This paper addresses the use of nondestructive Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) methodology in the investigation of railway ballast under a diverse set of fouling and moisture conditions through comprehensive laboratory experiments and field track surveys. Granite ballast and three fouling agents; sand, gravel, and the mixture of these two materials were used in the laboratory tests. Numerous estimation methods were employed to attain the Relative Dielectric Permittivity (RDP) of the ballast using 2 GHz air-coupled antenna for the laboratory tests. Experimentally obtained RDP values were verified by the theory-based mixing model. Field track GPR surveys using miscellaneous frequencies (400, 900, and 2000 MHz) were undertaken, where the same type of granite ballast used in the laboratory tests, were laid along a track section composed of metal, wooden and concrete sleepers. Using the laboratory-measured RDP values, the data from field track surveys and ground-truth data were in good agreement. The results of this paper confirm the efficiency and the eligibility of the GPR technique in condition assessment of railway granite ballast using various frequencies and orientations of antennas.

本文通过综合的实验室实验和田间田径调查，探讨了在一系列结垢和潮湿条件下调查铁路道ast时使用无损探地雷达（GPR）方法的问题。花岗岩镇流剂和三种污垢剂；沙，砾石和这两种材料的混合物用于实验室测试。使用多种估算方法，使用2 GHz空气耦合天线来获得镇流器的相对介电常数（RDP），以进行实验室测试。通过基于理论的混合模型验证了实验获得的RDP值。进行了使用其他频率（400、900和2000 MHz）的实地跟踪GPR调查，其中沿着由金属组成的轨道部分铺设了实验室测试中使用的相同类型的花岗岩镇流器，木质和混凝土轨枕。使用实验室测得的RDP值，实地跟踪调查的数据与地面真实数据非常吻合。本文的结果证实了GPR技术在使用各种频率和天线方向的铁路花岗岩道ast状态评估中的有效性和适用性。