Quarried rock fragments (ballast) constitute one of the most commonly used construction materials in railway engineering practice. Ballast is subjected to high stress levels as well as being always exposed to environmental changes. Unsatisfactory performance of railway tracks is often associated with the loss of cross level, track profile and track alignment. The in situ condition and the engineering behavior of ballast are also important aspects governing the stability and performance of a given railway track structure. This paper presents the findings of a series of isotropically consolidated, triaxial compression tests on two modeled fractions of uniformly graded latite basalt, which is currently being used by the Railway Services Authority (RSA) of New South Wales, Australia, in the construction of new railway tracks. These tests form part of an extended research program sponsored by RSA to study the stress-strain relationships, strength properties and degradation characteristics of various types of r...

Traditional railway foundations or substructures have become increasingly overloaded in recent years, owing to the introduction of faster and heavier trains. A lack of substructure re-engineering has resulted in maintenance cycles becoming more frequent and increasingly expensive. Two significant problems arising from increasing axle loads are differential track settlement and ballast degradation. One potential method of enhancing the substructure is to manipulate the level of ballast confinement. To investigate this possibility, a series of high-frequency cyclic triaxial tests has been conducted to examine the effects of confining pressure and deviator stress magnitude on ballast deformation (permanent and resilient) and degradation. Experimental results indicate that, for each deviator stress considered, an 'optimum' range of confining pressures exists such that degradation is minimised. This range was found to vary from 15–65 kPa for a maximum deviator stress of 230 kPa to 50–140 kPa when deviatoric stresses increase to 750 kPa. Ballast specimens tested at low confining pressures indicative of current in situ conditions were characterised by excessive axial deformations, volumetric dilation, and an unacceptable degree of degradation associated mainly with angular corner breakage. The results suggest that in situ lateral pressures should be increased to counteract the axle loads of heavier trains, and practical methods of achieving increased confinement are suggested.

This paper presents the results of the influence of frequency on the permanent deformation and degradation behavior of ballast during cyclic loading. The behavior of ballast under numerous cycles was investigated through a series of large-scale cyclic triaxial tests. The tests were conducted at frequencies ranging from 10–40 Hz, which is equivalent to a train traveling from 73 km/h to 291 km/h over standard gauge tracks in Australia. The results showed that permanent deformation and degradation of ballast increased with the frequency of loading and number of cycles. Much of breakage occurs during the initial cycle; however, there exists a frequency zone of 20 Hz⩽f⩽30 Hz where cyclic densification takes place without much additional breakage. An empirical relationship among axial strain, frequency and number of cycles has been proposed based on the experimental data. In addition, discrete-element method (DEM) simulations were carried out using PFC2D on an assembly of irregular shaped particles. A novel app...

Understanding the complex mechanisms of stress transfer and strain accumulation in layers of track substructure under repeated wheel loading is essential to predict the desirable track maintenance cycle as well as the design of the new track. Various finite element and analytical techniques have been developed in the past to understand the behavior of composite track layers subjected to repeated wheel loads. The mechanical behavior of ballast is influenced by several factors, including the track confining pressure, type of aggregates, and the number of loading cycles. A field trial was conducted on an instrumented track at Bulli, New South Wales, Australia, with the specific aims of studying the benefits of a geocomposite installed at the ballast-capping interface, and to evaluate the performance of moderately graded recycled ballast in comparison to traditionally very uniform fresh ballast. It was found that recycled ballast can be effectively reused if reinforced with a geocomposite. It was also found t...

A new elastoplastic stress–strain constitutive model is developed for granular coarse aggregates incorporating the degradation of particles during triaxial shearing. Coarse granular aggregates are subjected to breakage during excessive stress changes. Most of the available constitutive models do not consider the degradation of particles during shearing. In the current model, a plastic flow rule has been developed incorporating the energy consumption due to particle breakage during shear deformation. A non-associated flow and a kinematic type yield locus have been adopted in the model. A general formulation for the rate of particle breakage during shearing has been developed and incorporated in the plastic flow rule. The effects of particle breakage on the plastic distortional and volumetric deformations are incorporated in the current model. The stress–strain formulations are developed within the general critical state framework. The model can accurately predict the stress–strain and volume change behaviour of coarse granular aggregates. The plastic dilation and contraction features of coarse aggregates at various confining pressures are well captured, and the strain-hardening and post-peak strain-softening behaviour of coarse granular media is adequately represented. A particular feature of the model is its capability to predict the degree of particle breakage at any stage of shear deformation.Key words: constitutive modelling, coarse granular aggregates, particle breakage, dilatancy, non-associated flow, plasticity.