Foundations, ballast and sleepers

Journal articles

Ajayi, O., Le Pen, L., Zervos, A. and Powrie, W. (under review) Some observations on the strength and local deformation characteristics of fibre reinforced granular materials. Submitted to Geotechnique.

Ahmed, A., Harkness, J., Le Pen, L., Powrie, W. and Zervos, A. (under review) Numerical modelling of railway ballast at the particle scale. Submitted to International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics.

Smethurst J A, Briggs K M, Powrie W, Ridley A, Butcher D. J. E. (in review). Mechanical and hydrological impacts of tree removal on a clay fill railway embankment. Submitted to Geotechnique

Le Pen, L., Watson, G. V. R and Powrie, W. et al. (2014) The behaviour of railway level crossings: insights through field monitoring. Transportation Geotechnics (doi:10.1016/j.trgeo.2014.05.002). (In Press).

de Bono, J.P. and McDowell, G.R. (2014). Discrete Element Modelling of triaxial tests on crushable sand. Granular Matter 16 (4) 551-562 (doi: 10.1007/s10035-014-0500-x)

Li, H., McDowell, G.R. and Lowndes, I.S. (2014). Discrete Element Modelling of a rock cone crusher. Powder Technology, 263, September 2014, Pages 151-158 (doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2014.05.004)

Laryea, S., Safari Baghsorkhi, M.,  Ferellec, J-F., McDowell, G. and Chen, C. (2014). Comparison of performance of concrete and steel sleepers using experimental and discrete element methods. Transport Geotechnics (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trgeo.2014.05.001

Le Pen, L., Bhandari, Athma Ram and Powrie, W. (2014) Sleeper end resistance of ballasted railway tracks. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 140, (5), 04014004. (doi:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0001088).

Briggs, K.M., Smethurst, J.A., Powrie, W., O’Brien, A.S. and Butcher, D. (2013) Managing the extent of tree removal from railway earthwork slopes. Ecological Engineering, 61, (Part C), 690-696. (doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.12.076).

Le Pen, L., Powrie, W., Zervos, A., Ahmed, S. and Aingaran, S. (2013) Dependence of shape on particle size for a crushed rock railway ballast. Granular Matter, 15, (6), 849-861. (doi:10.1007/s10035-013-0437-5).

Cheng, C., McDowell, G.R. and Thom, N.H. (2013). A study of geogrid-reinforced ballast using laboratory pull-out tests and discrete element modelling. Geomechanics and Geoengineering, 8 (4) 2013.  (doi:10.1080/17486025.2013.805253) 

Bhandari, Athma Ram and Powrie, W. (2013) Strength and deformation characteristics of a locked sand at low effective stresses. Granular Matter, 15, (5), 543-556. (doi:10.1007/s10035-013-0426-8).

Briggs, K.M., Smethurst, J.A., Powrie, W. and O’Brien, A.S. (2013) Wet winter pore pressures in railway embankments. Proceedings of the ICE – Geotechnical Engineering, 166, (GE5), 451-465. (doi:10.1680/geng.11.00106).

Priest, J.A., Powrie, W., Le Pen, L., Mac, Patric and Burstow, Mark (2012) The effect of enhanced curving forces on the behaviour of canted ballasted track. Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 227, (3), 229-244. (doi:10.1177/0954409712458623).

Cheng, C., McDowell, G.R. and Thom, N.H. (2012). Discrete element modelling of cyclic loads of geogrid-reinforced ballast under confined and unconfined conditions. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 35, 76-88.  (doi:10.1080/17486025.2013.805253)

Ferellec, J-F. and McDowell, G.R. (2012). Modelling of ballast-geogrid interaction using the discrete element method. Geosynthetics International, Volume 19, Issue 6, 01 December 2012, 470-479 (doi: 10.1680/gein.12.00031)

Li, H., McDowell, G.R. and Lowndes, I.S. (2012). A laboratory investigation and discrete element modelling of rock flow in a chute. Powder Technology, 229, October 2012, Pages 199–20 (doi: 10.1016/j.powtec.2012.06.032)

Kanagasabai, S., Smethurst, J.A. and Powrie, W. (2011) Three dimensional numerical modelling of discrete piles used to stabilise landslides. Canadian Geotechnical Journal, 48, (9), 1393-1411. (doi:10.1139/t11-046).

Le Pen, L.M. and Powrie, W. (2011) Contribution of base, crib and shoulder ballast to the lateral sliding resistance of railway track: a geotechnical perspective. [in special issue: Rail Research UK: The Universities’ Centre for Rail Systems Research] Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 225, (2), 113-128. (doi:10.1177/0954409710397094).

Coelho, B., Holscher, P., Priest, J., Powrie, W. and Barends, F. (2011) An assessment of transition zone performance. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 225, (2), 129-139. (doi:10.1177/09544097JRRT389).

Priest, J.A., Powrie, W., Yang, L.A., Grabe, P.J. and Clayton, C.R.I. (2010) Measurements of transient ground movements below a ballasted railway line. Géotechnique, 60, (9), 667-677. (doi:10.1680/geot.7.00172).

Le Pen, L and Powrie, W. (2010) Contribution of base, crib, and shoulder ballast to the lateral sliding resistance of railway tracl: a geotechnical perspective. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 225, (2), 113-128. (doi:10.1177/0954409710397094).

Priest, J. A. and Powrie, W. (2009) Determination of dynamic track modulus from measurement of track velocity during train passage. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 135, (11), 1732-1740. (doi:10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000130).

Conference or workshop items

Ajayi, Olufemi, Le Pen, Louis, Zervos, Antonios and Powrie, William (2014) Feasibility study of random fibre reinforced railway ballast. In, 23rd European Young Geotechnical Engineers Conference, Barcelona, ES, 02 – 05 Sep 2014. 4pp. (Submitted).

Potticary, M., Zervos, A. and Harkness, J. (2014) A numerical investigation into the effect of particle form on the strength of granular materials. In, The 22nd UK National Conference of the Association for Computational Mechanics in Engineering, Exeter, GB, 02 – 04 Apr 2014. The University of Exeter4pp, 61.

Le Pen, L., Ahmed, S., Zervos, A., Harkness, J. and Powrie, W. (2014) Resin recovery and the use of computed tomography for quantitative image analysis of railway ballast. In, The second International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance, Ajaccio, FR, 08 – 11 Apr 2014. Stirlingshire, Civil-Comp Press15pp. (doi:10.4203/ccp.104.130).

Fan, L, Smethurst, J.A., Powrie, W. and Sellaiya, A (2013) Seasonal slope surface deformation measured with terrestrial laser scanning. In, Proceedings of the 35th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE), Beijing, CN, 22 – 26 Apr 2013. 6pp. (In Press).

Presentations and magazine articles

Abadi, T (2014). Sleeper and ballast intervention tests using the Southampton Railway Testing Facility – workshop poster

Duley, A (2014). Modelling critical velocity effects on high speed railways – a case study – workshop poster

Ferro, E (2014). The effect of fibre reinforcement on the mechanical response of ballasted track – workshop presentation

Kostovasilis, D (2014). A holistic approach for the design and assessment of railway tracks – workshop poster

Milne, D (2014). Monitoring of a high speed railway viaduct – workshop poster

Pardoe, L (2014). Investigation on the unsteady aerodynamics of high speed train ballast flight – workshop poster

Rorke – Railway foundation material: laboratory investigation – presentation

Yeo, G (2014). In-service Track Condition Monitoring – workshop presentation

Powrie, W, Le Pen, L, Zervos, A and Priest, J (2012). tampless ballast route map – explanatory graphic

Powrie, W (2011). Track21: railway track research for the 21st century. Railway Strategies Oct/Nov 2011, 96-98.

Powrie, W., Leyland, T., (2011). Track21: railway track research for the 21st century. European Railway Review, 17-2, 40-44.

Mackillican, R., (2010). Track for the 21st Century. Railway Technology Magazine, 11:6, 39-40.

Smethurst J., Powrie W., (2010). Understanding the behaviour of embankments. Railway Strategies, June-July, 73-75.