A Laboratory Study of Pressure Distribution and Residual Settlements in Wide Grading Double Layer Railway Ballast under Long-Term Cyclic Loading

[摘要] Ballast layer has weighty share in the lifecycle costs of railway track. The strict standards and maintenance rules of ballast grading significantly contribute to the ballast costs. One ways to the costs reduction is differential demands to ballast grading for the secondary and low loaded railway lines. Additional one is the different ballast grading over the ballast height. This study presents a full scale laboratory investigation of technical efficiency of such railway ballast under the long-term cyclic loading in comparison with the standard ballast layer. The double layer is presented with standard grading ballast upper layer and bottom sub ballast layer consists of ballast mixture. Pressure distribution under the ballast layer and permanent settlements of the layers are measured during the loading cycles. The reference measurements with standard grading ballast material are carried out. The study shows that initial settlement accumulation of the double layer railway ballast are lower to that of the standard ballast layer. However, the settlements accumulation intensity of the ballast is higher. The analysis of the pressure distribution measurements under the ballast layer and the settlements inside the ballast layer explain the causes of the different settlement accumulation.

[学科分类] 建筑学

[关键词] railway ballast;long-term behaviour;permanent settlements;ballast grading;pressure;pressure distribution