The Typical Damage Form and Mechanism of a Railway Prestressed Concrete Sleeper

Prestressed concrete sleepers are an important track component that is widely used in railway ballast track. Prestressed concrete sleepers have high strength, strong stability, and good durability; thus, their operation and use in railways are beneficial. However, in different countries and regions, certain damage to sleepers typically appears. Existing research on concrete sleepers focuses primarily on the structural design method, the application of new materials, theoretical analysis, and bearing strength test research, while ignoring sleeper damage. There are a few sleeper damage studies, but they look at only one type of damage; thus, there is no comprehensive study of prestressed concrete sleeper damage. The damage forms of prestressed concrete sleeper damage are thus summarized in this study, and the theory of the causes of prestressed concrete sleepers is analyzed based on the limit state method for the first time. The findings indicate that sleeper structure design is the primary cause of its operation and use status, and that special measures should be considered based on sleeper use conditions. In addition to meeting design requirements, materials, curing systems, product inspection, and other factors must be considered during manufacturing to improve the sleepers’ long-term performance. Keeping the track in good condition, including but not limited to the state of fasteners, ballast bed, and track geometry is also an important aspect of preventing sleeper damage. The outcomes of this study provide better insights into the influences of damage to railway prestressed concrete sleepers and can be used to improve track maintenance and inspection criteria.