Abstract
Ballast degrades through wear and breakage due to the cumulative actions of traffic. This study evaluated ballast degradation using the Los Angeles abrasion (LAA) and cyclic loading tests, changes in the ballast aggregates shape indexes (form, angularity, surface texture and volume) were also evaluated using image analysis techniques. A typical freight train with an average speed of 120 km/h and 30 tonnes capacity was simulated for the cyclic loading test. Series of LAA and cyclic loading tests were conducted on separate samples of the same gradations, and the changes in the aggregates shape indexes were determined using the Aggregate image measuring system (AIMS) package and a 3D laser scanner before and after each of the tests. The image-based assessment revealed that ballast degradation is related to the particle edge breakage and surface wear. The overall experimental results showed that ballast degradation is more profound in the ballast early stage of service, and the degradation index has a good correlation with the changes in aggregate shape indexes. The results also revealed that the two tests gave different degradation indexes, hence a relationship between the ballast degradation index and the number of load cycles with the number of LAA drum turns is proposed to reflect the effect of the number of train’s axle load cycles on ballast degradation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
ASTM, A.: C535–09 Standard Test Method for Resistance to Degradation of Large Size Coarse Aggregate by Abrasion and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine: Conshohoken, PA: ASTM (2009)
Aursudkij, B.: A laboratory study of railway ballast behaviour under traffic loading and tamping maintenance. University of Nottingham (2007)
Cui, S., Pittman, R.W., Zhao, J.: Restructuring the Chinese Freight Railway: Two Scenarios. Available at SSRN 3229378 (2018)
Danesh, A., Palassi, M., Mirghasemi, A.A.: Evaluating the influence of ballast degradation on its shear behaviour. Int. J. Rail Transp. 6(3), 145–162 (2018)
Esveld, C., Esveld, C.: Modern railway track, vol. 385. MRT-productions Zaltbommel, Netherlands (2001)
Fischer, S., Németh, A.: special laboratory testing method for evaluation particle breakage of railway ballast material. Sci. Transp. Prog. Bulletin dnipropetrovsk Nat. Univ. Railway Transp. 2(74), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.15802/stp2018/130854
Guo, Y., Markine, V., Zhang, X., Qiang, W., Jing, G.: Image analysis for morphology, rheology and degradation study of railway ballast: a review. Transp. Geotech. 18, 173–211 (2019)
Han, X.: The role of particle breakage on the permanent deformation of ballast (2012)
Indraratna, B., Salim, W.: Modelling of particle breakage of coarse aggregates incorporating strength and dilatancy (2002)
Indraratna, B., Nimbalkar, S., Rujikiatkamjorn, C.: From theory to practice in track geomechanics–Australian perspective for synthetic inclusions. Transp. Geotech. 1(4), 171–187 (2014)
Indraratna, B., Nimbalkar, S., Coop, M., Sloan, S.W.: A constitutive model for coal-fouled ballast capturing the effects of particle degradation. Comput. Geotech. 61, 96–107 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2014.05.003
Indraratna, B., Sun, Y., Nimbalkar, S.: Laboratory assessment of the role of particle size distribution on the deformation and degradation of ballast under cyclic loading. J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 142(7), 04016016 (2016)
Indraratna, B., Tennakoon, N.C., Nimbalkar, S.S., Rujikiatkamjorn, C.: Behaviour of clay-fouled ballast under drained triaxial testing (2013)
Koohmishi, M., Palassi, M.: Degradation of railway ballast under compressive loads considering particles rearrangement. Int. J. Pavement Eng. 1–13 (2018)
Lu, M., McDowell, G.: Discrete element modelling of railway ballast under monotonic and cyclic triaxial loading. GĂ©otechnique 60(6), 459 (2010)
Marsal, R.J.: Large-scale testing of rockfill materials. J. Soil Mech. Found. Div. 93(2), 27–43 (1967)
Masad, E., Fletcher, T.: Aggregate imaging system (AIMS): Basics and applications (2005)
McDowell, G.R., Lim, W.L., Collop, A.C., Armitage, R., Thom, N.H.: Laboratory simulation of train loading and tamping on ballast. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the institution of civil engineers-transport (2005)
Moaveni, M., Qian, Y., Qamhia, I.I., Tutumluer, E., Basye, C., Li, D.: Morphological characterization of railroad ballast degradation trends in the field and laboratory. Transp. Res. Rec. 2545(1), 89–99 (2016)
NĂĄlsund, R., Tutumuler, E., Horvli, I.: Degradation of railway ballast through large scale triaxial and full scale rail track model tests. In: Paper presented at the Proceedings of the international conferences on the bearing capacity of roads, railways and airfields (2013)
Qian, Y., Boler, H., Moaveni, M., Tutumluer, E., Hashash, Y.M., Ghaboussi, J.: Characterizing ballast degradation through Los Angeles abrasion test and image analysis. Transp. Res. Rec. 2448(1), 142–151 (2014)
Qian, Y., Boler, H., Moaveni, M., Tutumluer, E., Hashash, Y.M., Ghaboussi, J.: Degradation-related changes in ballast gradation and aggregate particle morphology. J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng. 143(8), 04017032 (2017)
Röthlisberger, F., Cuénoud, J., Chastan, L., Däppen, J., Kuerzen, E.: Compressive Strength of Aggregates on the Stack, p. 59 (2006)
Sun, Q., Indraratna, B., Nimbalkar, S.: Effect of cyclic loading frequency on the permanent deformation and degradation of railway ballast. Géotechnique 64(9), 746–751 (2014)
TB/T2328.14–2008: Test method for railway ballast. NATIONAL STANDARD OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (2008)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Nie, Z., Ashiru, M., Chen, X., Mohamud, S. (2021). Appraisal of Railway Ballast Degradation Through Los Angeles Abrasion, Cyclic Loading Tests, and Image Technics. In: Shu, S., Wang, J., Souliman, M. (eds) Advances in Geotechnical Engineering & Geoenvironmental Engineering. GeoChina 2021. Sustainable Civil Infrastructures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80142-7_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80142-7_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80141-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80142-7
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)