Ground-penetrating radar to investigate mud pumping distribution along a railway line

Abstract

Mud pumping commonly occurs along railways in Taiwan and other countries. The current method for detecting mud pumping is to conduct visual inspections on nonoperational railroad tracks. When apparent mud pumping is identified on the ballast surface, it is reported to the authorities, and the mud pumping range is subsequently estimated. However, this method cannot soundly identify all occurrences of mud pumping, and implementing this method during the rainy season is challenging. In other countries, a nondestructive detection technology has been adopted to examine the structural completeness of the railroad bed, and preliminary results have been obtained. However, this technology has seldom been applied to identify mud pumping distributions. Therefore, this study proposed to use the ground-penetrating radar method to investigate mud pumping distributions. Unlike other conventional methods, the ground-penetrating radar method can identify parts of the mud pumping distribution that cannot be detected by naked eyes and can therefore prevent the occurrence of events caused by mud pumping in advance instead of relying on post remediation. The results of this study can serve as a reference for maintenance agencies to assess the range and volume of ballast replacement, thereby reducing labor and material costs.