Asset Management, WTMS & Monitoring in Rail Infrastructure

MalmöSweden

Giuseppe Staccone
Managing director at Ground Control GmbH

Presentation title:
Determination of trackbed quality by using high speed GPR

Summary:
This paper describes modern train-borne technology for a continuous inspection of the geotechnical conditions of railway tracks which is based on ground penetrating high speed radar (GPR). The basic principles of the technology are explained with particular reference to the railway specific tasks. The modern GPR approach provides *continuous* information about geotechnical parameters and indices such as track bed thickness, thickness and conditions of substructure, ballast fouling index, clay fouling, wet bed index and track bed stiffness (track bed modulus) etc. The new quality of GPR measurements is to provide quantitative rather than qualitative results in order to fulfill the requirements of the railway engineers in the best possible way. Combined with standard track geometry and track dynamic data they provide a very detailed basis of information for targeted asset management and track maintenance. That enables railway engineers to ensure their investments to be made in the right place and to the right extent in order to achieve sustainable results, particularly when budgets are tight. In the last 25 years, Ground Control GmbH has surveyed more than 100,000 km of railway tracks in countries all over the world.

Speaker biography:
Geophysicist working as managing director at Ground Control GmbH sind 1996. He has 25 years of experience with GPR projects on railway lines in Europe and worldwide.

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