Alignment Design and Parameter Influence Laws of Flexible-Bendable Normal-Conducting Maglev Turnouts

To address deficiencies of insufficient constraint consideration, single speed grade coverage, and unclear parameter influence mechanism in existing alignment design of flexible-bendable normal-conducting high-speed maglev turnouts, multi-dimensional constraint conditions for alignment design were clarified, and a “transition curve, circular curve, and transition curve” alignment design method integrating standard stator unit length constraints, vehicle construction constraints, and interface matching requirements was proposed. Finite element analysis models of turnout beams with different lengths were established. The mapping relationship between beam length and structural stress was quantified via nonlinear regression fitting, and the minimum theoretical turnout length was determined. Alignment designs for turnouts with different lateral passing speeds were performed to obtain alignment parameters for each speed grade. The influence laws of lateral passing speed and acceleration on alignment parameters were analyzed. Results show that maximum beam stress decreases nonlinearly with increasing length, and the length effect on stress weakens significantly beyond 90.00 m. With a safety factor of 1.3, the minimum theoretical length of the flexible-bendable turnout is 56.76 m. When lateral passing speed does not exceed 50 km/h, or the turnout number is less than 7.500#, a single circular alignment is recommended. The “transition, circular, and transition” alignment is particularly suitable for medium-to-high-speed scenarios above 70 km/h. When lateral passing speed does not exceed 80 km/h, vehicle construction radius constraint is dominant, exhibiting “short transition, small radius, long circular curve, and small turnout number” characteristics. When speed exceeds 100 km/h, centrifugal force balancing is the core requirement, forming a structure with “long transition, large radius, short circular curve, and large turnout number” characteristics, with circular curve proportion decreasing significantly and transition curve gradually becoming dominant. With increasing lateral acceleration, transition curve length increases, while circular curve radius, circular-transition ratio, and total turnout length decrease. When acceleration exceeds 1.000 m/s², turnout alignment parameter changes tend to be gradual.