STUDY ON EVALUATION OF THE SUPPORT CONDITION OF TRACK SLAB FILLING LAYER BY WEIGHT DROP TEST

Abstract

 Slab track was developed as a type of track that does not require regular maintenance and is used on the Shinkansen and some conventional railways. However, in some slab tracks installed in locations with harsh environmental conditions, deterioration such as defects and crevices has occurred in the slab track. The degree of deterioration of the slab track is judged by regular visual inspections conducted at night. In visual inspections, the degree of deterioration is judged only from the appearance of the outer periphery of the slab track, and no judgment is made based on a quantitative index that reflects the deterioration state inside the slab track. Therefore, in this study, we investigated a method to evaluate the support condition of the slab track by a weight drop test using a track support stiffness measurement device, with the aim of judging deteriorated areas based on a quantitative index. As a result, we confirmed that the support condition of the slab track can be evaluated by using the track spring constant and the response displacement delay time.