Interaction between Railroad Ballast and Sleeper: A DEM-FEM Approach
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19, Issue 5
Abstract
This study proposed a coupling discrete-element method–finite-element method (DEM-FEM) to investigate the ballast–sleeper interaction under dynamic loading. A surface-coupling algorithm was used to combine the finite-element and discrete-element analyses. A timber sleeper and steel sleeper were selected in the ballast–sleeper interaction analysis. Spherical particles were generated to explore the behaviors of ballast. The porosity of the ballast and the pressure distribution under the sleeper were investigated under the dynamic loading condition. The pressure distribution obtained from the DEM-FEM simulation was compared with the laboratory test. Results showed that the pressure distributions under the timber and steel sleepers were different. Cyclic loading could change the pressure distribution. Validation was performed by comparing experimental results and the numerical results obtained from DEM-FEM modeling. Porosities beneath the steel sleeper were lower than beneath the timber sleeper. For both the timber sleeper and steel sleeper, porosity beneath the rail seat was the lowest, whereas porosity beneath the sleeper end was the largest.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude for the financial support received from the US DOT through the National University Rail Center (NURail). The authors also appreciate the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant 51778638) for funding this research.
References
Aursudkij, B. 2007. A laboratory study of railway ballast behaviour under traffic loading and tamping maintenance. Nottingham, UK: Univ. of Nottingham.
Belytschko, T., W. K. Liu, B. Moran, and K. Elkhodary. 2013. Nonlinear finite elements for continua and structures. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Catalano, E., B. Chareyre, and E. Barthélémy. 2014. “Pore‐scale modeling of fluid‐particles interaction and emerging poromechanical effects.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 38 (1): 51–71. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.2198.
Chen, C., G. McDowell, and N. Thom. 2012. “Discrete element modelling of cyclic loads of geogrid-reinforced ballast under confined and unconfined conditions.” Geotext. Geomembr. 35: 76–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geotexmem.2012.07.004.
Csenge, M. V., H. E. Wolf, M. S. Dersch, J. R. Edwards, R. G. Kernes, and M. G. Romero. 2015. “Exploration of alternatives for prestressed concrete monoblock crosstie design based on flexural capacity.” In Proc., 2015 Joint Rail Conf. New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Cundall, P. A., and O. D. Strack. 1979. “A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies.” Géotechnique 29 (1): 47–65. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.1979.29.1.47.
Eliáš, J. 2014. “Simulation of railway ballast using crushable polyhedral particles.” Powder Technol. 264: 458–465. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2014.05.052.
Elmekati, A., and U. El Shamy. 2010. “A practical co-simulation approach for multiscale analysis of geotechnical systems.” Comput. Geotech. 37 (4): 494–503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2010.02.002.
Fakhimi, A. 2009. “A hybrid discrete–finite element model for numerical simulation of geomaterials.” Comput. Geotech. 36 (3): 386–395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2008.05.004.
Gao, Y., H. Huang, C. L. Ho, and A. Judge. 2018. “Field validation of a three-dimensional dynamic track-subgrade interaction model.” Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. F: J. Rail Rapid Transit 232 (1): 130–143. https://doi.org/10.1177/0954409716660582.
Geuzaine, C., and J. F. Remacle. 2009. “Gmsh: A 3‐D finite element mesh generator with built‐in pre‐ and post‐processing facilities.” Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 79 (11): 1309–1331. https://doi.org/10.1002/nme.2579.
Huang, H., and E. Tutumluer. 2011. “Discrete element modeling for fouled railroad ballast.” Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (8): 3306–3312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2011.03.019.
Huang, H., E. Tutumluer, and W. Dombrow. 2009. “Laboratory characterization of fouled railroad ballast behavior.” Transp. Res. Rec. 2117 (1): 93–101. https://doi.org/10.3141/2117-12.
Indraratna, B., D. Ionescu, and H. Christie. 1998. “Shear behavior of railway ballast based on large-scale triaxial tests.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 124 (5): 439–449. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(1998)124:5(439).
Indraratna, B., D. Ionescu, D. Christie, and R. Chowdhury. 1997. “Compression and degradation of railway ballast under one-dimensional loading.” NSW, Australia: Univ. of Wollongong.
Indraratna, B., N. T. Ngo, C. Rujikiatkamjorn, and J. Vinod. 2014. “Behavior of fresh and fouled railway ballast subjected to direct shear testing: Discrete element simulation.” Int. J. Geomech. 14 (1): 34–44. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000264.
Indraratna, B., J. Vinod, and J. Lackenby. 2009. “Influence of particle breakage on the resilient modulus of railway ballast.” Géotechnique 59 (7): 643–646. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.2008.T.005.
Lackenby, J., B. Indraratna, G. McDowell, and D. Christie. 2007. “Effect of confining pressure on ballast degradation and deformation under cyclic triaxial loading.” Wollongong, Australia: Univ. of Wollongong.
Laryea, S., M. S. Baghsorkhi, J. Ferellec, G. McDowell, and C. Chen. 2014. “Comparison of performance of concrete and steel sleepers using experimental and discrete element methods.” Transp. Geotech. 1 (4): 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2014.05.001.
Lekarp, F., U. Isacsson, and A. Dawson. 2000. “State of the art. I: Resilient response of unbound aggregates.” J. Transp. Eng. 126 (1): 66–75. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2000)126:1(66).
Love, A. E. H. 2013. A treatise on the mathematical theory of elasticity. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Lu, M., and G. McDowell. 2007. “The importance of modelling ballast particle shape in the discrete element method.” Granular Matter 9 (1–2): 69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-006-0021-3.
McHenry, M. T., M. Brown, J. LoPresti, J. Rose, and R. Souleyrette. 2015. “Use of matrix-based tactile surface sensors to assess fine-scale ballast–tie interface pressure distribution in railroad track.” Transp. Res. Rec. 2476 (1): 23–31. https://doi.org/10.3141/2476-04.
Mehrabadi, M. M., S. Nemat-Nasser, and M. Oda. 1982. “On statistical description of stress and fabric in granular materials.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech. 6 (1): 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/nag.1610060107.
Nakashima, H., and A. Oida. 2004. “Algorithm and implementation of soil–tire contact analysis code based on dynamic FE–DE method.” J. Terramech. 41 (2–3): 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2004.02.002.
Nålsund, R. 2010. “Effect of grading on degradation of crushed-rock railway ballast and on permanent axial deformation.” Transp. Res. Rec. 2154 (1): 149–155. https://doi.org/10.3141/2154-15.
Ngo, N. T., B. Indraratna, and C. Rujikiatkamjorn. 2014. “DEM simulation of the behaviour of geogrid stabilised ballast fouled with coal.” Comput. Geotech. 55: 224–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2013.09.008.
Patzák, B. 2012. “OOFEM—An object-oriented simulation tool for advanced modeling of materials and structures.” Acta Polytech. 52 (6): 59–66.
Remennikov, A., and S. Kaewunruen. 2006. “Experimental investigation on dynamic railway sleeper/ballast interaction.” Exp. Mech. 46 (1): 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11340-006-5868-z.
Šmilauer, V., E. Catalano, B. Chareyre, S. Dorofeenko, J. Duriez, A. Gladky, J. Kozicki, C. Modenese, L. Scholtès, and L. Sibille. 2010. “Yade reference documentation.” Yade Doc. 474: 1–531.
Song, W., X. Shu, B. Huang, Y. Sun, H. Gong, and D. Clarke. 2017. “Pressure distribution under steel and timber crossties in railway tracks.” J. Transp. Eng., Part A: Syst. 143 (9): 04017046. https://doi.org/10.1061/JTEPBS.0000075.
Stahl, M., and H. Konietzky. 2011. “Discrete element simulation of ballast and gravel under special consideration of grain-shape, grain-size and relative density.” Granular Matter 13 (4): 417–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-010-0239-y.
Stránský, J. 2014. “Combination of FEM and DEM with application to railway ballast-sleeper interaction.” In Proc., 20th Int. Conf. on Engineering Mechanics. Prague, Czech Republic: Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, AS CR.
Stránský, J., and M. Jirásek. 2012. “Open source FEM-DEM coupling.” Eng. Mech. 18. In Proc., Engineering Mechanics. Prague, Czech Republic: Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, AS CR.
Thom, N., and S. Brown. 1988. “The effect of grading and density on the mechanical properties of a crushed dolomitic limestone.” In 14th Proc., Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) Conf. Melbourne, Australia: ARRB Group.
Tran, V., M. Meguid, and L. Chouinard. 2015. “Three-dimensional analysis of geogrid-reinforced soil using a finite-discrete element framework.” Int. J. Geomech. 15 (4): 04014066. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0000410.
Transit Cooperative Research Program. 2012. Track design handbook for light rail transit. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board.
Tutumluer, E. 2007. Discrete element modeling of railroad ballast settlement. Champaign, IL: Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Tutumluer, E., H. Huang, Y. Hashash, and J. Ghaboussi. 2006. “Aggregate shape effects on ballast tamping and railroad track lateral stability.” In Proc., AREMA Annual Conf. Lanham, MD: AREMA.
Weber, J. 1966. “Recherches concernant les contraintes intergranulaires dans les milieux pulvérulents.” Bulletin de Liaison des Ponts-et-Chaussées 20: 1–20.
Zhai, W., K. Wang, and J. Lin. 2004. “Modelling and experiment of railway ballast vibrations.” J. Sound Vib. 270 (4–5): 673–683. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-460X(03)00186-X.
Zhao, S., X. Zhou, and W. Liu. 2015. “Discrete element simulations of direct shear tests with particle angularity effect.” Granular Matter 17 (6): 793–806. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-015-0593-x.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19 • Issue 5 • May 2019
Copyright
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 23, 2018
Accepted: Oct 17, 2018
Published online: Mar 1, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Aug 1, 2019
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.