Experimental Short Sleeper Using Fiber Reinforced Geopolymer

Abstract

Two types of short sleeper were manufactured, both using fiber-reinforced geopolymers instead of ordinary Portland cement. One type of short sleeper was produced with reduced use of steel rods which provide tensile reinforcement, and the other without any steel rods. Plug pull-out tests and flexural tests on the two types of short sleeper showed that model, containing 1.5 vol% steel fibers without any steel rods, met the performance requirements of short sleepers. And the other type of sleepers, containing 1.5 vol% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, 2.0 vol% polypropylene (PP) fibers, and 1.0 vol% aramid (AR) fibers with reduced use of steel rods, met the performance requirements of short sleepers.