The bond between wire and concrete is crucial for transferring the stresses between the two materials in a prestressed concrete member. Furthermore, bond can be affected by such variables as thickness of concrete cover, type of pre-stressing (typically indented) wire used, compressive (release) strength of the concrete, and concrete mix. This work presents current progress toward the development of a testing procedure to get a clear picture of how all these parameters can ruin the bond and result in splitting. The objective is to develop a qualification test procedure to proof-test new or existing combinations of pre-stressing wire and concrete mix to ensure a reliable result. This is particularly crucial in the concrete railroad crosstie industry, where incompatible conditions can result in cracking and even tie failure. The goal is to develop the capability to readily identify compatible wire/concrete designs “in-plant” before the ties are manufactured, thereby eliminating the likelihood that defectively manufactured ties will lead to in-track tie failures due to splitting. The tests presented here were conducted on pre-tensioned concrete prisms cast in metal frames. Three beams (prismatic members) with different cross sections were cast simultaneously in series. Four pre-stressing wires were symmetrically embedded into each concrete prism, resulting in a common wire spacing of 2.0 inches. The prisms were 59.5in long with square cross sections. The first prism was 3.5 × 3.5in with cover 0.75in, the second was 3.25 × 3.25in with cover 0.625in and the third prism in series was 3.0 × 3.0 in with cover 0.50in. All pre-stressing wires used in these initial tests were of 5.32 mm diameter and were of the same wire type (indent pattern) denoted by “WE”, which had a spiral-shaped geometry. This is one of several wire types that are the subject of the current splitting propensity investigation. Others wire types include variations of the classical chevron shape, and the extreme case of smooth wire with no indentions. The wires were initially tensioned to 7000 pounds (31.14 KN) and then gradually de-tensioned after reaching the desired compressive strength. The different compressive (release strength) strength levels tested included 3500 psi (24.13 MPa), 4500psi (31.03 MPa), 6000 psi (41.37 MPa) and 12000psi (82.74MPa). A consistent concrete mix with water-cement ratio 0.38 was used for all castings. Geometrical and mechanical properties of test prisms were representative of actual prestressed concrete crossties used in the railroad industry. Each prism provided a sample of eight different and approximately independent splitting tests of concrete cover (four wire cover tests on each end) for a given release strength. After de-tensioning, all cracks that appeared on the prisms were marked, and photographs of all prism end surfaces were taken to identify the cracking field. During the test procedure longitudinal surface strain profiles, along with live-end and dead-end transfer lengths, were also measured using an automated Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system developed by the authors. Both quantitative and qualitative assessment of cracking behavior is presented as a function of cover and release strength. In addition to the identification of whether cracking took place at each wire end location, measurements of crack length and crack area are also presented for the given WE wire type. The influence of concrete cover and release strength are clearly indicated from these initial tests. The influence of indented wire type (indent geometry) will also be discussed in this paper, along with a presentation of some preliminary test results. This work represents a successful first step in the development of a qualification test for validating a given combination of wire type, concrete cover, and release strength to improve the reliability of concrete railroad crosstie manufacturing.

Pre-stressed concrete railroad ties must meet requirements during service life. Using pre-stressed wires in concrete members enhances load-carrying capacity of concrete ties. It is important to ensure that pre-stressed forcing is introduced well before rail seat where the high impact load is applied. The required length of wire to fully transfer pretension forcing to concrete member is referred as transfer length. In order to shorten the transfer length, wires with improved indentation are used. As the transfer length is shortened, the high amount of stress concentration at the interface of wire-concrete can lead to longitudinal splitting cracks in concrete railroad ties. Splitting crack can occur either right after de-tensioning or during service life. It has been observed that concrete properties and components can highly affect crack formation and propagation. In this research, the effect of coarse aggregate on the splitting cracks of concrete railroad ties was investigated. To assess the impact of coarse aggregate features on splitting crack performance, fracture toughness test was done on three-point bend prisms. The specimens were made of four different coarse aggregate including crushed aggregate and well-rounded aggregate. It was observed that angularity and coarseness of aggregate increases the fracture toughness of concrete by 20%. Then, the same mixes were used in fabrication of pre-stressed prisms with different cover length to evaluate actual performance of splitting cracks after de-tensioning. The wires were tensioned up to 7000 Ib per wire and de-tensioned when concrete strength of 4500 psi is reached. The results of crack area/length of splitting cracks showed that increasing angularity can significantly improve splitting cracks resistance.

It is well-known that the geometrical characteristics of the indents on prestressing wire used in the manufacture of prestressed concrete railroad ties affect the magnitude of the transfer length. In particular, it has been shown that such parameters as indent depth, indent volume and indent sidewall angle all affect transfer length, with indent volume being a major influence. Previous research has shown that the larger the indent volume, the shorter the transfer length. For full load bearing capacity, it is important that the transfer length not exceed the distance to the rail seat. Consequently, transfer length has been identified as a key diagnostic parameter for evaluating the load bearing capability of prestressed concrete railroad crossties. Furthermore, it has been proposed for use as a valuable quality control parameter. Ongoing research, as well as previously published research results, also indicates that the geometry of the prestressing wire indents plays a major role in the formation of cracking. This is particularly important in the manufacture of concrete ties intended for high speed rail applications. Cracking and debonding of prestressing wires associated with ties in service can result in severe splitting and complete tie failure. It is therefore not sufficient to guarantee a safe transfer length alone, without consideration of the cracking propensity. The wire specifications in standard ASTM A881 are intended to promote quality prestressed railroad tie behavior; however, the detailed causes of cracking and splitting, and the specific indent features that are responsible, are not well-known from a quantitative perspective. Until recently, inspection of prestressing wire indent properties consisted of sampling a few indents from a small segment of wire, providing very limited statistical information on wire indent properties. To address this deficiency, a high-resolution automated non-contact optical wire indent scanning system has been developed for completely and rapidly characterizing all relevant indent geometrical parameters. The system is capable of measuring large segments of wire to yield statistically significant samples of all relevant indent parameters including indent depth, indent width, indent sidewall angle, indent pitch, and indent volume. The current state-of-the-art in this system development, along with some new insights based on recent indent scanning results, will be presented. This system represents a valuable tool to aid in identifying the key indent geometrical features related to cracking. The overall goal is to quickly assess critical indent parameters, so as to ensure high-quality bond and eliminate in-track tie splitting failures.

This paper is a continuation of a previous study conducted at Kansas State University [8]. This paper demonstrates the influence of the thickness of concrete cover, compressive strength of concrete and the type of wire indentation on bond performance between steel and concrete in pre-stressed concrete ties using a consistent concrete mixture. A key objective of this research is to find the best parameters for pre-stressed concrete ties to prevent them from splitting/cracking in the field. This is very important for pre-stressed manufacturers, and especially for the railroad crosstie industry, so as to avoid failures in the field. The goal is to develop a qualification test with the capability to identify the compatible combinations of wire type and concrete mix before the ties are manufactured. A study took place at Kansas State University to understand and quantify the influence of variables such as the thickness of concrete cover, type of indents, and the compressive release strength on the bond behavior between steel and concrete. For the experimental testing three prisms with different cross sections were cast at the same time in series. Four pre-stressing wires were symmetrically embedded into each concrete prism and the spacing between wires was 2.0 inches. All prisms had the same length of 59.5in with square cross section. With the thickness of concrete cover of 3/4″ the first prism had a 3.5×3.5in square cross section, the second prism had a 5/8″ thickness of concrete cover and 3.25×3.25in square cross section and the third prism had a 1/2″ thickness of concrete cover and a 3.0×3.0in square cross section. All pre-stressing wires which were used in these tests had a 5.32mm diameter and were of different wire types. The indent pattern variations of the wire types included spiral, classical chevron shape, and the extreme case of smooth wire with no indentations. The wires were initially tensioned to 7000 pounds (31.14 KN) and then gradually de-tensioned after reaching the desired compressive strength. The different compressive (release strength) strength levels tested included 4500 psi (31.03 MPa) and 6000 psi (41.37 MPa). For this study, a consistent concrete mixture with 0.32 water-cement ratio was used for all prisms, except for prisms casted with WE wire. For these prisms a water-cement ratio of 0.38 was used. Prisms had almost identical geometrical and mechanical properties as pre-stressed concrete ties which are manufactured in the railroad industry. Each prism provided a sample of eight different independent splitting tests of concrete cover (four wire cover tests on each end) for a given release strength. All cracks which appeared after de-tensioning were observed and measured to identify the cracking field, and all sides of the prisms on the live and dead end were marked for identification. For all prisms, longitudinal strain profiles on the live end and dead end were measured along with the values of transfer lengths. The strain profiles were taken using an automated Laser-Speckle Imaging (LSI) system. All results, representing quantitative and qualitative assessment of cracking behavior, are given in this paper as a function of thickness of concrete cover and release strength of concrete. For each sample prism, crack length and crack width were measured, and crack area was calculated as a simple function of crack length and crack width. In the case where spalling occurred, the crack width used was arbitrary set at 0.2in. These tests reveal the influence of thickness of concrete cover, the indented wire type and the release strength of concrete on the bond between steel and concrete. This work represents a successful first step in the development of a qualification test to ensure adequate splitting resistance in pre-tensioned concrete railroad ties.

Prestressed concrete ties could develop end-splitting cracks along tendons due to lateral bursting stresses. The lateral bursting stresses can form due to Hoyer effect (change in diameter of the prestressing tendons due to Poisson’s ratio), the jacking force in the tendons, geometrical features and indent characteristics of the prestressing tendons. End-splitting cracks can occur immediately after de-tensioning procedure in some cases, but they also can be developed during the first weeks after de-tensioning procedure due to sustained lateral stresses exerted by the prestressing tendons. The ability of concrete to resist these bursting stresses without cracking is primarily the function of the thickness of concrete cover, the type of concrete mixture used and the maximum compressive strength of the concrete. Qualification test will be great tool for prestressed concrete tie manufacturers to identify tie designs that may be susceptible to end-splitting cracks. This test was formally adopted as section 4.2.4 in Chapter 30 of the 2021 AREMA Manual for Railway Engineering.