This project details the field and laboratory methods designed and employed to investigate railway track fouling near Joliette, QC. A field trenching methodology was developed to obtain samples at specific locations within the rail embankment. During the investigation, the exposed trench wall was assigned a geotechnical classification based on the level of fouling and field observations of the density of the material. Laboratory work was then conducted, including sieving and hydrometer tests, to determine the grain size distribution. LA Abrasion tests were conducted to examine the potential for the ballast rock to abrade under impact loading, and mineralogical analyses have been initiated to examine the origin of the fine grained materials. The data was entered into a geotechnical database for use in the analysis of the fouling process. By analysis of the difference in grain size distributions, abrasion characteristics and mineralogy of the ballast rock types, the physical relationships between railway ballast, subgrade, and track fouling can be investigated.
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