Ballasted tracks are the most common tracks used in the railroad industry and are designed to provide a stable, safe, and efficient rail foundation. The main functions of ballast are to support the superstructure by distributing the loads from moving trains and to provide lateral resistance to tie movement and drainage. Ballast deterioration and fouling are major issues in the railroad industry. Resistivity methods have the potential to identify easily and inexpensively areas that have fouled ballast. A test box was fabricated at the University of Kansas to investigate the relationship between resistivity, permeability (hydraulic conductivity), and the fouling ratio for ballast fouled with crushed ballast, clay, and coal dust. The tests showed a relationship between the fouling ratio and ballast resistivity in which the resistance of the ballast layer decreased as the fouling ratio increased because of greater water retention. The permeability also decreased as the fouling ratio increased because of the presence of fine particles between the ballast particles; therefore, resistivity and permeability were also correlated. The relationship between resistivity and water content was also observed during a large-scale test.
Track Ballast Fouling and Permeability Characterization by Using Resistivity
Transportation Research Record
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board ; 2448 , 1 ; 133-141
2014-01-01
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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