Chapter-11

Ballast
11.1. Lecture Outline
 Ballast
 Functions and Requirements
 Types of ballast
 Design of section

11.2. Ballast- Definition

 It is a layer of broken stone, gravel, moorum or any other gritty material placed
and packed below and around sleepers for distributing the load from the sleepers
to the formation and for providing drainage as well as giving longitudinal and
lateral stability to the track.

11.3. Ballast – Functions

 Provide level and hard bed for sleepers
 Hold sleepers in position
 Transfer and distribute load to wide area
 Provide elasticity and resilience to track
 Provide longitudinal and lateral stability
 Provide effective drainage
 Maintain level and alignment of track

11.4. Ballast – Requirements

1. Tough and resist wear
2. Hard enough
3. Cubical, with sharp edges
4. Non-porous, non-water absorbent
5. Resist attrition
6. Durable
7. Good drainage
8. Cheap and economical

11.5. Ballast – Types

I. Broken Stone
II. Sand
III. Blast Furnace Slag, Cinders
IV. Moorum
V. Others

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 I. Broken Stone
 Mostly used on Indian Railways
 Procured from hard stones like granite, quartzite, hard trap etc.
 Economical in long run

II. Sand
 Mostly used for CI Pot sleepers
 In low density areas with wooden and ST sleepers
 Coarse sand is preferred
 Causes excessive wear on rail top and moving parts of the rolling stock

III. Blast Furnace Slag, Cinders

 Used in yards, sidings etc.
 Used as initial ballast in new construction
 Cheap and easily available
 Corrosive, harmful for steel sleepers and fittings

IV. Moorum
 Used as initial ballast in new constructions or as sub-ballast.
 Also used as blanketing material on black cotton soil.

V. Others
 Gravel, River Pebbles, Kankar, Brick Ballast, etc.

11.6. Ballast – Types : Comparison

 Drainage property  Suitability /
 Cost unsuitability
 Packing material  Quality of track
 Wear  Availability /
 Stability / resilience procurement
property of track  Harmful effects, if any
 Maintenance of track

11.7. Ballast – Section

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11.8. Ballast – Cushion
 Minimum Depth of Ballast section = 1/2[Slee per Spacing – width of sleeper]

 Based on stresses in ballast section

Pressure at the bottom of the tie (sleeper) is given by:
Pa = P/ (w . L/2) in kg/sq.m
Where, P = isolated wheel load, in kg
w = width of the tie or sleeper, in m
L = length of the sleeper, in m
Pressure at depth ‘z’ (in cm) below centre of tie width is computed as:
Pz = 5.24 Pa / z1.25 (in kg/sq.m)
Pressure at distance ‘x’ (in cm) at depth ‘z’ is given by:
Px = 0.48 (Pa / z) . 10-2.06 (x / z) (x / z) (in kg/sq.m)
11.9. Ballast – Specifications
 Quality
o Hard and durable
o Free from inorganic and organic residues, inferior and harmful
substances
 Top width
o 3350 mm to 1850 mm
 Depth of Cushion
o BG / MG
300mm (A, Q)
250mm (B, C, R1)
200 mm (D, R2)
150mm (E, S)
o NG: 150mm
 Physical Properties
o Abrasion test value Max 30%, relaxable to 35%
o Impact value Max 20%, relaxable to 25%
o Elongation and Flakiness index Max 50% each
o Specific gravity Min. 2.65
o Water absorption Max. 1%

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  Size and Gradation
o Size designated – 50 mm
o Retained on 65mm – nil, 5% max
o Retained on 40mm – 40% to 60%
o Retained on 20mm – not less than 98% for machine
crushed and not less than 95% for hand
broken
 Size and Gradation - Oversized
o Rejected if more than 10% of ballast remains on 65mm sieve
o In case the retention on 40mm sieve exceeds 70%, it is rejected
o 2% in machine crushed and 5% in manually crushed permitted for passing
on 20mm sieve
 Size and Gradation - Undersized
o Rejected if retention on a 40mm sieve is less than 40%
o Rejected if retention on a 20mm sieve is less than 98% for machine crushed
ballast or 95% for hand broken ballast

11.10. Ballast – Compaction

 Packing
 Compacted ballast cushion laid below sleepers as per the gradation
 Boxing
 Relatively Loose ballast Placed on the side of the sleepers to provide
them lateral stability
11.11. Ballast – Screening
Procedure of renewing the ballast section got degraded due to:
 Crushed material clogs the voids causing drainage problem
 Penetration of ballast in the formation
 Blowing away of the ballast