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Recycled
Plastic Composite Railroad Crossties
The Need
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The U.S. Army
Engineer Research and Development Center, Construction
Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) led a team that
developed, demonstrated, and patented innovative recycled
plastic composite material for use as railroad crossties to
replace chemically-treated wood ties. The plastic composite
ties can save millions of trees, reduce greenhouse gases,
divert significant amounts of waste plastics from landfills,
and reduce railroad track maintenance costs. Over 10 million
crossties on U.S. railroads are replaced annually. |
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The Technology
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The Army maintains
roughly 2,400 miles of railroad (RR) track, much of which is
mission-critical, including 10,000-12,000 turnouts.
Replacement of turnout ties is a major cost item because of
the size and complexity of these components. Since the
mid-1990s CERL has conducted research on composite RR ties
made of recycled post-consumer waste plastics. Because these
plastic composite ties are inherently resistant to moisture
damage, rot, and insect attack, they require no chemical
treatments as do wood ties. To demonstrate their performance
in service, plastic RR ties were installed in a #10 turnout at
the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, IN. |
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The Benefits
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Plastic Composite RR
Crossties are designed to bear the increased capacity of
trains, which now carry up to 35,400 kilograms per axle
compared to 32,650 kilograms per axle just a few years ago.
These ties are stable against the exposure to diesel fuel and
grease and very compatible with standard rail fastening
hardware. |
Status
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The
Army maintains roughly 2,400 miles of railroad (RR) track,
much of which is mission-critical, including 10,000-12,000
turnouts. CERL can provide
the following services related to plastic composite RR tie
applications:
- Material specifications for
plastic composite RR ties
- Fastener designs for
rail-to-tie attachment
- Testing and evaluation of
plastic composite RR tie materials for strength,
stiffness, fastener pullout, etc.
- Coordination with
cooperative evaluations being performed by the Class 1
railroads and urban mass transit districts
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Barriers
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Current products are
more expensive than wood ties. If additional special hardware
is needed, the price will be higher.
CERL is currently conducting a
study funded by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to
assess track safety issues concerning the use of plastic
crossties. This study is focusing on performance properties of
the different manufacturers' plastic ties. |
Points of Contact
- Mr. Richard G Lampo, Materials
Engineer, CERL, P.O. Box 9005, Champaign, IL, 61826-9005. Tel:
(217) 373-6765, Fax: 217-373-6732, E-mail: r-lampo@cecer.army.mil
References
- CERL
Recycled-Plastic Composite Railroad Ties - FactSheet
- CERF
Charles Pankow Award for Innovation <http://www.cerf.org/about/press/7_21_00A.htm>
Disclaimer Statement
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Neither the Construction
Industry Institute nor Purdue University in any way endorses this
technology or represents
that the information presented can be relied upon without further investigation. |
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