Abstract
Composites and plastics have been developed for some applications in railway industry. Clear examples are ‘fibre-reinforced foamed urethane (FFU)’, ‘geopolymer concrete’, ‘recycled polymer’, and ‘CarbonLoc composite’. Railway sleepers and bearers are critical for safe and reliable operations of railway switches and crossings [1-8]. The deterioration process of sleepers depends largely on the materials of which they are made. The adoption of composite material as turnout bearers in railway switches and crossings has raised several concerns if they can cope with the exposure to aggressive environments. Importantly the dynamic properties of bearers influence the functional constraints of the switches and crossings. Excessive turnout vibrations at switches can cause malfunction of crawlock or signalling gear systems [9]. Although such the understanding is well-known, the actual effect of environmental variance on the dynamic properties of the bearers has yet been pointed out clearly. The aim of this study is to identify the influence of wet and dry conditions for the design and practical selection of composite materials in railway turnout systems.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Publication status | Published - 4 Oct 2018 |
| Event | Fourth International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance - Melia Hotel, Sitges, Barcelona, Spain Duration: 3 Sept 2018 → 7 Sept 2018 http://www.railwaysconference.com/ http://www.railwaysconference.com/ |
Conference
| Conference | Fourth International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | Railways 2018 |
| Country/Territory | Spain |
| City | Barcelona |
| Period | 3/09/18 → 7/09/18 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- composites
- bearers
- switches
- crossings
- turnout system
- wet
- dry
- behaviour