Chapter-10

Sleepers
10.1. Lecture Outline
 Sleepers
 Types of Sleepers
 Sleeper Density
 Sleeper Spacing

10.2. Sleepers- Functions

 Hold rails to correct gauge and alignment
 Means to rectify track geometry
 Provide firm and even support
 Act as an elastic medium – absorb blows and vibrations
 Longitudinal and lateral stability to PW
 Transfer load to wider area of ballast

10.3. Sleepers – Requirements

 Easy maintenance and gauge adjustment
 Fixing and removing of fastenings should be easy
 Moderate weight – easy to handle
 Sufficient bearing area
 Able to resist shocks and vibrations
 Track circuiting must be possible
 Anti-sabotage and anti-theft qualities
 Minimum initial and maintenance cost

10.4. Sleepers – Types

 Wooden sleepers
275x25x13 cm, service life
15 yrs
 Steel sleepers
Service life 50 yrs
 C.I. sleepers
Central Standard Trial-9
sleeper
 Concrete sleepers
 Service life 40-50 yrs
 Lend strength and stability to tracks
 Maintain gauge, cross level and
alignment better
 Circuiting easy
 Lesser damage

10.5. Sleepers – Types

I. Wooden sleepers
II. Steel sleepers
III. C.I sleepers
IV. Concrete sleepers

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I. Wooden sleepers

Advantages:
 Cheap
 Easy to manufacture and handle
 Good dampening effect
 Suitable for track circuiting
 Suitable for yielding formations,
bridges, ash pits, etc. (with /
without stone ballast)
 Correction to alignment is easy
Disadvantages:
 Liable to mechanical
wear
 Shorter life due to decay,
wear, attack of vermin
 Maintenance of gauge is
difficult
 Susceptible to fire
hazards
 Scrap value is negligible

 Size
275 x 25 x 13 cms3
(on bridges 25x15 or 25x18)
 Categories
 Durable type
 No treatment is required, service life 19 years,
indicated as ‘U’ (untreated)
 Non-Durable type
 Treatment is required before placement, service life
12.5 years, indicated as ‘T’ (Treated)
 Seasoning
Moisture content in sleepers to be treated by pressure treatment should
not be more than 25%
Methods:
 Artificial seasoning in Kiln
 Boulton or boiling under Vacuum process
 Air seasoning (adopted in India)
1. One and Nine method
2. Close crib method
3. Open crib method
 Composite Sleeper Index
 Used to determine the suitability of particular timber for use as a
sleeper from the point of view of mechanical strength
 CSI = (S + 10H) / 20
Where S is general strength at 12% moisture content
H is general hardness figure at 12% moisture content
 CSI prescribed on Indian Railways: (Min)
 Track sleeper 783
 Crossing sleeper 1352
 Bridge sleeper 1455

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II. Steel sleepers

Advantages:
 Longer life
 Better lateral rigidity
 Free from decay and fire hazards
 Good scrap value
 Lesser damage during handling /
transportation
 Less maintenance problems
 Easy to maintain gauge
Disadvantages:
 Liable to corrosion
 Unsuitable to track
circuiting
 Becomes centre bound
due to sloping ends
 Rail specific
 Develops cracks at rail
seat

Steel Trough Sleeper

 Rolled steel plate, 12mm thick
 Pressed to suitable trough shape, rail seat
canted to 1 in 20
 Ends flattened out to retain ballast

Steel Trough Sleeper - types

 ST Sleeper with pressed up lugs
 ST Sleepers with Loose Jaws.

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III. C.I sleepers

Advantages: Disadvantages:

 Lesser corrosion  Gauge maintenance difficult

 Lesser liable to crack at rail seat  Lesser lateral stability
 Easy to manufacture  Unsuitable for track circuiting, mechanical
 High scrap value maintenance
 Susceptible to breakage
 Rail seat wears out
 Direct transfer of shocks and vibrations
 Not suited to LWRs (on breathing lengths)
C.I sleepers types:
1. CI Pot Sleeper
o Not suitable for curves
sharper than 4o
o Fittings are hidden and therefore, maintenance
is difficult
2. CST-9 Sleeper (Central Standard Trial – 9)
o Combination of pot, plate and box sleeper
o Triangular inverted pots, central plate with projected keel, box on top of
plate
o Reduces rocking of the sleeper under rail wave motion
o Bearing area ~ bearing area of standard wooden sleeper
o Not suitable for mechanical maintenance with tie tampers
o Causes early wearing of rail seat
o Use on breathing lengths in LWR is problematic
o Loosening of ballast due to transmission of shocks directly

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IV. Concrete sleepers

Advantages: Disadvantages:

 Being heavy, lend strength and stability to  Handling and laying

track difficult
 Suitable for LWR due to resistance to buckling  Heavy damages during
 Maintain gauge, alignment and cross level derailment
 Track circuiting is possible  No scrap value
 Corrosion, damage due to pests, fire hazard  Not suitable for beater
not possible packing
 Longest life, 40 to 50 years  Cost increase due to use
 Better mechanical maintenance of mechanical handling
 Use of local resources procedure

Design factors: Loading conditions:

 Forces acting  Vertical load at rail seat – 15 t

 Effect of geometrical forms
(shape, size, wt)
 Characteristics of fastenings
 Provision of failure against
derailment
 Above + reaction at center of
sleeper(= 1/2 of load under the
rail seat
 VL 13t + lateral load 7t
 BM=1.33tm at rail seat & 0.52tm
at center

Concrete sleepers types:

1. Mono Block PCS
 Trapezoidal section
 Cant 1 in 20 for 175 mm on either side of
center line of rail
 Initial prestressing 100 kg/sq. cm
 Crushing strength 28 days – 525 kg/sq. cm
 Pandrol clips provided
2. Two Block RCCS

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  Prohibited locations for use
 New / troublesome formations
 Rock cuttings without ballast cushion
 Un-ballasted lines in yards
 Curves of radius less than 500m
 Locations of excessive corrosion
 Un-ballasted, arch, slab bridges
 With fish plated tracks

10.6. Sleepers – Comparison

 Cost per sleeper  Elasticity
 Life  Laying and relaying
 Weight per sleeper  Rigidity of Track
 Maintenance cost  Suitability of Track
 Handling  Track circuiting
 Track fittings  Gauge adjustment

10.7. Sleepers – Density

 Numbers of sleepers per rail length
 Noted as (M+x)
Where ‘M’ – rail length and ‘x’ – number (4 to 7)
 Depends up on
1. Axle load
2. Speed
3. Rail section
4. Sleeper
5. Ballast cushion
6. Formation

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10.8. Sleepers – Spacing
1. Spacing of sleepers at Fish Plated track

Spacing of sleeper (in cm) Wooden Metal

o Between joint sleepers (a) 30 38
o Between joint sleeper and
First shoulder sleeper (b) 61 61
o Between first shoulder sleeper
and second shoulder sleeper (c)
1. for SD (M+4) 70 72
2. for SD (M+7) 64 63
o Between intermediate sleepers (d)
1. for SD (M+4) 84 83
2. for SD (M+7) 68 68

2. Spacing of sleepers on Welded track

]No. of Spacing Sleepers (per km) Spacing c/c in cm
 1660 60 (LWR)
 1540 65 (LWR), 66 (SWR)
 1310 78 (SWR)