The sand-damage–prevention engineering system for the railway in the desert region of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR) is the longest high-altitude railway in the world, which is frequently damaged by windblown sand. In order to prevent the sand damage, we constructed a sand-damage–prevention engineering system along the QTR. This was the first time a windblown-sand-prevention system was constructed in such a high-cold and arid environments; because of this, our work necessitated adjustments during the application of a number of different sand-damage–prevention engineering techniques. Based on detailed wind data and in situ observations of windblown sand, as well as systematic field measurements along the QTR, these sand-damage–prevention engineering measures were evaluated quantitatively and semi-quantitatively in this study. The results can be used to guide the design of sand-control structures, improve the existing sand-damage–prevention engineering system and optimize the structural performance of various sand-damage–prevention engineering measures. •The vane-type and plank-type sand-retaining walls require improvement.•The sand-prevention function will weaken as sand deposition increases over years.•The Qinghai-Tibet Railway has not undergone service interruptions for sand damage.•The sand-damage–prevention measure should be combined to achieve greater efficacy.