BALLAST
Ballast is a layer of broken stones, gravel, moorum, or
any other granular material Placed and packed below
and around sleepers for distributing load from the
sleepers to the formation.
It provides drainage as well as longitudinal and lateral
stability to the track.
1
BALLAST: Granular Material To Support
Sleepers
Functions:
o provide cushion effect,
o Firm support to sleeper,
o distribute load to subgrade,
o hold sleepers in positions,
o protect subgrade,
o prevent water and growth of weeds,
o maintain the level.
BALLAST: GRANULAR MATERIAL TO
SUPPORT SLEEPERS
Requirements:
o resist crushing under loads,
o dust free,
o easy and quick drainage,
o resistance to abrasion and weathering
o no chemical action on sleepers or rails,
o Locally Available
o cheap costs.
o The internal friction between particles which provide stability
depends upon the size, shape and texture of particles,
therefore, angular and cubical aggregates should be used but
not the flat-particles.
TYPES AND SUITABILITY
Broken stone: for high speed tracks
Gravel: only in station and yards
Ashes: only in station and yards
Sand: for pot sleepers (Sand Blowing
Problems)
Murum: for less important tracks
Kankar MG and NG tracks only
Brick ballast: when other materials not available
Blast furnace slag not in India
Selected earth to start with, in initial stages
STANDARD BALLAST SECTIONS:
o The depth of the ballast under the sleepers is an
important factor in the load bearing capacity and
uniformity of distribution of load.
o The more is the depth of ballast more will be the load-
bearing capacity.
o The width of the ballast layer is also important as the
lateral strength of track depends partly upon the
quantity of ballast used at the ends of the sleepers.
o This width limit is at 38 cm. to 43 cm. from the end of
the sleeper as computed.
Standard
Ballast
Sections:
Shoulder Width
o Particle size varies from 20
Depth
to 50 mm 1.5:1
Sleeper Ballast
o Section: depth under
Type BG MG NG
sleeper and width at the
foot of rails depends on BC Width 3.35 2.25 1.83
of soil and uniformity of Depth 200-250 150-200 150
mm
load distribution, lateral
strength of track Qty m3 1.04 0.71 0.53
Standard Ballast Section
Standard Ballast Section
RENEWAL OF BALLAST:
o Due to prolonged and repeated movement of wheel loads over
the railway track, the ballast material gets crushed to smaller
sizes.
o The fine crushed particles get filled in the voids and form an
impervious layer, preventing the rapid flow (i.e. drainage) of the
rain water. It thus creates drainage problem.
o Quantity of ballast is also reduced due to :
a. Blowing away of the ballast by the movement of trains.
b. Penetration of the ballast in the formation, and
c. Loss of ballast due to rain water and wind etc.
o In the process of renewal, the crushed fine material is removed by
screening, through the screens and new material of the desired
size is added.
