REVES

The objective of this project is to increase the clearance of existing tunnels at minimal cost and with minimal disruption.

Traditionally, a railway track consists of an infrastructure component (earthworks) and a superstructure (ballast, sleepers, and rails, supplemented with track devices if necessary).

The proposed idea is to eliminate the ballast and sleepers (about 50 cm thick) in favor of an innovative rail assembly continuously supported on a granular-asphalt structure, which offers the advantages of cost-effective installation, rapid setting time, and good durability.

From a technological and engineering perspective:

• Innovative application of asphalt materials
• Adaptation of asphalt mix design methods
• Adaptation of pavement structural design

From a scientific perspective:

• Need to reassess these materials for durability and fatigue resistance
• The solution, combined with continuously supported rails, will eliminate the empirical approach traditionally used in railway track design, providing a concept that is easier to model than ballast tracks

From an economic perspective:

• Development of a new track system that enhances France’s expertise in railway engineering
• The issue of tunnel clearance is relevant to all countries with older railway networks

To carry out tests on asphalt materials, a new loading prototype has been developed by the SII laboratory:

The Sysife Loading System