The Effects of Different Types of Tamping Operations on the Degradation of Railway Track Geometry

Throughout the accumulation of transported loads, the railway track accumulates geometric defects that can negatively impact its mechanical behavior, reducing the useful life of its components.These geometric defects can become more pronounced after construction, ballast cleaning, or total renewal.In such scenarios, efficient tamping is crucial to prevent the accelerated appearance of geometric defects.Some studies have demonstrated increased track stability with multiple insertions of tamping tines, when compared to single insertion, in such track conditions.However, the impact on geometric quality and its degradation rate still requires assessment.The present study evaluates the impact of applying tamping of single or multiple insertions on the track geometric quality and its degradation rate.For this, sections of the Carajás Railway had their geometric parameters monitored immediately after the renewal process until an accumulation of 195.8 million gross tons.Geometric degradation was modeled using linear, exponential, and logarithmic regressions on the geometric dataset.Among these, logarithmic regression demonstrated the best fit.Multiple insertion demonstrated a lower rate of geometric degradation, despite presenting lower initial geometric qualities.Future investigations will evaluate if this phenomenon is directly attributable to the tamping type or to characteristics associated with the experimental section.