A Comparative Study on Recycled Plastic Railway Sleeper with Concrete Sleeper

Abstract

India is the country that largely depends on railway networks. The material used for casting of railway sleepers should be of good quality, economical, eco-friendly and strong. Concrete and steel are most commonly used material. Concrete sleepers are very heavy and crack easily and steel also having corrosion problem, so we need the correct alternative sleeper for long duration. The plastic has a good quality, durability and life span against decomposition and make it most eco-friendly these days. Plastic sleepers have excellent damping characteristics combined with the relatively low weight and recycling of plastic wastes reduces the global environmental problem. The recycled plastic railway sleepers employed at the railway networks in abroad Railway sleepers made up of waste plastic are often the simplest choice for the revolution in railways. It is made by using plastic from waste polycarbonate and polyethylene and then glass fiber is added in the sleeper as a reinforcement. It is often the simplest alternative over concrete and steel sleepers. The test results of Flexural strength show the plastic railway sleeper is a bit on a longer scale compared to the concrete sleeper. Therefore, the plastic sleepers are excellent alternative for concrete and steel sleepers in railways.