A new field investigation on the lateral and longitudinal resistance of ballasted track

Abstract

Track buckling is a complicated phenomenon that is caused by a wide range of parameters including the nature of track loading and the lateral and longitudinal resistance of a track. In this paper, the results of a field study on a test track in the Aprin railway station (in the southwest region of Tehran city) are presented to investigate the lateral and longitudinal resistance of the ballasted track. The lateral resistance of the track is measured by using both the single tie (sleeper) push test and the sleeper lateral pull test, and the results of the two methods are found to be compatible. The contributions of the ballast shoulder, crib, and the base part in the total lateral resistance are obtained for the loose and compacted ballast conditions, which showed good consistency with the presented data of literature. The longitudinal resistance is measured by using an innovative setup prepared on the test track. The measured longitudinal stiffness per sleeper is approximately twice of what was measured in the previous studies on track panels. The measured longitudinal stiffness during the unloading process is found to be 40% of the loading stiffness.