Clogging and Pollution of Broken Stone Ballast During Railway Track Exploitation

Abstract

Purpose: Determination of legitimacies of clogging, pollution for broken stone ballast, perceiving vibrodynamic load from a rolling stock, as well as of the ballast life. Methods: Theoretical and empirical research methods are used in the study. Theoretical methods are based on the analysis of known models describing broken stone degradation processes during railway track exploitation, and empirical methods — on the pursued experiments and trials. The identification of the legitimacies for pollutants and clogs accumulation in broken stone ballast was based on the results of dynamic bench tests and laboratory determination of broken stone grain composition removed from ballast layer of exploited railway track with various tonnage workout. The methods of statistical processing of test results and regression analysis were used in the study. Results: According to the statistical processing of test results and laboratory determinations of broken stone grain composition, functional dependencies were established for the accumulation in broken stone ballast of the products of own crushing, abrasive wear as well as of external pollution, depending on broken stone initial physical and mechanical properties, railway track exploitation conditions and the system of its maintenance. Mathematical model for the prediction of broken stone ballast life depending on railway track section exploitation conditions was developed in the study. Practical significance: The results of the study make it possible to prognose broken stone ballast life from the condition of its maximally acceptable pollution and clogging and also to plan reasonably railway track maintenance work.