Application of Shock Mats in Rail Track Foundation Subjected to Dynamic Loads

Navaratnarajah, SK; Indraratna, B; Nimbalkar, S

Application of Shock Mats in Rail Track Foundation Subjected to Dynamic Loads

Navaratnarajah, SK Indraratna, B Nimbalkar, S

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Procedia Engineering, 2016, 143 pp. 1108 - 1119
Issue Date:: 2016-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Navaratnarajah, SK	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Indraratna, B	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Nimbalkar, S https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1538-3396	en_US
dc.date.issued	2016-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Procedia Engineering, 2016, 143 pp. 1108 - 1119	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/91120
dc.description.abstract	© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Rail track substructure (ballast, subballast and subgrade) is the most essential component of the railway system in view of track stability. The ballast is the largest component of the track substructure and it is the key load-bearing stratum packed with rock aggregates underneath and around the sleepers, thereby providing structural support against dynamic stresses caused by moving trains. However under large dynamic stresses exerted by heavy haul and high speed trains, the degradation of track substructure including ballast becomes significant. This in turn affects the track stability and creates frequent maintenance, thus increasing the life cycle cost of the rail network. Therefore, mitigating degradation of the ballast layer is vital in view of track longevity. In recent years, the use of resilient soft pads (shock mats) above the ballast (i.e. Under Sleeper Pad, USP) and below the ballast (i.e. Under Ballast Mat, UBM) has become a common practice. Many countries, including Australia have adopted the use of resilient pads in the rail track foundation. Currently, the studies on resilient mats are mostly limited to the reduction of vibration and noise. There is a lack of proper assessment of the geotechnical behavior of ballast when used along with shock mats. This paper provides an assessment of the triaxial behavior of the track substructure with and without shock mats under dynamic loading condition. A numerical model was developed based on the modified stress-dilatancy approach to capture the stress-strain and volume change behavior of ballast during impact loading. Model predictions are compared with laboratory results. It was found that the shock mats provide significant advantages in terms of reduced particle breakage and enhanced track stability.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Procedia Engineering	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1016/j.proeng.2016.06.152	en_US
dc.title	Application of Shock Mats in Rail Track Foundation Subjected to Dynamic Loads	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	143	en_US
utslib.for	0905 Civil Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CBI - Centre for Built Infrastructure
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	143	en_US

Abstract:

© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Rail track substructure (ballast, subballast and subgrade) is the most essential component of the railway system in view of track stability. The ballast is the largest component of the track substructure and it is the key load-bearing stratum packed with rock aggregates underneath and around the sleepers, thereby providing structural support against dynamic stresses caused by moving trains. However under large dynamic stresses exerted by heavy haul and high speed trains, the degradation of track substructure including ballast becomes significant. This in turn affects the track stability and creates frequent maintenance, thus increasing the life cycle cost of the rail network. Therefore, mitigating degradation of the ballast layer is vital in view of track longevity. In recent years, the use of resilient soft pads (shock mats) above the ballast (i.e. Under Sleeper Pad, USP) and below the ballast (i.e. Under Ballast Mat, UBM) has become a common practice. Many countries, including Australia have adopted the use of resilient pads in the rail track foundation. Currently, the studies on resilient mats are mostly limited to the reduction of vibration and noise. There is a lack of proper assessment of the geotechnical behavior of ballast when used along with shock mats. This paper provides an assessment of the triaxial behavior of the track substructure with and without shock mats under dynamic loading condition. A numerical model was developed based on the modified stress-dilatancy approach to capture the stress-strain and volume change behavior of ballast during impact loading. Model predictions are compared with laboratory results. It was found that the shock mats provide significant advantages in terms of reduced particle breakage and enhanced track stability.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/91120