Rheology study of ballast-sleeper interaction with particle image Velocimetry (PIV) and discrete element modelling (DEM)

Ballast rheology is a phenomenon that describes movements of ballast particles due to the discrete nature, which eventually leads to the ballast bed fluid deformation after a long-time service. In most cases, ballast rheology is the main reason of track irregularity that leads to some track defects, e.g., hanging sleeper and mud spots....