Abrasion Resistance of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete for Railway Sleepers

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the abrasion resistance of ultra-high-performance concretes (UHPCs) for railway sleepers. Test samples were made with different cementitious material combinations and varying steel fiber contents and shapes, using conventional fine aggregate. A total of 25 UHPCs and two high-strength concretes (HSCs) were selected to evaluate their depth of wear and bulk properties. The results of the coefficient of variation (CV), relative gain in abrasion, and abrasion index of the studied UHPCs were also obtained and discussed. Furthermore, a comparison was made on the resistance to wear of the selected UHPCs with those of the HSCs typically used for prestressed concrete sleepers. The outcomes of this study revealed that UHPCs displayed excellent resistance against abrasion, well above that of HSCs. Amongst the utilized cementitious material combinations, UHPCs made with silica fume as a partial replacement of cement performed best against abrasion, whereas mixtures containing fly ash showed the highest depth of wear. The addition of steel fibers had a more positive influence on the abrasion resistance than it did on compressive strength of the studied UHPCs.

Keywords

Abrasion resistance / Railway sleeper / Wear / Ultra-high-performance concrete / High-strength concrete / Cementitious materials / Steel fiber

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Funding

U.S. Department of Transportation(GR09035)