Basic scientific issues on dynamic performance evolution of the high-speed railway infrastructure and its service safety

The development of Chinese high-speed railway has entered the new stage of long-term safe and stable operations from the stage of large-scale constructions. How to scientifically maintain the large-scale operating lines, with the aim of holding a high operation quality of the high-speed railway characterized with a high safety, a high stability, and a high reliability during its long-term operation, is a key research task currently faced by China. Based on the summary and analysis of construction characteristics and operation environments of Chinese high-speed railway infrastructures, this paper proposes three key scientific issues on dynamic performance evolution of the high-speed railway infrastructure and its service safety. They include dynamic performance evolution of the critical materials and structures of the high-speed railway infrastructures subjected to repeated train and environment loads, the mapping relationship between the cumulative deformation of the high-speed railway infrastructures and the rail surface geometry, and the interaction and evolution mechanism between the infrastructure deteriorations and dynamic performances of the coupled high-speed train-infrastructure system. Then this paper reviews the current research status and the latest progress on the above three scientific issues, and points out the developing trends and the fundamental research works that need to be focused on and strengthened in the future.