Abstract
The results of the study of the ballast layer consolidation after the work of ballast-tamping machines of different types are given in the article. The existing methods of determining the degree of consolidation of the ballast layer are analysed. The seismic method was improved by means of a complex dynamic and kinematic interpretation of the impulse response. For the dynamic interpretation with the use of statistical analysis, the features are selected so that they correspond to the degree of consolidation of the ballast layer. On the basis of researches, a device and software were developed that allow an automated evaluation of the ballast layer consolidation based on the kinematic and dynamic analysis of the measured impulse response. The measurements of the degree of the ballast layer consolidation after an operation of ballast-consolidation machines in different sequences allowed establishing the efficiency of the consolidation and the feasibility of the machines’ application.
Highlights
The long-term deformation of the track geometry, in great extent, depends on the initial quality of the track
It depends on the number of contacts between the grains, that is, the ballast layer consolidation
The performed theoretical and laboratory studies have shown that the considered parameters of the impulse response in the ballast have a stable correlation with the degree of the consolidation of the ballast layer
Summary
The long-term deformation of the track geometry, in great extent, depends on the initial quality of the track. The quality of the construction of the ballast layer and its consolidation is estimated by the stability of the track geometry. The degree of the ballast layer consolidation corresponds to its greatest bearing capacity and resistance to a shape change. The information about the degree of the ballast consolidation under sleepers is important because it gives the possibility to evaluate the quality of the repair works, as well as further deformation of the track geometry. The author of the research [12] gives the classification of possible methods of the crushed stone consolidation (Figure 1)
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