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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Chao Zhang, Dr Sadaf MaramizonouzORCiD, Changrong YangORCiD, Dr David MilledgeORCiD, Dr Sadegh NadimiORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2024. This paper investigates the electrical behaviour of an electrically conductive sand particle when mixed with non-conductive silica sand, commonly used in the railway industry. Laboratory tests and numerical simulations are conducted to assess the effect of mixing on the electrical conduction properties at the metal-to-metal interface under mechanical loading. Results from compression tests demonstrate that mixing with even 5 % mass of conductive particles can significantly reduce electrical resistance at the interface; however, the decrease in electrical resistance gradually slows down when the mixing ratio of conductive particles exceeds 10 %. Discrete element modelling of high pressure torsion tests – enhanced with a newly proposed electro-mechanical contact model – reveal that fine conductive particles are more effective than coarse particles in reducing interfacial electrical resistance at equal mixing ratios. A heatmap is proposed to estimate the percentage of conductive particles required to bring the resistance of the interface below the critical threshold of 10 Ω for track circuit, which links the resistivity of various conductive particles with their required mixing ratio.
Author(s): Zhang C, Maramizonouz S, Yang C, Milledge D, Lewis R, Nadimi S
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Powder Technology
Year: 2025
Volume: 458
Print publication date: 31/05/2025
Online publication date: 28/03/2025
Acceptance date: 27/03/2025
Date deposited: 14/04/2025
ISSN (print): 0032-5910
ISSN (electronic): 1873-328X
Publisher: Elsevier BV
URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.powtec.2025.120991
DOI: 10.1016/j.powtec.2025.120991
Data Access Statement: Data will be made available on request.
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