Tutorial on the fragmentation of the railway ballast particles and calibration methods in discrete element modelling

Abstract

This paper presents a short literature review related to the fragmentation of the railway crushed ballast particles. With the help of the processed articles with the main topic of discrete element modelling (DEM) we aim to provide some insight into the international achievements and forward progress of the subject. Rock materials as granular elements can be investigated from several perspectives. The elements can be examined in laboratory conditions purely from the quarry, or even by obtaining already fragmented particles from the real railway tracks. In addition, DEM models can be created by using computer software. This article tackles only a small segment of the literature. Though each DEM topic was unique, they all involved examination of degradation of particles in some way. This review focuses on model building, including particle construction and calibration. The selected publications do not cover the current state of the entire DEM research related to ballast degradation.

Keywords

• ballast
• degradation
• dem modelling