Railway track ballast fouling is an ongoing issue without a clear understanding regarding either the cause for generation or the source of the fouling materials. This study was conducted to determine what physical processes are likely causing ballast fouling, where in the track sub-structure fouling material is concentrating, and what factors affect the severity of ballast fouling. A field investigation on a CN railway track was conducted in Joliette, QC during undercutting maintenance operations. Data for in-situ ballast, sub-ballast, and subgrade samples were gathered from a series of trenches excavated through the track embankment. The geotechnical and mineralogical characteristics of a selected set of ballast samples were gathered through a regime of laboratory testing. Grain size distribution data for the select samples was collected from sieve and hydrometer testing. Three sets of LA abrasion tests were conducted on both in-situ and freshly quarried ballast rock to determine the degradation characteristics of the various ballast types. The petrographic analysis of the sample types was conducted using bulk hand sample characterization, thin-section analysis, and X-Ray Diffraction Analysis. The petrographic, grain size, and LA abrasion combined analysis indicated that ballast fouling was primarily caused through degradation of the ballast. The fouling material within the ballast pores was sourced to the abraded pieces of ballast that had degraded over time through XRD and grain size distribution analysis. It was found with statistical confidence that ballast layers with harder, structureless rock types have less fouling material form within the ballast void spaces compared to ballast rock types that are soft on the Mohs hardness scale or have planes of weakness due to structural factors. Analysis of the grain size data also showed that ballast fouling was generally concentrated within the section of the ballast layer directly underlying the steel rail, within the topmost parts of the ballast layers. Overall it was recommended that the effects of chemical degradation on ballast rock types and the historical operational duration of ballast be incorporated into future ballast fouling studies. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-27 10:01:46.141

Le travail de recherche présenté dans ce document a été réalisé dans le cadre d’une collaboration entre l’ENTPE/ niversité de Lyon et la SNCF. L’objectif de l’étude est la caractérisation des propriétés thermomécaniques des enrobés bitumineux à être utilisés dans la construction de voies ferrées. Le comportement viscoélastique linéaire (VEL) et la résistance à la fatigue d’enrobés pour couche de base couramment utilisés en France ont été étudiés. L’influence de l’eau sur ces propriétés a été aussi étudiée du fait que l’exposition à l’eau des couches bitumineuses en structure ferroviaire peut les altérer et réduire la durée de vie de l’ouvrage. La caractérisation du comportement VEL et de la résistance à la fatigue des matériaux a été faite en réalisant des essais mécaniques en traction-compression sur des éprouvettes cylindriques au laboratoire LTDS/ENTPE. Une nouvelle procédure de conditionnement à l’eau et au gel a été proposée sur la base des méthodes d’essai normalisées française et américaine. La susceptibilité à l’eau des matériaux a été obtenue par comparaison des résultats des essais mécaniques entre éprouvettes conditionnées et non conditionnées. Le comportement VEL des matériaux a été simulé avec le modèle 2S2P1D, développée à l’ENTPE. Trois formules pour couche de base ont été testées : une GB3, une GB4 et une formule appelée GB PMB. Cette dernière est la même formule GB3 mais avec un bitume modifié aux polymères SBS. La GB3 sert comme matériau de référence. La GB4 est un matériau de meilleures performances que la GB3. La formule GB4 étudiée correspond à celle mise en place dans la couche sous-ballast de la Ligne à Grande Vitesse (LGV) Bretagne-Pays de Loire. L’intérêt d’étudier la GB PMB est de savoir si l’utilisation de bitumes modifiés aux polymères est pertinente dans un contexte ferroviaire ou pas. 2 La zone test construite dans la LGV Est-Européenne près de la ville de Reims avec une couche sous-ballast en enrobé bitumineux a servi comme cas d’étude pour cette thèse. Les différents avantages de l’utilisation de matériaux bitumineux en structure ferroviaire retrouvées dans la bibliographie ont été confirmés avec le retour sur l’expérience de cette zone test. Les résultats obtenus des travaux expérimentaux montrent que les trois formules étudiées présentent des capacités portantes (rigidité) suffisantes pour leur utilisation comme couche sous-ballast. La méthode de conditionnement à l’eau et au gel utilisée n’a pas altéré le comportement VEL des matériaux. En ce qui concerne les essais de fatigue, les résultats ont montré que l’utilisation d’un bitume modifié aux polymères augmente sensiblement la résistance à la fatigue de la GB3. La GB PMB a aussi montré une plus faible susceptibilité de la résistance à la fatigue à l’eau et au gel que la GB3. Du fait que les niveaux de sollicitation de la base de la couche d’enrobé de la zone test LVG EE sont très faibles, tous les matériaux étudiés présentent des propriétés satisfaisantes de résistance à la fatigue en couche sous-ballast. / The research presented in this document was carried out in collaboration between the National School of Public Works (Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l’Etat – ENTPE) of the University of Lyon and the French National Railway Company (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer français – SNCF). The objective of this study is the characterisation of the thermomechanical properties of road base-course bituminous mixtures commonly used in France for their use in railway track structures. Linear Viscoelastic (LVE) and fatigue resistance properties have been investigated. The influence of moisture damage including freeze-thaw cycles on the properties of the studied mixtures was also studied. LVE and fatigue resistance properties were obtained by means of sinusoidal tension-compression tests on cylindrical samples at the ENTPE/LTDS laboratory. A protocol for moisture conditioning of bituminous mixtures samples was developed based on the French and American standard test methods for moisture susceptibility and on the literature review on the subject. Moisture damage was assessed using complex modulus and fatigue tests. The LVE behaviour of the materials was described using the 2S2P1D (2 Springs, 2 Parabolic elements and 1 Dashpot) model developed at the ENTPE/LTDS laboratory. Three road base-course mixtures available in the French market were studied: a GB3, a GB4 and a mixture called GB PMB (for Polymer-Modified Bitumen). The GB3 mixture stands as the reference material since it is commonly used for the base-courses of conventional roads in France. The GB4 mixture stands as a better performing material than the GB3. The specific studied GB4 formulation corresponds to that used as sub-ballast of the Brittany-Loire high-speed line (HSL) in western France. The GB PMB stands as an improved version of the GB3 in which the base bitumen is replaced by polymer-modified bitumen. The interest of the study of this third mixture is to assess the relevance of using PMB’s in bituminous mixtures intended for railway platforms. The test zone of the East-European HSL served as case study to identify the loading conditions and the behaviour of a bituminous sub-ballast layer in a French track. The several advantages of using bituminous mixtures as sub-ballast material identified in the literature are confirmed by the feedback from this test zone. The results obtained show that the studied bituminous mixtures present excellent bearing capacities (stiffness) for their use as sub-ballast layers in France. The used moisture conditioning protocol did not alter the LVE behaviour of the materials. The good performance of the materials is then expected to be perennial regarding the effect of moisture on the LVE behaviour. With respect to fatigue resistance, the results show that the use of a PMB provides an important increase of the fatigue life as well as a reduction of the susceptibility to moisture damage. However, given the identified loading levels of the bituminous sub-ballast in a common French track structure, all three mixtures present adequate fatigue resistance properties.

With the introduction of high-speed trains over the past few years, as well as withan increase in traffic loads and volumes, the attractiveness and competitiveness ofthe railway transport system have increased. This leads to the need to develop newcost-effective ways in railway construction, providing an increase in the life cycle ofthe railway track and reducing the need for maintenance.In several European countries, Japan, and the USA, asphalt mixtures, also called“bituminous mixtures”, are used as such an alternative solution in both traditionalballasted and ballastless railway designs. International experience has shown thatbituminous mixtures have good technical characteristics and can meet many of therequirements of modern railway construction, especially when it comes to the useof asphalt materials in ballasted tracks. However, there is a lack of knowledge andexperience in using bituminous mixtures in railway construction in the northernregions and harsh winter conditions.In this thesis, the development of two- and three-dimensional models of ballastedrailway track with an asphalt sub-ballast layer is presented. The analysis of thestatic and dynamic characteristics of the whole model and the asphalt layer exposedto different temperatures is carried out using the finite element method (FEM) inthe COMSOL software. Simulation for all conditions is carried out with a trainspeed of 200 km/h. The relationship between various temperatures from 􀀀30 °Cto +30 °C and the stress-strain behaviour of the asphalt sub-ballast layer is alsodetermined. The results of the study show that both under the influence of lowand high temperatures, the stresses and strains in the asphalt layer are quite small.Besides, the use of asphalt sub-ballast in the track structure reduces deformationsand stresses acting on the subgrade surface.

Mixing of backfill of the pipe drain construction with sub-ballast layer material through using enclosed drainage systems (mostly by pipe drains) has to be prevented. In order to do so, regulation SŽDC S4 Železniční spodek provides a filtration criterion which needs to be fulfilled or a geotextile with filtration function has to be used. This master thesis verifies if filtration criteria are fulfilled in between different backfilling of the pipe drains and sub-ballast layers in compliance with TNŽ 73 6949. Furthermore a verification of filtration function of different geotextiles including propositions of their suitable placement within construction of the pipe drain system is included.