| Issue |
E3S Web Conf.
Volume 642, 2025
5th European Conference on Unsaturated Soils and Biotechnology applied to Geotechnical Engineering (EUNSAT2025 + BGE)
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Article Number | 03003 | |
| Number of page(s) | 7 | |
| Section | EUNSAT2025 - Experimental Evidence and Techniques | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202564203003 | |
| Published online | 14 August 2025 | |
Influence of moisture content on shear behavior of differently aged ballast mixture
1 Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Engineering, Sapporo, Japan
2 Hokkaido University, Faculty of Engineering, Sapporo, Japan
3 Railway Technical Research Institute, Track Technology Division, Kokubunji, Japan
* Corresponding author: t-ishika@eng.hokudai.ac.jp
Ballasted tracks are the most common railway tracks worldwide, consist of coarse aggregates (19-63 mm) that facilitate drainage. Over time, ballast particles degrade due to train-induced attrition and abrasion, generating fines that clog voids and reduce drainage efficiency. Increased moisture further leads to cyclic plastic deformation. This study examines the mechanical behavior of differently aged ballast mixture under monotonic triaxial compression tests in three moisture conditions viz. air-dried, saturated, and unsaturated (matric suction= 5 kPa) to study the mechanical behavior of in-situ railroad ballast. Field investigations on Indian Railways show that tracks typically contain 80-90% clean ballast (CB) and 10-20% aged ballast (AB). A test mixture (MIX 1) with 90% CB and 10% AB was used to analyse shear behavior. Results reveal that aging significantly weakens shear strength, especially in saturated and unsaturated conditions, highlighting that both aging and moisture negatively affect ballast performance, making drainage and stability are crucial for track integrity.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2025
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