A Technical and Engineering Analysis of the Parameters for Protective Forest Plantations Along Railways in Areas with Shifting Sands

Abstract

The article presents a computational and technological substantiation of the parameters of protective forest plantations along railways under conditions of mobile sands. It is established that the stability of railway infrastructure in arid regions is determined by the intensity of deflation processes, wind regime characteristics, and the condition of the railway right-of-way. Based on the analysis of natural and climatic factors, sand transport calculations, and assessment of the aerodynamic effect of protective forest belts, rational parameters for their placement and structural design are determined. It is shown that protective plantations with a height of 4–5 m form an aerodynamic influence zone extending over 60–100 m, while a 30–40% reduction in wind speed can reduce the volume of sand transport by approximately 75–80%. The results confirm the effectiveness of using protective forest plantations in combination with engineering measures to reduce deflation load and improve the stability of railway ecotechnical systems.