ABSTRACT
In this study, we discussed the influence of the magnitude of the applied FWD load on the measured track support stiffness. First, we newly manufactured a FWD specially designed for the railway track, which is capable of controlling the falling height, and loading on the right and left rails simultaneously. Second, we performed the FWD tests on full scale ballasted track models consisting of seven sleepers. As a result, the track support stiffness measured by FWD decreased by the existence of hanging sleepers and by the rigidity change of the ballast bed due to an increase of water content. Moreover, the track support stiffness measured by FWD varied depending on the magnitude of the applied FWD load. Furthermore, we indicated that the focal points to be taken into consideration when we evaluate the track support stiffness by FWD test with applied load smaller than train load.
