The use of the hollow cylinder apparatus to study stress paths relevant to railway track foundations

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses results from a series of hollow cylinder tests, carried out to investigate the effects of principal stress rotation on the resilient response of soils in stress paths relevant to railway track foundations. Four sand-clay mixes, typical of the gradation of an in situ railway track foundation, were investigated. The aim of the research was to investigate the magnitudes of shear stress cycles for which the associated cyclic rotations of the principal stress direction may have a significant effect on the long-term stability of a railway track foundations.