16 Jun Student | Chamindi Jayasuriya | Materials and Manufacturing
PhD students
Chamindi Jayasuriya
University of Wollongong
PhD topic – Performance of recycled rubber inclusions for improved stability of railways

Research summary
This project investigated the use of different matting materials underneath the rail ballast. Traditionally, ballast made of stone can easily degrade through constant use, so adding matting underneath may provide a more stable, cushioned ride that requires less maintenance. This research involves testing the performance of the matting by simulating rail loading and vibration in the lab.
Completion date
March 2019
Key achievements
- Developed a novel analytical model for the use of elastic inclusion in railway track substructure to improve track performances under dynamic loading.
- Investigation of the effect of the presence of USP in ballasted tracks using large-scale triaxial tests.
- Numerically simulated the performance of USP stabilised ballasted track under dynamic load using the ABAQUS finite element package.
- Developed a generalised ballast-geogrid interaction model to capture particle degradation and vibrations during dynamic loading.
Awards
- Young Geotechnical Engineer Best Paper award: International Symposium on Geotechnics of Transportation Infrastructure (ISGTI 2018)
- Buddhima Indraratna Award for Industry Engagement: Based on student research impact and engagement with industry practice in the field of civil engineering in 2017
- IESL NSW Chapter Engineering Excellence Award (2018) in Best Paper Published Category
- Young Geotechnical Professionals Awards (Australian Geomechanics Society) (2018): 3rd Place
- First Place in Three Minutes Thesis competition – Center for Geotechnical Science and Engineering Workshop 2015 (Perth, Australia)
- First Place in Three Minutes Thesis competition – School for Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering 2016
- First Place in Three Minutes Thesis competition – School for Civil, Mining and Environmental Engineering 2017
Publications
Indraratna, B., Qi, Y., Jayasuriya C., Heitor A. and Navaratnarajah, S. Use of rubber tyre elements in track stabilization. Invited keynote paper for 15th International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering, 2019. Lahore, Pakistan.
Jayasuriya, C., Indraratna, B. and Rujikiatkarmjorn, C. 2020. Application of elastic inclusions to improve ballasted track performances. Geo-Congress, Minnesota, USA.