Numerical Unsaturated Flow Model of Railway Drainage Systems

Abstract

Substandard drainage assets are considered to be a major cause of flooding, earthwork failures, and deficient track geometry. Considering the deterioration of track materials due to cyclic loads and tamping forces, the impact of more frequent extreme rainfall events is likely to lead towards higher rates of hydraulic overloads in the drainage system, earthwork failures, and service disruptions. Therefore, the development of a numerical model could be able to describe the ageing track bed materials and provide an alternative tool for the simulation of the flow through the porous media used in the construction of railway tracks. In this paper the model HYDRUS is tested to simulate the drainage of trackbed materials under laboratory controlled conditions prior its application on actual railway drainage case studies.