Structural Engineering and Mechanics

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Experimental modal analysis of railway concrete sleepers with cracks

  • Real, J.I. (Department of Transportation Engineering and Infrastructures, School of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Valencia) ;
  • Sanchez, M.E. (Department of Transportation Engineering and Infrastructures, School of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Valencia) ;
  • Real, T. (Department of Construction Engineering, Public Works and Urban Infrastructure, School of Engineering, University of Alicante, Campus de SantVicent del Raspeig) ;
  • Sanchez, F.J. (Railway Division of Precon S.A.U.) ;
  • Zamorano, C. (Foundation for the Research and Engineering in Railways)
  • Received : 2012.01.14
  • Accepted : 2012.08.09
  • Published : 2012.10.10
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Abstract

Concrete sleepers are essential components of the conventional railway. As support elements, sleepers are always subjective to a variety of time-dependent loads attributable to the train operations, either wheel or rail abnormalities. It has been observed that the sleepers may deteriorate due to these loads, inducing the formation of hairline cracks. There are two areas along the sleepers that are more prone to crack: the central and the rail seat sections. Several non-destructive methods have been developed to identify failures in structures. Health monitoring techniques are based on vibration responses measurements, which help engineers to identify the vibration-based damage or remotely monitor the sleeper health. In the present paper, the dynamic effects of the cracks in the vibration signatures of the railway pre-stressed concrete sleepers are investigated. The experimental modal analysis has been used to evaluate the modal bending changes in the vibration characteristics of the sleepers, differentiating between the central and the rail seat locations of the cracks. Modal parameters changes of the 'healthy' and cracked sleepers have been highlighted in terms of natural frequencies and modal damping. The paper concludes with a discussion of the most suitable failure indicator and it defines the vibration signatures of intact, central cracked and rail seat cracked sleepers.

Keywords

References

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