In recent years, extreme weather has occurred frequently, which has exerted a harmful influence on ballastless track. This paper analyzes the heat transfer mechanism between ballastless track and the environment and presents bottom boundary conditions of the track temperature field based on theoretical derivation. A three-dimensional model is established for calculating the track temperature distribution while considering the geographical location and environmental conditions. A field test verifies this calculation model, and the temperature characteristics of the ballastless track under continuous hot weather are analyzed. The results indicate that the proposed method of determining the bottom boundary condition of ballastless track based on the climatic data is efficient and accurate. Under continuous hot weather, the long-term daily mean air temperature and stronger solar radiation cause continuous increase of the whole track temperature. As a consequence, the track temperature is 5–10°C above the air temperature, and there is a larger temperature gradient, which may induce curling deformation of the unitary ballastless track and buckling defects of the longitudinally-coupled slab. For maintenance of track structure, the proposed method is expected to predict the track defects caused by extreme weather based on the weather report.

Spherically encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) are extensively incorporated into matrix material to form composite latent heat storage system for the purposes of saving energy, reducing PCM cost and decreasing space occupation. Although the melting of PCM sphere has been studied comprehensively by experimental and numerical methods, it is still challenging to quantitatively depict the contribution of complex natural convection (NC) to the melting process in a practically simple and acceptable way. To tackle this, a new effective thermal conductivity model is proposed in this work by focusing on the total melting time (TMT) of PCM, instead of tracking the complex evolution of solid–liquid interface. Firstly, the experiment and finite element simulation of the constrained and unconstrained meltings of paraffin sphere are conducted to provide a deep understanding of the NC-driven melting mechanism and exhibit the difference of melting process. Then the dependence of NC on the particle size and heating temperature is numerically investigated for the unconstrained melting which is closer to the real-life physics than the constrained melting. Subsequently, the contribution of NC to the TMT is approximately represented by a simple effective thermal conductivity correlation, through which the melting process of PCM is simplified to involve heat conduction only. The effectiveness of the equivalent thermal conductivity model is demonstrated by rigorous numerical analysis involving NC-driven melting. By addressing the TMT, the present correlation thoroughly avoids tracking the complex evolution of melting front and would bring great convenience to engineering applications.

In the areas which have rich rain and poor drainage, there may be obvious water damage existed in the interlamination of ballastless track. The damage is mainly caused by repeated hydraulic fracturing. Aimed at this problem, the calculation model of water pressure under the train load was established on the basis of fluid-structure interaction theory, and the influence of crack geometry and train operation condition on water pressure were analyzed. The results show that, when the train is close to and far away from the location of the crack, the water pressure changes periodically under the train load, and the pressure peak occurs at the crack front. Simultaneously, the positive and negative pressure may both exist in the crack. The crack geometry affects the distribution of water pressure significantly, the value of water pressure is inversely proportional to the vertical opening of crack, and proportional to the cubic polynomial of horizontal crack depth. The water pressure increases firstly with the increase of longitudinal crack length, then decreases gradually and tends to be stable finally. The train operation condition is also an important factor affecting the distribution of water pressure, the value of water pressure is linear with the axle load, and proportional to the square of train speed. These research results will provide a hydraulic boundary condition for further study of water damage mechanism.

Mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) from construction and demolition waste (CDW) with high-purity and environmental performance are required for highway construction application in base layer and precast concrete curbs. The main problematic constituents that reduce the quality level of the recycled aggregates applications are brick components, flaky particles, and attached mortar, which make up a large proportion of CDW in some countries. This paper studies the potential of brick separation technology based on shape characteristics in order to increase the recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) purity for MRA quality improvement. MRA after purification was also processed with surface treatment experiment by rotating in a cylinder to improve the shape characteristics and to remove the attached mortar. The purity, strength property, densities, water absorption ratio, shape index, and mortar removal ratio of MRA were studied before and after the use of the brick separation and surface treatment proposed in this study. Finally, the recycled aggregates upgradation solution was adopted in a stationary recycling plant designed for a length of 113 km highway construction. The properties of CDW mixed concrete for precast curbs manufacturing were conducted. The results indicate that problematic fractions (brick components, particle shape, and surface weakness) in the MRA were significantly reduced by using brick separation and surface treatment solution. Above all, it is very important that the proposed brick separation method was verified to be practically adopted in CDW recycling plant for highway base layer construction and concrete curbs manufacturing at a low cost.