TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of geometric ballast plate for laboratory testing of resilient track components
AU - Branson, Jacob M.
AU - Dersch, Marcus S.
AU - de Oliveira Lima, Arthur
AU - Edwards, J. Riley
AU - Kim, Jae Yoon
N1 - Funding Information:
This research has been primarily supported through funding from the National University Rail Center (NIURail). The positions presented within this paper represent those of the authors and not necessarily those of NURail. Laboratory experimentation for this paper was performed at the Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL) at the Harry Schnabel, Jr. Geotechnical Laboratory in Champaign, IL. The loading frame utilized for this testing is owned by Progress Rail Services Corporation, a Caterpillar Company. Epoxy used in the construction of ballast blocks was provided by BASF Corporation.
Funding Information:
This research has been primarily supported through funding from the National University Rail Center (NIURail). The positions presented within this paper represent those of the authors and not necessarily those of NURail. Laboratory experimentation for this paper was performed at the Research and Innovation Laboratory (RAIL)at the Harry Schnabel, Jr. Geotechnical Laboratory in Champaign, IL. The loading frame utilized for this testing is owned by Progress Rail Services Corporation, a Caterpillar Company. Epoxy used in the construction of ballast blocks was provided by BASF Corporation. The authors confirm contribution to the paper as follows: study conception and design: Jacob M. Branson, Marcus S. Dersch, and Arthur de Oliveira Lima; data collection: Jacob M. Branson and Jae-Yoon Kim; analysis and interpretation of results: Jacob M. Branson, Marcus S. Dersch, Arthur de Oliveira Lima, J. Riley Edwards, and Jae-Yoon Kim; draft manuscript preparation: Jacob M. Branson, Marcus Dersch, Arthur de Oliveira Lima, and J. Riley Edwards. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript. Funding: This work was supported by the Progress Rail Services Corporation and the National University Rail (NURail)Center, a USDOT-OST Tier 1 University Transportation Center. Jacob M. Branson, Marcus S. Dersch, and Arthur de Oliveira Lima were partially funded by Progress Rail Services Corporation. Riley Edwards has been funded in part through grants to the UIUC Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC)from CN and Hanson Professional Services.
Funding Information:
Funding: This work was supported by the Progress Rail Services Corporation and the National University Rail (NURail) Center, a USDOT-OST Tier 1 University Transportation Center . Jacob M. Branson, Marcus S. Dersch, and Arthur de Oliveira Lima were partially funded by Progress Rail Services Corporation . Riley Edwards has been funded in part through grants to the UIUC Rail Transportation and Engineering Center (RailTEC) from CN and Hanson Professional Services.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Under tie pads (UTPs)have become a common solution for railroad networks across the world to improve track quality and reduce maintenance. Despite the benefits of UTPs in heavy-haul applications, there are currently no testing standards pertaining to UTPs in high axle load environments. The current European standard, the EN 16730:2016, recommends the use of a geometric ballast plate (GBP)in place of actual ballast for several tests. The GBP's lightweight construction and geometric design allows for ease of use and repeatability in laboratory testing. However, GBP and ballast contact with UTPs have not been thoroughly documented within the literature. Therefore, this study aims to compare the relationship between GBP and ballast contact surfaces through a variety of laboratory tests and 3D scanning. Several ballast “blocks” were cast to serve as repeatable ballast specimens for the tests and scans. Top contact surface, pressure distribution characteristics, and geometric properties of the GBP and ballast blocks were compared. Results showed that the GBP generally overestimates the contact characteristics of ballast, resulting in lower pressures, higher contact areas, greater total areas at given depths, and smaller particle spacing than the ballast blocks. Using these results, a more realistic GBP design can be developed. This work will be valuable in establishing more accurate testing methods/support conditions to enable representative, easy, and repeatable laboratory testing of resilient track components.
AB - Under tie pads (UTPs)have become a common solution for railroad networks across the world to improve track quality and reduce maintenance. Despite the benefits of UTPs in heavy-haul applications, there are currently no testing standards pertaining to UTPs in high axle load environments. The current European standard, the EN 16730:2016, recommends the use of a geometric ballast plate (GBP)in place of actual ballast for several tests. The GBP's lightweight construction and geometric design allows for ease of use and repeatability in laboratory testing. However, GBP and ballast contact with UTPs have not been thoroughly documented within the literature. Therefore, this study aims to compare the relationship between GBP and ballast contact surfaces through a variety of laboratory tests and 3D scanning. Several ballast “blocks” were cast to serve as repeatable ballast specimens for the tests and scans. Top contact surface, pressure distribution characteristics, and geometric properties of the GBP and ballast blocks were compared. Results showed that the GBP generally overestimates the contact characteristics of ballast, resulting in lower pressures, higher contact areas, greater total areas at given depths, and smaller particle spacing than the ballast blocks. Using these results, a more realistic GBP design can be developed. This work will be valuable in establishing more accurate testing methods/support conditions to enable representative, easy, and repeatable laboratory testing of resilient track components.
KW - 3D scanning
KW - Geometric ballast plate
KW - Matrix based tactile surface sensors
KW - Pressure distribution
KW - Railroad ballast
KW - Under tie pads
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065517154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85065517154&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.trgeo.2019.04.003
DO - 10.1016/j.trgeo.2019.04.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85065517154
SN - 2214-3912
VL - 20
JO - Transportation Geotechnics
JF - Transportation Geotechnics
M1 - 100240
ER -