Investigation on Simulation of Train Loading on Prestressed Concrete Sleepers

Abstract

Railway concrete sleepers have been developed and utilized in railway industry for over 50 years. Cyclic loading because of vibration on sleepers due to the train loading and the velocity of train itself and also a small percentage of bad wheels, can eventually lead to a crack network and failure of component. The objective of this study is to investigate the load carrying capacity of the selected prestressed concrete sleepers – prepared for Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, KTMB, under static and dynamic loading conditions. In order to determine the behavior of the railway concrete sleepers under repeated low-velocity impact load and to study the fatigue performance of railway concrete sleepers, the research efforts are required to perform comprehensive studies on the behaviors and dynamic response of these prestressed concrete sleepers. The fatigue performance of railway sleepers was investigated under constant amplitude load and compared with the actual train loading on site. For the laboratory work, the concrete sleepers were subjected to repeated low-velocity sinusoidal loads typical to loading from commuter trains only and attaining the fatigue toughness, energy absorption, and crack formations of the concrete sleepers.