Deformation behavior of ballasted track during earthquakes

Abstract

Research has been carried out on the safety of ballasted track with a view to minimizing damage during earthquakes. There remains however a lack of insight into the dynamic behavior of ballasted track itself during earthquakes. Consequently the authors of this paper first carried out static analyses to evaluate stability of straight track resistance to buckling when using continuous welded rails. Secondly the authors carried out dynamic analyses of ballasted track behavior laid directly on the ground or on a structure, under earthquake conditions, based on parameters such as lateral peak resistance of ballast and scale of earthquake, inter alia.