Use and benefits of cellular stabilization in track

摘要

A geosynthetic material, known as the GEOWEB cellular confinement system, has been shown to significantly reduce traffic-induced stresses passed into the track subgrade. The material was tested in track at the Facility for Accelerated Service Testing at FRA's Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado. Before placement of the GEOWEB system, the soft clay subgrade was deforming at a relatively rapid rate with a track substructure composed of conventional ballast/subballast with a combined layer thickness of 18 inches. For these conditions the track required tamping every 15 MGT on average to maintain track class 4 geometry. Due to the increased stiffness produced by the subballast-GEOWEB layer, compared to the subballast layer alone, the reduced subgrade stresses allowed the tamping cycle to increase beyond 160 MGT of heavy (39 ton) axle load traffic.