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Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line

Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line
Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line
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.
in situ testing, dynamics, field instrumentation, deformation, monitoring, numerical modelling
0016-8505
667-677
Priest, J.A.
2c22f55d-ea01-4485-9a16-d5c79f79a972
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Yang, L.A.
9aa9da71-b898-472b-9295-9e4035192088
Grabe, P.J.
bb504678-efda-4320-8f08-1905716b1ebb
Clayton, C.R.I.
8397d691-b35b-4d3f-a6d8-40678f233869
Priest, J.A.
2c22f55d-ea01-4485-9a16-d5c79f79a972
Powrie, W.
600c3f02-00f8-4486-ae4b-b4fc8ec77c3c
Yang, L.A.
9aa9da71-b898-472b-9295-9e4035192088
Grabe, P.J.
bb504678-efda-4320-8f08-1905716b1ebb
Clayton, C.R.I.
8397d691-b35b-4d3f-a6d8-40678f233869

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).

Record type: Article

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.

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 9 April 2010
Published date: September 2010
Keywords: in situ testing, dynamics, field instrumentation, deformation, monitoring, numerical modelling
Organisations: Civil Engineering & the Environment

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 74495
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/74495
ISSN: 0016-8505
PURE UUID: 294c15d5-b266-4eb0-927e-f6e0a5c8ab5d
ORCID for W. Powrie: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2271-0826
ORCID for C.R.I. Clayton: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0071-8437

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 11 Mar 2010
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:43

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Contributors

Author: J.A. Priest
Author: W. Powrie ORCID iD
Author: L.A. Yang
Author: P.J. Grabe
Author: C.R.I. Clayton ORCID iD

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