TY - JOUR
T1 - Analysis of Railway Ballasted Track Stiffness and Behavior with a Hybrid Discrete-Continuum Approach
AU - Shi, Can
AU - Zhao, Chunfa
AU - Yang, Yang
AU - Guo, Yunlong
AU - Zhang, Xu
N1 - Accepted Author Manuscript
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Railway ballasted track stiffness is an important indicator to identify supporting condition that ensures that the facility is well designed and functioned. Although many studies have been performed on track stiffness based on experimental tests and finite-element methods, the factors influencing the track stiffness have not been completely confirmed yet, especially the influences from ballast and subgrade layers at the mesoscopic level. To address this research gap, a combination of the discrete element method and the finite difference method model was utilized to study the factors influencing the track stiffness from the particle level. Factors (related to ballast layer properties) are bulk density, thickness, and stiffness, and another factor (related to subgrade properties) is elastic modulus. Additionally, the relationship between the track stiffness and the mechanical behavior of ballast was analyzed. This study quantified the influences of track components on the track stiffness and accordingly proposed how to improve it from the ballast and subgrade layers at the mesoscopic level, which can provide guidance for railway ballasted track design and maintenance.
AB - Railway ballasted track stiffness is an important indicator to identify supporting condition that ensures that the facility is well designed and functioned. Although many studies have been performed on track stiffness based on experimental tests and finite-element methods, the factors influencing the track stiffness have not been completely confirmed yet, especially the influences from ballast and subgrade layers at the mesoscopic level. To address this research gap, a combination of the discrete element method and the finite difference method model was utilized to study the factors influencing the track stiffness from the particle level. Factors (related to ballast layer properties) are bulk density, thickness, and stiffness, and another factor (related to subgrade properties) is elastic modulus. Additionally, the relationship between the track stiffness and the mechanical behavior of ballast was analyzed. This study quantified the influences of track components on the track stiffness and accordingly proposed how to improve it from the ballast and subgrade layers at the mesoscopic level, which can provide guidance for railway ballasted track design and maintenance.
KW - Discrete element method
KW - Finite difference method
KW - Hybrid simulation
KW - Railway ballasted track
KW - Track stiffness
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098701656&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001941
DO - 10.1061/(ASCE)GM.1943-5622.0001941
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85098701656
VL - 21
JO - International Journal of Geomechanics
JF - International Journal of Geomechanics
SN - 1532-3641
IS - 3
M1 - 04020268
ER -