Abetong - Concrete Railway Sleepers

Abetong has been a pioneer in the development and production of pre-stressed concrete railway sleepers since 1950. A continuous programme of research and development will ensure us to keep our position. Track technology is our main speciality, which includes plant planning and installation of production equipment according to the Abetong Long Line Method, design of mainline concrete railway sleepers, turnout concrete railway sleepers and Trakslab, a grade crossing system. In addition, our know-how comprises training and technical support.

MAINLINE CONCRETE RAILWAY SLEEPERS ACCORDING TO THE ABETONG LONG LINE METHOD

Abetong mainline concrete railway sleepers are manufactured according to a special system known as the Abetong Long Line Method. This system utilises fully bonded pre-stressed tendons made of high quality standard steel. The sleepers are cast upside down in a long line of quadruple moulds (30 to 45 sleepers) forming continuous beams. After one day's curing the concrete beams are cut into individual sleepers. The concrete sleepers are then turned right side up and are ready for assembly and dispatch. All production equipment is operating on top of the casting bed in which the sleeper moulds are supported.

ABETONG CONCRETE TURNOUT RAILWAY SLEEPERS

Abetong was the first company worldwide to manufacture concrete turnout railway sleepers on a large scale and is today the world leader in the design and production of concrete railway sleepers for turnouts. The sleepers in a turnout set are individually designed and manufactured according to the company’s patented system. Special emphasis is put on absolute precision when it comes to measurements and the cast in position of fastenings. Several cost-effective methods have also been developed for handling the complete, finished turnouts and their installation in track.

TRAKSLAB - CONCRETE GRADE CROSSING SYSTEM

TRAKSLAB is a cost-effective concrete grade crossing system for easy installation and maintenance. The system consists of large concrete units complete with mounted rubber sections. The outside slabs rest on sleepers and support beams while the centre slabs rest on the sleepers. The system can be adapted to various types of concrete sleepers and fastening systems.

GLOBAL CONCRETE RAILWAY SLEEPER PRODUCTION

Abetong has continuously developed the manufacturing process and has adapted it to meet local needs, labour costs and operating requirements - Abetong concrete railway sleepers can be used in any environment, from the Sahara Desert to Siberia. Today there are 34 Abetong factories in 20 countries worldwide. These produce between 50,000 and 500,000 mainline and turnout concrete railway sleepers per year according to the Abetong Long Line Method.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Abetong's main goal is to design concrete railway sleepers that are in harmony with the other components that make up a railway track. Optimisation of the entire track as well as the single concrete sleeper is therefore in focus. Collaboration with skilled people at universities (CHARMEC) and other railway related industries has resulted in a fundamental understanding of the complex dynamic response of the entire track structure. Parallel to this involvement, a close collaboration with the licensees provides a base for development of both our production and design methods.

Abetong is certificated according to the EN ISO 9001 and EN ISO 14001 standards. The field of activities comprises sales, design, manufacture and assembly of prefabricated concrete products and turn-key projects for building, agriculture and civil engineering markets. The company is a member of the HeidelbergCement Group, the largest cement producer in Europe and the third largest in the world.