Ballast is the most common foundation material of railways and as such is subjected to deformation and degradation from the large cyclic and impact loads generated by heavy, fast moving trains. These inevitable effects hamper the safety and efficiency of tracks and increase the track maintenance frequency. One of several promising approaches to mitigate these problems is stabilizing ballasted track with rubber mats (under sleeper pads—USP and under ballast mats—UBM), to absorb energy and reduce particle breakage, track stability, longevity, and safety. This paper analyses the current knowledge of using rubber elements in ballasted track acquired through large scale laboratory testing carried out at the University of Wollongong (UOW). This investigation reveals that indicate that the damping characteristics of rubber mats reduce the deformation and degradation of ballast. The results shows that USPs are better at reducing vertical permanent deformation while UBMs are better at reducing lateral deformation.
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