Characteristic Analysis of Permanent Deformation in Railway Track Soil Subgrade Using Cyclic Triaxial Compression Tests

The role of a track subgrade is to provide bearing capacity and distribute load transferred to lower foundation soils. Track subgrade soils are usually compacted by heavy mechanical machines in the field, such that sometimes they are attributed to progressive residual settlement during the service after construction completion of the railway track. The progressive residual settlement generated in the upper part of a track subgrade is mostly non-recoverable plastic deformation, which causes unstable conditions such as track irregularity. Nonetheless, up to now no design code for allowable residual settlement of subgrade in a railway trackbed has been proposed based on mechanical testing, such as repetitive triaxial testing. At this time, to check the DOC or stiffness of the soil, field test criteria for compacted track subgrade are composed of data from RPBT and field compaction testing. However, the field test criteria do not provide critical design values obtained from mechanical test results that can offer correct information about allowable permanent deformation. In this study, a test procedure is proposed for permanent deformation of compacted subgrade soil that is used usually in railway trackbed in the laboratory using repetitive triaxial testing. To develop the test procedure, an FEA was performed to obtain the shear stress ratio (${\tau}/{\tau}_f$) and the confining stress (${\sigma}_3$) on the top of the subgrade. Comprehensive repetitive triaxial tests were performed using the proposed test procedure on several field subgrade soils obtained in construction sites of railway trackbeds. A permanent deformation model was proposed using the test results for the railway track.

국내 철도 노반 흙재료의 반복재하에 따른 영구변형 발생 특성 및 상관성 분석

철도궤도 상부 흙노반은 궤광으로부터 전달된 열차하중을 지지하고 분산하는 기능을 갖는다. 성토체의 일반적인 흙노반은 흙재료를 다짐하여 조성하며 차량 반복하중에 의해 공용중 잔류침하가 발생하는 데 일정부분 기여한다. 흙노반의 잔류침하는 회복불가능한 영구변형이어서 궤도틀림 등 궤도 안전성을 크게 저하시킨다. 그럼에도 불구하고 현재까지 흙노반재료에 대한 역학적 시험을 바탕으로 합리적인 잔류침하 관리기준이 제시된 바 없다. 반면에 흙노반의 현장관리 및 판정기준은 강성평가 또는 현장들밀도시험에 의해서만 이루어지고 있어 불합리하다. 본 연구에서는 흙노반이 경험하는 전단응력비(${\tau}/{\tau}_f$)와 구속압(${\sigma}_3$)을 수치해석을 통해 구하고 이를 반영한 실내 흙노반 영구변형시험방법을 제시하였다. 제시된 시험방법을 이용하여 대표적인 철도건설현장 흙노반 재료로 만든 다짐시편에 대하여 반복삼축시험을 실시하였으며 이로부터 향후 잔류침하의 추정에 활용할 수 있는 기본 영구변형예측모델 모델계수를 구속압 및 전단응력비 수준별로 제시할 수 있었다.