RRUK Principal Investigator, Professor William Powrie has just been awarded an EPSRC grant to the value of £598,852 to carry out a research project that will look at the development and role of structure in railway ballast. 

 

Railway infrastructure predominantly consists of ballasted track, which has many advantages in terms of cost and ease of maintenance. However despite its widespread use the mechanics of railway ballast are still not fully understood. An improved knowledge of the mechanics of ballast would enable better design, maintenance and renewal of ballast foundations to carry heavier freight and faster passenger services more intensively.

 

This research will contribute to this by investigating two factors that significantly influence the mechanical behaviour of ballast and its performance as the track foundation: (1) the fabric structure of ballast, and (2) its discrete nature.

The research project will:

 

The knowledge and insights gained from this research will contribute to the development of better design criteria and maintenance procedures for ballast foundations, leading to better value and better performing railway track systems for a new generation of trains.

 

For more details please CLICK HERE