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Model tests on XCC-piled embankment under dynamic train load of high-speed railways

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Abstract

Piled embankments, which offer many advantages, are increasingly popular in construction of high-speed railways in China. Although the performance of piled embankment under static loading is well-known, the behavior under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is not yet understood. In light of this, a heavily instrumented piled embankment model was set up, and a model test was carried out, in which a servo-hydraulic actuator outputting M-shaped waves was adopted to simulate the process of a running train. Earth pressure, settlement, strain in the geogrid and pile and excess pore water pressure were measured. The results show that the soil arching height under the dynamic train load of a high-speed railway is shorter than under static loading. The growth trend for accumulated settlement slowed down after long-term vibration although there was still a tendency for it to increase. Accumulated geogrid strain has an increasing tendency after long-term vibration. The closer the embankment edge, the greater the geogrid strain over the subsoil. Strains in the pile were smaller under dynamic train loads, and their distribution was different from that under static loading. At the same elevation, excess pore water pressure under the track slab was greater than that under the embankment shoulder.

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Acknowledgement

The research described in this paper was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51622803, 51378177 and 51420105013) and the 111 Project (Grant NO. B13024).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, China

    Tingting Niu & Hanlong Liu

  2. Anhui University of Science & Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Tingting Niu

  3. Key Laboratory of New Technology for Construction of Cities in Mountain Area (Chongqing University), School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Hanlong Liu, Xuanming Ding & Changjie Zheng

  4. School of Civil Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400045, China

    Hanlong Liu

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  1. Tingting Niu
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  2. Hanlong Liu
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Correspondence to Hanlong Liu.

Additional information

Supported by: National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 51622803, 51378177 and 51420105013, and the 111 Project under Grant No. B13024

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Niu, T., Liu, H., Ding, X. et al. Model tests on XCC-piled embankment under dynamic train load of high-speed railways. Earthq. Eng. Eng. Vib. 17, 581–594 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-018-0464-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-018-0464-7

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