Improved Performance of Railway Ballast under Impact Loads Using Shock Mats
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138, Issue 3
Abstract
Impact loads generated because of wheel and rail defects cause accelerated ballast breakage leading to adverse performance of ballasted rail tracks. In the present study, experimental and numerical investigations have been carried out to develop an understanding of the performance of shock mats in the attenuation of dynamic impact loads and subsequent mitigation of ballast degradation. The investigations include different locations of shock mats considering stiff and weak subgrade conditions. With the provision of shock mats, the magnitude of impact forces decreases, and the time duration of impact ges prolonged. In the case of stiff subgrade, the efficiency of the shock mat in reducing the impact forces is greater when it is located at the bottom of ballast rather than at the top, whereas the reverse is true for weak subgrade. However, the provision of shock mats both at the top and bottom of the ballast bed, irrespective of the subgrade condition, is the best solution for minimising the impact force. The shock mats can bring down the impact-induced strains in the ballast bed by as much as 50%, apart from substantially reducing the ballast breakage.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the CRC for Rail Innovation (Australia) for its financial support. The contributions made by Sandy Pfeiffer and Dr. Sak Kaewunruen (RailCorp, Sydney) and Tim Neville (Australian Rail Track Corporation, Newcastle) during the field studies are gratefully appreciated. The assistance provided by senior technical officers, Alan Grant, Ian Bridge, and Cameron Neilson is also appreciated. The authors also express their appreciation to Dr. Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Senior Lecturer, University of Wollongong (Australia) for the valuable comments.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 138 • Issue 3 • March 2012
Pages: 281 - 294
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 25, 2010
Accepted: Jul 8, 2011
Published online: Feb 15, 2012
Published in print: Mar 1, 2012
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