The Behaviour of Ballasted Track Foundations: Track Drainage and Geosynthetic Reinforcement

Indraratna, Buddhima; Nimbalkar, Sanjay; Tennakoon, Nayoma

doi:10.1061/41095(365)241

Cited by 53 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Another solution widely investigated and applied over the past few decades is the use of geosynthetics, which by decreasing both vertical and lateral deformation can increase intervals between maintenance operations [8][9][10][11]. Within the same family are considered polyurethane-based techniques, which provide (when cured) a 3D reinforcement similar to geocells [12].…”

Section: Background Of the Problem And State Of The Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bitumen stabilized ballast: A potential solution for railway track-bed

D’Angelo

Thom

Presti

2016

Construction and Building Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Davide (2016) Bitumen stabilized ballast: a potential solution for railway track-bed. Construction and Building Materials, 124 . pp. 118-126. ISSN 1879-0526 Access from the University of Nottingham repository: http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36984/1/Accepted%20Manuscript%20-%20Bitumen %20stabilized%20ballast%20-%20A%20potential%20solution%20for%20railway%20track-bed.pdf Copyright and reuse:The Nottingham ePrints service makes this work by researchers of the University of Nottingham available open access under the following conditions. This article is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives licence and may be reused according to the conditions of the licence. For more details see: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. U N C O R R E C T E D P R O O F ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACTRailway ballast degradation under dynamic loads progressively leads to loss of mechanical performance and geometry of the track, so that maintenance interventions are frequently needed. In order to systematically avoid this issue, recently solutions have been proposed to reinforce track-bed by using polyurethane and/or resins as well as asphalt layers among others. Nonetheless, their main limitations are related to the high initial cost and low productivity.To cope with these limitations, in this study, bitumen stabilized ballast (BSB) is proposed as a new solution for ballast stabilization. This method aims at improving durability and reducing settlement by modifying both stiffness and the ability of energy dissipation of the layer. The paper introduces the potential of this technology as material to be used in railway track-beds by presenting the results of a laboratory-based investigation using the Precision Unbound Material Analyser (PUMA). Different variables such as ballast grading, bitumen emulsion dosage, compaction method and stress levels are considered. Results showed a significant decrease in permanent deformation and deformation rate associated with modified stiffness and energy dissipation properties of BSB, which suggest the potential for improving long-term performance and sustainability of ballasted track.

show abstract

Section: Background Of the Problem And State Of The Artmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bitumen stabilized ballast: A potential solution for railway track-bed

D’Angelo

Thom

Presti

2016

Construction and Building Materials

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Finite element modelling of rail track structure is essentially a 2D problem because in reality, the longitudinal deformation of a long straight section of track section (i.e., perpendicular to the sleepers) are generally very small, thus ensuring plane-strain conditions [11][12][13][14]35]. In this paper a higher order constitutive model and interface elements were used to capture the real behaviour of the track.…”

Section: Finite Element Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, Indraratna et al [35] defined a new parameter, the Void Contaminant Index (VCI), which is expressed as:…”

Section: Assessment Of Ballast Foulingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance improvement of rail track substructure using artificial inclusions – Experimental and numerical studies

Indraratna

Nimbalkar

Ngo

et al. 2016

Transportation Geotechnics

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large and frequent loads from heavy freight and passenger trains often lead to the progressive track deterioration. The excessive deformation and degradation of ballast and unacceptable differential settlement of track and/or pumping of underlying soft subgrade soils necessitates frequent and costly track maintenance. However, artificial inclusions such as geogrids and shockmats can mitigate ballast degradation and improve track performance. A quantitative assessment of the influence of breakage, fouling, and the effects of artificial inclusions on the shear behaviour of ballast can be performed either experimentally or numerically. Numerical modelling can simulate these aspects subject to various types of loading and boundary conditions for a range of material properties so in this study, the stress-strain and degradation response of ballast was analysed through discrete element (DEM) and finite element (FEM) methods. In DEM, irregularly shaped ballast aggregates were simulated by clumping together spheres in appropriate sizes and positions. In FEM, a composite multi-layer track system was simulated and an elasto-plastic model with a non-associative flow rule was used to capture ballast degradation. These DEM and FEM simulations showed a good agreement with large-scale laboratory tests. This paper outlines the advantages of the proposed DEM and FEM models in terms of capturing the correct stress-strain and degradation response of ballast with particular emphasis on particle breakage and fouling, as well as applications of geosynthetic grids and shockmats. This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. numerically. Numerical modelling can simulate these aspects subject to various types of loading and boundary conditions for a range of material properties so in this study, the stressstrain and degradation response of ballast was analysed through discrete element (DEM) and finite element (FEM) methods. In DEM, irregularly shaped ballast aggregates were simulated by clumping together spheres in appropriate sizes and positions. In FEM, a composite multilayer track system was simulated and an elasto-plastic model with a non-associative flow rule was used to capture ballast degradation. These DEM and FEM simulations showed a good agreement with large-scale laboratory tests. This paper outlines the advantages of the proposed DEM and FEM models in terms of capturing the correct stress-strain and degradation response of ballast with particular emphasis on particle breakage and fouling, as well as applications of geosynthetic grids and shockmats.

show abstract

“…Ballast was collected from Bombo quarry, New South Wales, Australia, then cleaned and sieved according to Australia Standards (AS 2758(AS .7, 1996. Coal fines were used as fouling contaminant and the Void Contamination Index (VCI) introduced earlier by (Indraratna et al 2010) was applied to measure the degree of fouling, as shown:…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Interface Behavior of a Geosynthetics-Reinforced Fouled Ballast Using the Discrete Element Method

2016

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Railways offer an efficient and economic transport mode in many parts of the developed countries including Australia, China and USA. Ballast layer is designed as a load bearing layer for rail tracks and to be free draining, but when the ballast voids are wholly or partially impeded due to the intrusion of fine particles, the ballast can be considered to be fouled. Fouling causes a reduction in the drainage capacity of ballast, thereby reducing the track resiliency and triggering high maintenance costs. Geosynthetics are commonly used in railway construction for reinforcement and stabilization purposes. When railway ballast becomes fouled the beneficial effect of the geosynthetics could decrease significantly. This paper presents a study of how the interface behavior of geosynthetics-ballast copes with fouling using discrete element modelling (DEM) of large-scale direct shear tests. A series of large-scale direct shear tests for coal fouled ballast were carried out in the laboratory and were then simulated in the DEM. Shear stress-strain and volumetric dilation responses obtained from the DEM simulations were in reasonable agreement with those measured experimentally. The contact force distributions of fresh and fouled ballast were captured and shown that the fouled ballast exhibited higher number of contact forces compared to the fresh ballast assembly. This is due to coal fines accumulated in voids among large particles then partially carry and transmit contact forces across the assembly. Strains developed horizontally across the geogrid were also analyzed in this study. ABSTRACT:Railways offer an efficient and economic transport mode in many parts of the developed countries including Australia, China and USA. Ballast layer is designed as a load bearing layer for rail tracks and to be free draining, but when the ballast voids are wholly or partially impeded due to the intrusion of fine particles, the ballast can be considered to be fouled. Fouling causes a reduction in the drainage capacity of ballast, thereby reducing the track resiliency and triggering high maintenance costs. Geosynthetics are commonly used in railway construction for reinforcement and stabilization purposes. When railway ballast becomes fouled the beneficial effect of the geosynthetics could decrease significantly. This paper presents a study of how the interface behavior of geosynthetics-ballast copes with fouling using discrete element modelling (DEM) of large-scale direct shear tests. A series of large-scale direct shear tests for coal fouled ballast were carried out in the laboratory and were then simulated in the DEM. Shear stress-strain and volumetric dilation responses obtained from the DEM simulations were in reasonable agreement with those measured experimentally. The contact force distributions of fresh and fouled ballast were captured and shown that the fouled ballast exhibited higher number of contact forces compared to the fresh ballast assembly. This is due to coal fines accumulated in voids among large particles then...

show abstract

The Behaviour of Ballasted Track Foundations: Track Drainage and Geosynthetic Reinforcement

Cited by 53 publications

References 3 publications

Bitumen stabilized ballast: A potential solution for railway track-bed

Bitumen stabilized ballast: A potential solution for railway track-bed

Performance improvement of rail track substructure using artificial inclusions – Experimental and numerical studies

Study on the Interface Behavior of a Geosynthetics-Reinforced Fouled Ballast Using the Discrete Element Method

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About