An Experimental Investigation on Effect of Rubber Particle Size on Composite Railway Sleeper Mechanical Strength and Vibrational Damping Properties
An Experimental Investigation on Effect of Rubber Particle Size on Composite Railway Sleeper Mechanical Strength and Vibrational Damping Properties |
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| © 2024 by IJETT Journal | ||
| Volume-72 Issue-2 |
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| Year of Publication : 2024 | ||
| Author : Mbatha Abednigo Jabu, AA Alugongo, NZ Nkomo |
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| DOI : 10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V72I2P123 | ||
How to Cite?
Mbatha Abednigo Jabu, AA Alugongo, NZ Nkomo, "An Experimental Investigation on Effect of Rubber Particle Size on Composite Railway Sleeper Mechanical Strength and Vibrational Damping Properties," International Journal of Engineering Trends and Technology, vol. 72, no. 2, pp. 222-229, 2024. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/22315381/IJETT-V72I2P123
Abstract
Railway sleepers are being subjected to increased mechanical and vibrational forces as trains get progressively faster and heavier over time. There is a need to develop sustainable railway sleepers that can withstand these dynamic and static forces. Composite materials with rubber particles as filler material are potential railway sleeper materials with high vibrational damping properties. The rubber particles used can originate from waste tyres, creating a sustainable disposal method for the ever-growing challenge of tyre disposal. The purpose of this work is to investigate the mechanical strength and vibrational damping of rubber particle sizes of 150 and 300µm in composite railway sleepers. The experiment design followed varied the rubber particle mass fraction from 5 to 20%. The hand layup method was used to fabricate composites. The methodology involved testing the composite tensile, compression and flexural strength. Thereafter, the fabricated composite's LEED hardness and vibrational damping were determined. The experimental results showed that the composite consisting of 150 µm rubber particles had a maximum tensile strength of 8.86 MPa, compressive strength of 36.52 MPa, and flexural strength of 23.37 MPa at 10%, 5%, and 5% rubber particle loading, respectively. The highest hardness was obtained at 20%, giving the value of 659 Leeb. There is still a need for further study to investigate the effect of 75-micron rubber particles on the structural strength of the composite to withstand shock forces that are applied by heavily loaded trains.
Keywords
Composite, Railway sleeper, Rubber particles, Structural strength, Vibrational damping.
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