Experimental and numerical analyses of the failure of prestressed concrete railway sleepers

Abstract

This paper carries out the assessment of load-carrying capacity of prestressed concrete sleepers, in accordance with Brazilian Standard (ABNT NBR 11709) and AREMA Standard. In a lot of railways around the world, many prestressed concrete sleepers have failed due to Rail Seat Abrasion (RSA) and corrosion. RSA is the wear degradation underneath the rail on the surface of prestressed concrete sleepers. In this paper, a numerical study was carried out to evaluate the load-carrying capacity of the prestressed concrete sleepers, using ABAQUS software. The nonlinear using Concrete Damage Plasticity model was validated by 18 experimental results, in accordance to standards. Using the validated model, the influence of different wear depth RSA, combined with corrosion of the prestressed wires, is investigated.