Large-scale fatigue test of stone wool based anti-vibration mats

Abstract

As the basis for an anti-vibration mat in a resiliently supported track, stone wool exhibit outstanding resistance to mechanical stress fatigue with virtually unchanged functional performance even after decades of use. In-situ, this has for instance been verified by an exhaustive 1996 Norwegian field study of the long-term functional performance and material characteristics of stone wool based anti-vibration mats that had been installed in a tunnel track section beneath the Oslo Cathedral in 1978. A recent large-scale laboratory test at the Danish Technical University - with control and final conclusion of the test by the Technical University of Munich, Chair and Institute for Road, Railway and Airfield Construction - have confirmed the durability of stone wool fibres when used in track anti-vibration applications. Based upon this laboratory test - that spanned more than 15 months and included a total of 100 million dynamic load cycles - this paper will present the important findings and discuss the results and various practical implications with special reference to the findings from the 1996 Norwegian field study. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.