01595692

Component

Ballast fouling and ballast deterioration are significant maintenance concerns. Ballast fouling occurs due to the wearing of the ballast against the tie and other ballast, along with the intrusion of fines from the subgrade and penetration of coal dust or soil particles from the surface. In this study, the assessment of fouling of ballast using readily available geotechnical tests is discussed. A series of dynamic cone penetration (DCP), light weight deflectometer (LWD), and static plate loading tests were conducted to determine the strength variations with respect to the amount of fouling as well as variations of moisture content. The tests results show similar trends for the various measures of strength and modulus. The static modulus obtained from static plate loading tests and resilient modulus interpreted from LWD tests showed the same trend – increasing values up to certain moisture content and then decreasing rapidly after a peak. California bearing ratio (CBR) values calculated from DCP results were similar. While there was not a definite trend for lower moisture contents, above a certain moisture content level CBR decreased in the same manner that static modulus and resilient modulus decreased. The correlations between static and resilient moduli were very strong to fairly strong. Correlations between CBR and either static or resilient moduli was relatively weak.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AR060 Standing Committee on Railway Maintenance.

01584066

16-4120

English

18p

2016

Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

Figures; Photos; References; Tables

Ballast (Railroads); California bearing ratio; Deflectometers; Deterioration; Load tests; Modulus of elasticity; Moisture content; Shear strength

Dynamic Cone Penetrometer

Geotechnology; Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2016 Paper #16-4120

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 12 2016 5:49PM