Experimental Research on the Behavior of the Rail Seat Section of Different Types of Prestressed Concrete Sleepers

Nowadays, prestressed concrete sleepers are the most common type of sleepers. In different countries all over the world prestressed concrete sleepers are designed with different shapes, with different types of prestressed reinforcement and arrangements in cross-section. Additionally, different manufacturing methods and techniques are used for prestressed concrete sleepers. These railway members are stiff, durable and can withstand heavy loads. Despite that, damaged or deteriorated prestressed concrete sleepers appear on railway tracks even before the end of their service life. Therefore, there is a need for better understanding of the behavior of different types of prestressed concrete sleepers to optimize their design. The rail seat section of the sleeper is the most affected part of sleeper. Therefore, analysis of experimental results of bearing capacity, cracking, and deformation of the rail seat section of sleeper under static and dynamic loads are provided in this article. Furthermore, different types, diameters, and anchoring methods of prestressed reinforcement were analyzed in this article. Additionally, comparison of experimental results of different types of prestressed concrete sleepers is discussed.