Suppressing high-frequency wheel-rail vibrations by designing dynamic vibration-absorbing fasteners

High-frequency wheel-rail vibrations (300–1000 Hz), induced by transient impacts, periodic excitations, and structural resonances, pose significant threats to the fatigue life of vehicle-track systems and exacerbate wheel-rail noise. This study proposes a novel dynamic vibration-absorbing fastener (DVAF) that integrates vibration suppression and rail support functions. By optimising the stiffness of upper/lower rubber pads and the mass of the iron plate, the DVAF is tuned to target critical rail local bending modes (e.g. 500–700 Hz). Analysis demonstrates the DVAFs’ efficacy: under wheel flats, 27–43% vibration reduction at 300–1000 Hz and 36–64% at 500–700 Hz; under wheel polygons, 49–86% at 300–1000 Hz and 50–87% at 500–700 Hz. Long-term assessments confirm DVAF suppresses wheel polygonization via 550–650 Hz energy dissipation with stable performance. After 350,000 km (normal roughness), it reduces wheel roughness by 15.9 dB (FS660), maintaining >97% vibration reduction. After 150,000 km (wheel flats), it reduces wheel roughness by 11.9 dB (FS631), with >97% vibration reduction. The DVAF offers a cost-effective, space-efficient solution that combines static rail support with dynamic vibration absorption, requiring minimal infrastructure modifications while ensuring long-term durability and performance stability.