Ballastless Tracks

Due to increasing traffic flows the extension of transport infrastructure with rail roads and high speed lines is an ongoing process worldwide. Ballastless track systems with concrete slabs are used more and more.
Following the first trials in the 1970s and more than four decades of R&D work on ballastless track, the level of development is such that it can be confirmed that ballastless track is suitable for use as an alternative to ballasted track. This book makes a contribution to the state of the art of ballastless track by describing the basics for designing the ballastless track. Important advice is provided regarding the construction of ballastless track on earthworks and in tunnels. There is also a description of the technical history of the development of ballastless track on bridges and the ensuing findings for bridge design. The state of the art of ballastless track for switches, important information on details concerning drainage, transitions, accessibility for road vehicles and experience gleaned from maintenance round off the work.

Selected chapters from the German concrete yearbook are now being published in the new English "Beton-Kalender Series" for the benefit of an international audience.
Since it was founded in 1906, the Ernst & Sohn "Beton-Kalender" has been supporting developments in reinforced and prestressed concrete. The aim was to publish a yearbook to reflect progress in "ferro-concrete" structures until - as the book's first editor, Fritz von Emperger (1862-1942), expressed it - the "tempestuous development" in this form of construction came to an end. However, the "Beton-Kalender" quickly became the chosen work of reference for civil and structural engineers, and apart from the years 1945-1950 has been published annually ever since.

The authors are extensively involved in planning, operating and inspecting, designing and testing as well as updating specific rules as well as R&D.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Freudenstein has been a full professor at the Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction at the Technical University of Munich and director of the test institute of the same name in Pasing, Munich, since 2008. After graduating in civil engineering at TU Munich in 1995 and working at Heilit + Woerner Bau AG, Stephan Freudenstein became a research associate at TU Munich's Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction in 1997. In 2002 he joined Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik GmbH, now known as RAILONE GmbH, in Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany. While there, he headed up the technology and development department. He was responsible for prestressed concrete sleepers and the technical side of various ballastless track projects in Germany and farther afield. The main focus of Prof. Freudenstein's research is the structural design of road and rail superstructure systems and aviation surfaces. He is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.

Dr.-Ing. Konstantin Geisler graduated in civil engineering at TU Munich in 2010. He was awarded his doctorate by that university in 2016 and now works in academic research at TU Munich's Chair and Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction.

Dipl.-Ing. Tristan Mölter studied civil engineering at TU Darmstadt. Since 1999 he has been responsible for noise control, bridge equipment and provisional bridges at the technology and plant management department of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Munich. He is the chair of the structural engineering commission (FA KIB) at VDEI (association of German railway engineers) and a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.

Dipl.-Ing. Michael Mißler studied civil engineering at TU Darmstadt. As a team leader and project manager he is responsible for the ballastless track technique and track stability at the track technology management dept. of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Frankfurt on the Main, Germany. He has pushed on the development of ballastless track for Deutsche Bahn since 1999. In the context of his central technical responsibility he is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees and committees of independent experts.

Dipl.-Ing. Christian Stolz studied civil engineering at Cologne's University of Applied Sciences. Since 2010 he has been responsible for ballastless track engineering in the track technology management department of Deutsche Bahn DB Netz AG in Frankfurt/Main, Germany. He is a member of numerous German and European technical standard committees, e.g. DIN Standards Committee Railway NA 087-00-01 AA "Infrastructure", DIN subcommittee "Ballastless track" and CEN TC 256/SC 1/WG 46 "Ballastless Track".

Die Autoren sind aktiv in Planung, Testbetrieb, Betrieb und Inspektion von Bahnstrecken sowie an F&E-Projekte beteiligt.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stephan Freudenstein studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der TU München. Nach einer mehrjährigen Tätigkeit bei der Heilit + Woerner Bau AG wurde er 1997 wissenschaftlicher Assistent am Lehrstuhl für Bau von Landverkehrswegen der TU München. Im Jahr 2002 wechselte er zur Pfleiderer Infrastrukturtechnik GmbH in Neumarkt/Opf., der späteren RAILONE GmbH, wo er die Abteilung Technik und Entwicklung leitete und für das Geschäftsfeld Spannbetonschwelle sowie diverse Feste-Fahrbahn-Projekte auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene technisch verantwortlich war. Seit 2008 ist Prof. Freudenstein Ordinarius am Lehrstuhl für Verkehrswegebau an der TU München und Direktor des gleichnamigen Prüfamtes in Pasing. Die Schwerpunkte seiner Forschungstätigkeit liegen auf der konstruktiven Gestaltung von Straßen- und Eisenbahnoberbausystemen sowie Flugbetriebsflächen. Er arbeitet in zahlreichen nationalen und europäischen Normenausschüssen und Sachverständigenausschüssen mit.

Dr.-Ing. Konstantin Geisler studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der TU München (2010). Er promovierte dort im Jahr 2016 und ist wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Lehrstuhl und Prüfamt für Verkehrswegebau.

Dipl.-Ing. Tristan Mölter studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der TU München. Seit 2000 ist er Arbeitsgebietsleiter Lärmschutz, Brückenausrüstung, Hilfsbrücken im Technik- und Anlagenmanagement Brückenbau (I.NPF 21 (T)) bei der DB Netz AG der Deutschen Bahn in München, Germany. Er ist Vorsitzender des Fachausschusses Konstruktiver Ingenieurbau (FA KIB) des VDEI und arbeitet in zahlreichen weiteren technischen Ausschüssen mit.

Dipl.-Ing. Michael Mißler studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der TU Darmstadt. Als Team- und Projektleiter ist er seit 1999 fachlich verantwortlich für die Themen Feste Fahrbahn und Gleislagestabilität in der Abteilung Technologiemanagement Fahrwegtechnik bei der DB Netz AG der Deutschen Bahn in Frankfurt/Main. Von Seiten der DB Netz AG hat Hr. Mißler die Weiterentwicklung der Festen Fahrbahn maßgeblich vorangetrieben. Im Rahmen seiner zentralen technischen Verantwortung arbeitet er seit dem in zahlreichen deutschen und europäischen Expertenausschüssen.

Dipl.-Ing. Christian Stolz studierte Bauingenieurwesen an der TH Köln. Seit 2010 ist er Projektreferent Oberbautechnik Feste Fahrbahn in der Abteilung Technologiemanagement Fahrwegtechnik bei der DB Netz AG der Deutschen Bahn in Frankfurt/Main. Er arbeitet in zahlreichen technischen Ausschüssen, darunter im DIN Normenausschuss 087-00-01 AA "Infrastruktur", DIN Unterausschuss "Feste Fahrbahn", CEN TC 256/SC 1/WG 46 "Ballastless Track".