ABSTRACT
The type of subgrade of a railroad foundation is an important aspect in the evaluation of a railway track. Indeed, with the environmental changes and tonnage and train speed increase, the influence and type of subgrade are vital in the railroad track structure performance. The subgrade geomechanical classification includes the combination of both short and long-term behaviour through the evaluation of the stiffness (resilient modulus) and permanent deformation, respectively. This work aims to evaluate the impact of this classification on the global performance of the track. Thus, a ballasted track is analysed which is associated with different values regarding the subgrade geomechanical classification (QS1 and QS2). Thus, the performance of the tracks is analysed in detail and compared. This work is supported by advanced numerical modelling tools and includes a hybrid methodology that combines both short and long-term performance. This is a first attempt to deeply estimate the influence of subgrade geomechanical classification, which can be a useful tool in the evaluation and modelling of the foundation of railway structures.
