PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM AN INSTRUMENTED

RAILWAYS
EMBANKMENT
REINFORCED
WITH A
GEOGRID-GEOTEXTILE GEOCOMPOSITE
A. Buonanno1, F. Montanelli2, and P. Rimoldi3

ABSTRACT
A railroad track is continuously subject to large dynamic loadings (load-unload cycles) so that
frequent and expensive repair operations are required to maintain the ballast characteristics. Often the
difficulties to find out good quality fill soil and the difficulties of transporting it further increase
construction and maintenance costs. The use of a proper geosynthetics reinforcement material offers the
possibility to solve, or drastically reduce the problems.
In central Italy, a railway line with very a old embankment (second half of the XIX century) was
subject to continuous settlements, due both to the poor quality of the soil forming the embankment
(mainly silt) and to the bad characteristics of the sub-grade (lacustrine clays). After removing the ballast
and part of the embankment body, a geogrid-geotextile geocomposite was laid. The embankment has
been reconstructed using better fill material. In some sections of the embankment the geogrid ribs were
instrumented with strain gages, in order to verify the effect of the reinforcement in the short and long term
and to determine the magnitude of the stresses that are transmitted to the geogrid due to the passage of
different types of trains.
This paper contains a description of the F.E.M. analysis that has brought to the choice of such
solution, of the construction method, of the instrumentation program and an analysis and discussion of the
results of such monitoring.
EXISTING CONDITION AND DESIGN SOLUTION
In recent years due to the exceptional increase of traffic, speed, axle load of trains, several existing
railways lines are showing signs of distress, instability and settlements. The solution of improving the top
layer of the railway track by providing suitable designed sub-ballast layer is essential to withstand higher
stresses. However laying of thick sub-ballast under running traffic is extremely difficult and expensive.
The reinforcement of the sub-ballast by means of a geogrid-geotextile geocomposite allows the reduction
of the depth of the excavated soil and at the same time assures higher long-term performances.
It is well known that the irregularity of the rail level under the train passage becomes rapidly worst
with additional passage. This phenomenon is called track deterioration. The track deterioration is
different from global failure of structures like landslides because is an accumulation of plastic
deformations either in the ballast layer or in the sub-grade layers. This phenomenon has serious influence
on the safety and efficiency (speed restriction) of train operation.
The purpose of the track components is to convert the wheel load to relatively uniform stresses on the
sub-grade. The track sub-structure layers (ballast, sub-ballast and sub-grade) have significant influence on
the railways performance: all the stresses and thus settlements occur in these layers and may be due to
several different causes.
In central Italy, the Foligno-Terontola railway line had very old embankment (second half of the XIX
century) and it was subject to continuous and differential settlements, due both to the poor quality of the
soil forming the embankment (mainly silt) and to the bad characteristics of the sub-grade (lacustrine
clays).
_______________________________
1
F.F.S.S., Ferrovie dello Stato Italiano, Roma, Italy
2
Tenax SpA, Vigan, Italy
3
Tenax SpA, Vigan, Italy

The existing Terontola-Foligno railways embankments, in the Spello vicinity, can be modelled having
an embankment height of 1.5 m within station 7+500 and 9+000 and 0.5 m within station 10+300 and
10+800. Above both embankments, a ballast thickness of 0.5 m was present. The embankment sections
were composed of silty material and they were resting above about 10 m of normally consolidated clays.
The maximum train axle load was 25 t/axle and for static analysis this load was taken equivalent to 20
kPa, due to geometrical and simplification analysis.
The settlements in the embankment were due to both train load and reload axle cycles and to seasonal
water content changes within the embankment body: in fact the silty sub-ballast was subject to cycles of
swelling and desiccation during the wet and dry seasons.
This seasonal behaviour was modelled using a F.E.M. analysis, on three different embankment crosssections: SP-3: existing condition; SP-2: double geogrid-geotextile geocomposite layers (TENAX GT
330) with 0.70 m sub-ballast substitution with free-drainage granular material (Figure 1); SP-1: as SP-2
but with 1.5 m soil replacement.

strain gauge
instrumented
TENAX GT 330 geocomposite
top layer
1.00 m

instrumented
TENAX GT 330 geocomposite
bottom layer

0.50 m
6.50 m
excavation profile

Figure 1: SP-2 cross-section showing within the railroad embankment: the wrapped around
geocomposites layers, the strain gage instrumentation layout, the ballast and sub-ballast structure.

The railway cross section was modeled under plane strain conditions using PLAXIS F.E.M. program.
The three noded isoparametric soil elements were modeled as elastic perfectly plastic elements using the
Mohr-Coulomb criterion. Geogrid reinforcements were represented by means of two noded fully elastic
truss elements with axial stiffness and specific interface parameters. The Young modulus for the geogrid
was selected at 2 % of axial strain determined by wide width tensile test.
The calculated F.E.M. settlement results, under the railroad centerline, are shown in figure 2. The
determined seasonal settlements for the existing condition (SP-1) are in the order of 13 mm. The
combined use of free-drainage granular soil and geocomposites layers reduces the existing seasonal
settlements between 20% (SP-2) and 40% (SP-3). In fact the grain size of the granular sub-ballast reduces
the water formation within the embankments and thus the swelling and desiccation cycles. Moreover the
stiff base reinforced with the geocomposites allows a better stress distribution across the full section.
Several authors have demonstrated the effective use of geogrid reinforced ballast sections; in
particular we refer to V. J. Jain and K. Kesheav (1999). These authors have demonstrated the use of a
double layer of geogrids substantially reduces the vertical stress level under the railways section.

Empirical tests conducted on full-scale railways sections show a reduction of 30% of unload-reload cycle
induced stresses when measured at 0.90 m below the sleepers. Moreover they suggest that the sub-grade
soil in the top one meter of railway formation truly govern its axle load capacity. Therefore, to strengthen
an existing railroad formation, the excavation shall be limited to replacement of the upper one meter.
Based upon these suggestions and the performed F.E.M. analysis, for the design of the TerontolaFoligno railways embankments the SP-2 solution has been chosen as being the most economical and with
the best performances since it was reducing by 20% the settlements due to seasonal settlements and the
ones due to cyclic loadings. Thus the ballast was removed together with 0.70 mm of silty embankment
and replaced with new ballast and granular fill soil reinforced with a double layer geocomposite (Fig. 1).

Elevation from the ground level [m]

-12,0

SP-3
SP-2

-10,0

Settlements [mm]

SP-1

-8,0

-6,0

-4,0

-2,0

0,0
-10,0

-8,0

-6,0

-4,0

-2,0

0,0

2,0

4,0

Figure 2: Vertical settlements due to seasonal water content variations along the railway centre line for
cross sections SP-1, SP-2 and SP-3.
The geogrid-geotextile geocomposites properties are reported in table 1 and in figure 3 a photo of the
geocomposite is shown. This geosynthetics has exceptional confining and reinforcing properties due to its
high tensile modulus and junction strength. A nonwoven geotextile is heat-bonded on the lower side of
the geogrid layer to assure a filtration function.
Table 1. Geogrids nominal properties.
Product Name
Structure
Polymer Type
Wide Width Nominal Tensile Strength, MD x TD
Wide Width Strain at Peak, MD x TD
Wide Width Tensile Strength at 2% Strain, MD x TD
Wide Width Tensile Strength at 5% Strain, MD x TD
Unit Weight
Residual Strength after Installation
Geogrid Mesh Size
Geotextile Pore Size

GT 330
Integral Biaxial PP Geogrid heatbonded to a Nonwoven Geotextile
Polypropylene, (PP)
30 x 30 kN/m
11 x 11%
10.5 x 10.5 kN/m
21.0 x 21.0 kN/m
560 g/m2
100%
40 27 mm
0.08 0.13 mm

Figure 3: Photo of the GT330 geogrid-geotextile geocomposite.

Figure 4: Reconstructed railway line and geocomposites fill covering during the night.
INTRUMENTATION AND MONITORING
The geogrid ribs were instrumented with self-temperature compensated strain gauges having a
nominal gauge length of 5 mm, a maximum strain limit of 3 % and a measurement accuracy of 0.5 %.
Eight strain gauges were installed on each reinforcement layer at a spacing of about 0.50 m and all the
instrumentation was connected to an automatic acquisition system capable of acquiring data up to
frequency of 1 kHz. Both upper and lower geogrid layer have been instrumented (figure 1).
Geogrids laboratory specimens were instrumented with strain gauges and tested in the laboratory to
obtain a correlation gage factor between the in-situ strain gages measurements and actual overall geogrid
strain. The correction gage factor was taken equal to one after test results analysis.

The geogrid strain data have been collected during the passage of several type of train. In particular, in
figures 6 and 7, the data are shown for strain gages 5 and 6 (under the railway beam) for a 656 locomotive
with 8 railcars.

Figure 6: Railway base monitoring by means of strain gage installed on the upper geogrid layer at
position 5 (figure 1) during train passage.

Figure 7: Railway base monitoring by means of strain gage installed on the upper geogrid layer at
position 6 (figure 1) during train passage.

The data shown are for the strain gages located on the upper geocomposites layer at a depth of 0.30 m
under the ballast. The measurements show very low peak strain of 0.14% under the locomotive axle
weight and 0.08% under the railcars axle load. It is interesting to evaluate that the shape of the strain
curve is very well fitting the actual cyclic load condition imposed by the axle loads. Thus the railways
beams, the sleepers, the ballast and the sub-ballast soil do not fully distribute the train axle loads along
and across the embankment, but the axle loads can be easily detected by the instrumentation on the
geogrid at a depth of about 0.80 m from the sleepers. For the strain gages located far (1 m) from the
vertical of the beams, the measured strains were very small thus confirming what has been indicated
previously.
V. J. Jain and K. Kesheav (1999) estimate, from empirical tests conducted in very similar condition,
a peak vertical stress of about 40 kPa at a depth of 0.80 m with double geogrid reinforcing layers. An
analysis conducted considering the membrane effect of the geocomposites, the measured strain and the
applied vertical stress, has shown the absence of significant elastic deformation within the sub-ballast
embankment at 0.80 m depth. The Authors have already planned to verify the long-term behaviour of the
overall structure.
CONCLUSIONS
In recent years due to the exceptional increase of traffic, speed, axle load of trains, several existing
railways lines are showing signs of distress, instability and settlements. These phenomena have serious
influence on the safety and efficiency (speed restriction) of train operation. The irregularity of the rail
level under the train passage becomes rapidly worst with additional passage.
The Foligno-Terontola railway line had very old embankment (second half of the XIX century) and it
was subject to continuous and differential settlements. The design solution was determined either by
F.E.M. analysis and comparing empirical results obtained by other Authors. The solution required the
reinforcement of the sub-ballast by means of a double geogrid-geotextile geocomposite layer and the
excavation and replacement of the first 0.70 m of sub-ballast with free-drainage granular fill soil to avoid
swelling and desiccation within the silty embankment.
The empirical data collected show that under the vertical of the railway beam, the axle loads are easily
transferred and redistributed by the geogrid layer and the fill soil. The magnitude of the strain is quite low
(max 0.14% strain) thus indicating low elastic vertical settlements. The long-term behaviour of the
railway embankment shall be monitored to verify its efficiency under seasonal cycles and fatigue stresses.
The installation of a sub-ballast thickness of 0.70 m in existing structure has proved difficult and
costly. Thus the use of stiff integral biaxial geogrids or geocomposite is essential in assuring vertical
stress reduction on the sub-grade soil and thus reducing the depth of sub-ballast layer required. The
influence of a high quality geosynthetics on the overall construction cost has been minimal and very well
paid back by the performances obtained.
REFERENCES
Brinkgreve, R. B. J. and Vermeer P. A. (1998) Plaxis Users Manual Professional Version 6.1,
Balkema, Rotterdam.
Jain, V.K. and Keshav, K. (1999). Stress Distribution in Railway Formation A Simulated Study,
Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on Pre-Failure Deformation Characteristics of
Geomaterials IS TORINO 99, Torino, Italy, Volume 1, pp. 653-658.