Study of Methods of Stabilizing Conventional Ballast Using Polymers

摘要

The report presents the results of the work performed in continuation of the research study on stabilized railroad ballast. The original study was to test the feasibility of the concept advanced that adapting existing ballast structures to accommodate high speed trains could be accomplished by converting conventional ballast, which is a collection of independent aggregate pieces, into a material which approaches a continuum. Dynamic tests simulating service conditions indicated that this improvement is of sufficient magnitude to make existing ballast or newly laid ballast of conventional design suitable as roadbeds for high speed trains. In this original study, the elastromeric cementing agent was applied in the form of a solution in organic solvents. (Author)