lowpass filter
  N_SHORT_WAVES=  8     # in order to attenuate very short waves
#
  CALC_QN    = yes
  CREATE_PLOT= batch
#
  UTFIL= OUTFILE.trax_wdesign