Title : Hybrid discarded tyre rubber and recycled steel fibers composites for enhanced strength and vibration damping for cement concrete railway sleepers
Abstract:
Conventional concrete sleepers exhibit several drawbacks, such as low impact resistance, poor damping properties, limited toughness, low energy absorption capacity, and high brittleness. These deficiencies make it difficult to detect crack initiation, leading to untimely sleeper replacement and a heightened risk of accidents due to sudden failures. In contrast, rubber concrete composite sleepers offer enhanced performance characteristics that are suitable for ideal railway sleepers. The primary objective of this study is to design and develop M50 grade railway concrete sleepers incorporating recycled waste tyre rubber and steel fibers, effectively addressing the limitations of conventional concrete sleepers. Additionally, the research contributes to waste management by recycling scrap tires and steel into sustainable composite materials. The study focuses on optimizing a hybrid composite railway sleeper made from waste tire rubber particles and recycled micro steel fibers. The objective is to enhance the composite's structural strength while improving its vibrational damping properties. Fabrication of the composite was carried out using the hand layup method, with rubber volume fractions ranging from 5% to 20% and steel fiber fractions varying from 0.5% to 2.0% at an interval of 0.5 Mechanical properties, including tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance, were evaluated using a universal testing machine. Additionally, hardness tests were conducted, and the vibrational damping characteristics of the composites were measured using a shaker table. The results provide valuable insights into the potential of hybrid tire rubber and steel fiber composites for sustainable and high-performance railway sleeper applications.
Keywords: Recycled Waste Tyre Rubber, Steel Fibers, Flexure and Impact strengths
