Title: Impact Resistance of Fibre Reinforced Prestressed Concrete Railroad Ties

Author(s): Sidney Mindess, Cheng Yan, and William J. Venuti

Publication: Symposium Paper

Volume: 128

Issue:

Appears on pages(s): 183-200

Keywords: fiber reinforced concretes; impact tests; metal fibers; polypropylene fibers; prestressed concrete; railroad ties; static tests; Materials Research

DOI: 10.14359/1865

Date: 11/1/1991

Abstract:
Prestressed concrete railroad ties are subject to repeated impact loads generated by the passage of wheel flats, and this may bring about premature failure of the ties. In an attempt to toughen the concrete matrix, prestressed concrete ties were prepared not only with plain concrete, but also with concretes containing either steel fibers or polypropylene fibers. The ties were tested both statically and using a large instrumented drop-weight impact machine. It was found that, as expected, the steel fibers, and to a lesser extent the polypropylene fibers, improved the resistance of the ties to impact loading.