Department of Civil Engineering

B.E 3rd year (VI sem)

Academic year: 2016-17
Sub: RBT
 SLEEPERS BALLAST FASTENINGS, TRACK
FIXING

 Prepared By: Enrollment no.

 Gamit Mahipal D. 140450106011
 Gond Avinash J. 140450106013
 Gohil Hiral D. 140450106014
 Jadav Harsh 140450106015
 Jariwala Sahid 140450106017

Guided By:
Prof Payal Mam
 Sleepers
The member laid transverse under the rails for
supporting and fixing them at the distance apart
are known as sleepers.
Functions
•To support the rails firmly and evenly.

•To hold the Rails to proper gauge.

•To distribute the load coming on the rails over a large

area.

•To act as an elastic medium between the rail and the

ballast and to absorb the vibrations of the trains.

•To maintain alignment of the track.

•Sleepers also add stability of the permanent way.

Requirement of an ideal sleepers:

The sleepers to be used should be economical.

The weight of the sleepers should not be too heavy.

The sleepers should be such that it can be adjusted

during maintenance.

It should resist the crushing of ballast underneath to

sleepers.

It should not get pushed out due to moving train.

It should be capable of resisting shock and vibration

due to heavy loads of high speed trains.
 Types of sleepers:

Sleeper
s
Concret
Wooden Iron
e
Timber or wooden sleepers:

The timber sleepers nearly fulfilled all

the requirements of ideal sleepers and
hence they are universally used. The
wood used may be like teak, sal etc or it
may be coniferous like pine.

Types of timber for sleepers:

•The teak wood
•Sal wood:
•Deodar, fir and chir wood
 Size of wooden timbers:

The size of wooden sleeper should be

economical.
It should provide desired strength to the
sleeper as a beam as well as adequate
bearing area.
Advantage of wooden sleepers:

1. Cheap and easy to manufacture.

2. Easy handling without damage.
3. Suitable for all types of ballast.
4. Alignment can be easily corrected.
5. They are easy to lay, relay, pack, lift and maintain.
6. Absorbs shocks and bears a good capacity to dampen
vibration.
7. Fittings of wooden sleepers are few and simple in
design.
8. Suitable for areas with yielding deformations.
Disadvantages of Timber Sleepers

 Liable to be attacked by vermin so, they must be

properly treated before use
 Liable to catch fire

 They do not resist creep

 They are affected by dry and wet rot

 Become expensive day by day

 Life is shorter compare to others

 Steel sleepers:
They are in the form of steel trough inverted on which
rails are fixed directly by keys or nuts and bolts and
used along sufficient length of tracks.

About 27% of the Indian railways is laid on steel

sleepers.

The shortage of timber in India and other

economical factors are responsible
for steel sleepers in India.
Advantages of Steel Sleepers:

 Have a useful life of 20-25 years.

 Free from decay and are not attacked by vermins
 Connection between rail and sleeper is stronger
 Connection between rail and sleeper is simple
 More attention is not required after laying
 Having better lateral rigidity
 Good scrap value
 Suitable for high speeds
and load
 Easy to handle
Disadvantages of Steel sleepers

 Liable to corrosion by moisture and should not

because in salty regions
 Good insulators and hence cannot be used in track
circuited regions
 Cannot be used for all sections of rails and gauges

 Should not be laid with any other types of ballast

except store
 Very costly

 Can badly damaged under derailments

 Way gauge is obtained if the keys are over driven

 The rail seat is weaker

 Having good shock absorber as there is not cushion

between rail foot and ballast
Cast iron sleepers:

•Cast Iron sleepers are being extensively used on

Indian Railways.
•Indian Railways consists of about 45% of CI
Sleepers.
•These are also used in South America.
Advantages:

•Less corrosion
•Less probability of cracking at rail seat
•Higher scrap value
•Easy to manufacture

Disadvantages:

•As C.I is brittle, it is susceptible to breakage.

•Gauge maintenance is difficult as tie bars get
bent.
•Provides less lateral stability.
•The cost is relatively more than wooden sleepers.
 Concrete sleepers:
 R.C.C and pre-stressed concrete sleepers
are now replacing all other types of sleepers
except to some special circumstances such as
crossing bridges etc here timber sleepers are
used.

They were first of all used in France round

about in 1914 but are common since 1950.
They may be a twin block sleepers joined by
an angle iron. It may be a single block pre-
stressed type.
•Advantages Concrete Sleepers
• Durable with life range from 40-50 years
• They can be produced on large quantities locally by
installing a plant
•Good insulators and thus suitable for use in track
circuited lines
•Free from attacks of vermin and decay, suitable for all
types of soils
• Most suitable for welded tracks- Prevent buckling more
efficiently
• Initial cost is high but proves to be economical in long
run
• Effectively and strongly hold the track to gauge
• Inflammable and fire resistant
Disadvantages Concrete Sleepers

Difficult to be handled
 Difficult to be manufactured in different sizes thus cannot
be used in bridges and crossing
Can be damaged easily while loading and unloading
SLEEPER DENSITY
AND
SPACING OF SLEEPER
SLEEPER DENSITY
 Sleeper density is the number of sleeper per rail
length.
 It is specified as (n+x)

where, n = length of rail in meter

x = variable factor
= 1,2,3…..etc.
 If length of rail is 12.8m , 17sleeper are expressed
as (n+4)
SLEEPER DENSITY
 In India, sleeper density varies from (n+4) to
(n+6)
 In Britain, sleeper density varies from (n+4)

 In USA, sleeper density varies from (n+4) to

(n+11)
FACTOR GOVERNING SLEEPER
DENSITY

 Axial load and speed

 Type and section of the rail

 Type of ballast

 Type of sleeper
 If density on straight length is (n+4), the density
on curves will be (n+5)

 The number of sleeper in a track can be specified

by indicating the number of sleeper per kilometer
of the track.

 The spacing between sleeper is not uniform.

 Three and four sleeper on either side of the joint

are kept down closer together .
 The joint sleeper are still more closer to avoid
loosening of ballast due to impact.
SPACING OF SLEEPER FOR A FISH-PLATED
TRACK

Spacing
of sleeper

sleeper

Fish-plate
SPACING OF SLEEPER FOR A FISH-PLATED
TRACK
Broad gauge Meter gauge
center to center center to
Spacing of sleeper spacing(mm) center
spacing(mm)

Wooden metal Wooden metal

Between joint sleeper (a) 300 380 250 330

Between joint sleeper and the first 610 610 580 580
shoulder sleeper(b)
Between first shoulder sleeper and 700 720 700 710
second shoulder sleeper (c) for (640) (630) (620) (600)
sleeper density n+4
Between intermediate sleeper (d) 840 830 820 810
For sleeper density n+4 (680) (680) (720) (640)
SPACING OF SLEEPER FOR WELDED TRACK

No. of sleepers per Center to center spacing between

km sleeper
L.W.R. track S.W.R. track
1660/km 600mm -
1540/km 650mm 600mm
1310/km - 780mm
DIFFERENT TYPES OF SLEEPERS
Concrete sleeper

Wooden sleeper
 COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TYPES
OF SLEEPERS
Point of Wooden sleeper C.I. sleeper Concrete sleeper
comparison
Cost per sleeper Low Medium Depend upon design
Life For untreated
sleeper
-10 to 15 years 35 to 50 years 40 to 60 years
For treated sleeper
-20 to 25 year
Weight per Low Medium Heavy
sleeper for B.G
Handing Easily handled Liable break With improved
without breaking under rough design not liable to
handling break
Laying and Easiest Difficult due Difficult by manual
relaying to large labor easy if
number of mechanical device
fitting are used
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TYPES
OF SLEEPERS
Point of Wooden C.I. sleeper Concrete
comparison sleeper sleeper
Track fitting Require less Require more Require less
fitting fitting fitting
Track rigidity Poor both Better than Best because of
laterally and timber sleeper heavy dead
longitudinally weight
Track circuiting Best Insulating pads Moderate
are required
Maintenance High Minimum Moderate
cost
Overall Cheaper in the Costly in initial Economical in
economy initial cost but cost but long run
expensive in cheaper in long
along run run
COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT TYPES
OF SLEEPERS

Point of Wooden C.I. sleeper Concrete

comparison sleeper sleeper
Gauge Difficult Easy Easy
adjustment
Renewal Easy Difficult Difficult
Scrap value Very little Highest Nil
Creep of rails Heavy, large Constant No anchor is
number of attention in necessary
anchors are required in case
required CST-9 sleeper
RAIL FIXTURES AND FASTENING:-
RAIL JOINTS:-
 It is observed that strength of a rail joint for
more stability of the track.
 A gap of 6 to 15 mm is usually kept between the
adjoining rail ends to allow for expansion of rail.
 Modern track is required to meet higher speed
and axial loads.
 Joints are eliminated to min by welding rails for
long lengths of 1 km and over.
 Joints from the weakest part of the track.
REQUIREMENTS OF AN IDEAL JOINTS:-
 The rail joints should be as strong as the rail.
 It should be capable of maintaining the two rails
at the same level.
 It should be cheap and durable.
 It should facilities easy removal and replacement
of rail without disturbing the whole track.
 It should be able to absorb the vibrations and
shock due to moving loads.
DISADVANTAGE OF LARGE NUMBER OF
JOINTS:-

 Rail joints from the weakest part of the track.

 More wear and tear of rails.
 Maintenance cost increase.
 More fastenings and fixtures are required.
 If gap between two rails is more, it will be
uncomfortable to the passenger.
FUNCTION OF THE JOINTS:-
 To maintain the two rails at the same level.
 To maintain the gauge distance between two
rails.
 To resist lateral forces acting on the rails.
 To absorb shocks and vibrations.
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
 There are three types of rail joints according to
position of sleepers:-
1. Supported joints.
2. Suspended joints.
3. Bridge joint.
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
1. Supported joint:- When the rail ends rest on a
single sleeper called a “joint sleeper”, it is
termed as supported joint.
 It was expected that supporting the joint would
reduce the wear and tear of the rail, as there
would be no cantilever action.
 There is also wear and tear of the sleeper
supporting the joints.
SUPPORTED JOINT:-
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
2. Suspended joint:- When rail ends are projected
beyond the sleeper called
“ shoulder sleepers”, it is termed as suspended
joints.
 As a results of cantilever action, the packing
under the sleeper joint becomes loose due to
hammering action of the moving train loads.
SUSPENDED JOINT:-
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
3. Bridge joint:- When the rail ends are projected
beyond sleeper as in case of suspended joint, and
they are connected by means of metal flat or
corrugated plate ,the joint is termed as “bridge
joint”.
 This type of joint is not used on Indian railway.
BRIDGE JOINT:-
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
 Types according to position of joint in two types
of joints:-
1. Square joints
2. Staggered joints
1. Square joint:- the joint in one rail are exactly
opposite to the joints in the other rail.
TYPES OF RAIL JOINTS:-
2. Staggered joint:- the joints in one rail are
staggered and are not opposite the joints in the
other rail.
WELDING OF RAILS:-
 A rail joint is the weakest link in the railway
track.
 A rail track with joints requires about 30% extra
maintenance work as compared to a plain track.
 Purposes of welding:-

1. To increase the stability of the track.

2. To reduce the creep of rail.
3. To build up wornout points and rail on the
sharp curve.
ADVANTAGES OF WELDING:-
1. It satisfies the condition of a perfect joint and
hence increase the life of the rail.
2. It reduce the maintenance cost by about 20 to
30%.
3. It reduce the creep of rail.
4. Decrease in wear of rail.
5. Welded rails gives better performance on long
bridges.
TYPES OF WELDED RAILS:-
1. Long welded rail (LWR):- long welded rail is
one whose central part dose not undergo any
longitudinal movement.
 Only end portions are affected due to
temperature variations.
 Rail length greater than 250m on BG and 500m
on MG will function as LWR.
TYPES OF WELDED RAILS:-
2. Short welded rail (SWR):- A short welded rail is
one contracts or expands throughout its length
due to temperature variation.
 These rails are welded into 3, 5 or 10 rail length
to make SWR.

3. Continuous welded rails(CWR):- The continuous

welded rail is a type of LWR that continues
through station yards, including points and
crossing.
BALLAST
The ballast is a layer of broken stones, gravel or any
other granular material (20 mm to 60 mm size)
placed and packed below and around the sleepers
for distributing load from the sleepers to the
formation.
FUNCTION OF BALLAST
 It provides a hard and level bed for the sleepers to rest on.
 It holds the sleepers in position during the passage of trains.
 It provides effective drainage to the track.
 It imparts some degree of elasticity to the track.
 It discourage the growth of vegetation on the track.
 It transfer the load from sleeper to the subgrade.
REQUIREMENT FOR GOOD BALLAST
 It should be offer resistance to abrasion and weathering.
 It should be non-porous and should not absorb water.
 It should allow for good drainage of water.
 It should be generally cubical with sharp edges.
 It should cheap and economical.
 It should be hard so that it does not get crushed under the
moving loads.
 It should not produce by any chemical action with rail and
metal sleepers.
TYPES OF BALLAST
 Broken stone ballast
 Gravel ballast
 Moorum ballast
 Sand ballast
 Coal ash or cinder ballast
 Other materials
BROKEN STONE BALLAST Gravel ballast
MOORUM BALLAST Sand ballast
COAL ASH AND CINDER
BALLAST
BRICKBAT BALLAST Kankar ballast
SLAG BALLAST Earth ballast
SIZE OF BALLAST
 50 mm ballast were specified for flat bottom sleepers such as
concrete and wooden sleepers.
 40 mm ballast were specified for metal sleepers and trough sleepers.
 50 mm ballast have been adopted universally for all types sleepers.
MINIMUM DEPTH OF BALLAST SECTION
The vertical distance between the bottom of sleeper to the top
of subgrade is called the depth of ballast.

The pressure distribution in the ballast section depends upon

the size and shape of the ballast and degree of consolidation.

The depth of ballast can be calculate as:

sleeper spacing= width of sleeper + 2*depth of ballast
 SPECIFICATION FOR TRACK BALLAST
General properties
 The ballast material should be hard, durable, and non-porous. It
should offer resistance to abrasion and weathering.
 It should be generally cubical with sharp edges.
 Individual pieces should not be flaky and elongated.
Physical properties
 The ballast material should possess the following physical properties
as per IS:2386-1963
characteristics BG,MG,NG(planned/ MG & NG (not planned
section for for conversion)
conversion)
Agg. abrasion value 30% maximum 35% maximum
Agg. Impact value 20% maximum 30% maximum
Water absorption 1% -
Size and gradation:
The size and gradation requirement for ballast are as follow:

sieve size % retained

65 mm 5% maximum
40 mm 40 to 60%
20 mm Not less than 98% for machine crushed
not less than 95% for hand broken
 Renewal of ballast

The quantity of ballast is also reduced due to:

 Penetration of the ballast in the formation.

 Blowing away of the ballast by the movement of trains.

 Loss of ballast due to wind and rain water.

TRACK FITTING
PURPOSE:
The purpose of providing track fitting
and fastening in railway track is to hold
the rails in their proper position in order
to ensure the smooth running of trains.
these fitting and fastening are used for
joining rails together as well as fixing
them to the sleepers.
 The important fitting and fastening commonly
used in India are:

1. Fish plate.
2. Spikes.
3. Bolts.
4. Chairs.
5. Blocks.
6. Keys.
7. Plates.
[Link] PLATES:
The name fish plate derived from the fish
shaped section of this fitting.
The function of fish plate is to hold two
rails together in both the horizontal and
vertical planes and to maintain the
correct alignment.
They allow for any expansion or
contraction of the rail caused by
temperature variation.
REQUIREMENT OF FISH PLATES
 They must support the underside of the
rail and top of the foot.
 They should allow a free movement of
rails for expansion and contraction.
 They should hold the ends of the rail both
laterally in line and vertically in level.
 The steel used for fish plates should have
a minimum tensile strength.
FAILURE OF FISH PLATES
The causes of failure of fish plates are:
 Abrasion on top of the fish plate.

 Reversal of stresses due to large length of

fish plates resulting into cracking along
the section.
 The crack stars from top and extend up to
fish holes.
SPIKES
Spikes are used for holding the rails to
the wooden sleepers. these can be used
with or without bearing plates below the
rails.
Requirement of good spike:
 It should be strong enough to hold the rail
in position.
 The spike should be cheap.
 It should be easy in fixing removal from
the sleepers.
 better holding power.
BOLTS
Bolts are used for fixing various track
components in position.
Types of bolts:
1. Dog bolts or hook bolts.

2. Fish bolts.

3. Rag bolts.

4. Fang bolt.
1. HOOK BOLT

Where sleepers rest directly on a girder.

They are fastened to the top flange of the
girder by bolts called dog bolts.
 2. FISH BOLT:

Fish bolt are made of medium or high carbon

steel.
With each fish plate, standard practice is to
use four bolts.
[Link] BOLTS:

Rag bolts are used to fix

longitudinally the sleepers of
timber or concrete to the walls
of ash pits.
 [Link] BOLTS:

This is an alternative
to round spikes or
screw spikes.
At
present,thetendency is
not use fang bolts due
to the fact that there is
considerable difficulty
in fixing and removing
the fang bolt.
CHAIRS
For double headed and bull headed rails,
the chairs are required to hold them in
proper position.
1. C.I. Chairs:
B.H. Rails are supported on C.I. Chairs
fixed to the sleepers by round spikes. In
case of C.I. Sleeper chairs are casted
with the sleepers. In case of steel
sleepers, the chair are welded to the
sleepers. The weight of each chair is
nearly 20.4 kg.
C.I. Chair with wooden keys
 2. SLIDE CHAIR:

These are the

plates of special
shape on which
the stock and
tongue rails rest.
 When two
rail run
BLOCKS very close
as in case
of check
rails etc.
Small
blocks are
interested
in between
the two
rails and
bolted to
maintain
the
required
distance or
spacing.
 These
are
small
tapered
pieces of
timber
or steel
KEYS: used to
fix rails
to chairs
on metal
sleepers.