What are the main function of ballasts?

Functions of Ballast It provides levelled bed or support for the railway sleepers. It transfers the load from sleepers to subgrade and distributes the load uniformly on subgrade. It holds the sleepers in a firm position while the trains pass by. It prevents the longitudinal and lateral movement of sleepers.

Why concrete is used in railway tracks?

1. The stones don’t allow vegetation to grow on railway tracks which could weaken the ground on which the railway lines run. 2. Track ballast also keeps water from reaching the track on a regular basis and softening the ground.

Which stone is used for railway ballast?

Among above materials, broken stone from Igneous rocks like quartzite and granite forms the excellent ballast materials. When these are not available then lime stone and sand stone can also be used as good ballast material.

What are the different types of ballast used in Indian Railways?

Types of Ballast Used in Railway Track

• Broken Stones : These are obtained from hard stones and it should be strong, hard, tough, durable and angular.
• Gravel Ballast :
• Ashes or Cinder :
• Sand :
• Kankur :

What is BLT in railway?

Sub: New design of Ballastless Track (BLT) for use on Indian Railways. A new design of Ballastless Track with Indian Fastening System (BLT-IFS) has. been developed by RDSO and approved by Railway Board (ME) for the purpose of trial. on Zonal Railways.

What is ballast made from?

Ballast is a mixture of sharp sand and small stones or gravel, used to make concrete for a variety of landscaping uses – from path edgings and shed bases to kerbs and securing fence posts.

Which ballast used in railway track?

Gravel Ballast : It is one of the best material used as the ballast in railway track next to broken stones, consisting of smooth round shaped materials obtained from river bed. It is cheaper than the broken stones it’s drainage property is also good. It is useful for main lines.

What is screening of ballast?

Deep screening of the ballast is done to ensure that a clean ballast cushion of the required depth is available below the lower half of the sleepers, which is necessary for providing the proper drainage and elasticity to the track.

What is railway plinth?

Abstract. In railroad construction—in particular, direct-fixation tracks—a longitudinal concrete block known as a “plinth” is used to elevate the profiles of the railroad track from the aerial guideway (e.g., bridge deck).

What is a track slab?

Essentially, a slab track consists of a concrete slab placed on a subbase over prepared subgrade. The rails may be directly fastened to the concrete slab or the rails may be placed on concrete blocks or another slab system that is placed (or embedded in) the underlying concrete slab.

What are the lubricants used for railway tracks?

There are two lubricant used in on-board lubrication system; grease and solid stick. a. Spray (grease) System; It is commonly used in Europe. It is available fine tuned control and single application per train.