Semi-Plenary Lecture 10

Room: E214
Time: Thursday, 1. October 2026, 10:20 - 11:00
Chair: Alba Sofi

Juan-Juan Ren

Professor
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China
Department of Road and Railway, Research Office of Railway Track Engineering

Performance Evolution Mechanism of Slab Track Concrete under the Coupling Effect of Freeze-Thaw and Fatigue

Over 8,000 km of high-speed railways in cold regions are in operation in China. Slab track structures here are subjected to intense freeze-thaw cycles and high-frequency loads, accelerating damage initiation and development, leading to defects like slab debonding/vacancy, concrete cracking, and spalling. The root cause is the superposition of high-frequency train loads and harsh alpine conditions, causing accelerated deterioration and reduced durability. This study investigates equivalent load boundary characterization, accelerated damage accumulation, and performance evolution of salb track concrete under freeze-thaw-fatigue coupling, providing theoretical support for the safe operation of cold-region high-speed railways.

Short Bio

Ren Juanjuan, female, Ph.D. From 2004 to 2009, she graduated from Southwest Jiaotong University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a doctorate in Road and Railway Engineering successively. After graduation, she started to work at the university. Subsequently, she was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and to professor in 2016. Her research focuses on railway and urban track structures, track dynamics, the design and damage mechanism of slab tracks, as well as the vibration and noise reduction of railway and urban tracks. Her research achievements have been successfully applied to the design, construction, and operation of slab tracks in many high-speed railways in China. So far, she has published over 100 journal papers. She has been honored as the Chief Young Scientist of the National Key R&D Program of China. She is also a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, and the Huo Yingdong Youth Science Award of the Ministry of Education.