Experimental and numerical settlement analysis of railway track over geogrid reinforced ballast

Purpose-The main objective of the present research is to investigate the benefits of using geogrid reinforcement in minimizing the rate of deterioration of ballasted rail track geometry resting on soft clay and to explore the effect of load amplitude,load frequency,presence of geogrid layer in ballast layer and ballast layer thickness on the behavior of track system.These variables are studied both experimentally and numerically.This paper examines the effect of geogrid reinforced ballast laying on a layer of clayey soil as a subgrade layer,where a half full scale railway tests are conducted as well as a theoretical analysis is performed.Design/methodologylapproach-The experimental tests work consists of laboratory model tests to investigate the reduction in the compressibility and stress distribution induced in soft clay under a ballast railway reinforced by geogrid reinforcement subjected to dynamic load.Experimental model based on an approximate half scale for general rail track engineering practice is adopted in this study which is used in Iraqi railways.The investigated parameters are load amplitude,load frequency and presence of geogrid reinforcement layer.A half fuli-scale railway was constructed for carrying out the tests,which consists of two rails 800 mm in iength with three w00den sleepers(900 mm×90 mm×90 mm).The ballast was overlying 500 mm thick clay layer.The tests were carried out with and without geogrid reinforcement,the tests were carried out in a well tied steel box of 1.5 m length X 1 m width X 1 m height.A series of laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the response of the ballast and the clay layers where the ballast was reinforced by a geogrid.Settlement in ballast and clay,was measured in reinforced and unreinforced ballast cases.In addition to the laboratory tests,the application of numerical analysis was made by using the finite element program PLAXIS 3D 2013.Findings-It was concluded that the settlement increased with increasing the simulated train load amplitude,there is a sharp increase in settlement up to the cycle 500 and after that,there is a gradual increase to level out between,2,500 and 4,500 cycles depending on the load frequency.There is a little increase in the induced settlement when the load amplitude increased from 0.5 to i ton,but it is higher when the load amplitude increased to 2 ton,the increase in settlement depends on the geogrid existence and the other studied parameters.Both experimental and numerical results showed the same behavior.The effect of load frequency on the settlement ratio is almost constant after 500 cycles.In general,for reinforced cases,the effect of load frequency on the settlement ratio is very small ranging between 0.5 and 2%compared with the unreinforcedcase.Originalitylvalue-Increasing the ballast layer thickness from 20 cm to 30 cm leads to decrease the settlement by about 50%.This ascertains the efficiency of ballast in spreading the waves induced by the track.

Analysis of mesoscopic mechanical dynamic characteristics of ballast bed with under sleeper pads

The meso-dynamical behaviour of a high-speed rail ballast bed with under sleeper pads(USPs)was studied.The geometrically irregular refined discrete element model of the ballast particles was constructed using 3D scanning techniques,and the 3D dynamic model of the rail-sleeper-ballast bed was constructed using the coupled discrete element method-multiflexible-body dynamics(DEM-MFBD)approach.We analyse the meso-mechanical dynamics of the ballast bed with USPs under dynamic load on a train and verify the correctness of the model in laboratory tests.It is shown that the deformation of the USPs increases the contact area between the sleeper and the ballast particles,and subsequently the number of contacts between them.As the depth of the granular ballast bed increases,the contact area becomes larger,and the contact force between the ballast particles gradually decreases.Under the action of the elastic USPs,the contact forces between ballast particles are reduced and the overall vibration level of the ballast bed can be reduced.The settlement of the granular ballast bed occurs mainly at the shallow position of the sleeper bottom,and the installation of the elastic USPs can be effective in reducing the stress on the ballast particles and the settlement of the ballast bed.

Mechanism of cross-level settlements and void accumulation of wide and conventional sleepers in railway ballast

The cross-level and twist irregularities are the most dangerous irregularity types that could cause wheel unloading with the risk of derailments and additional maintenance expenses.However,the mechanism of the irregularities initiation and development is unclear.The motivation of the present study was the previous experimental studies on the application of wide sleepers in the ballasted track.The long-term track geometry measurements with wide sleepers show an enormous reduction of the vertical longitudinal irregularities compared to the conventional track.However,wide sleepers had higher twist and cross-section level irregularities.The present paper aims to explain the phenomenon by discrete element method(DEM)modeling the development process of sleeper inhomogeneous support at cross-level depending on the sleeper form.The DEM simulations show that the maximal settlement intensity is up to 3.5 times lower for a wide sleeper in comparison with the conventional one.Nevertheless,the cross-level differential settlements are almost the same for both sleepers.The particle loading distribution after all loading cycles is concentrated on the smaller area,up to the half sleeper length,with fully unloaded zones under sleeper ends.Ballast flow limitation under the central part of the sleeper could improve the resilience of wide sleepers to the development of cross-level irregularities.The mechanism of initiation of the cross-level irregularity is proposed,which assumes the loss of sleeper support under sleeper ends.The further growth of inhomogeneous settlements along the sleeper is assumed as a result of the interaction of two processes:ballast flow due to dynamic impact during void closing and on the other side high pressure due to the concentration of the pressure under the middle part of the sleeper.The DEM simulation results support the assumption of the mechanism and agree with the experimental studies.

Modelling and Sizing of a Floor Reinforced by Ballasted Columns Intended to Support a Tank

This work aims to study the modeling and sizing of a floor reinforced by ballasted columns. We are studying the system of reinforcement by ballasted columns because this technique is able to replace deep foundations that are technically difficult to realize and their cost is higher. The modelling and dimensioning of foundations on a ballasted column will be an important contribution to the state of the art of this method because it will highlight the mode of transfer of loads, and will expose the induced deformations by also allowing to verification criteria of bearing capacity and allowable settlement according to geometric information of the model. The columns on a substrate located at 9 m have a length of 9 m and a diameter of 40 cm and were obtained by incorporating ballast of granular class 0/31.5 of internal friction angle of 38˚ and a density weight of 21 kN/m3. The choice of this method is based on the geotechnical characteristics of the initial soil. Thus, identification and characterization tests were carried out to estimate the bearing capacity and the settlement giving respectively 125 kPa and 57 cm. These results show the ground does not have sufficient mechanical properties to withstand the loads transmitted by the tank. By adopting the reinforcement of the soil with ballasted columns, numerical calculations show that after applying a load equal to 265.1 KPa, 20 cm vertical settlement and 17 cm horizontal displacement were obtained. This is in the tolerable deformation range for our tank, namely, less than 20 cm. Analytically, in addition to reducing settlement, ballasted columns, Due to their high stiffness, they have effectively contributed to the increase of the permissible soil stress up to 257 kPa.

Inconsistent effect of dynamic load waveform on macro-and micro-scale responses of ballast bed characterized in individual cycle:a numerical study

Cyclic load is widely adopted in laboratory to simulate the effect of train load on ballast bed.The effectiveness of such load equivalence is usually testified by having similar results of key concerns of ballast bed,such as deformation or stiffness,while the consistency of particle scale characteristics under two loading patterns is rarely examined,which is insufficient to well-understand and use the load simplification.In this study,a previous laboratory model test of ballast bed under cyclic load is rebuilt using 3D discrete element method(DEM),which is validated by dynamic responses monitored by high-resolution sensors.Then,train load having the same magnitude and amplitude as the cyclic load is applied in the numerical model to obtain the statistical characteristics of inter-particle contact force and particle movements in ballast bed.The results show that particle scale responses under two loading patterns could have quite deviation,even when macro-scale responses of ballast bed under two loading patterns are very close.This inconsistency indicates that the application scale of the DEM model should not exceed the validation scale.Moreover,it is important to examine multiscale responses to validate the effectiveness of load simplification.

Influence of unsupported sleepers on the dynamic stability of ballasted bed based on wheelset impact tests

The unsupported sleeper can change the load characteristics of ballast particles and thus affect the dynamic stability of a ballasted bed.In this work,a laboratory test was constructed on a ballasted track containing unsupported sleepers.The ballasted track was excited by a wheelset,and the influence of unsupported sleepers on the dynamic stability of a ballasted bed was studied.The results show that the main frequency of the sleeper vibration appeared at 670 Hz,and the first-order rigid vibration mode at the frequency of 101 Hz had a significant effect on the condition without the unsupported sleeper.When the sleepers were continuously unsupported,the vibration damping effect of ballasted bed within the frequency range of 0–450 Hz was better than that at higher frequencies.Within the frequency range of 70–250 Hz,the vibration damping effect of the ballasted bed with unsupported sleepers was better than that without the unsupported sleeper.Owing to the excitation from the wheelset impact,the lateral resistance of the ballasted bed with unsupported sleepers whose hanging heights were 30,60,and 90 mm increased by 37.43%,12.25%,and 18.23%,respectively,while the lateral resistance of the ballasted bed without the unsupported sleeper remained basically unchanged.The unsupported sleeper could increase the difference in the quality of the ballasted bed between two adjacent sleepers.In addition,test results show that the hanging height of the unsupported sleeper had little effect on the lateral resistance of a ballasted bed without external excitation,but had an obvious effect on the rate of change of the lateral resistance of a ballasted bed and the acceleration amplitude of the sleeper vibration under the wheelset impact.

Image-Aided Analysis of Ballast Particle Movement Along a High-Speed Railway

As a core infrastructure of high-speed railways,ballast layers constituted by graded crushed stones feature noteworthy particle movement compared with normal railways,which may cause excessive settlement and have detrimental effects on train operation.However,the movement behavior remains ambiguous due to a lack of effective measurement approaches and analytical methods.In this study,an image-aided technique was developed in a full-scale model test using digital cameras and a colorbased identification approach.A total of 1274 surface ballast particles were manually dyed by discernible colors to serve as tracers in the test.The movements of the surface ballast particles were tracked using the varied pixels displaying tracers in the photos that were intermittently taken during the test in the perpendicular direction.The movement behavior of ballast particles under different combinations of train speeds and axle loads was quantitatively evaluated.The obtained results indicated that the surface ballast particle movements were slight,mainly concentrated near sleepers under low-speed train loads and greatly amplified and extended to the whole surface when the train speed reached 360 km.h-1.Additionally,the development of ballast particle displacement statistically resembled its rotation.Track vibration contributed to the movements of ballast particles,which specifically were driven by vertical acceleration near the track center and horizontal acceleration at the track edge.Furthermore,the development trends of ballast particle movements and track settlement under long-term train loading were similar,and both stabilized at nearly the same time.The track performance,including the vibration characteristics,accumulated settlement,and sleeper support stiffness,was determined to be closely related to the direction and distribution of ballast particle flow,which partly deteriorated under high-speed train loads.

Mechanical properties of foamed polyurethane solidified ballasted track

Foamed Polyurethane Solidified Ballasted Track(FPSBT),an innovative railway track,is formed by solidifying ballast bed with foamed polyurethane.Compared with the traditional Discrete Ballasted Track(DBT),FPSBT does not require regular maintenance such as tamping and cleaning.However,limited studies exist on the mechanical properties of FPSBT.In this study,Laboratory experiments are conducted on polyurethane samples to investigate the effects of polyurethane density on the mechanical properties of FPSBT.Furthermore,the performance of DBT and FPSBT with different polyurethane densities are compared,and the recommended polyurethane density is obtained.FPSBT exhibited negligible accumulation of deformation under cyclic loads,indicating excellent performance of FPSBT owing to the anti-deformation properties of polyurethane.Further,a track load vehicle test is conducted.FPSBT exhibited better load-transmitting ability than DBT.Finally,the construction and application of FPSBT in China are introduced.This study is expected to contribute to realizing a more extensive application of FPSBT.

The Management of Environment Cost Caused by Ballast Water

According to classical economic theory,external cost is the indirect,and uncompensated,social or environmental cost caused to an uninvolved third party that arises as an effect of another party’s activity.In light of this,the environmental cost caused by ballast water is considered as a negative externality.This paper aims to contribute by proposing that the environmental cost caused by ballast water can be determined through questionnaires,and that the imposition of a Pigouvian retributive tax is required to compensate for the environmental damage caused.The paper proceeds as follows.Firstly,ballast water management is discussed.Second,the environmental cost is discussed and it is asserted that it is important to have clear regulations and to update them frequently to prevent or minimize ballast water’s negative impact on the environment.Finally,it is suggested that the environmental cost caused by ballast water can be determined by questionnaires and,more specifically,by the WTP(Willingness to Pay)method,and that a special Pigouvian corrective taxation which can internalize this cost should be imposed.

Influence of the Randomness of Longitudinal Resistance of Ballast Bed on Track-Bridge Interaction

To get the influence of the randomness of longitudinal resistance of ballast bed (LRBB) on track-bridge interaction, the statistical law of LRBB was studied with existing test data and the Shapiro-Wilk test. Based on the principle of track-bridge interaction, a rail-sleeper-bridge-pier integrated simulation model that could consider the randomness of LRBB was established. Taking a continuous beam bridge for the heavy-haul railway as an example, the effect of the randomness of LRBB on the mechanical behavior of continuous welded rail (CWR) on bridges under typical conditions was carefully examined with a random sampling method and the simulation model. The results show that the LRBB corresponding sleeper displacement of 2 mm obeys a normal distribution. When the randomness of LRBB is considered, the amplitudes of rail expansion force, rail bending force, rail braking force and rail broken gap all follow normal distribution. As the standard deviations of the four indexes are small, which indicates the randomness of LRBB has little effect on track-bridge interaction. The distributions of the four indexes make it possible to design CWR on bridges with the limit state method.

A study on characteristic indexesof railway ballast bed underhigh-frequency radar

Purpose–In this paper,a high-frequency radar test system was used to collect the data of clean ballast bed and fouled ballast bed of ballasted tracks,respectively,for a quantitative evaluation of the condition of railway ballast bed.Design/methodology/approach–Based on original radar signals,the time–frequency characteristics of radar signals were analyzed,five ballast bed condition characteristic indexes were proposed,including the frequency domain integral area,scanning area,number of intersections with the time axis,number of timedomain inflection points and amplitude envelope obtained by Hilbert transform,and the effectiveness and sensitivity of the indexes were analyzed.Findings–The thickness of ballast bed tested at the sleep bottom by high-frequency radar is up to 55 cm,which meets the requirements of ballast bed detection.Compared with clean ballast bed,the values of the five indexes of fouled ballast bed are larger,and the five indexes could effectively show the condition of the ballast bed.The computational efficiency of amplitude envelope obtained by Hilbert transform is 140 s$km
1,and the computational efficiency of other indexes is 5 s$km
1.The amplitude envelopes obtained by Hilbert transform in the subgrade sections and tunnel sections are the most sensitive,followed by scanning area.The number of intersections with the time axis in the bridge sections was the most sensitive,followed by the scanning area.The scanning area can adapt to different substructures such as subgrade,bridges and tunnels,with high comprehensive sensitivity.Originality/value–The research can provide appropriate characteristic indexes from the high-frequency radar original signal to quantitatively evaluate ballast bed condition under different substructures.

基于准动态评估的桥上有砟轨道最优级配研究

道砟级配是有砟轨道的重要参数,对桥上有砟道床准动态稳定性和容重有较大影响。通过离散元法建立桥上有砟道床模型,研究各国级配下道床准动态稳定性差异;采用极限思维法,揭示各粒径含量对桥上有砟道床准动态稳定性的影响程度,并对道床容重特性进行初探。结果表明:当桥上道床密度为1.7 g/cm~3时,道床横向阻力值为:俄罗斯B类>中国特级>中国一级>美国4A;大粒径道砟含量越高,道床横向阻力值越大;小粒径道砟含量增加,道床横向阻力值先减小后略有增大;为保证道床具有较高稳定性,建议小粒径道砟含量应大于0但不超过30%,中粒径道砟含量应不为0,大粒径道砟含量应不低于15.5%;采用最优级配区间所建立的桥上有砟道床具有工程上所青睐的道床容重特性。

基于离散元的重载铁路有砟轨道阻力特性研究

研究目的:有砟轨道在重载铁路中广泛采用,随着服役时间的增加,在列车荷载反复作用下,道床性能会随之变化,线路阻力呈现动态发展的时变特性。作为求解梁轨相互作用的关键,准确合理地选取线路纵向阻力是保证梁轨相互作用计算准确的前提,关系梁轨系统的正常使用与安全运营。研究结论:(1)颗粒级配由粗到细,纵向线阻力逐渐减小;摩擦系数由小到大,纵向线阻力稍微增加;(2)结合不同级配建立的道床模型模拟出的纵向线阻力-位移曲线,获得纵向线阻力动态演化模型,可知线路纵向阻力由新建线路的阻力29.7 kN/(m·线)演化到破碎充分时的23.6 kN/(m·线),退化幅度约为20.5%;(3)本研究成果可为开展全服役期内重载铁路的梁轨相互作用等相关研究提供关键参数。

潜艇高压气吹除主压载水舱应急挽回的运动规律和控制策略

针对潜艇高压气吹除压载水舱应急挽回姿态控制难题,以吹除高压气和压载水舱中压力气体为研究对象,推导并构建了高压气吹除和压载水舱解除气压数理模型。结合潜艇应急挽回数学模型,对潜艇发生破损进水事故的应急挽回过程进行数值仿真,分析了某潜艇事故采取3种不同挽回方案条件下潜艇运动姿态变化规律。研究结果表明:所构建的数理模型能较好描述潜艇应急挽回姿态变化规律,为潜艇应急挽回运动规律预报、潜艇运动状态实时评估和姿态控制方案制定提供理论依据和技术支持。

铁路道砟材质选型分析与建议

我国铁路覆盖范围广,沿线所处地质环境复杂、气候多变,铁路运维面临巨大挑战。有砟道床作为铁路重要组成部分,其养护维修一直以来倍受关注,然而,岩石材料具有多样性和分布不均衡性,且我国道砟材质标准及选型较为单一,并未考虑地质及气候环境等因素,给铁路建设及运维带来一系列问题。针对此,总结世界各国道砟选型方式及方法,对比复杂环境道砟材质选型标准,归纳新型道砟材料,并且解释了标准中用于道砟性能量化的指标及其试验方法。对比各国所道砟材质及其配套的选型标准,得到以下主要结论:(1)针对我国现有道砟规范问题,可以考虑根据铁路沿线地质和气候等因素选择道砟材质;(2)目前仍没有方法可以快速、准确并且不破坏道床的方式来得到道床堆积密度;(3)为实现双碳目标,在有条件的新建或改建线路上可考虑选用建筑固废、工业固废等新型道砟材料。

基于细观解析模型的铁路有砟道床力学特性研究

有砟道床是由碎石道砟组成的一种散粒体结构,道砟颗粒之间的相互作用影响道床结构整体的力学特性。为研究道砟层内部的荷载传递和沉降规律,探明列车行驶过程中道床服役状态演变的机制,基于有限元ABAQUS平台软件,通过编制内部子程序对Chang-Hicher模型进行二次开发,开展道砟集料的常规三轴试验以及碎石道床动力特性试验的数值模拟,从静、动力学角度阐明利用细观解析本构模型模拟道砟力学特性的可行性。进一步利用该模型研究高速列车荷载下道床的动态力学行为,从宏观层面探讨道床不同区域的沉降特征,从细观层面运用玫瑰图来分析道砟间接触力的分布情况和变化规律,分析行车速度和轴重等控制因素对接触力和位移的影响。研究结果表明,列车行驶过程中,荷载作用下方道砟的接触力整体水平最高、枕盒中心处次之,轨枕中心处最小,而这些区域内道砟的竖向位移变化基本相同;行车速度和轴重对道砟间接触力和道床下沉量均呈现正相关关系。

微砂载体絮凝预处理缓解超滤膜污染

采用微砂载体絮凝工艺对城市污水厂二级出水进行预处理,考察了该工艺对污水中溶解性有机碳(DOC)、UV_(254)和浊度的去除效果,表征了微砂载体絮凝对污水中溶解性有机物的去除特性,比较了絮体分形维数和絮凝指数(FI)的变化,分析了絮凝预处理对超滤膜比通量和膜阻力的影响。结果表明:微砂载体絮凝能有效去除污水中的大分子腐殖酸和蛋白类有机物,抑制有机物在膜表面的堆积,形成较大分形维数、抗剪切力强的絮体滤饼层;微砂的支撑作用有利于提高滤饼层的渗透性,有效降低膜过滤总阻力,尤其是滤饼层阻力,延缓了超滤膜通量的衰减进程,缓解了膜污染。

海上风电单柱复合筒型基础承载特性

文章针对一种新型海上风机基础型式的单柱复合筒型基础的承载特性,在砂土中进行了小比尺物理模型试验。试验中采用了位移控制的水平单调加载方式,选择加载速度与压载为变量,得到水平承载力荷载位移曲线。试验结果表明,基础极限承载力与加载速度和压载质量均呈正相关。得出了基础在加载过程中不同舱内孔隙水压力的变化规律。

力稳定车稳定装置-有砟轨道耦合系统动力学特性研究

提出了一种针对动力稳定车作业过程动力学响应分析的稳定装置-轨排-道床耦合动力学模型。参照铁路行业标准设定了5种道床状态,基于ADAMS建立了虚拟样机仿真模型。系统地讨论了道床状态和作业参数对耦合系统横向振动响应的影响效果,以及各研究对象间的相互作用关系。研究结果表明:在5种道床范围内,系统共振频率随道床状态参数提升而增大;垂向下压力与系统振动响应幅值呈线性负相关,且其对振幅的影响效果显著低于激振频率;稳定装置与轨枕的横向加速度、速度和位移振幅相近,显著大于道床振幅,激振器振动能量主要为道床吸收;2级道床状态下,稳定作业过程中,自第3号响应输出点起,轨枕和道床块的各响应参数振幅急剧减小。

干湿循环对黏土微观结构及持水性能影响的试验研究

长期干湿循环作用会削弱路基土的工程力学性质,产生工程灾害,有必要研究干湿循环对其微观结构及持水性能的影响。针对既有线有砟轨道路基土,开展了一系列考虑干湿循环影响的压汞试验、扫描电镜试验、压力板试验与饱和盐溶液蒸汽平衡试验。试验结果表明:在反复的干湿循环过程中,土体结构遭到破坏,内部胶结物质不断减少。土体微孔及小孔(<5μm)数量逐渐增多,中孔及部分大孔范围(5~30μm)内的峰值孔径逐渐减小,分布密度逐渐增大。数次干湿循环后微裂隙(>100μm)逐渐增多,导致试样开裂。干湿循环会对土体的持水性能产生影响,初始干密度较小时,经历过1次干湿循环持水性能略有增强,而经历过3次及5次干湿循环持水性能持续减弱。