Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574

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Computers and Geotechnics

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Research Paper

Effect of tamping operation on mechanical qualities of ballast bed based on T

DEM-MBD coupling method
⁎
Shunwei Shia,b, Liang Gaoa,b, , Xiaopei Caia,b, Hao Yina, Xiangning Wanga
a
School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
b
Beijing Key Laboratory of Track Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Tamping can effectively improve the service performance of a ballasted track. To determine the effect of tamping
Tamping operation on the mechanical qualities of a ballast bed, a tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model was established based on the
Tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model coupling of the discrete element method (DEM) and multibody dynamics (MBD). This model not only solved the
Ballast motion problem that the interaction between ballasts and sleeper could not be revealed accurately by DEM, but also
Tamping parameters
realized the complicated motion simulation of tamp. The model was subsequently verified by field tests. Finally,
Mechanical qualities
we applied the model to analyze the macro-mesoscopic motion of ballasts, as well as the effects of tamping
parameters on the mechanical qualities of ballast bed. The results show that tamping destroys the uniformity of
ballast bed, and the top layer under sleeper and the crib are the most severely affected spaces, whose com-
pactness increased by 7.56% and decreased by 34.77%, respectively. In terms of the analytical results for
compactness, lateral resistance, and support rigidity, the recommended lifting height, tamping frequency, and
tamping depth are 20 mm, 35 Hz, and 20 mm, respectively. This study can provide critical insights for the
improvement of tamping operation.

1. Introduction settlement characteristics of a scaled-down ballast bed, and found the

As granular materials, railway ballast bed would deteriorate under
train load, such as fouling, deformation, and collapse. Besides, dust and
rainwater may lead to ballast bed hardening and mud pumping. They
can seriously affect the track smoothness and the operational safety of
the train. Tamping operation is an effective measure to solve these
problems. Therefore, to ensure the high stability of track structure,
researchers have conducted a significant amount of studies on how to
carry out the tamping operation reasonably, including experimental
researches and numerical simulations.
In terms of experimental researches, several experimental platforms
have been established. Aursudkij et al. [1] used the railway test facility
and large-scale triaxial test facility to simulate traffic loading and
tamping maintenance, and found that the inserting of tamping tines
caused more damages to ballast bed compared with squeezing. McDo-
well et al. [2] and Douglas et al. [3] conducted tamping test utilizing
ballast box, among which McDowell focused on the effect of tamping on
the settlement in ballast bed, while Douglas quantified the ballast de-
gradation owing to tamping, and pointed out the importance of using
durable, hard, and dense ballast. Kumara et al. [4,5] tracked the
movements of ballasts using particle image velocimetry to examine the
fouling degree had a great effect on the settlement of ballast bed in
tamping operation. Perales et al. [6] studied the effect of tamping on
the geometrical characteristics of ballasts via field tests. In summary,
the existing experimental researches mainly focused on the fouling,
settlement, and degradation of ballast bed subjected to tamping op-
eration, while few studies established the relation between mechanical
qualities of ballast bed and tamping parameters. As a result, the site
tamping operation is almost based on practical experience and lacking
of theoretical guidance.
As for numerical simulations, the most popular method is the dis-
crete element method (DEM). Tutumluer et al. [7] analyzed the effects
of ballast shape and texture on the compactness and strength of ballast
bed owing to tamping operation. Wang et al. [8] investigated the dis-
placement and vibration of ballasts while tamping, and found that the
ballast shape could greatly influence the vibration characteristics.
Saussine et al. [9–11] and Zhou et al. [12] explored the regularities
between vibration frequency and ballast compaction, among which
Saussine characterized the ballast compactness by the density of bal-
lasts below sleeper, while Zhou utilizing the distance between ballasts
and measuring point. Both methods were unable to reveal the quality of
ballast bed comprehensively. To sum up, as discrete particles, the

⁎
Corresponding author at: School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China.
E-mail address: lgao@bjtu.edu.cn (L. Gao).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2020.103574
Received 14 January 2020; Received in revised form 13 March 2020; Accepted 5 April 2020
Available online 15 May 2020
0266-352X/ © 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
S. Shi, et al.
motion and mechanical properties of ballasts can be simulated accu-
rately by DEM. However, it is difficult to simulate sleeper and tamp
precisely by DEM, as they are a kind of continuum and the tamping
motion is complicated.
To compensate for the shortcomings of existing studies, the tamp-
sleeper-ballasts coupling model was established by the coupling of DEM
and multibody dynamics (MBD) at first, and it was further verified by
field tests. The coupling method could accurately simulate the inter-
action between the sleeper and ballasts, and successfully revealed the
complicated tamping motion. Secondly, the tamp-sleeper-ballasts cou-
pling model was used to study the macro-mesoscopic motion of ballasts
while tamping, which determines the mechanical qualities of ballast
bed. Finally, the tamping parameters, including lifting height of sleeper,
tamping frequency, and tamping depth, were optimized by analyzing
their effects on the mechanical qualities.
2. Numerical modeling
2.1. Coupling mechanism of DEM and MBD
The coupling method was used to simulate the interaction between
sleeper and ballast, as well as tamp and ballast. We take the interaction
between sleeper and ballast as an example to explain the coupling
mechanism of DEM and MBD. Considering its various shapes, the bal-
last model is composed of several spherical particles. The contact model
between each particle and sleeper is composed of spring and damping
components in both normal and tangential directions [13,14], as shown
in Fig. 1. Therefore, the contact process can be simplified as the damped
vibration of spring oscillator, and the motion of ballast can be divided
in normal and tangential directions, given by Eqs. (1) and (2), respec-
tively.
mj ·x¨nj + ∑ cni xni̇ + ∑ kni xni = 0
i=1 i=1 (1)
mj ·x¨tj + ∑ cti xti̇ + ∑ kti xti = 0
i=1 i=1 (2)
where mj is the mass of ballast. c and k are the damping coefficient and
stiffness of spherical particle, respectively. x is the displacement of
particle that deviates away from the balance position.
In DEM simulation, the contact between spherical particle and
sleeper is defined as the overlapping of them, as presented in Fig. 1. The
O and P denote the centroids of spherical particle and mesh element in
sleeper, respectively. n is unit vector in normal direction. |χnsi | is the
normal overlap between them, given by Eq. (3), and the contact is
mainly determined by it.
|χnsi | = Ri − |PO·n| (3)
where Ri is the radius of spherical particle. If the |χnsi | is greater than
zero, the contact occurs, and |χnsi |·n is the normal contact vector. In
addition, the contact definitions for all discrete parts in the simulation
model are similar to that between the spherical particle and sleeper.
nsi
Fig. 1. Contact model between sleeper and ballast.
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Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574
The contact force between spherical particle and sleeper is calcu-
lated according to the overlap, and the contact force between ballast
and sleeper is actually the sum of them, given by Eqs. (4) and (5).
Fnsj = ∑ (knsi χnsi + cnsi vnsi)
i=1 (4)
Ftsj = ∑ (ktsi χtsi + ctsi vtsi)
i=1 (5)
where χ is the contact vector, and v is the relative velocity, respec-
tively. In a time step, the χ and v are the independent variables in
DEM, which depend on the initial state.
The motion of ballast can be calculated by Newton’s second law, as
shown in Eq. (6).
Fnsj + Ftsj + Gj = mj aj (6)
where Gj and aj are the gravity force and acceleration of ballast, re-
spectively.
The velocity of the ballast is assumed to be constant in a time step.
The corresponding velocity (v ) and displacement (s ) can be calculated
by Eqs. (7) and (8), respectively.
(vj)N + 1/2 = (vj)N − 1/2 + aj·Δt (7)
(sj)N + 1 = (sj)N + (vj)N + 1/2 ·Δt (8)
The sleeper moves under the effect of contacting ballast, as pre-
sented in Eq. (9) [15].
¨ + Du̇ + Ku = Fnsj + Ftsj + Gs
Mu (9)
where M, D, K , u , and Gs refer to the mass matrix, damping matrix,
stiffness matrix, displacement matrix, and gravity matrix, respectively.
The spatial positions of the sleeper and ballast are changed after a
time step, leading to corresponding changes of the contact between
them. Afterwards, the calculation repeats in cycles, as shown in Fig. 2.
2.2. Tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model
In this section, the ballast model was established by DEM firstly.
Then, the sleeper and tamp model were established by MBD. Based on
the above models, the tamp-sleeper-ballasts model was finally con-
structed by DEM-MBD coupling method.
The shape of ballasts greatly influences the mechanical properties of
ballast bed [16,17]. Therefore, the fine simulation of ballasts is the key
to ensuring precise calculations. Three-dimensional (3D) ballast models
were reconstructed by laser scanning, which counts 60, as presented in
Fig. 3(a) and (b). The simulation results showed no difference when the
number of ballast shapes exceeded 10 in DEM [18], so 12 ballasts with
typical characteristics were chosen by similarity analysis [19], which
were black ones in Fig. 3(b). Finally, the ballasts with different shapes
were simulated as clumps [20], as shown in Fig. 3(c).
The mechanical parameters of ballast model were summarized in
Table 1. Among which, the shear modulus, density, and Poisson’s ratio
ct
kn cn
kt
S. Shi, et al. Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574

MBD DEM
Bodies: Connections, Initial condition
Particles: Contact judgement
motions, and forces

Lagrange Contact
equation model

Motion of bodies based on

Cartesian generalized Contact forces on particles
coordinate system
Position of EDEM- The boundary
bodies ADAMS condition
Repeat Gear algorithm Repeat
Forces on interaction Contact forces second law
bodies module on boundary

Velocity, acceleration, and Velocity, acceleration, and

displacement of bodies displacement of particles

Spatial positions of
Spatial positions of bodies
particles

No Has the setting time Yes Calculations Yes Has the setting time No
been reached? completed been reached?

Fig. 2. Coupling calculation process of DEM and MBD.

Table 1
Parameters of ballast.
Parameters Shear modulus Density (kg/ Poisson’s ratio Friction
(MPa) m3) coefficient

Value 25 e3 2600 0.18 0.5

were basic physical parameters, determined by the materials of ballasts,

and they were usually granites in railway. For this reason, the basic
physical parameters could be referred from the studies conducted by
other researchers [21,22]. In addition, the friction coefficient was the
macroscopic contact parameter of ballast, which could be captured by a
hopper flow test, and it was referred from Jia’s research [23].
As a continuous medium, the sleeper was mainly simulated by
geometry, clump, and cluster in DEM. The geometry was calculated as a
fixed boundary [24,25], and could not simulate the motion of sleeper.
Clump was overlapped by several spheres [26], and cluster was gen-
erated by spheres bonding [27]. Neither the clump nor cluster could
reveal the regular shape of sleeper. All in all, the sleeper could not be
simulated accurately by DEM. To solve this problem, a sleeper model
was established by MBD in this paper, as shown in Fig. 4. The para-
meters were listed in Table 2. Among which, the basic physical para-
meters were determined by its material property, including Young’s
modulus, density, and Poisson’s ratio. Sleeper was a kind of concrete,
these parameters were referred from Li’s research [28]. Besides, the
dimension parameters were determined according to the standard [29].
During tamping operation, the sleeper was subjected to gravity and

Fig. 3. Modeling process for ballast: (a) laser scanning, (b) selection of typical
ballasts, (c) clump model of ballast.

Fig. 4. Sleeper model.

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S. Shi, et al. Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574

Table 2
Parameters of sleeper and tamp model.
Sleeper Tamp

Height under rail (m) 0.23 Arm length (m) 0.683

Height in middle (m) 0.185 Arm diameter (m) 0.04
Width under rail (m) 0.3 Tine height (m) 0.07
Width in middle (m) 0.28 Tine width (m) 0.14
Length (m) 2.6 Tine thickness (m) 0.02
Young’s modulus (MPa) 31e3 Young’s modulus (MPa) 207 e3
Density (kg/m3) 2500 Density (kg/m3) 7900
Poisson’s ratio 0.2 Poisson’s ratio 0.29

Fig. 6. Size gradation of ballasts.

Fig. 5. Tamp model.

contact force from surrounding ballasts. Besides, the sleeper was con-
strained by a uniform upward motion of 0.3 m/s in MBD until it
reached the previously set position in lifting stage (0 s–0.1 s).
The tamp was also a kind of continuum, and its motion was ex-
Fig. 7. Dimensions of ballast bed: (a) lateral section, (b) longitudinal section.
tremely complicated. Therefore, the tamp was established by MBD in
this paper, as shown in Fig. 5. The corresponding parameters were
listed in Table 2. The tamp was made of steel, so the basic physical
parameters could be referred from the studies conducted by other re-
searchers [30]. In addition, the dimension parameters met the re-
quirements in the relevant standard [31,32].
The tamping motion was controlled as follows to simulate actual
tamping operation. During 0 s–0.3 s, the tamping arm inserted down-
ward at 1.4 m/s. When it came to 0.3 s–0.9 s, the tamping tine squeezed
at 13 degrees per second (deg/s). The rotation center (point O) is shown
in Fig. 5. Then, in 0.9 s–1.3 s, the tamping tine released at 19.5 deg/s.
Finally, in 1.3 s–1.5 s, the tamping arm retracted at 2.1 m/s.
Throughout the tamping operation (0 s–1.5 s), the tamping arm rotated
according to a periodic sinusoidal function with point O as the center.
The rotation angle (φ ) is given by Eq. (10).
φ = φ0 ·sin(2πft ) (10)
where φ0 is the rotation amplitude, and f denotes the vibration fre-
quency.
The model of ballast bed was established by gathering a large
Fig. 8. Tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model.
number of ballasts, and the lateral section dimension and gradation
satisfied the requirements in the standard [29], as presented in
Figs. 6 and 7(a). Considering boundary effect, the ballasts under next the settlement under train load with that in published paper, whose
sleeper would never be influenced in tamping operation [11]. There- model was established by DEM. Besides, field test was conducted on a
fore, 2.7 m of ballast bed in railway longitudinal direction was selected, railway to verify the accuracy of the tamping simulation, and the
as shown in Fig. 7(b). Finally, the tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model consistency of lateral resistance was confirmed [33].
was constructed by the combination of tamp, sleeper, and ballast bed In general, the mechanical parameters of coupling model could be
models, utilizing DEM-MBD coupling method, as shown in Fig. 8. divided into basic physical parameters and friction coefficient, de-
termined by the materials and contact properties, respectively. The
former could be easily obtained, and the latter needed to be further
2.3. Model verification
verified. Therefore, the settlements of the coupling model with different
friction coefficients under train load were compared with the
In this section, the coupling model was firstly justified by comparing

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S. Shi, et al.
Fig. 9. Comparison of settlement between simulation and published paper.
simulation results in Tutumluer’s study [34], so as to verify the accu-
racy of coupling model, as shown in Fig. 9. The velocity and axle load of
train operation were set as 72 km/h and 350 kN respectively, which
were the same to Tutumluer’s simulation. The train load was applied on
the sleeper [35], and the vertical displacement of sleeper was recorded
as the settlement of ballast bed. It can be clearly noticed that the set-
tlement in this simulation generally matches that in Tutumluer’s study
when the friction coefficient is 0.5. The settlements are 5.24 mm and
5.48 mm respectively when the loading cycles reach 1000, and there is
only 4.38% difference between them. Besides, little differences always
exist in the variation of settlement, which may be attributed to the
variety of ballast shapes and the difference of modeling approaches.
Overall, the coupling model can be regarded as valid.
The tamping operation and field test of lateral resistance were
shown in Figs. 10 and 11, respectively. Type-III concrete sleeper was
applied in the field railway, and the gradation and dimension of ballast
bed satisfied the requirements in the standard [29]. Moreover, the
tamping operation was completed by DCL-32, and the major tamping
parameters were set as flows. The lifting height was 30 mm, the
tamping frequency was 35 Hz, and the tamping depth was 15 mm [36].
To exert a lateral force on the sleeper, a hydraulic jack that could supply
a maximum of 100 kN was placed on one side of the sleeper, together
with a force transducer and a bearing structure. Besides, a displacement
transducer with 0.1 mm accuracy was installed on the top of sleeper,
thus measuring the displacement of it. Moreover, all the measuring data
were collected by the IMC system.
In test procedure, the fasteners were loosened at first to avoid
constraints on the sleeper. Then, the lateral force was loaded on one
side of the sleeper, thus moving it slowly and stably. When the
Fig. 10. Tamping operation.
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Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574
Fig. 11. Field test of lateral resistance.
displacement reached 2 mm, the force was recorded as the lateral re-
sistance. In simulation, a linear motion constraint was applied to the
texting sleeper, thus making it move laterally at 1 mm/s. When the
displacement of sleeper reached 2 mm, the total force acting on all sides
of it coming from contacting ballasts was recorded as the lateral re-
sistance.
A comparison of the lateral resistance between the simulation and
field tests is presented in Fig. 12. It can be clearly seen that the field test
results are always in line with those of the simulation both before and
after tamping. The value in ordinate is the external force that applied to
the sleeper. The figure shows it increases sharply first and then slowly
with the displacement. Before tamping, the lateral resistance climbs to
12.09 kN in the field test, while it is calculated as 12.50 kN in the
simulation. There is only 3% difference between each other, and both of
them meet the requirement of 12 kN in the standard [29]. After
tamping, the lateral resistance reaches only 5.92 kN in field tests, which
decreases by 51.03%, and it is 6.51 kN in simulation, decreasing by
47.92%. Their reduced proportions of lateral resistance are similar to
each other. Therefore, the simulation results can truly reflect the var-
iation trend of field data, thus proving the accuracy of coupling model
and tamping operation.
Fig. 12. Comparison of lateral resistance between simulation and field test.
S. Shi, et al. Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574

Fig. 13. Ballast motion during tamping process: (a) lifting stage (0 s–0.1 s), (b) inserting stage (0.1 s–0.3 s), (c) squeezing stage (0.3 s–0.9 s), (d) retracting stage
(0.9 s–1.5 s).

vibration of tamp has an impact on ballasts between sleepers, forcing

them to move downward. Then, in squeezing stage, as shown in
Fig. 13(c), the tamping arm rotates, forming an inverted triangular
disturbance space underneath the sleeper, where ballasts move inward.
Finally, in retracting stage, as shown in Fig. 13(d), the moving direction
of tamp is opposite to that of the inserting and squeezing stages, driving
the ballasts to move upward.
According to the above analysis, the moving behaviors of ballasts in
different spaces are quite different while experiencing tamping. To re-
veal the macroscopic motion of ballasts under the effect of tamping, the
compactness, D , is used in this paper, given by Eq. (11). The com-
pactness not only influences the contacting state of ballasts, but also
greatly affects the loading capacity of ballast bed.

Vs
D=
V (11)
Fig. 14. Separation of ballast bed (unit: m).
where V is the volume of one space, and Vs denotes the sum of ballast
volume in this space.
3. Results and discussion
The ballast bed is separated into nine sections to accurately quantify
the variation of compactness in different spaces, as presented in Fig. 14.
3.1. Macro-mesoscopic motion of ballasts under tamping
D1–D4 are the sections under the sleeper. The height of D1–D3 is 0.1 m,
while D4 is 0.05 m high. J0 is the crib section, which is 0.15 m high.
The contacting state can seriously affect the mechanical qualities of
J1–J4 are the sections between sleepers, and their heights are the same
ballast bed, which is determined by the move of ballasts while tamping.
as those of D1–D4.
In this section, the mesoscopic motion of ballasts is analyzed at first.
The variation of compactness at different depths under sleeper is
Then, the variation regularities of compactness among different spaces
presented in Fig. 15. The thin line shows the compactness under sleeper
are studied to reveal the macroscopic motion of ballasts. Finally, the
fluctuates greatly during tamping process. This is due to the fact that
variation rates of compactness and contact forces in different spaces are
the lifting of sleeper creates a large moving space for ballasts under
compared to determine the most vulnerable space.
sleeper. It should be noted that the initial compactness increases with
The ballast motion during tamping process is presented in Fig. 13.
depth. This is mainly because the ballasts in different sections are
The arrows indicate the direction of motion. The color represents the
generated and compressed one by one for a better compaction effect,
velocity, among which the red, green, and blue colors represent the
and the influence of train load is ignored for calculation efficiency.
fastest, second fastest, and slowest velocity, respectively. The ballast
Section D1 is severely affected by the tamping operation. In lifting
motion in different stages is described as follows. In lifting stage, as
stage, the compactness in D1 decreases slightly, which is due to the fact
shown in Fig. 13(a), the lifting of sleeper disturbs the ballasts near the
that a hole is produced by the lifting of sleeper, causing the loosening of
sleeper, forming an approximately inverted triangular disturbance
ballasts underneath the sleeper. Then, in inserting stage, the compact-
space, where ballasts tend to move upward with the sleeper. When it
ness in D1 increases gradually, which is mainly attributed to the shift of
comes to inserting stage, as shown in Fig. 13(b), the sinusoidal
ballasts from crib to the space underneath the sleeper. After that, in

6
S. Shi, et al.
Fig. 15. Compactness at different depths under sleeper.
squeezing stage, the compactness in D1 rises sharply at first owing to
the squeezing of tamping tines. Then, fluctuations occur because of the
vibration of tamp. Finally, in retracting stage, the space previously
occupied by tamp is filled with other ballasts, leading to an increase of
compactness in D1. After that, the compactness remains stable. Ballasts
in D2–D4 hardly contact with the tamp, so the changes of compactness
in these sections are relatively slight compared with D1. What is in-
teresting is that the compactness in D3 increases sharply during in-
serting stage, which indicates abundant ballasts are pushed to this
section under the effect of tamp inserting. Moreover, the variation
range of compactness in D2–D4 generally decreases with depth.
The variation of compactness at different depths between sleepers is
presented in Fig. 16. The thin line shows the compactness between
sleepers is slight compared with that under sleeper. J0 is the most se-
verely affected section during the tamping operation. In lifting stage,
the lifting of sleeper causes only a slight variation on the compactness
of ballasts in J0. When it comes to inserting stage, part of the space in
J0 is occupied by tamper, so the quantity of ballasts decreases. How-
ever, the V in Eq. (11) is still the volume of J0 for calculation limits,
thus causing the sharp decrease of compactness in it. Then, in squeezing
stage, the ballasts are moved to relatively loose spaces under the effect
of tamp vibration, resulting in an increase of compactness in J0. Finally,
in retracting stage, the rotation of tamp has little influence on the
ballasts in J0, so the compactness fluctuates slightly at first. Afterward,
Fig. 16. Compactness at different depths between sleepers.
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Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574
Fig. 17. Ballasts brought out by tamp.
the compactness drops sharply, which is due to the fact that some
ballasts are brought out by tamp, counting 42 in a crib, as shown by red
color in Fig. 17. The variation trends of compactness in J0–J2 are si-
milar, and the variation degree decreases with depth. J3 and J4 are
slightly disturbed by tamping, so there is only a slight fluctuation of
compactness in these sections.
Based on the above analysis, the compactness in different sections
varies a lot in tamping operation. The variation rate after a tamping
cycle is shown in Fig. 18. It is clearly found that all sections decrease
except D1, which increases by 7.56%. D2–D4 decrease slightly, ranging
from 1.28% to 2.17%. J0 decreases the most among the sections be-
tween sleepers, experiencing a reduction of 34.77%. The reduction rate
decreases with depth, and it is only 0.01% in J4, which can be ignored
in fact. In conclusion, the distribution of ballasts becomes nonuniform
owing to tamping. Therefore, in the maintenance of ballasted track,
operators had better coordinate stabilizing operation after tamping to
ensure the uniformity of ballasts [37], so that the train load can ef-
fectively diffuse in ballast bed, thus avoiding stress concentration.
Ballasts move under the effect of tamping and ballasts interaction.
Fig. 19 helps to explain the variation of compactness in section D1 and
J0, in which the compactness changes most in tamping operation. The
contact forces in this figure are measured on ballast selected randomly
in D1 and J0 respectively, and they come from the action of tamp and
the contact with surrounding ballasts. It can be clearly noticed that the
variation trend of contact force matches that of compactness in dif-
ferent tamping stages. The contact forces in D1 and J0 reach the
maximum when it comes to inserting stage and squeezing stage, re-
spectively, and the corresponding values are 1671.7 N and 2284.1 N. In
comparison, the maximum contact force in J0 is greater than that in D1,
which indicates J0 is the most vulnerable space, where the ballasts are
Fig. 18. Variation rate of compactness in different sections.
S. Shi, et al.
Fig. 19. Contact force of ballast in D1 and J0.
the most likely to be crushed. Therefore, ballasts in J0 should be paid
more attention to in tamping maintenance.
3.2. Effects of tamping parameters on mechanical qualities of ballast bed
The tamping parameters greatly influence the mechanical qualities
of ballast bed [38]. Among which, the lifting height of sleeper de-
termines the hole size under sleeper, and it influences the contacting
state of ballasts in this space after tamping. Besides, the tamping fre-
quency and depth have an effect on the strength and acting space of
tamping, respectively. Therefore, to optimize the tamping operation,
the effects of tamping parameters on the mechanical qualities of ballast
bed are analyzed in this section, including lifting height, tamping fre-
quency and tamping depth, and correspondingly reasonable parameters
are put forward.
To comprehensively quantify the mechanical qualities of ballast
bed, the compactness, lateral resistance, and support rigidity are used,
which reveal the spatial condition, lateral stability, and vertical loading
capacity, respectively. The compactness varies significantly in different
spaces of ballast bed after tamping, so it is difficult to quantify the
compactness of ballast bed. The train load diffuses to both sides at 45
degrees from sleeper bottom, and the stress in the top ballasts under the
sleeper is maximal [39]. Therefore, the compactness of top ballasts
under sleeper is the key to ensuring the loading capacity of ballast bed.
Moreover, it is difficult to diffuse train load uniformly in ballast bed if
there is a significant compactness difference in spaces. Hence, to
quantify the uniformity of ballast bed, an indicator named uniformity
degree (α ) is proposed, as shown in Eq. (12). The larger the value, the
better the uniformity of ballast bed.
1 decreases with the increase of tamping depth. Their maximums are
α =
9 76.82%, 7.70 kN, and 74.42 kN, respectively, and the corresponding
∑ (ni − n¯)2
i=1 (12)
where ni denotes the compactness in a section indexed by i, and n̄ refers
to the average compactness of the nine sections, as shown in Fig. 14.
Overall, this paper uses the proposed uniformity degree (α ) and the
compactness of top ballast bed under sleeper (section D1 in Fig. 14) to
evaluate the compactness of the entire ballast bed.
The influence of lifting height on compactness of ballast bed is
shown in Fig. 20. There is a significant negative correlation between the
compactness in D1 and lifting height, ranging from 77.68% to 72.02%.
This is because that the higher the sleeper is lifted, the larger the hole
size, thus causing the loosening of ballasts in D1. When the lifting
height exceeds 30 mm, the compactness in D1 decreases sharply, which
indicates that excessive lifting height causes damage to ballast bed. It is
8
Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574
clearly seen that the uniformity degree increases with lifting height at
first. When the lifting height increases to 30 mm, it reaches the max-
imum value of 13.55. After that, it decreases with lifting height. This is
mainly because when the lifting height is insufficient, the ballasts easily
become blocked up. When the lifting height is excessive, there are not
enough ballasts to fill the hole under sleeper. In summary, an appro-
priate lifting height is important for the compactness of ballast bed in
tamping operation.
The variation of lateral resistance with lifting height is shown in
Fig. 21. It is clearly indicated that the external force always increases
sharply first and then slowly with the displacement. Besides, the lateral
resistance decreases with lifting height, ranging from 10.11 kN to 4.74
kN, and decreasing by 53.12%. What is interesting is that the de-
creasing trend of the lateral resistance is similar to the compactness in
D1. This is due to the fact that the lateral resistance is mainly con-
tributed by the friction of sleeper bottom, which is related to the
compactness in D1. When the lifting height exceeds 30 mm, the lateral
resistance decreases sharply, which indicates that an excessive lifting
height damages the lateral stability of ballast bed.
The support rigidity is tested by moving sleeper vertically at 1 mm/
s, and it is the force acting on the sleeper when the displacement is
1 mm. The external force has a significant linear correlation with the
displacement, as shown in Fig. 22. In addition, the support rigidity
decreases with lifting height, ranging from 103.73 kN to 48.93 kN. The
minimum is 52.83% less than the maximum, which is similar to that of
lateral resistance. What is different is that the support rigidity decreases
sharply when the lifting height exceeds 20 mm, which is smaller than
that of lateral resistance. Therefore, support rigidity is more sensitive to
lifting height, and excessive lifting height would greatly reduce the
loading capacity of ballast bed.
The tamping frequency influences the impact force acting on bal-
lasts that generated by tamping, causing the displacements of ballasts
being different. As seen from Fig. 23, the mechanical qualities firstly
increase and then decrease with tamping frequency. When the tamping
frequency is 35 Hz, the compactness in D1, lateral resistance, and
support rigidity reach the maximum, which are 76.21%, 7.39 kN, and
74.41 kN, respectively. When the tamping frequency exceeds 30 Hz, the
uniformity degree decreases sharply, which indicates the displacements
of ballasts are too large that have exceeded our expectations. Overall,
35 Hz of tamping frequency is regarded as the most effective. Zhou [12]
measures the average distance between ballasts and a point under
sleeper, thus to evaluate the tamping effect. It also shows 35 Hz is the
optimal tamping frequency, which is consistent with the results in this
paper.
Tamping depth is defined as the distance between the bottom of
sleeper and the top of tamping tines at the final moment of inserting
stage. The tamping depth greatly influences the disturbance scope in
ballast bed, leading to the corresponding change of mechanical quali-
ties. As seen from Fig. 24, it is clearly noticed that the compactness in
D1, lateral resistance, and support rigidity increase at first, and then
tamping depths are 30 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm. It is noteworthy that
the uniformity degree increases again when the tamping depth exceeds
30 mm. This is because the ballasts that act with tamp are mainly in the
middle of ballast bed, causing the ballasts in D1 are not compact en-
ough, which is not beneficial for tamping effect. Besides, the uniformity
degree is relatively large when the tamping depth is 20 mm, which is
13.65. Comprehensively considering the mechanical qualities, 20 mm
of tamping depth is recommended in this paper. This value is consistent
with Saussine’s [9] and Perales’s [11] researches, as well as the ex-
periences in field operation.
Based on the above analysis, the lifting height has a great influence
on the mechanical qualities of ballast bed. To maintain the compactness
of ballast bed, a lifting height of 30 mm is appropriate. As for the lateral
resistance and support rigidity, the lifting height should never exceed
S. Shi, et al.
Fig. 20. Influence of lifting height on compactness of ballasts: (a) compactness in D1, (b) uniformity degree.
Fig. 21. Variation of lateral resistance with lifting height.
Fig. 22. Variation of support rigidity with lifting height.
30 mm and 20 mm, respectively. Considering the safety and efficiency
of tamping operation, 20 mm of lifting height is recommended in this
paper. If the track geometry is too poor, and an excessive lifting height
is needed to recover the smoothness of ballasted track, then two or
more tamping operations should be carried out, and the lifting height
should never exceed 20 mm at one time. Compared with lifting height,
9
Computers and Geotechnics 124 (2020) 103574
Fig. 23. Effect of tamping frequency on mechanical qualities of ballast bed.
Fig. 24. Effect of tamping depth on mechanical qualities of ballast bed.
the effects of tamping frequency and tamping depth are relatively small,
which we recommend 35 Hz and 20 mm, respectively.
4. Conclusions
In this paper, the tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model was estab-
lished to analyze the effect of tamping operation on the mechanical
qualities of ballast bed. The main conclusions can be drawn as follows.
S. Shi, et al.
(1) The tamp-sleeper-ballasts coupling model was established using
DEM-MBD coupling method. This model can accurately reveal the
interaction between sleeper and ballasts, which DEM cannot, and it
can also simulate the complicated tamping motion. Moreover, the
model was verified by field tests.
(2) The uniformity of ballast bed is destroyed by tamping. The com-
pactness in section D1 increases by 7.56%, while it decreases by
different degrees in other sections. Section J0 decreases the most
among them at 34.77%, and it is the most vulnerable space.
(3) The lifting height of sleeper greatly influences the mechanical
qualities of ballast bed. When it increases from 10 mm to 50 mm,
the compactness in D1, lateral resistance, and support rigidity de-
crease by 7.29%, 53.12%, and 52.83%, respectively. Considering
the safety and efficiency of tamping operation, 20 mm of lifting
height is recommended in this paper.
(4) The mechanical qualities of ballast bed generally increase at first,
and then decrease with the increase of tamping frequency and
tamping depth. When the tamping frequency is 35 Hz, which we
recommend, the compactness in D1, lateral resistance, and support
rigidity are 76.21%, 7.39 kN, and 74.41 kN, respectively. The re-
commended tamping depth is 20 mm, and the corresponding values
above are 76.82%, 7.70 kN, and 74.42 kN, respectively.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Shunwei Shi: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis,
Writing - original draft. Liang Gao: Conceptualization, Formal analysis,
Writing - original draft, Supervision. Xiaopei Cai: Formal analysis,
Resources, Visualization. Hao Yin: Validation, Software, Data curation.
Xiangning Wang: Investigation, Writing - review & editing.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influ-
ence the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Project of China Railway
Corporation (grant numbers P2019G025); National Natural Science
Foundation of China (grant numbers 51808556); the Fundamental
Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant numbers
2019YJS404). The useful contribution and discussions from project
partners are also acknowledged.
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