The passage of trains over railway rails induces significant vibrations in the rail structure—a phenomenon that has gained increasing importance with the development of high-speed rail systems. Severe vibrations can lead to increased fatigue stresses, reduced rail lifespan, and potential structural instability. One effective approach to mitigating these issues is to increase the gap between the natural frequency of the rail and the excitation frequency, thereby preventing resonance. In this study, the geometric dimensions of the railway rail are optimized with the aim of enhancing vibrational performance and reducing fatigue-induced stresses. To achieve this, a combined methodology involving Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) is employed. A numerical model of the rail is developed and simulated using ANSYS software. The analyses focus on extracting natural frequencies and evaluating stress responses under torsional, bending, and combined vibration modes. The results indicate that increasing the excitation speed leads to a reduction in the optimal width of the rail’s bottom flange for similar vibration modes. Additionally, increasing the width of the rail head from 40 to 80mm significantly reduces local stresses. These findings provide a practical basis for intelligent and resilient design of railway rails under dynamic loading conditions
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khoshgoftar,M J and sahraei,M . (2026). Geometrical Optimization of a Railway Rail Using Modal Analysis to Improve Vibrational and Stress Responses. Science and Technology in Mechanical Engineering, 4(2), 99-111. doi: 10.22034/stme.2025.535239.1146
MLA
khoshgoftar,M J , and sahraei,M . "Geometrical Optimization of a Railway Rail Using Modal Analysis to Improve Vibrational and Stress Responses", Science and Technology in Mechanical Engineering, 4, 2, 2026, 99-111. doi: 10.22034/stme.2025.535239.1146
HARVARD
khoshgoftar M J, sahraei M. (2026). 'Geometrical Optimization of a Railway Rail Using Modal Analysis to Improve Vibrational and Stress Responses', Science and Technology in Mechanical Engineering, 4(2), pp. 99-111. doi: 10.22034/stme.2025.535239.1146
CHICAGO
M J khoshgoftar and M sahraei, "Geometrical Optimization of a Railway Rail Using Modal Analysis to Improve Vibrational and Stress Responses," Science and Technology in Mechanical Engineering, 4 2 (2026): 99-111, doi: 10.22034/stme.2025.535239.1146
VANCOUVER
khoshgoftar M J, sahraei M. Geometrical Optimization of a Railway Rail Using Modal Analysis to Improve Vibrational and Stress Responses. STME. 2026;4(2):99-111 (In Persian). doi: 10.22034/stme.2025.535239.1146
Science and Technology in Mechanical Engineering