A simulation tool to predict the impact of soil topologies on coupling between a light rail system and buried third-party infrastructure

The production of stray currents by dc light rail systems leads to the corrosion of the supporting and third-party infrastructure in close proximity to the rail system. This paper simulates two parallel tracks that are occupied by two trains: one on each track. This type of modeling constitutes a case study that is utilized to investigate the effect of soil topologies on the corrosion performance of a floating dc light rail system focusing on the supporting and third-party infrastructure. The modeling technique used involves the accurate computation of the shunt and series parameters for use in a resistive-type model using a commercially available software package. The results demonstrate the importance that soil resistivity has on the corrosion risk to traction system and third-party infrastructure. Such information could ultimately be used to vary the level of stray current protection across a light rail system to ensure a consistent lifetime across the whole system. © 2008 IEEE.