Improved and sustainable design of railway embankments in canadian cold climate

加拿大拥有超过49，000公里的铁路轨道，加拿大国家铁路公司每年投资数百万美元用于维护和扩大全国各地的轨道。因此，了解和解决与季节性寒冷气候下铁路轨道性能相关的问题至关重要。麦吉尔大学和泰坦环境控制有限公司之间的这种合作关系旨在将该大学的研究专长和测试设施与泰坦的工业经验和该领域的知识相结合，以研究季节性寒冷地区土工合成材料增强的有碴铁路下部结构的行为。在有碴铁路路基关键地段沿着采用土工合成材料加筋，可以最大限度地减少不均匀运动的不利影响，降低维护成本，提高铁路支撑系统的长期性能。也就是说，在加拿大寒冷的气候背景下，选择合适的钢筋类型和决定最佳配置需要进一步调查。本研究包括实验和数值研究：（i）了解在不同温度下路堤施工中使用的两个特定Titan网格的响应;（ii）评估在软弱路基上典型的钢筋铁路路堤的响应;（iii）利用数值分析，找出有助改善路轨性能的参数。最终目的是为工程师提供关键铁路设施的替代设计方案。预计本研究的结果将有助于工程师设计更可持续的铁路设施。这项研究对加拿大很重要，因为建议的建造方法可大大延长这些铁路结构的使用寿命。

Canada has more than 49,000 km of railway tracks and millions of dollars are invested annually by the Canadian National Railway Company to maintain and expand the tracks across the country. Understanding and addressing the issues related to the performance of railway tracks in seasonally cold climates is, therefore, essential.This partnership between McGill and Titan Environmental Containment Ltd. aims to combine the university's research expertise and testing facilities with Titan's industrial experience and knowledge of the field to investigate the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced ballasted railway substructures in seasonally cold regions. The incorporation of geosynthetic-reinforcement in critical sections along a given ballasted railway embankment can minimize the adverse effects of differential movement, reduce maintenance costs, and improve the long-term performance of the railway supporting system. That said, choosing a suitable reinforcement type and deciding on the optimum configuration in the context of the Canadian cold climate need further investigation.This study involves both experimental and numerical investigations to: (i) understand the response of two specific Titan grids used in embankment construction under varying temperature; (ii) assess the response typical reinforced railway embankment over weak subgrade; (iii) identify the parameters that are conducive to optimal track performance using numerical analysis. The ultimate goal is to provide engineers with alternative design options for critical railway embankments.It is expected that the results of this study will help engineers in designing more sustainable railway embankments. This study is of importance to Canada as the proposed construction approach could significantly enhance the service life of these railway structures.