Ballast Evaluation and Hot Mix Asphalt Performance

BNSF Railway is one of the largest freight rail transportation companies in the United States. A major concern facing the company today is increasing maintenance costs due to heavier loadings and challenging track conditions. This paper focuses on coal dust fouling in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, and the use of hot-mix asphalt (HMA) in lieu of granular sub-ballast on intermodal line between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California. It is believed ballast fouling decreases the track’s ability to carry load and is detrimental to its strength and stability. The challenge is recognizing the material causing the fouling condition and identifying areas with significant fouling levels where the structure may be compromised. Ground penetrating radar was used to aid in marking possible trouble areas and gradation analyses were performed to establish a condition rating for each location. As part of BNSF’s long term HMA evaluation, a field program to test the condition of several underlayment sites was undertaken and the overall quality and performance of HMA is discussed.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9780415871990
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Taylor & Francis.
• Corporate Authors:

  CRC Press/Balkema

  P.O. Box 447
  2300 AK Leiden,   Netherlands 
• Authors:
  • Lees, H M
• Conference:
  • Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields. 8th International Conference (BCR2A'09)
  • Location: Champaign IL, United States
  • Date: 2009-6-29 to 2009-7-2
• Publication Date: 2009

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Edition: e-book ISBN 9780203865286
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1283-1289
• Monograph Title: Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields. Proceedings of the 8th International BCR2A'09 Conference

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bearing capacity; Costs; Field tests; Freight transportation; Ground penetrating radar; Hot mix asphalt; Intermodal transportation; Maintenance; Railroad tracks; Railroad transportation; Subballast
• Uncontrolled Terms: Coal dust
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Maintenance and Preservation; Railroads; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01350658
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 9780415871990
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 27 2011 12:05PM