The state of working platforms

Overview

The first part of the presentation will discuss the developments in the design, installation, and maintenance of working platforms and how the approach is changing across the world.

The EFFC guide will be discussed as will the current research activity that is considering ways of testing platforms that should lead to improved platform design.

Following on from Jim’s introduction the presentation will set out a practical way of validating the platforms design and also new ways of “proof” testing under current evaluation.

To simulate the effect of actual track loading on the platform and subgrade a test plate would need to be of similar proportions to the loaded track area, which is not practical.

Plate load testing can be used but is not suitable for verifying the overall platform load-bearing capacity. There has also been wide discussion over the years as to the appropriate size of the plate and the role of plate load testing.

However, recent research and testing have shown that a test plate 3.5 times the maximum platform material particle size provides reliable test results. This now opens up the possibility of using plate load tests to determine the angle of friction of a granular working platform. This will lead to better verification on-site, but moreover better platform design, which will be a significant step forward for our industry.