The world is evolving and many replacements and upgrades are been carried out. These have increased the market of railway sleepers.
Railway sleepers are a component of the rail industry on which the rails are arranged with proper standards. These sleepers are placed horizontally under the railway track which helps to hold the rail lines in place at the right gauge. They are also known as ties in some regions of the world.
The load from rails when the train passes is taken by these sleepers and is distributed to the ballast. Millions of these vital blocks are manufactured and distributed every year to satisfy the demand for network expansions and line upgrades.
During the early stage of rail transport development, stone block sleepers are used as experiments. Apart from this, woods have also been the dominant material used for making railway sleepers. Although, new materials have surfaced which are now been used in response to the need to accommodate faster speed and higher axle loads.
Functions of railways sleeper
Railway sleepers functions includes the following
● It helps in transferring the load from the rails to the ground.
● It helps to hold the rails strongly while maintaining a uniform gauge.
● It also helps in the reduction of vibrations which often come from the rails.
● It helps with longitudinal and lateral stability.
Types of railway sleepers
There are different types of railway sleepers and they include:
Wooden railway sleepers
Woods has a long history and has been used to make railway sleepers for many centuries. It is not a surprise that wooden sleepers are still in existence and they are the majority of the railway sleeper market. They are very popular in many countries especially in the United State of America, where wood has a 93% share of the market and research has shown that over 10 million wooden ties are laid every year.
Either hardwood or softwood can be used to make wooden sleepers. Also, new treated green railways sleepers got from the Baltics are now gaining more ground and they are often harvested from a well-managed sustainable forest. They are also treated with Tanalith which makes them more durable. There are also
Green railway sleepers finding their application in gardens and retaining walls.
Advantages of wooden railway sleepers
● They are cheaper than the other type of wood and very easy to manufacture.
● They are often light in weight, therefore, it is easy to transport and handle them during installation.
● It is easy to install fasteners on wooden sleepers.
Woods are known to be good insulators, this makes rails well protected.
● Wooden sleepers. can maintain any type of gauge
● They are durable and suitable for any type of rail section.
● They are well suitable for tracks in coastal areas.
Disadvantages of wooden railway sleepers
● They have a small life-span compared to other types of railway sleepers.
● They can be easily consumed by fire
● They can be easily affected by humidity which often causes dry rot, wet rot, and many more.
● Wooden railway sleepers are easily attacked by Vermin when it is not properly treated.
● Poor creep resistance.
● They often require a lot of attention even after they have been laid.
Concrete railway sleepers
Concrete sleepers have been gaining ground for many years now and many countries are now changing their railway sleepers from wooden to concrete. Concrete sleepers are manufactured from cast concrete slabs reinforced inwardly by steel wire.
Early prototypes made with conventionally reinforced concrete were often found too fragile to withstand high levels of dynamic load. Today, concrete sleepers are essentially manufactured using pre-stressed concrete which is a technique in which internal tension is included in the sleeper.
This is usually for the high-tensile steel wire skeleton before it is cast to counteract the external pressure the blocks undergo during service. They are used because of their high stability which makes them more suitable for high-speed rails. And they also require low maintenance.
Advantages of concrete railway sleepers
● Concrete sleepers are very heavy when compared to other types of railway sleepers which help give good stability to the rails.
● They have a long life span which makes them economically better.
● They are good fire resistance
● Concrete sleepers are not affected by corrosion.
● They are not attacked by vermin attack and do not decay which makes them more suitable for all types of soil and moisture conditions.
● They have better bucking strength
● They are good insulators; therefore they are more suitable for circuited tracks.
● Concrete sleepers hold the track strongly and maintain a gauge.
Disadvantages of concrete railway sleepers
● It is difficult to handle
● They are not suitable for tracks on bridges
● They can be damaged during transportation
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