Suitability of empirical equations for estimating permanent settlement of railway foundation materials subjected to cyclic loading with principal stress rotation

Abstract

This paper uses the results of a series of laboratory tests with cyclic principal stress rotation to assess the suitability of a number of empirical equations for estimating the development of plastic settlements in railway track foundations. The laboratory tests were carried out on three sand-clay mixes representative of railway track foundation materials, in both free-to-drain and undrained conditions. The results of a non-linear regression analysis demonstrate that the drainage conditions are the key factor affecting the estimation accuracy of the models, with the clay content playing a secondary role. The correlation coefficient was generally higher in free-to-drain than in undrained conditions, and reduced slightly with increasing clay content.