Proposal of a Method to Easily Understand Rainfall Infiltration in Railway Embankments

Slope failures due to heavy or prolonged rain have been occurring frequently in Japan in recent years.In railway embankments,even small-scale surface collapse can result in track deformation.Currently,train operation during rainy periods is regulated according to empirical rules based on rainfall and disaster history.However,the validity of operation regulations is lacking because the rainfall infiltration circumstances inside the slope are unknown.We have been attempting to understand rainfall infiltration in railway embankments by applying a method of predicting surface collapse from observations of volumetric water content in the soil.We used previous field monitoring and model experiments to propose a method for easily understanding the state of rainfall infiltration in the surface layer of an embankment using the relative history of volumetric water content at different depths.In this study,we applied this simple determination method to railway embankments with different topography and geological environments to demonstrate the versatility of the method.

Experimental and numerical studies on vibration characteristics of a railway embankment

In order to study the dynamic response of the rail embankment under different speeds and moving load of following vehicles,a model experiment with a ratio of 1:10 is established to test the time history of acceleration and the earth pressure of the embankment at various train speeds.Using the ABAQUS finite element calculation software,a train load is applied through the FORTRAN subroutine,thereby establishing a three-dimensional finite element model with the same size as the model experiment.The data and conclusions of the finite element method model are verified by the model experiment.The model also makes some supplements to the model experiment.The experimental results show that with the increase of speed,the peak acceleration and earth pressure of the embankment also increase.By analyzing the experimental data,it can also be found that the vertical acceleration of the embankment is much greater than the axial acceleration and the lateral acceleration.In addition,the elastic modulus of the soil and the sleeper pitch also have some influence on the acceleration.

Dynamic behavior of the Qinghai-Tibetan railway embankment in permafrost regions under trained-induced vertical loads

The unfrozen water content and ice content of frozen soil change continuously with varying temperatures,resulting in the temperature dependence of mechanical properties of frozen soil.Thus the dynamic behavior of embankment in permafrost regions under train loading also alters with seasons.Based on a series of strong-motion tests that were carried out on the traditional embankment of Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR)in permafrost regions,the acceleration waveforms recorded at the embankment shoulder and slope toes were obtained.Testing results show an obvious attenuation effect on the vertical train loading from road shoulder to slope toes.Furthermore,numerical simulations of a traditional embankment under vertical train loading in different seasons were conducted,and the dynamic behavior of the embankment was described.The results show that the vibration attenuation in the cold season is greater than that in the warm season.The maximum acceleration of vibration drops to about 5%when the train vibration load is transferred through the embankment into the permafrost,and the high-frequency components are absorbed when the vibration transmits downward.Moreover,the dynamic stress under the dynamic train loading decreases exponentially with an increasing depth in different seasons.The results can be a reference for design and maintenance of embankments in permafrost regions.

Calibrating partial factors for Danish railway embankments using probabilistic analyses

High costs are connected with upgrading railway embankments throughout Denmark using the partial factors for geotechnical design calibrated for general application. One way to reduce the costs is reliability-based calibration of the partial factors to a reasonable safety level taking into account the specific design situations and uncertainties relevant to railway embankments. A reliability-based design has been investigated, resulting in an optimal partial factor for the considered subsoil. With a stochastic soil model to simulate the undrained shear strength of soft soil deposits, the partial factor is calibrated using asymptotic sampling for the reliability assessment. The calibration shows that the partial factor can be reduced significantly compared to the value specified in the Danish National Annex to DS/EN 1997-1 （2007）, Eurocode 7.

Centrifugal Model Tests on Railway Embankments of Expansive Soils

Based on the centrifugal model tests on railway embankments of expansive soil in Nanning Kunming railway,the author studied several embankments under different physical conditions. The stress and strain states and settlement of the embankments were analyzed, and the obtained results can be used as a reference to field construction.

In-situ testing study on convection and temperature characteristics of a new crushed-rock slope embankment design in a permafrost region

For the purpose of enhancing air convection and controlling solar radiation, a new crushed-rock slope embankment design combined with a sun-shade measure is proposed. A newly designed embankment was constructed in the Tuotuohe section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and a field-testing experiment was carried out to determine its convection and temperature characteristics. The results show that distinct air convection occurred in the crushed-rock layer of the new embankment, especially in cold seasons, which was enhanced when it flowed upwards along the slope. This preliminarily indicated that the new design of the embankment slope was good for reinforcing air convection in the crushed-rock layer. The frequent fluctuations of the convection speed and the environmental wind speed were in good agreement, suggesting that the convection in the crushed rock primarily came from the ambient wind. It was also preliminarily determined that the new embankment had a better cooling effect and sun-shade effect for decreasing the temperature of the embankment slope compared with a traditional crushed-rock slope embankment, and the mean temperature difference between them was up to 1.7 °C. The mean annual temperature at the bottom boundary of the crushed-rock layer was obviously lower than that at the top boundary, and heat flux calculation showed that the shallow soil beneath the embankment slope was weakly releasing heat, all of which indicated that the new embankment slope design was beneficial to the thermal stability of the embankment. This study is helpful in providing some references for improved engineering design and maintenance of roadbeds in permafrost regions.