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L. Han^1,2, G. Jing¹, Y. Gao¹, S. Lu¹, L. Cheng² and H. Wang³

¹School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, China
²Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherlands
³, Baotou Railway Vocational&Technical College, China

doi:10.4203/ccc.15.7.4

L. Han, G. Jing, Y. Gao, S. Lu, L. Cheng, H. Wang, "Physics-Informed Modelling of Particle-Size Effects on GPR Responses of Railway Ballast Using gprMax Simulations", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 7.4, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.7.4

Keywords: railway ballast, ground penetrating radar, particle-size effects, gprMax, physics-informed modelling, surrogate model.

Abstract

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is widely used for railway ballast assessment, but the influence of ballast particle size on radar responses is still not sufficiently isolated and interpreted. This study investigates particle-size effects on GPR responses of single-size railway ballast using a simulation-based modelling framework built in gprMax. A simplified two-dimensional model was established, and representative ballast configurations with particle sizes of 20, 40, and 60 mm were generated under aligned geometric conditions with controlled porosity. Based on the simulated wavefield snapshots, A-scan responses, and geometry tensors, a physics-informed surrogate model was developed using a Time-Image architecture with additional A-scan supervision and light physics regularization. The results show that the proposed model can reconstruct representative wavefield patterns and receiver traces with useful accuracy while preserving key particle-size-dependent differences in early interface response, ballast-layer scattering, ballast-bottom response, and late-time signal behaviour. The study provides a practical proof-of-concept route for combining full-wave simulation and physics-informed surrogate modelling to analyse particle-size effects in railway ballast GPR responses.

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Front Page Browse CCC CCP CSETS CTR IJRT Other Authors Search Purchase Guide FAQ Contact us	Civil-Comp Conferences ISSN 2753-3239 CCC: 15 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE Edited by: J. Pombo Paper 7.4 Physics-Informed Modelling of Particle-Size Effects on GPR Responses of Railway Ballast Using gprMax Simulations L. Han^1,2, G. Jing¹, Y. Gao¹, S. Lu¹, L. Cheng² and H. Wang³ ¹School of Civil Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, China ²Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, University of Groningen, Netherlands ³, Baotou Railway Vocational&Technical College, China doi:10.4203/ccc.15.7.4 Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper L. Han, G. Jing, Y. Gao, S. Lu, L. Cheng, H. Wang, "Physics-Informed Modelling of Particle-Size Effects on GPR Responses of Railway Ballast Using gprMax Simulations", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance ", Civil-Comp Press, Edinburgh, UK, Online volume: CCC 15, Paper 7.4, 2026, doi:10.4203/ccc.15.7.4 Keywords: railway ballast, ground penetrating radar, particle-size effects, gprMax, physics-informed modelling, surrogate model. Abstract Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is widely used for railway ballast assessment, but the influence of ballast particle size on radar responses is still not sufficiently isolated and interpreted. This study investigates particle-size effects on GPR responses of single-size railway ballast using a simulation-based modelling framework built in gprMax. A simplified two-dimensional model was established, and representative ballast configurations with particle sizes of 20, 40, and 60 mm were generated under aligned geometric conditions with controlled porosity. Based on the simulated wavefield snapshots, A-scan responses, and geometry tensors, a physics-informed surrogate model was developed using a Time-Image architecture with additional A-scan supervision and light physics regularization. The results show that the proposed model can reconstruct representative wavefield patterns and receiver traces with useful accuracy while preserving key particle-size-dependent differences in early interface response, ballast-layer scattering, ballast-bottom response, and late-time signal behaviour. The study provides a practical proof-of-concept route for combining full-wave simulation and physics-informed surrogate modelling to analyse particle-size effects in railway ballast GPR responses. download the full-text of this paper (PDF, 14 pages, 1461 Kb) go to the previous paper go to the next paper return to the table of contents return to the volume description
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