Users Manual for Program group TRACK

Introduction
Plot programs
Programs translating track irregularities in MAUZ-format
Programs translating track irregularities in PLAS-format
Programs translating track irregularities in PSD-format
Programs translating track irregularities in FOUR-format
Programs translating track irregularities in STRIX-format
Programs translating track irregularities in CSV-format
Programs translating track irregularities in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-format
Programs operating on ASCII files
All track programs in alphabetical order

Introduction

In program group TRACK can programs operating on track data files be found. Track files used in simulations can be stored in the following formats:

TRAC Old format designed in 1973
TRAX New format introduced in 1994, because the old TRAC-format could not handle long tracks.
TRAX_WDESIGN New format introduced in 2002. The format added the designed track geometry to the file.

Measurement files which can be understood by the programs in TRACK:

MAUZ Track measurements made with a recording car having a symmetric axle arrangement
PLAS Track measurements made with a recording car having a non-symmetric axle arrangement
SPL Track measurements made with accelerometers and laser beams
PSD Power Spectral Density
FOUR Fourier Spectra

The translating programs in TRACK communicate with each other in the following way:


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  |                       TRAC-, TRAX or TRAX_WDESIGN-format                       |
  |                                                                                |
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     |                |                |                  |                |
     v trc_mauz       v trc_plas       |                  v psd, psd_four  v trc_fourpl 
     |                |                |                  |                |
     ^ trc_imauz      ^ trc_iplas      ^ trc_strix_track2 ^ trc_ipsd       |
     |                |                |                  |                |
   ----------       ----------       ----------         ----------       ----------
   | MAUZ-  |       | PLAS-  |       | SPL-   |         | PSD-   |       | FOUR-  |
   | format |       | format |       | format |         | format |       | format |
   ----------       ----------       ----------         ----------       ----------

Format FOUR and STAT are marked with dashed lines because these formats are not stored permanently on file. They are only temporarily calculated for plotting the results directly on the screen.

Plot programs

The following programs generate plots of track stored in different formats:

trc_tracpl Plain plotting of track written in: TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_trac_plot Plots track irregularities incl its derivatives and Fourier spectras. The track irregularities shall be written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_mauzpl Plotting of track written in MAUZ- or PLAS- format
trc_psdpl Plots the PSD-spectra of a track written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_fourpl Plots the Fourier spectra of a track written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format

Programs translating track irregularities in MAUZ-format.

The Mauzin track recording car is a French design. The vehicle have three axles for measuring the lateral track alignment, and 8 axles for measuring the vertical level.
The following programs are designed for handling track irregularities recorded by the Mauzin track measuring car:

Trc_mauz Create a MAUZ-formatted file from a TRACK-file
Trc_mauzcur Remove or add designed curves to a Mauzin registration
Trc_mauzmod Translate and scale the signals in a Mauzin registration
Trc_mauzpl Plot a Mauzin registration
Trc_imauz Translate a Mauzin registration into a TRACK-file
Trc_qnumb_mauz Calculate the quality number of a Mauzin registration

Programs translating track irregularities in PLAS-format.

The PLAS-format is similar to the MAUZ-format above. In the PLAS-format track irregularities are also measured by comparing the position of the axles under the vehicle, but in the PLAS-format the measuring axles are not necessary equally spaced. The advantage of not having the axles equally spaced, is that it is possible to reduce the number of zeros in the measuring vehicle transfer function.
The number of measuring axles in the vehicle generating a track file in PLAS-format must be equal to 3.

The following programs are designed for handling track irregularities written in PLAS-format:

Trc_plas	Create a PLAS-formatted file from a TRACK-file
Trc_plascur	Remove or add designed curves to a track in PLAS-format
Trc_mauzmod	Translate and scale the signals in a PLAS-formatted track
Trc_mauzpl	Plot a PLAS-formatted track
Trc_iplas	Translate a Matisa MD584 registration into a TRACK-file
Trc_iplas2	Translate a Plasser&Theurer EM80 registration into a TRACK-file
Trc_iplas4	Translating track measurements made by track recording cars based on versine measurements

Programs translating track irregularities in PSD-format.

The following programs are designed for generating track irregularities from a Power Spectra Density:

Trc_psdpl Create and plot a PSD-spectra
Trc_ipsd Create a TRACK-file from a PSD-spectra

Programs translating track irregularities in FOUR-format.

The following program is designed for generating track irregularities from a Fourier Spectra:

Trc_fourpl. Create and plot a Fourier spectra

Programs translating track irregularities in STRIX-format.

The STRIX measuring car have laser beams measuring the vertical and lateral distance between the rails and the car body. In the car body two accelerometers are located measuring the vertical and lateral position of the carbody. The transfer function of STRIX is very flat, from short to long waves in the track alignment. The main job done in the translating files Trc_strix_track and Trc_strix_track2, is to separate the track irregularities from the designed track alignment.
The following programs are designed for handling track irregularities recorded by the STRIX track-measuring car:

Trc_strix_test Program trc_strix_test writes a table showing the coordinates for all sections of the sra-file which can be used for later calculations in program trc_qnum_strix or trc_strix_track.
Trc_strix_track Translate a STRIX registration into a TRAX-file. Designed curvature are written to the files 1R_track, fi_track and z_track.
Trc_strix_track2 Translate a STRIX registration into a TRAX_WDESIGN-file.
Trc_qnumb_strix Calculation of the Swedish Banverkets Q-number of the STRIX recording according to BVF 587.02.

Programs translating track irregularities from CSV-file.

Track recording vehicles writing their measurements in a CSV-file can be translated by using the following program:

Trc_csv_track Translate a CSV track recording into a TRAX_WDESIGN-file.

Programs translating track irregularities in TRAC-format.

The following programs are designed for handling track irregularities stored in the TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format:

Trc_cdf Calculates Create Cumulative Distribution and Relative Frequency Function of a TRACK-file
Trc_mean Calculates the average gauge of a TRACK-file
Trc_qnumb_track Calculate the quality number of a TRACK-file
Trc_traccur Remove or add designed curves to a TRACK-file
Trc_tracmod Translate and scale the signals in a TRACK-file
Trc_trac_plot Plot a TRACK-file incl its derivatives and Fourier spectras
Trc_tracpl Plain plotting of a TRACK-file
Trc_updown Turns the orientation of a file, starting with the last line and ending with the first line. Also changes the sign of lateral and cant errors.

Programs operating on ASCII files.

The following program is designed for handling ASCII files:

Trc_number Create or change the X-column in an ASCII text file.

List of track programs in alphabetical order.

Trc_cdf: Create Cumulative Distribution Function and Relative Frequency Function of a track stored in one the following file formats: TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-format.
Trc_csv_track: Program trc_csv_track translates a CSV-file, into a TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted file.
Trc_concat: Writes separate ASCII-files into a file in TRAC-, TRAX-, TRAX_WDESIGN-, MAUZ- or PLAS-format.
Trc_fourpl: Calculates the Fourier series for the different track irregularities. The user can choose between three different types of spectra: real, imaginary and complex absolute value.
Trc_imauz: Program trc_imauz translates a MAUZ-formatted file into a TRAX-formatted file.
Trc_iplas: Program trc_iplas translates a PLAS-formatted file into a TRAX-formatted file.
Trc_iplas2: Program trc_iplas2 translates a PLAS-formatted file into a TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted file.
Trc_iplas4: Program trc_iplas4 translates a CSV-formatted file into a TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted file.
Trc_ipsd: Program trc_ipsd applies a PSD-spectra to a TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted file.
Trc_istat: Program trc_istat translates a STAT-formatted file into a TRAX-formatted file, with a modified statistical distribution.
Trc_mauz: Program trc_mauz translates a TRAC- or TRAX-formatted file into a MAUZ-formatted file.
Trc_mauzcur: Program trc_mauzcur removes or adds designed track curves in a MAUZ-formatted file.
Trc_mauzmod: Program trc_mauzmod scales and translates data in a MAUZ-formatted file.
Trc_mauzpl: Plots a file written in MAUZ-format.
Trc_mean: Calculates the mean gauge of a TRAC- or TRAX-formatted file.
Trc_number: Program trc_number adds a column with line numbers to a file, or renumbers the first column in the file.
Trc_plas: Program trc_plas translates a TRAC- or TRAX-formatted file into a PLAS-formatted file.
Trc_plascur: Program trc_plascur removes or adds curves in a PLAS-formatted file.
Trc_psdpl: Plots the PSD-spectra of a file written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-format.
Trc_qnumb_mauz: Calculation of the Banverkets Q-number of a track written in MAUZ-format.
Trc_qnumb_strix: Calculation of the Banverkets Q-number of a track written in STRIX-format.
Trc_qnumb_track: Calculation of the Banverkets Q-number of a track written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format.
Trc_statpl: Plots the STAT-spectra of a file written in MAUZ- or PLAS-format.
Trc_strix_test: Program trc_strix_test tests which sections of a STRIX-file that can be used for further evaluation in program trc_strix_track and trc_qnumb_strix.
Trc_strix_track: Program trc_strix_track translates a STRIX-formatted file into a TRAX-formatted file.
Trc_strix_track2: Program trc_strix_track2 translates a STRIX file formatted in the new SPL-format, into a TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted file.
Trc_traccur: Program trc_traccur removes or adds designed track curves in a TRAC- or TRAX-formatted file.
Trc_tracmod: Program trc_tracmod scales and translates data in a TRAC- or TRAX-formatted files.
Trc_tracpl: Plain plotting of track written in: TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted files.
Trc_trac_plot: Plots track irregularities incl its derivatives and Fourier spectras.
The track irregularities shall be written in: TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN-formatted files.
Trc_updown: Program trc_updown changes the direction of a track so the first point will be written last in the file and vice versa.

Top of page

TRAC	Old format designed in 1973
TRAX	New format introduced in 1994, because the old TRAC-format could not handle long tracks.
TRAX_WDESIGN	New format introduced in 2002. The format added the designed track geometry to the file.

MAUZ	Track measurements made with a recording car having a symmetric axle arrangement
PLAS	Track measurements made with a recording car having a non-symmetric axle arrangement
SPL	Track measurements made with accelerometers and laser beams
PSD	Power Spectral Density
FOUR	Fourier Spectra

trc_tracpl	Plain plotting of track written in: TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_trac_plot	Plots track irregularities incl its derivatives and Fourier spectras. The track irregularities shall be written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_mauzpl	Plotting of track written in MAUZ- or PLAS- format
trc_psdpl	Plots the PSD-spectra of a track written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format
trc_fourpl	Plots the Fourier spectra of a track written in TRAC-, TRAX- or TRAX_WDESIGN- format

Trc_mauz	Create a MAUZ-formatted file from a TRACK-file
Trc_mauzcur	Remove or add designed curves to a Mauzin registration
Trc_mauzmod	Translate and scale the signals in a Mauzin registration
Trc_mauzpl	Plot a Mauzin registration
Trc_imauz	Translate a Mauzin registration into a TRACK-file
Trc_qnumb_mauz	Calculate the quality number of a Mauzin registration

Trc_psdpl	Create and plot a PSD-spectra
Trc_ipsd	Create a TRACK-file from a PSD-spectra

Trc_strix_test	Program trc_strix_test writes a table showing the coordinates for all sections of the sra-file which can be used for later calculations in program trc_qnum_strix or trc_strix_track.
Trc_strix_track	Translate a STRIX registration into a TRAX-file. Designed curvature are written to the files 1R_track, fi_track and z_track.
Trc_strix_track2	Translate a STRIX registration into a TRAX_WDESIGN-file.
Trc_qnumb_strix	Calculation of the Swedish Banverkets Q-number of the STRIX recording according to BVF 587.02.

Trc_cdf	Calculates Create Cumulative Distribution and Relative Frequency Function of a TRACK-file
Trc_mean	Calculates the average gauge of a TRACK-file
Trc_qnumb_track	Calculate the quality number of a TRACK-file
Trc_traccur	Remove or add designed curves to a TRACK-file
Trc_tracmod	Translate and scale the signals in a TRACK-file
Trc_trac_plot	Plot a TRACK-file incl its derivatives and Fourier spectras
Trc_tracpl	Plain plotting of a TRACK-file
Trc_updown	Turns the orientation of a file, starting with the last line and ending with the first line. Also changes the sign of lateral and cant errors.