A proven product
The prestressed concrete turnout sleeper was developed in close cooperation with Deutsche Bahn AG (DB). Within the scope of a development contract, two prototypes were produced by Dyckerhoff & Widmann in 1981, and installed in an operational DB track. After testing under high traffic density, mass production was started at home and abroad early in 1984. Recent developments are directed at “self-compacting concrete” for the manufacture of turnout sleepers. First sample sleepers were produced at the beginning of 2003 in a P-TEC plant in Linz, Austria.

The turnout: numerous sleeper versions
Prestressed concrete turnout sleepers are used for the most varied types of points, junctions, crossovers, and expansion devices. Similarly, special constructions such as turnout connections can be supplied by P-TEC. Practically every sleeper in a turnout has a different length, as well as position and type of the ribbed tie plates. For example, for a turnout with a radius of 1200 m and containing 158 concrete sleepers, no less than 132 rail seat positions are necessary.

The solution: a flexible manufacturing system
In order to manufacture such a wide range of sleeper types economically, P-TEC offers suitable solutions that are matched to the expected variance. If the number of possible versions is known, insert plates are used during production, with holes at the corresponding sleeper-specific rail seat positions. In this case, a corresponding insert plate is required for every sleeper type. If turnouts are to be manufactured in small quantities (down to one-off production for export), it is necessary that the rail fastener positions can be defined variably on the insert plates. For these cases, P-TEC has developed a procedure that does without special base plates.

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also see:
Manufacturing systems for the economic production of turnout sleepers (Long Line system)

Turnout sleepers The “long-line” method certainly represents the most economical way to produce turnout sleepers. read more ...