Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line

Priest, J.A., Powrie, W., Yang, L.A., Grabe, P.J. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2010) Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line. Géotechnique, 60 (9), 667-677. (doi:10.1680/geot.7.00172).

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a detailed investigation into the ground deformations that occur under a railway line during the passage of a train. Four horizontal boreholes were installed at different depths below a ballasted railway track. Ground deformations were measured using geophones at set distances from the centreline of the track within each borehole. The results show vertical displacements reducing with depth, from a maximum at the sleeper. Sleeper displacements are dominated by pairs of bogies at the ends of adjacent wagons (which have a frequency of loading 1 Hz), although the effects of individual bogies (2 Hz) and axles (6 Hz) are also apparent. Higher loading frequencies attenuate with depth so that at a depth of 0·780 m below the sleeper soffit no axles are visible within the displacement data and by a depth of 1·98 m only the combined effect of pairs of adjacent bogies is apparent. In contrast, longitudinal horizontal motion is greatest at a depth of 0·78 m below the sleeper soffit, and the longitudinal horizontal displacements at the sleeper and at a depth of 0·78 m are dominated by the individual axles (?6 Hz). By a depth of 1·98 m, the longitudinal horizontal motion is dominated by the bogie pairs. A dynamic linear-elastic two-dimensional finite element model was developed and validated using the measured displacements.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Author: W. Powrie

Author: C.R.I. Clayton

Download statistics