Abstract:

Suitable sand-resisting and sand-fixing materials were selected in order to reveal the tensile properties of mechanical sand barriers. We used the TY8000 series servo controller to conduct longitudinal tensile evaluation on the test objects. Our results indicated that when the porosity is uniform (full-sparse or full-dense), the width of sand barriers made up of different materials is positively correlated with the power function, whereas the tensile strength is negatively correlated with the power function. When the material is the same, the tensile strength and elongation change form unimodal curves. The width of sand barriers with different porosity and its tensile strength are positively correlated with the power function and negatively correlated with the tensile strength. The tensile forces of uniform sand barriers are unimodal, while that of mixed type (sparse upper and lower dense) sand barriers are bimodal. When the width of the sample is greater than 4 cm, the upper sparse and lower dense elongation is greater than the elongation of full dense type, followed by that of the full sparse type, with sizes of 141.23±2.56 mm (mean±standard deviation), 103.46±3.20 mm, and 63.50±1.20 mm, respectively. The values recorded for large sample width are smaller than those recorded for small sample width. The “necking” phenomenon occurs due to the local wire mesh’s uneven force during the process. We recommend using the upper sparse and lower dense sand barriers when laying in the field. Depending on the existing local wind conditions, the tensile properties of sand barrier materials should be pre-tested indoors to avoid problems due to insufficient wind protection and maximize the benefits of sand fixation.

Key words: Lince Railway, tensile resistance, tensile strength, porosity, necking phenomenon