Investigation of a concrete railway sleeper failed by ice expansion

We investigated a conical crack formed near a fastening bolt of a concrete railway sleeper in a slab track system. The crack initiated from the bottom of the sleeper and penetrated the sleeper completely forming a conical shape. To study the reason for this and to examine the failure mechanism, we used a three dimensional finite element method and a series of experimental programs. The result of the numerical simulation was verified with the experimental data. From this study, we concluded that the conical crack was caused by the volume expansion of the freezing water leaking into the plastic insert of the fastener hole. The effect of location of the frozen insert holes, initial fastening force and compressive strength of concrete on the freezing force was also studied in this study.

► Freezing of the water leaking into the concrete sleeper can cause the failure of the sleeper.
► We developed a finite element model which simulated the crack pattern observed in the field closely.
► We devised a sensor system in order to measure the ice-pressure during the freezing of the water.
► Parameters which would influence the resisting capacity of the concrete sleeper were studied.