Damage Evolution of Ballastless Track Concrete Exposed to Flexural Fatigue Loads: The Application of Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity, Impact-echo and Surface Electrical Resistance Method

• Published in: Journal of Wuhan University of Technology. Materials science edition Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 353 - 363
• Main Authors: Yang, Zhiqiang, Li, Huajian, Wen, Jiaxing, Dong, Haoliang, Huang, Fali, Wang, Zhen, Yi, Zhonglai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wuhan Wuhan University of Technology 01.04.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Cementitious Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Concrete properties; Damage; Elastic waves; Electrical resistance; Evolution; Fatigue failure; Materials Science; Railway tracks; surface electrical resistance; ballastless track; impact-echo; ultrasonic pulse velocity; fatigue damage
• ISSN: 1000-2413; 1993-0437
• DOI: 10.1007/s11595-024-2891-9

In order to clarify the fatigue damage evolution of concrete exposed to flexural fatigue loads, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), impact-echo technology and surface electrical resistance (SR) method were used. Damage variable based on the change of velocity of ultrasonic pulse ( D u ) and impact elastic wave ( D i ) were defined according to the classical damage theory. The influences of stress level, loading frequency and concrete strength on damage variable were measured. The experimental results show that D u and D i both present a three-stages trend for concrete exposed to fatigue loads. Since impact elastic wave is more sensitive to the microstructure damage in stage III, the critical damage variable, i e , the damage variable before the final fracture of concrete of D i is slightly higher than that of D u . Meanwhile, the evolution of SR of concrete exposed to fatigue loads were analyzed and the relationship between SR and D u , SR and D i of concrete exposed to fatigue loads were established. It is found that the SR of concrete was decreased with the increasing fatigue cycles, indicating that surface electrical resistance method can also be applied to describe the damage of ballastless track concrete exposed to fatigue loads.