Abstract:
The functionality requirements for modern railway tracks lead to the use of performance
based specifications regarding the quality control of substructure layers. Those specifications
require the construction of the layers to be evaluated through specific tests to be performed
under different state conditions, in order to estimate material properties, namely
deformability modulus. The Surface Wave Method (SWM) has been used in a research work
during the renewal of a Portuguese railway line platform (Northern Line), in which minimum
values for deformability modulus at the top of capping and sub-ballast layers were specified.
This paper presents some aspects related with the application of this method and some results
obtained. The results are discussed and both the advantages and the disadvantages of the method
are identified.
