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Effect of Soil–Cement Stabilization of the Subgrade on the Response of a Ballasted Railway Track

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Abstract

Soft subgrade presents considerable design issues for railway projects due to its high compressibility and low shear wave velocity. Hence, it is necessary to increase the stiffness and strength of the subgrade soil to improve its performance. One way of doing this is by using soil–cement stabilization. This study looked at how the dynamic response and dynamic amplification factor of a ballasted railway track change as a result of the stabilization of the subgrade by soil–cement under moving train loads. Three-dimensional finite element analysis has been carried out with consideration of soil plasticity and train movement to assess the effect of stabilization using Plaxis 3D software. It has been found that the width of the stabilized subgrade layer has no pronounced impact on the dynamic response of the ballasted railway track. However, increasing the thickness of the stabilized layer reduces the settlement. For a stabilized layer thickness of 0.1 m and 1.0 m, the maximum settlement of the railway track was significantly reduced by increasing the thickness of the stabilized subgrade layer, with a percentage decrease between 1 and 38%. Furthermore, the stabilized layer has no effect on the critical speed of the ballasted railway track. Additionally, it has been found that the dynamic amplification factor noticeably decreases as the thickness of the stabilized layer increases, indicating that the stabilization performs better for the case of the moving loads compared to that of the static loads. The results of the paper may help engineers in desk studies on the use of different solutions to stabilize soft soils for a ballasted railway design project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Roads and Transport Engineering, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq

    Saif Alzabeebee, Safa Hussam Abdulqader Alkhalidi & Ihsan Obaid

  2. Research Unit in Sciences and Innovative Technologies for Civil Engineering Infrastructures, Department of Civil Engineering, Thammasat School of Engineering, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand

    Suraparb Keawsawasvong

Authors
  1. Saif Alzabeebee
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  2. Safa Hussam Abdulqader Alkhalidi
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  3. Ihsan Obaid
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  4. Suraparb Keawsawasvong
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Correspondence to Saif Alzabeebee.

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Alzabeebee, S., Alkhalidi, S.H.A., Obaid, I. et al. Effect of Soil–Cement Stabilization of the Subgrade on the Response of a Ballasted Railway Track. Transp. Infrastruct. Geotech. 11, 1181–1201 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40515-023-00323-0

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