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Ballast deterioration inspection and quantification with 3D form method based on particle inscribed ellipsoid

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Abstract

Effective inspection of ballast deterioration is crucial in minimizing wastage of resources during track bed maintenance activities. However, existing studies on quantification and inspection of ballast deterioration often face challenges in application and inaccurate quantification indicators. To address the issues, a 3D form method based on the inscribed ellipsoid of a particle is proposed. This method captures the overall shape change during ballast deterioration and is modified to find the inscribed ellipsoid of irregular particles, validated using cubes. To compare the proposed form method with existing methods, tests were conducted using 30 fresh particles, and the effectiveness of the proposed form method in quantifying the overall shape was validated. A series of Los Angeles Abrasion test and scanning tests were also conducted to analyze the relationship between particle degradation and form from two perspectives: particle crushing and abrasion. The findings demonstrate that the proposed form method can effectively inspect the degree of ballast deterioration, particularly for high degrees of ballast deterioration. This study is significant for the future revision of ballast maintenance guidelines and the development of ballast deterioration inspection.

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Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant Nos. 51878521, 51178358). The support is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Key Laboratory of Safety for Geotechnical and Structural Engineering of Hubei Province, School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Qihang Hu, Rui Gao & Zhiwen Yuan

  2. School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Qihang Hu, Rui Gao & Zhiwen Yuan

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Jing Chen

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  1. Qihang Hu
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Correspondence to Rui Gao.

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Hu, Q., Gao, R., Chen, J. et al. Ballast deterioration inspection and quantification with 3D form method based on particle inscribed ellipsoid. Granular Matter 25, 54 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10035-023-01348-5

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