Rail embankment stabilization needs on the Hudson Bay Railway.
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2017-03-24
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Abstract:Since its construction in 1929, the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) located in northern Manitoba, Canada, has been witnessing track deterioration through differential settlements. These differential settlements, termed “sinkholes”, have been linked to the degradation of the underlying permafrost, especially at areas where warm, ice-rich and discontinuous permafrost are prevalent (Figure 1). Sinkholes consist of short sections of track that experience up to five inches of settlement during a single summer thawing season (EBA, 1977). The permafrost thawing is further accelerated by the warming trend in climate. The differential settlements along the embankment necessitates placement of large volumes of ballast annually to keep the track safe and operational.
Between 1977 and 1991, EBA Engineering, was tasked to undertake extensive research to understand the geothermal regime of the subsurface, to uncover the mechanism of the sinkholes formation, and to propose long term stabilization measures. The long term stabilization measures proposed in the study were not fully put in place. Consequently, the HBR currently continues to go through its seasonal deteriorations. This follow-up study by researchers at Michigan Technological University attempted to provide updated analyses on the current conditions of rail corridor, using both historical and newly acquired data, and supplementing past approaches with modern technologies.
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