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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Effects Of Geosynthetic Reinforcement On Performance Of Ballasted Rail Track, Pongpipat Anantanasakul, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay S. Nimbalkar, Tim Neville Mar 2014

Effects Of Geosynthetic Reinforcement On Performance Of Ballasted Rail Track, Pongpipat Anantanasakul, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay S. Nimbalkar, Tim Neville

Buddhima Indraratna

The 'field' performance of different geosynthetics to reinforce ballasted rail tracks was investigated. An extensive monitoring program was undertaken on fully instrumented track sections constructed near Singleton, New South Wales. Four types of geosynthetics were installed at the ballast-subballast interface of track sections located on subgrades with three distinctly different values of stiffness. It was found that geogrids could decrease vertical settlements of the ballast layer with obvious benefits of improved track stability and decreased maintenance cost. It was also found that the effectiveness of reinforcing geogrids increased when the subgrade stiffness decreased. Keywords: Geosynthetic, Reinforcement, Rail track, Ballast.


Coupled Hydro-Geochemical Modelling Of A Permeable Reactive Barrier For Treating Acidic Groundwater, Buddhima Indraratna, Punyama Pathirage, Kerry Rowe, Laura Banasiak Mar 2014

Coupled Hydro-Geochemical Modelling Of A Permeable Reactive Barrier For Treating Acidic Groundwater, Buddhima Indraratna, Punyama Pathirage, Kerry Rowe, Laura Banasiak

Buddhima Indraratna

This study focuses on coupling geochemistry with geo-hydraulics to enable time-dependent modelling of the remediation of acidic groundwater using an alkaline permeable reactive barrier (PRB). Chemical clogging due to secondary mineral precipitates reduces the porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the reactive medium. The governing equations are incorporated into commercial numerical codes, MODFLOW and RT3D. An original algorithm was developed for RT3D to simulate geochemical reactions occurring in the PRB. The results and the model predictions are in agreement, confirming that the hydraulic conductivity reduction due to mineral precipitation occurs at the start of permeation and continues until halfway through the …


Performance And Prediction Of Marine Clay Treated With Vacuum And Surcharge Consolidation At Port Of Brisbane, Buddhima Indraratna, A S. Balasubramaniam, Harry Poulos, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Jayantha Ameratunga Mar 2014

Performance And Prediction Of Marine Clay Treated With Vacuum And Surcharge Consolidation At Port Of Brisbane, Buddhima Indraratna, A S. Balasubramaniam, Harry Poulos, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Jayantha Ameratunga

Buddhima Indraratna

During the past decade, the application of vacuum preloading for stabilising soft coastal clay and other low-lying estuarine soils has become popular in Australia. The cost-effectiveness isa major factor in most projects in view of the significantly reduced time for achieving high degree of consolidation. Due to an increase in trade activities at the Port of Brisbane, new facilities on Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the Brisbane River will be constructed on the new outer area (235 ha) adjacent to the existing port facilities via land reclamation. A vacuum assited surcharge load and conventional surcharge scheme in conjunction with …


Conceptual Model Describing Smear Zone Caused By Mandrel Action, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Made Ardana, Buddhima Indraratna, S Leroueil Mar 2014

Conceptual Model Describing Smear Zone Caused By Mandrel Action, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Made Ardana, Buddhima Indraratna, S Leroueil

Buddhima Indraratna

In this study the characteristics and extent of the smear zone are investigated using a large, undisturbed sample. The aim of using such a sample is to capture the realistic characteristics of the smear zone in relation to the in situ soil structure during the installation of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) using a mandrel. The extent of the smear zone for Bulli clay (New South Wales, Australia) is determined on the basis of normalised permeability (k(h)/k(hu)) and the reduction in the water content upon consolidation. The permeability and compressibility of the soil are investigated to determine the extent to which …


Rail Track Infrastructure For Enhanced Speed - Analysis Design And Construction Challenges, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Shrawan Nimbalkar, Jayan Sylaja J S Vinod Mar 2014

Rail Track Infrastructure For Enhanced Speed - Analysis Design And Construction Challenges, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Shrawan Nimbalkar, Jayan Sylaja J S Vinod

Buddhima Indraratna

Rail is one of the largest transportation modes offering freight and passenger traffic in rapidly developing nations, including India. Conscious efforts to improve productivity, modernization and technology upgrading have led to an impressive growth in railways. Large-scale physical modeling, sophisticated numerical modeling and full-scale field monitoring often provide significant knowledge to better understand track performance and to extend the current state-of-the-art in design. A series of large-scale laboratory tests were conducted to establish relationships between (i) ballast breakage and train speed, (ii) ballast fouling and strength and (iii) interface strength and geogrids. Comprehensive field trials were carried out on instrumented …


Performance Assessment Of Reinforced Ballasted Rail Track, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar, Tim Neville Mar 2014

Performance Assessment Of Reinforced Ballasted Rail Track, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar, Tim Neville

Buddhima Indraratna

In coastal Australia, high population density and increased traffic volumes have promoted rapid expansion of urban transportation infrastructure including railways. Coastal soft clays pose significant construction challenges. Therefore, the search for innovative ground improvement techniques imperative for more resilient and sustainable transport infrastructure has become an obvious priority in research and development. Use of artificial inclusions such as polymeric geosynthetics and energy-absorbing shock mats is described in this paper as a suitable alternative for reducing unacceptable track degradation and for ensuring sustainable track alignment. An extensive monitoring programme was undertaken on fully instrumented track sections constructed near Singleton, New South …


Behaviour Of Clay-Fouled Ballast Under Drained Triaxial Testing, Buddhima Indraratna, Nayoma C. Tennakoon, Sanjay Shrawan Nimbalkar, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Behaviour Of Clay-Fouled Ballast Under Drained Triaxial Testing, Buddhima Indraratna, Nayoma C. Tennakoon, Sanjay Shrawan Nimbalkar, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

Contamination or fouling of rail ballast with external fines, including slurried and pumped subgrade material (e.g. clay and silt), is one of the primary reasons for track deterioration. Fouling causes differential settlement of the track, and also decreases the load-bearing capacity, owing to the reduction in the friction angle of the granular assembly. In certain circumstances, fouled ballast needs to be cleaned or replaced to maintain the desired track stiffness, load-bearing capacity and track alignment, all of which influence safety. This paper presents and discusses the results of a series of large-scale triaxial tests conducted on latite basalt, a rail …


From Theory To Practice In Rail Geotechnology, B Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar, N Tennakoon, Q D. Sun Mar 2014

From Theory To Practice In Rail Geotechnology, B Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar, N Tennakoon, Q D. Sun

Buddhima Indraratna

In recent times the increase in axle loads and train speeds have posed serious geotechnical issues with ballasted railway tracks, both in Australia and the world. The large deformations and degradation of ballast under cyclic and impact loads, and the low bearing capacity of compacted ballast and impaired drainage often exacerbate track maintenance. In recent times in Australia, geosynthetics have been trialed in ballasted tracks constructed on soft and saturated formations to help improve stability and longevity. Comprehensive field studies on instrumented tracks at Bulli (near Wollongong) and Singleton (near Newcastle) supported by RailCorp and ARTC, were carried out to …


Current State Of The Art In Vacuum Preloading For Stabilising Soft Soil, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Buddhima Indraratna Mar 2014

Current State Of The Art In Vacuum Preloading For Stabilising Soft Soil, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Buddhima Indraratna

Buddhima Indraratna

In this paper the analytical solutions for radial consolidation that include time dependent surcharge loading and vacuum pressure are proposed, whilst also considering the impact of the parabolic variation of permeability in the smear zone. The use of the spectral method for multilayered soil consolidation is introduced and verified. The Elliptical Cavity Expansion Theory is used to predict the extent of soil disturbance (smear zone) caused by the installation of mandrel driven vertical drains. The predicted smear zone is then compared to the data obtained from large-scale radial consolidation tests. Furthermore, the advantages and limitations of applying a vacuum through …


Ground Improvement At The Port Of Brisbane, Australia Using Vertical Drains And Vacuum Assisted Preloading, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, A S. Balasubramaniam Mar 2014

Ground Improvement At The Port Of Brisbane, Australia Using Vertical Drains And Vacuum Assisted Preloading, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, A S. Balasubramaniam

Buddhima Indraratna

Soft clays in coastal areas have low shear strength and high compressibility. Thus construction activities for infrastructure developments in these deposits often pose geotechnical problems due to large time dependent settlements and lateral movements. Ground improvement techniques are adopted to reduce the water content of the soft clays by preloading techniques with vertical drains. Depending on the magnitude of the surcharge used substantial immediate settlement with lateral movements can takes place during preloading. This in tum causes stability problems in the loaded areas. The use of vacuum assisted preloading has now become a popular method in Australia where substantial loads …


Dem Simulation Of The Behaviour Of Geogrid Stabilised Ballast Fouled With Coal, Ngoc Trung Ngo, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Dem Simulation Of The Behaviour Of Geogrid Stabilised Ballast Fouled With Coal, Ngoc Trung Ngo, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

Geogrids are commonly used in railway construction for reinforcement and stabilisation. When railway ballast becomes fouled due to ballast breakage, infiltration of coal fines, dust and subgrade soil pumping, the reinforcement effect of geogrids decreases significantly. This paper presents results obtained from Discrete Element Method (DEM) to study the interface behaviour of coal-fouled ballast reinforced by geogrid subjected to direct shear testing. In this study, irregularly-shaped aggregates (ballast) were modelled by clumping together 10-20 spheres in appropriate sizes and positions. The geogrid was modelled by bonding a large number of small spheres together to form the desired grid geometry and …


Compaction Of Coal Wash As Reclamation Fill, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Gabriele Chiaro Mar 2014

Compaction Of Coal Wash As Reclamation Fill, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn, Gabriele Chiaro

Buddhima Indraratna

In this paper, detailed laboratory investigations were conducted on coal wash produced at coal mine, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. Geotechnical tests were conducted to determine the particle size distribution, compaction characteristics, shear resistance and collapse potential. The compaction tests were conducted under dry and submerged condition to examine the compactability and the strength of the coal wash. The laboratory tests show that compacted coal wash has good potential as effective fill for embankments, and land reclamation. Although coal wash is compacted under submerged condition, increased level of compaction has minimal effect.


Numerical Solution Of Stone Column Improved Soft Soil Considering Arching, Clogging And Smear Effects, Buddhima Indraratna, Sudip Basack, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Numerical Solution Of Stone Column Improved Soft Soil Considering Arching, Clogging And Smear Effects, Buddhima Indraratna, Sudip Basack, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

Improvement of soft clay deposits by the installation of stone columns is one of the most popular techniques followed worldwide. The stone columns not only act as reinforcingmaterial increasing the overall strength and stiffness of the compressible soft soil, but they also promote consolidation through effective drainage. The analytical and numerical solutions available for ascertaining the response of column-reinforced soil have been developed on the basis of the equal strain hypothesis. For typical surcharge (embankment) loading, the free strain analysis appears to give more realistic results comparable to field data. The paper presents a novel numericalmodel (finite-differencemethod) to analyze the …


Stress-Strain Degradation Response Of Railway Ballast Stabilized With Geosynthetics, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar Mar 2014

Stress-Strain Degradation Response Of Railway Ballast Stabilized With Geosynthetics, Buddhima Indraratna, Sanjay Nimbalkar

Buddhima Indraratna

Large cyclic loading on ballasted railroad tracks is now inevitable owing to an increased demand for freight and public transport. This leads to a progressive deterioration and densification of railroad ballast and consequently to the loss of track geometry and differential settlement. Understanding these complex stress-strain and degradation mechanisms is essential to predict the desirable track maintenance cycle, as well as the design of new track. This paper presents the results of cyclic drained tests and numerical studies carried out on a segment of model railway track supported on geosynthetically reinforced railroad ballast bed. The relative performance and effectiveness of …


Radial Consolidation Model Incorporating The Effects Of Vacuum Preloading And Non-Darcian Flow, Kourosh Kianfar, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Radial Consolidation Model Incorporating The Effects Of Vacuum Preloading And Non-Darcian Flow, Kourosh Kianfar, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

A modified 150 mm Rowe cell equipped with pore water pressure measurement was used to capture the flow relationship during vacuum-assisted radial consolidation. Based on the measured data, a radial consolidation model incorporating the effects of vacuum preloading is proposed, based on a non-linear relationship between the flow velocity and hydraulic gradient. The predictions of the proposed consolidation model are then compared with the predictions based on Hansbo’s Darcian and non- Darcian models. The agreement between the proposed model and the measured data is shown, and the advantages of the proposed model compared with the existing models are discussed. An …


Deformation Of Coal Fouled Ballast Stabilized With Geogrid Under Cyclic Load, Buddhima Indraratna, Ngoc Trung Ngo, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Deformation Of Coal Fouled Ballast Stabilized With Geogrid Under Cyclic Load, Buddhima Indraratna, Ngoc Trung Ngo, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

This paper presents the results of laboratory investigations into the deformation of coal fouled ballast stabilized with geogrid at various degrees of fouling. A novel track process simulation apparatus was used to simulate realistic rail track conditions subjected to cyclic loading, and the void contamination index (VCI) was used to evaluate the level of ballast fouling. The experimental results show that coal fines act as a lubricant, causing grains of ballast to displace and rotate, and as a result, accelerate its deformation. However, coal fines also reduce ballast breakage because of a cushioning effect, that is, by reducing interparticle attrition. …


Effects Of Fouling On The Stress-Strain-Degradation Behaviour Of Rail Ballast, Buddhima Indraratna, Nayoma C. Tennakoon, Sanjay Nimbalkar, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Effects Of Fouling On The Stress-Strain-Degradation Behaviour Of Rail Ballast, Buddhima Indraratna, Nayoma C. Tennakoon, Sanjay Nimbalkar, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

Ballast is most commonly used as a structural component of rail track due to its high load bearing capacity, resiliency and rapid drainage. However, ballast along coal freight corridors often becomes fouled due to spilling of coal from moving wagons, in addition to further track deterioration attributed to particle breakage and pumping of soft subgrade. Highly fouled ballast needs to be cleaned or replaced to maintain the desired track resiliency, load bearing capacity and the track alignment. In order to identify the risk associated with fouling, it is important to accurately assess the amount of fouling. In this paper, the …


Laboratory Study Of Small-Strain Behavior Of A Compacted Silty Sand, Ana Heitor, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn Mar 2014

Laboratory Study Of Small-Strain Behavior Of A Compacted Silty Sand, Ana Heitor, Buddhima Indraratna, Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn

Buddhima Indraratna

Small-strain behavior is a key indicator for assessing the performance of compacted fills. Compaction conditions, i.e., initial moisture content and applied energy, govern compaction effectiveness and thus, the structure and matric suction of compacted soil. This paper presents an experimental study of the small-strain behavior of compacted silty sand prepared with different compaction conditions. Specimens with varying initial moisture contents and compaction energies were tested with bender elements to determine the small-strain shear modulus (G0), while the post-compaction matric suction was measured using the filter paper method and tensiometer. The experimental data suggest a pronounced relationship between G0 and the …


Estimating The Rate Of Erosion Of A Silty Sand Treated With Lignosulfonate, Buddhima Indraratna, Rasika Athukorala, Jayan Vinod Mar 2014

Estimating The Rate Of Erosion Of A Silty Sand Treated With Lignosulfonate, Buddhima Indraratna, Rasika Athukorala, Jayan Vinod

Buddhima Indraratna

This paper describes a theoretical model to capture the rate of erosion of a silty sand based on the principle of conservation of energy. Erosion is considered to begin when the interparticle bonds between grains are broken by hydrodynamic stresses exerted on the soil particles. These detached particles are then suspended and transported by the flow of eroding fluid. It is further assumed that once the particles are fully suspended and have reached the flow velocity, resettlement does not take place. Stabilization of soil particles because of lignosulfonate (LS) treatment is represented by the increased strain energy required to break …


Shear Behaviour Of Rock Joints With Unsaturated Infill, B Indraratna, Wuditha N. Premadasa, E. T. Brown Mar 2014

Shear Behaviour Of Rock Joints With Unsaturated Infill, B Indraratna, Wuditha N. Premadasa, E. T. Brown

Buddhima Indraratna

Behaviour of soil-infilled rock joints has significant importance with respect to the strength of fractured rock mass. The presence of even a small amount of fine-grained infill material within a joint can reduce its shear strength considerably, depending on the degree of saturation of infill. Therefore, it is crucial to examine how the infill material can adversely affect the joint shear strength. Previous studies of infilled joints have mainly been focused on idealised regular joint patterns owing to the simplicity and reproducibility in laboratory testing. Current literature on infilled rock joints has also neglected the effect of the degree of …