Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability
The railway industry is seeking high-performance and sustainable solutions for sub-ballast materials, particularly in light of increasing cargo transport demands and climate events. The meticulous design and construction of track bed geomaterials play a crucial role in ensuring an extended track ser...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Infrastructures |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/9/3/54 |
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| author | Guilherme Castro Jonathan Saico Edson de Moura Rosangela Motta Liedi Bernucci André Paixão Eduardo Fortunato Luciano Oliveira |
| author_facet | Guilherme Castro Jonathan Saico Edson de Moura Rosangela Motta Liedi Bernucci André Paixão Eduardo Fortunato Luciano Oliveira |
| author_sort | Guilherme Castro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The railway industry is seeking high-performance and sustainable solutions for sub-ballast materials, particularly in light of increasing cargo transport demands and climate events. The meticulous design and construction of track bed geomaterials play a crucial role in ensuring an extended track service life. The global push for sustainability has prompted the evaluation of recycling ballast waste within the railway sector, aiming to mitigate environmental contamination, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and lower costs. This study explores materials for application and compaction using a formation rehabilitation machine equipped with an integrated ballast recycling system designed for heavy haul railways. Two recycled ballast-stabilised soil materials underwent investigation, meeting the necessary grain size distribution for the proper compaction and structural conditions. One utilised a low-bearing-capacity silty sand soil stabilised with recycled ballast fouled waste (RFBW) with iron ore at a 3:7 weight ratio, while the second was stabilised with 3% cement. Laboratory tests were conducted to assess their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, and a non-linear elastic finite element numerical model was developed to evaluate the potential of these alternative solutions for railway sub-ballast. The findings indicate the significant potential of using soils stabilised with recycled fouled ballast as sub-ballast for heavy haul tracks, underscoring the advantages of adopting sustainable sub-ballast solutions through the reuse of crushed deteriorated ballast material. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:10:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39c74560b84f45008008dd33f1a36e43 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2412-3811 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:10:05Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Infrastructures |
| spelling | doaj.art-39c74560b84f45008008dd33f1a36e432024-03-27T13:47:01ZengMDPI AGInfrastructures2412-38112024-03-01935410.3390/infrastructures9030054Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and SustainabilityGuilherme Castro0Jonathan Saico1Edson de Moura2Rosangela Motta3Liedi Bernucci4André Paixão5Eduardo Fortunato6Luciano Oliveira7Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Trav. do Politécnico 380, São Paulo 05508-070, SP, BrazilEscola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Trav. do Politécnico 380, São Paulo 05508-070, SP, BrazilEscola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Trav. do Politécnico 380, São Paulo 05508-070, SP, BrazilEscola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Trav. do Politécnico 380, São Paulo 05508-070, SP, BrazilEscola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Luciano Gualberto, Trav. do Politécnico 380, São Paulo 05508-070, SP, BrazilLaboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), Av. do Brasil 101, 1700-066 Lisbon, PortugalLaboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil (LNEC), Av. do Brasil 101, 1700-066 Lisbon, PortugalVale S.A., Av. Dante Michelini 5500, Parque Industrial, Vitória 22250-145, ES, BrazilThe railway industry is seeking high-performance and sustainable solutions for sub-ballast materials, particularly in light of increasing cargo transport demands and climate events. The meticulous design and construction of track bed geomaterials play a crucial role in ensuring an extended track service life. The global push for sustainability has prompted the evaluation of recycling ballast waste within the railway sector, aiming to mitigate environmental contamination, reduce the consumption of natural resources, and lower costs. This study explores materials for application and compaction using a formation rehabilitation machine equipped with an integrated ballast recycling system designed for heavy haul railways. Two recycled ballast-stabilised soil materials underwent investigation, meeting the necessary grain size distribution for the proper compaction and structural conditions. One utilised a low-bearing-capacity silty sand soil stabilised with recycled ballast fouled waste (RFBW) with iron ore at a 3:7 weight ratio, while the second was stabilised with 3% cement. Laboratory tests were conducted to assess their physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, and a non-linear elastic finite element numerical model was developed to evaluate the potential of these alternative solutions for railway sub-ballast. The findings indicate the significant potential of using soils stabilised with recycled fouled ballast as sub-ballast for heavy haul tracks, underscoring the advantages of adopting sustainable sub-ballast solutions through the reuse of crushed deteriorated ballast material.https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/9/3/54recycled ballastballast wastenumerical modelling |
| spellingShingle | Guilherme Castro Jonathan Saico Edson de Moura Rosangela Motta Liedi Bernucci André Paixão Eduardo Fortunato Luciano Oliveira Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability Infrastructures recycled ballast ballast waste numerical modelling |
| title | Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability |
| title_full | Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability |
| title_short | Evaluating Different Track Sub-Ballast Solutions Considering Traffic Loads and Sustainability |
| title_sort | evaluating different track sub ballast solutions considering traffic loads and sustainability |
| topic | recycled ballast ballast waste numerical modelling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2412-3811/9/3/54 |
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