Effect of bending and compressive modulus of elasticity on the behaviour of timber-alternative railway sleepers supported by ballast

• Evaluation of the behaviour a railway track supported by alternative sleepers. Use ballast box test to represent single sleeper section track. Digital Image Correlation technique for measuring sleepers’ deflection profile. Sleepers with low modulus will have W-shape Local deformation at rail seat can account up 10 % total deflection. Alternative technologies replacement timber are made materials possessing wide range bending and compressive moduli. This poses great challenge authorities engineers in designing different technologies. study evaluates static technologies, i.e. recycled plastics (1.0 GPa), synthetic composites (7.4 (13.0 profile prestressed concrete sleepers (38.0 using representing The profiles along length under full service load was captured combined strain measurements top-centre Three-dimensional Finite Element simulation based on Beam Elastic Foundation theory implemented validated experimental results. results show that less than 13.0 GPa high while 38.0 nearly flat behaviour. region accounts almost 6 subgrade as modulus. this provide better insight into in-track having distinctive material properties.