Design and Development of Wider & Heavier PSC Sleeper and Fastening System for suitable for Semi-high speed and heavy Axle Load *Sandeep Sharma Pranav Kumar** *Rituraj SK Awasthi” Synopsis : Indian Railways has been contemplating to increase throughput to keep pace with increased freight traffic by allowing higher axle load on existing track. Dedicated Freight Corridors for heavy haul freight operations are under construction on Eastern and Western sectors. Dedicated freight corridor has already been planned for 25 t axle load operation at present and feeder routes from existing network are also planned to carry 25t axle load. Therefore, there is a need to upgrade & standardize the existing Track structure for 25t axle load on IR. Use of wider & heavier PSC sleeper and suitable elastic fastening system for 25t axle load is considered advantageous on numerous accounts for semi- high speed and heavy axle load both. Present paper highlights the advantages of wider & heavier sleeper and gives detail of design and lab testing of wider and heavier PSC sleeper along with its fastening components which will improve the track performance and_ shall be suitable for mixed traffic routes for running of semi-high speed and heavy axle load. 1. Introduction In year 2008, RDSO had designed a 25T sleeper (Drg. RDSO/T- 7008) keeping dimensional profile same as that of BG line sleeper *Executive Director/Track-II/RDSO_ **Director/Track-IV/RDSO- #Dy. Director/EF/ROSO ##Dy. Director/CS/RDSO 162iii) RDSO/T-2496. However, recently from the study of track structure being used worldwide for heavy axle load, it is learnt that various world railway use wider and heavier sleepers in comparison to Indian Railway sleepers, being advantageous in many respect for semi-high speed and heavy axle loads. Sleeper dimensions used on various world railway systems are given in following Table 1. As per Railway Board instructions vide letter No. 201 3/TK-I/22/2/2 dated 18.6.2013 and RDSO observations on this issue, design of wider & heavier sleeper was contemplated for achieving the following main advantages: viz Increased width and weight providing higher frame resistance against buckling, chances of reducing de-stressing temperature with likely reduction in rail/weld failures Increased rail seat area resulting in higher rubber pad life Reduced ballast pressure leading to reduction in ballast pulverization, deep screening cycle & enhanced drainage Table 1 : Sleeper details in various world railway systems S| Name of Gauge | Length ‘SECTIONAL DIMENSIONS MAX. N | Count sTanic ‘ Gov) | (mm) RAIL SEAT Goo) MID SPAN (wm | “ante DEPTH |BOTTO | Tor | DEPT [BoTTO | Tor | LOAD m_ | wior| H | om | wipr| («ny wot | oH wir | 4 H Tp A Be dE rd r 1) AUSTRAL 1435-2500 | 212) 750 | a0 Tes | 250 | 00 [2a A | CANADA 435-| 2542] 203 | ea | aie | 15H der | Bas | —I8T 3 [CHINA 1435-2500 | 20s) 980 | FO Tes [250 | ISS aa | GERMANY —T4B5-[—Be00 | 21 | 300 | a0 | 7S] —asO | TBO [aa 5 | GRARTAT Taz) —515 | 20s) Fer [ate [Tes | ter | 30 | 2s © | HUNGRY —Tass-|aan0 | Tar | 280 | aoe | 130 a7E_ | AF} aor 7 | WAY was [3300 | WT | ee | aa | ISO] BaD | 180 [aa S| RAQ ase | aTS | BOS | ea | a1 | a0 aee | aT |e > | JAPAN Ta35-|—Ba00 | 220) BIO | —T90| 19s _asa_| Tao | Tee To] RUSSIA i520) 2700 | 193 a7H | a7 a3 | Bas | aR | 705 163TT] SWEDEN 1455] 2500 va] 1s | a0) 1 | ae TE] SAFRICA 1065/2087 | dar] Bas] taf 97] aoe | aaa Te) USA 135) ase [aaa | 8 | a8 [250 | aT Te [INDIA 1675) 2730 [210230 IsO | Tao | ao T5O | Aw existing BG & 5 25T sleep 15 | INDIAt673. 2750 | 250 | 260 | 210 | 200 | 230 | 180 | 295 Wider Sleeper) From the data given in the table, it can be seen that existing IR sleepers are slender and light weight in comparison to sleepers being used in other world railways. These sleepers offer less Track frame resistance which is a important requirement for mixed traffic routes with operation of semi-high speed and heavy axle load and LWR on curves. Existing sleepers are less fit for higher impact load caused by flat wheels which results sometime to pre-mature failures of sleepers. Rubber pad is also a vulnerable components in the existing track which affects the performance of track substantially. Further, the existing design of sleeper has reached to saturation stage as it has already 20 number of HTS strands in RT-7008 design. Number of strands can not be increased further and this sleeper is difficult to upgrade for higher axle load beyond 25T. Trial Design options: Four number of design alternatives were developed initially by RDSO considering aspects of tamping and shape optimization. Design with top rail seat width of 230 mm and bottom width of 300, mm against existing 150 mm and 250 mm respectively was found most suitable with use of 12 wires as against 20 wires of 3 plyx3 mm. in existing design of PSC Sleepers for 25t axle load. Railway Board approved above design for lab testing vide letter dated 11.03.2014. Trial casting & testing of sleepers was done at Concrete sleeper plant, Anwarganj, Kanpur under NE Railway. The trial sleepers were tested for static bend tests and failure load. The trial sleepers passed the specified test loads as per design in SBT tests conducted at sleeper plant, Kanpur. Although, during SBT test in RDSO, 164