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. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):23288.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-05202-x.

Intelligent identification of ballastless track subgrade settlement based on vehicle-rail vibration data

Chong Li  1 , Yu Guo  2   3   4
Affiliations

Intelligent identification of ballastless track subgrade settlement based on vehicle-rail vibration data

Chong Li et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Monitoring uneven subgrade settlement in ballastless track systems remains challenging due to the limited accuracy and discontinuous nature of conventional detection methods. In this study, we propose a novel deep learning approach based on a convolutional neural network and long short-term memory (CNN-LSTM) model to accurately identify uneven subgrade settlement by analyzing vehicle-rail dynamic response data. First, a vehicle-track-subgrade coupled model simulates vibration responses under differential settlements. Through sensitivity analysis of vehicle and track dynamics, we identify carbody vertical acceleration, nodding angular velocity, and rail displacement as optimal CNN-LSTM inputs. By leveraging the convolutional neural network (CNN)'s capability to extract spatial features and the long short-term memory (LSTM)'s strength in capturing temporal dependencies, the hybrid network effectively models the relationships between dynamic indicators and subgrade settlement. The results indicate that combined vehicle-rail responses enhances identification, particularly for track-subgrade deformation mismatches. The CNN-LSTM model achieves a detection accuracy of 99.26%, outperforming four benchmark models-backpropagation (BP) neural network, radial basis function (RBF) network, CNN, and LSTM-which validates its robustness and practical effectiveness. This research provides both theoretical insights and practical guidelines for intelligent monitoring of subgrade settlement in ballastless track systems.

Keywords: Ballastless track; CNN-LSTM network; Intelligent identification; Uneven subgrade settlement; Vehicle-track-subgrade dynamic model.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Technical route of this study.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dynamic model diagram of the vehicle-track-subgrade coupled system.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
An example LSTM cell.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
CNN-LSTM network structure.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Correlation analysis diagram of subgrade settlement.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Chart of sensitive indicators under different work condition.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Chart of sensitive indicators under different work condition.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
CNN-LSTM recognition result.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Multi-source vs. single-source identification.
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Comparative analysis identification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Guo, Y., Zhai, W. & Sun, Y. A mechanical model of vehicle-slab track coupled system with differential subgrade settlement. Struct. Eng. Mechanics: Int. J.66(1), 15–25 (2018).
    1. Jiang, H. et al. Geometry mapping and additional stresses of ballastless track structure caused by subgrade differential settlement under self-weight loads in high-speed railways. Transp. Geotechnics. 18, 103–110 (2019). - DOI
    1. Qiu, D. et al. Safety monitoring information system of urban subway. 2009 WASE International Conference on Information Engineering. Vol. 2. IEEE, (2009).

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