Ballastless Tracks
Beton-Kalender Series
1. Edition March 2018
96 Pages, Softcover
18 Pictures
3 tables
Handbook/Reference Book
Short Description
The extension of railways and high speed lines for transport infrastructure is an ongoing process worldwide. Ballastless tracks are used more and more. In the book planning and design experiences of 40 years are given which led to the European standard EN 16432 published in 2017.
Further versions
Due to increasing traffic flows the extension of transport infrastructure with rail roads and high speed lines is an ongoing process worldwide. Ballastless track systems with concrete slabs are used more and more.
Following the first trials in the 1970s and more than four decades of R&D work on ballastless track, the level of development is such that it can be confirmed that ballastless track is suitable for use as an alternative to ballasted track. This book makes a contribution to the state of the art of ballastless track by describing the basics for designing the ballastless track. Important advice is provided regarding the construction of ballastless track on earthworks and in tunnels. There is also a description of the technical history of the development of ballastless track on bridges and the ensuing findings for bridge design. The state of the art of ballastless track for switches, important information on details concerning drainage, transitions, accessibility for road vehicles and experience gleaned from maintenance round off the work.
Selected chapters from the German concrete yearbook are now being published in the new English "Beton-Kalender Series" for the benefit of an international audience.
Since it was founded in 1906, the Ernst & Sohn "Beton-Kalender" has been supporting developments in reinforced and prestressed concrete. The aim was to publish a yearbook to reflect progress in "ferro-concrete" structures until - as the book's first editor, Fritz von Emperger (1862-1942), expressed it - the "tempestuous development" in this form of construction came to an end. However, the "Beton-Kalender" quickly became the chosen work of reference for civil and structural engineers, and apart from the years 1945-1950 has been published annually ever since.
1.1 Introductory words and definition
1.2 Comparison between ballasted track and ballastless track
1.3 Basic ballastless track types in Germany - the state of the art
1.3.1 Developments in Germany
1.3.2 Sleeper framework on continuously reinforced slab
1.3.3 Continuously reinforced slab with discrete rail seats
1.3.4 Precast concrete slabs
1.3.5 Special systems for tunnels and bridges
1.3.6 Further developments
1.3.7 Conclusion
1.4 Ballastless track systems and developments in other countries (examples)
2 Design
2.1 Basic principles
2.1.1 Regulations
2.1.2 Basic loading assumptions
2.2 Material parameters - assumptions
2.2.1 Subsoil
2.2.2 Unbound base layer
2.2.3 Base layer with hydraulic binder
2.2.4 Slab
2.3 Calculations
2.3.1 General
2.3.2 Calculating the individual rail seat loads
2.3.3 Calculating bending stresses in a system with continuously supported track panel
2.3.4 System with individual rail seats
2.3.5 Example calculation
2.4 Further considerations
2.4.1 Intermediate layers
2.4.2 Temperature effects
2.4.3 Finite element method (FEM)
3 Developing a ballastless track
3.1 General
3.2 Laboratory tests
3.2.1 Rail fastening test
3.2.2 Testing elastic components
3.2.3 Tests on tension clamps
3.3 Lateral forces analysis
4 Ballastless track on bridges
4.1 Introduction and history
4.1.1 Requirements for ballastless track on bridges
4.1.2 System-finding
4.1.2.1 Geometric restraints
4.1.2.2 Acoustics
4.1.2.3 Design
4.1.3 System trials and implications for later installation
4.1.4 Measurements during system trials
4.1.5 Regulations and planning guidance for laying ballastless track on bridges
4.1.6 The Cologne-Rhine/Main and Nuremberg?Ingolstadt lines
4.1.7 VDE 8 - new forms of bridge construction
4.2 Systems for ballastless track on bridges
4.2.1 The principle behind ballastless track on long bridges
4.2.2 Ballastless track components on long bridges
4.2.3 Ballastless track on short bridges
4.2.4 Ballastless track on long bridges
4.2.5 The bridge areas of ballastless tracks
4.2.6 End anchorage
4.3 The challenging transition zone
4.3.1 General
4.3.2 The upper and lower system superstructure way and bridge
4.3.4 General actions and deformations at bridge ends
4.3.5 Summary of actions
4.3.6 Supplementary provisions for ballastless track on bridges and analyses
4.3.7 Measures for complying with limit values
4.3.8 Summary, consequences and outlook
5 Selected topics
5.1 Additional maintenance requirements to be considered in the design
5.2 Switches in ballastless track in the Deutsche Bahn network
5.3 Ballastless track maintenance
5.4 Inspections
5.4.1 General
5.4.2 Cracking and open joints
5.4.3 Anchors for fixing sleepers
5.4.4 Loosening of sleepers
5.4.5 Additional inspections
5.5 Ballastless track repairs
5.5.1 Real examples of repairs
5.5.2 Renewing rail seats
5.5.3 Repairing anchor bolts
5.5.4 Dealing with settlement
5.5.5 Defective sound absorption elements
5.6 Drainage
5.6.1 General
5.6.2 Draining surface water
5.6.3 Drainage between tracks
5.6.4 Strip between tracks
5.6.5 Cover to sides of ballastless track
5.7 Transitions
5.7.1 General
5.7.2 Transitions in substructure and superstructure
5.7.3 Welding and insulated rail joints
5.7.4 Transitions between bridges/tunnels and earthworks
5.7.5 Transitions between ballastless and ballasted track
5.7.6 Transitions between different type of ballastless track
5.8 Accessibility for road vehicles
5.8.1 General
5.8.2 Designing for road vehicles
5.8.3 Designing for road vehicle loads
5.9 Sound absorption elements
5.9.1 General
5.9.2 Construction and acoustic requirements
5.9.3 Special requirements for materials and construction
References
Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Freudenstein has been a full professor at the Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction at the Technical University of Munich and director of the test institute of the same name in Pasing, Munich, since 2008. After graduating in civil engineering at TU Munich in 1995 and working at Heilit + Woerner Bau AG, Stephan Freudenstein became a research associate at TU Munich's Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction in 1997. In 2002 he joined Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik GmbH, now known as RAILONE GmbH, in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany. While there, he headed up the technology and development department. He was responsible for prestressed concrete sleepers and the technical side of various ballastless track projects in Germany and farther afield. The main focus of Prof. Freudenstein's research is the structural design of road and rail superstructure systems and aviation surfaces. He is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.
Dr.-Ing. Konstantin Geisler graduated in civil engineering at TU Munich in 2010. He was awarded his doctorate by that university in 2016 and now works in academic research at TU Munich's Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction.
Dipl.-Ing. Tristan Mölter studied civil engineering at TU Darmstadt. Since 1999 he has been responsible for noise control, bridge equipment and provisional bridges at the technology and plant management department of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Munich. He is the chair of the structural engineering commission (FA KIB) at VDEI (association of German railway engineers) and a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.
Dipl.-Ing. Michael Mißler studied civil engineering at TU Darmstadt. As a team leader and project manager he is responsible for the ballastless track technique and track stability at the track technology management dept. of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany. He has pushed on the development of ballastless track for Deutsche Bahn since 1999. In the context of his central technical responsibility he is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.
Dipl.-Ing. Christian Stolz studied civil engineering at Cologne's University of Applied Sciences. Since 2010 he has been responsible for ballastless track engineering in the track technology management department of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. He is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees, e.g. DIN Standards Committee Railway NA 087-00-01 AA "Infrastructure", DIN subcommittee "Ballastless track" and CEN TC 256/SC 1/WG 46 "Ballastless Track".
