ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The paper proposes a new analytical procedure that involves discontinuous analysis to estimate the bearing capacity of granular roadbed used in ballasted track, namely “railroad ballast.” To examine the applicability of the procedure, a series of numerical simulation bearing capacity tests for a 1/5 scale model of a real ballasted track were performed by employing discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) that regards a particle of crushed stone as an irregular polygon. By comparing the analytical results and experimental results, the effect of roadbed stiffness on the bearing capacity of railroad ballast was examined. As the result, it was revealed that the roadbed stiffness has significant influence on the bearing capacity of railroad ballast, and that discontinuous analysis is an effective method to simulate the mechanical behavior of railroad ballast if the roadbed, which has been often modeled as a continuum, can be approximated with discontinuous modeling well.
