Progress of Research on Wind-blown Sand Prevention and Control of Railways in China

Based on the development of railways in desert areas of China, the types, characteristics, schemes, measures and technical systems of wind-sand disaster prevention and control were systematically analyzed in this paper. In view of the regional characteristics of sandy areas and the genres of railway sand damage in China, the results achieved and problems faced of wind-sand hazard and prevention technology in quicksand surface, plateau cold region and Gobi gale area were discussed as a case study. Combined with the expanding trend of railways in desert zone in China at present, starting from the theoretical research and the practice of sand control in engineering, it was proposed that the railway sand harm of complicated terrain and special environment is the key research direction in the field of wind-sand engineering in the future, which is also the crucial and difficult point in the protection and control of railway sand hazard in sandy zones.