Abstract:In recent years, railway systems have played a significant role in transportation systems due to the demand increase in conveying both cargo and passengers. Due to the harsh environments and severe loading conditions, caused by the traffic growth, heavier axles and vehicles and increase in speed, railway tracks are at risk of degradation and failure. Condition monitoring has been widely used to support the health assessment of civil engineering structures and infrastructures. In this context, it was adopted as a powerful tool for an objective assessment of the railway track behaviour by enabling real-time data collection, inspection and detection of structural degradation. According to relevant literature, a number of sensors can be used to monitor track behaviour during the train passing under harsh environments. This paper presents a review of sensors used for structural monitoring of railway track infrastructure, as well as their application to sense the performance of different track components during extreme events. The insight into track monitoring for railways serving traffic with extreme features will not only improve the track inspection and damage detection but also enable a predictive track maintenance regime in order to assist the decision-making process towards more cost-effective management in the railway industry.
Concrete sleepers are one of the most important applications of a railway track system. Researchers have previously studied the impact load characteristics and ultimate load carrying capacity of a prestressed sleeper, but research on the fatigue life of prestressed concrete sleepers is limited. Fatigue damage of a prestressed concrete sleeper is mainly due to the accumulation of defects caused by the repeated load of wheel-rail interaction. Fatigue load, fatigue characteristics, and the existing design methods of prestressed concrete sleeper are summarized in this paper. The commonly used fatigue assessment methods of concrete structures are also evaluated. Based on the results of former research, this article presents a convenient fatigue life assessment method for a prestressed concrete sleeper and contrasts with the test results. The insight information gained can be used to evaluate the service performance and predict the fatigue life of the concrete sleeper, as well providing design flexibility and broadening the design principle. The outcome of this study may also improve the rail track maintenance and inspection criteria, in order to establish an appropriate track condition monitoring network in practice.
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