Abstract
In order to understand the deformation of “railroad ballast”, which is a component of the ballasted track composed of crushed stone, the simulations of full-scale track tests regarding its part as an assemblage of coarse granular materials were performed in this paper. And the applicability of discontinuum analysis to the cyclic plastic deformation of railroad ballast was discussed in comparing analytical results with DDA (Discontinuous Deformation Analysis) and experimental results. As a result, some new guidelines for the application method of DDA were indicated, and the cyclic plastic deformation of railroad ballast was proved the fabric transformation of particle alignment accompanied by sliding between particles in terms of the mechanics of granular materials.
