Railway Sleeper Assessment
30 April 2004 10:29
Aperio have developed a non-destructive testing package for concrete sleepers that can lead to better planning of track renewals.
Why test sleepers?
When prioritising sites for track renewal, and when planning the scope of the renewal, you need to know the condition of all the track elements. You need to decide which elements can be retained, and which elements must be replaced. The Aperio sleeper assessment package is rapid, non-destructive and will help you decide whether to retain or replace the sleepers.
Aperio surveys on the West Coast Route in the north of England have found that the most common defect is erosion of the sleeper from the underside. The can lead to exposure of the reinforcement and subsequent corrosion damage. The approach can also find internal cracks or delamination in the concrete.
Working in this way, the investment in testing is soon repaid because you can safely replace only the defective sleepers, keeping the sound sleepers for many more years. Armed with a comprehensive picture of the asset condition you can predict future maintenance needs and optimise the workbank.
So how does it work?
The Aperio approach combines ultrasonic and radar technology to measure the sleeper thickness and identify anomalies. The teams will conduct a visual assessment at the same time as the non-destructive survey. They can work in Tii or Tiii track conditions and can survey either every sleeper, or a significant sample of sleepers, depending on budget and programme.
Results are provided in a spreadsheet enabling knowledge to be easily shared and quickly communicated.
Aperio are Link Up registered and our staff are PTS qualified.
For more information on this company:
Aperio - Geophysical and Non-Destructive Surveys
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