RESEARCH OF CONCRETE OF REINFORCED CONCRETE SLEEPERS, WHICH DECIDED DAMAGE DURING OPERATION

Purpose. On the railways of Ukraine in some areas there is an intensive premature exit sleepers due to the formation of defects that can affect the safety of trains and cause significant material losses due to a single replacement of a significant number of sleepers. The purpose of the study is to establish the causes of damage reinforced concrete sleepers on a characteristic section of the railway with their intense premature exit. Methodology. The condition of reinforced concrete sleepers of SB3 type under unlined substrate fastenings on 324-332 km of the pair track of the Odnorobivka-Bukine section of the Southern Railway was studied, where since 2007 their intensive output was observed due to defects. Findings. It is established that for 15 years of operation, as 236.3 million tons were put into operation, about 2.8 % of sleepers were replaced due to defects (44 pieces per 1 km of track). Typical defects (damages), due to which the sleepers were removed from the track, were mainly 13.2 and 13.2 according to the classification of CP-0150 – cracks and fractures of sleepers, including ones with crushing concrete. These defects were preceded by the formation of a network of thin cracks on the visible surfaces of sleepers. 3 sleepers with an initial compressive strength of 68…77 MPa produced by the Korosten Reinforced Concrete Sleeper Plant and the Gnivan Special Reinforced Concrete Plant, removed from the track due to characteristic defects, were selected and investigated. Samples were selected from the sleepers, with the help of which there was determined the final strength of concrete and microscopic examinations, including luminescence flaw detection method, were performed. It was found that the network of cracks in sleepers is spatial, mostly developed mostly beneath their top edge, the least developed above the bottom edge, and causes a decrease in compressive strength of concrete by 47…72 %. It is noted that the destruction of concrete during loading occurred behind these cracks. On the inner surfaces of the cracks there are individual grains of aggregates, which have signs of active silica content, that together with the nature of the cracks may indicate that the cause of their formation is corrosion of concrete from the interaction of cement alkali with reactive aggregates. On the surfaces of the cracks in the lower part of the sleepers leaching products were found, apparently leached by electro migration, which may indicate that corrosion processes were promoted by leakage currents on electrified DC tracks. Originality Thus, in the study area, the main cause of defects, which caused the replacement of the sleepers – was the corrosion of concrete due to the interaction of cement alkali with reactive aggregates, promoted by leakage currents, as well as a small diagram of sleepers and the use of unlined anchor intermediate rail fasteners. Practical value. The results of the study allow to establish the causes of cracks and other damage in reinforced concrete sleepers during operation and, in turn, reduce the losses of fasteners manufacturers and sleepers from defects and complaints, optimize the total cost of track repairs and subsequent track maintenance due to rational purpose of track construction, reduction of damage and replacement of sleepers during track operation.