Railway support
Passage of train wheels on a railway track causes a dynamic vertical load on the sleepers and ballast. This pumping action can cause subsoil to be pumped upwards into the ballast foundation, with the subsequent reduction of its bearing capacity.
Historically the solution to this has been systematic maintenance work which required raising of the rails and topping up of the ballast, leading over time to a gradual sideways creep of rail embankments. Our nonwoven geotextiles resist the upward passage of fine soil particles helping maintain the bearing capacity and free draining qualities of the ballast. Grids may also be incorporated for ballast or subballast reinforcement to improve bearing capacity over weaker subgrades or to prevent deformation of the ballast.
Additionally the geosynthetics can be manufactured to include a metallic element at regular intervals in the cross machine direction to facilitate nondestructive monitoring of trackbed deformation through the use of electromagnetic detection to assist in systematic maintenance and increase track safety through early detection of subbase movement.
The pumping effect of dynamic loads is strongly reduced with the use of Enka-Tex. Where local soil demands further reinforcing measurements, Enkagrid will improve the load distribution capacity and, with its interlocking effect, stiffen the soil at grid level creating a soil-geogrid composite.
Enka-D-Tect allows for electromagnetic detection of subbase movement and facilitates nondestructive monitoring of the trackbed.
Functions:
- Seperation of ballast and subgrade
- Reduction of the pumping effects on railway tracks
- Ballast and subballast reinforcement
- Reducing maintenance
- Trackbed motion sensing
Relevant products:
- Enka®-Tex wovens
- Enka®-Tex nonwovens
- Enka®-Force G and M
- Enkagrid® G and M
- Enkagrid® PLUS G and M
- Enkagrid® MAX and MAX C
- Enka®-D-Tect
- Enkagrid® PLUS MC
