Objective
Railway track can be laid on the ground by different means, but an interface is always necessary in order to distribute the loads and anchor the track. Up to now, ballasted track is the most common and cost effective technique. However, the theoretical knowledge of ballasted track in terms of interactions with trains and subgrade as well as of long term behaviour remains insufficient, even if the Brite EuRam EUROBALT project has permit to identify many parameters.
Understanding the importance of the train track interaction
parameters, and how they are responsible for this untimely degradation when combined with specific track characteristics, and being able to set criteria and limit values for these parameters is a necessary condition to reduce maintenance costs and to increase the global efficiency and the interoperability of the railway system.
The objectives of the project are mainly to describe operating values for the train track interaction parameters (such as load, wheel and rail longitudinal profiles, contact forces, etc.) and to define optimal parameters for the track design and maintenance. The approach will be oriented towards very practical applications and several measurement campaigns will be performed.
The main impacts concerns:
the reduction of construction and maintenance costs,
the reduction of maintenance operations,
the fulfilment of the COM (91 ) 440 recommendation,
the development of an European high speed networks,
the improvement of comfort and safety.
Three different types of partners will participate to the project:Railway companies, and a research organization in rail technique,Companies specialised in the track construction and maintenance,Research centres specialised in solid mechanics and in soil
mechanics.
Fields of science
Topic(s)
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
75008 Paris
France