POSSIBLE REUTILIZATION

OF LIFE-EXPIRED RAILWAY
BALLASTS

Guided by Presented by
Dr. Ajitha T Vishnupriya A
Assistant Professor S7 Civil
RIT Kottayam RIT Kottayam
CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION
• BALLAST DEGRADATION AND RENEWAL
• COMPARATIVE STUDIES OF BALLASTS
• GRAIN SCALE TESTS
• SRTF LABORATORY TESTS
• TRIAXIAL TEST
• APPLICATIONS OF WB IN RAILWAYS
• WB IN CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
• CONCLUSION
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• REFERENCES
INTRODUCTION

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BALLAST DEGRADATION AND
RENEWAL

Causes of degradation:
• Number of loading cycles
• Properties of the material used
• Heavy tampings

 Degraded ballast is partially or fully

replaced, based on the intensity of
degradation.
 If the quality criterion is not
satisfied, complete renewal will be
conducted.
 IS 2386, 1963: Indian standards for
track ballast specifications 4
MAJOR CONCERNS REGARDING
BALLAST RENEWAL
Waste
Disposal
Challenges
Cost and
Quality
Budget
Control
Constraints
Major
Constraints
Logistics and Environmental
Transportation Impact

Resource
Consumption
COMPARATIVE STUDIES BALLASTS
 To assess the suitability of the track ballasts for
their potential reuse
 Samples collected from Eastleigh Recycling
Centre, Hampshire, UK.

 Sample taken:
• Fresh ballasts
• Life- expired ballasts

 Tests conducted:
• Grain Scale Tests
• SRTF Laboratory tests Fig. 2. Physical appearance of (a) fresh
• Triaxial tests ballast; and (b) reused ballast
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-
5606.0002904 )
Physical examination of samples

Granite/ Granodiorite Basalt Limestone, flint and other impurities

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 GRAIN SCALE TESTS
To compare particle mineralogy, Ballast shape, and surface
characteristics such as particle form, angularity, and surface roughness.
Ballast Particle Mineralogy
• Methods: X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thin section analysis
• Apparatus used: (SEM-EDS) imaging and elemental mapping
 Results
• Fresh ballast rock type: Granite
• Constituent minerals: Quartz and feldspar
• Reused ballast rock type: Granite, Granodiorites and basalt
• Constituent minerals: Quartz
 Quartz and feldspar are best-suited minerals for track ballast due to
their hardness.

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 Fig. 3. (a) Fresh ballast SEM

image; (b) fresh ballast elemental

map; (c) used granite ballast SEM

image; (d) used granite ballast

elemental map; (e) used basalt

ballast SEM image, and (f) used

basalt ballast elemental map.

(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT

.1943-5606.0002904 )

 Quartz and feldspar are dominant in both samples

 Hence, both sample exhibit greater resistance to fracture. 9

Ballast Shape and Surface Characteristics

Angularity = Fig. 4. Ellipse fitting for

particle-shape analysis and
descriptors in two dimensions.
(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE
)GT.1943-5606.0002904 )

10
Fig. 5. Zingg plot for fresh and reused ballast.
(Black data points represent fresh ballast, and
grey data points represent used ballast of
different sizes.)
(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-
5606.0002904 )

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Southampton Railway Testing Facility

Fig. 6. SRTF laboratory tests: (a) schematic view; (b) photograph; and
(c) cross-section. (Data from Abadi et al. 2019.

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Fig. 7. Permanent settlement against a number
of loading cycles, zeroed after 10 cycles.
(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-
5606.0002904 )

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Triaxial Tests

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Fig. 8. Monotonic triaxial test results of fresh and used ballast tested at a cell pressure of 60 kPa:
(a) Mobilized angle of shearing; and (b) volumetric Strain response.
(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606 .0002904 )

Table 1. Summary of triaxial test specimen details and results

(https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002904 )
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APPLICATIONS OF WB IN RAILWAY
INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
PROJECTS

Track Bed Construction

Track Maintenance and Rehabilitation

High-Speed Rail Projects

Ballast Shoulder and Slope Stabilization

Railway Embankments

Light Rail and Commuter Rail

Railway Yard Development

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CONCRETE MANUFACTURING USING
WASTE BALLAST
• Coarse aggregates in conventional mixes were replaced by 50%,
75%, and 100% of ballast materials.
• C30/37 concrete was used as the control mix.
• Compressive strength increased by 7%, 10%, and 15% for WB50,
WB75, and WB100, respectively
• WB enhanced the flexural strength of
the mixtures.
• Capillary water absorption value
decreased when the amount of WB
increased.
• Water penetration value of WB100 was
less than the control mix. Fig 9. Compressive strength
of mixtures.
• Hence, highly durable concrete is https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16
obtained. 072665
Waste Ballast as pozzolanic addition

Pozzolanic materials, when added to Ordinary Portland cement

(OPC), will enhance the hydraulic properties of concrete
 10% and 20% of WB was incorporated in OPC as Pozzolanic
addition
 Compressive strength, flexural strength, and porosity of the mix
were studied
 10% addition- more effective- obtained Type 2(A) Cement
 20% addition- strengthened over time- obtained Type 4 cement
 Benefits:
• No thermal or chemical activation is required
• It can be directly incorporated into mortar mixtures
• Reduces carbon emission
 CONCLUSIONS
 The reusing potential of ballasts depends on their mineralogical
composition and other properties of the constituent material.

 Ballast particles can be reused in the railway track and other

railway infrastructure development projects, if they meet the
particular quality considerations.

 Recycled ballasts can be used in concrete and pozzolanic

cement manufacturing

 Recycling and reusing life-expired track ballast: an approach to

sustainable practices and circular economy .
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REFERENCES

1. T. Abadi, B. N. Madhusudhan, H. Li, and L. Le Pen. 2022. “Reusing

Life-Expired Railway Ballast: Laboratory Testing, Shape Analysis, and
Petrographic Evaluation”. ASCE, J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 2023,
149(1): https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002904
2. Sañudo, R.; Goswami, R.R.; Ricci, S.; Miranda, M. (2022). “Efficient
Reuse of Railway Track Waste Materials”. Sustainability, 14, 11721.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811721

3. Adam Rak, Iwona Klosok-Bazan, Izabela Zimoch, Joanna Machnik-

Slomka, “Analysis of railway ballast contamination in terms of its
potential reuse”. Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 378, ISSN 0959-
6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134440.

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1. Yücel, Hasan Erhan, Maciej Dutkiewicz, and Fatih Yıldızhan. 2023. "The
Effect of Waste Ballast Aggregates on Mechanical and Durability
Properties of Standard Concrete". Materials 16, no. 7: 2665.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072665
2. Yagüe García Santiago, and Cristina González Gaya. 2019. "Reusing
Discarded Ballast Waste in Ecological Cements". Materials 12, no. 23:
3887.https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12233887
3. Abadi, T., L. Le Pen, A. Zervos, and W. Powrie. 2019. “Effect of sleeper
interventions on railway track performance.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron.
Eng. 145 (4): 04019009.
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0002022.

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