Behaviour of Track Ballast Under Repeated Loading

Najaf-sea quarry is located in Najaf city about 160 km south west of Baghdad the capital of Iraq. It is the main source that supplies track ballast for maintenance of existing railway network and construction of new railway lines in the middle and southern parts of Iraq. Track ballast experience a complex combination of stresses during its service lifetime, primarily from repeated axial loads of the trains in addition to stresses generated from the environmental conditions. The ideal evaluation of suitability of track ballast must be carried out under real field loading conditions, however such field tests are usually costly and time consuming. On the other hand laboratory model tests simulating field loads under limited boundary conditions can provide satisfactory indication about the suitability of the material. The present paper investigates the deformation characteristics of Najaf-sea track ballast, under repeated loading using model tests simulating ballast conditions under a selected track section. A test setup was designed and manufactured capable of applying both monotonic as well as repeated loading on the track section under different conditions. The repeated model tests which simulate as close as possible the field conditions shed the light on the generated settlement, modulus of deformation and degradation of the ballast particles under different repeated loading levels. Statistical analysis in terms of breakage index and repeated applied load revealed satisfactory correlations that help in understanding the overall performance of the ballast material. The results also demonstrate that 4–5 tamping are capable of controlling both the settlement and modulus of deformation of the ballast material.