Application of asphalt concrete as sub-ballast in railway lines with a sustainable development approach

Recently in some countries in the field of rail transportation, it has focused on new and modern techniques such as the use of asphalt pavement in order to improve quality. Use of asphalt concrete for railway bed layers has even been accepted as a standard and suitable solution for high-speed or high-tonnage lines in some countries. Use of asphalt mixture in railway lines is considered as a suitable solution to improve the quality of pavement. The purpose of writing this article and reviewing this system is to improve the rail transport fleet compared to ballast pavement. Compared to the traditional ballast pavement system, the use of asphalt pavement provides increased bearing capacity and greater protection of the infrastructure and reduced maintenance costs. However, due to the fact that the hot asphalt mixture must be produced under a temperature of 160 degrees Celsius, the use of this system can involve significant costs in the construction time, and at the same time, it is accompanied by an increase in pollution and energy consumption, and it should also be environmentally friendly. Necessary reviews should be done and special attention should be paid to the issue of sustainable development. In this way, suitable alternative methods such as the use of hot asphalt mixture, cold asphalt mixture and the use of different types of hot and cold recycling are suggested. Use of asphalt recycling with environmental and technical advantages in different ways in railway pavement layer is emphasized with a focus on sustainable development issues.