RESEARCH PREMATURE DESTRUCTION OF CONCRETE SLEEPERS ON THE MAIN LINES OF PUBLIC COMPANY "UZ"
Purpose. The study aims to identify the causes of premature destruction of concrete sleepers of one of Ukrainian producers. Methodology. Applied microstructural, fractographic, X-ray microanalysis revealed causes of transient corrosion processes in concrete. Findings. Subject of study in this work is a cement rock and concrete structure of prematurely shattered concrete sleepers. Another premature destruction of concrete sleepers was studied using the traditional method for Dnipropetrovsk National University of Railway Transport named after Academician V. Lazaryan (DNURT) that was patented in 2009. The conducted research showed: 1) a cement rock near the sand particles of high concentration of chlorine and alkali metals exceeding permissible in existing standards; 2) different grained cement crystals indicates excess of water in the concrete mixture; 3) the presence in the cement rock structure of wood fibers, which are due to the additional moisture absorption accelerate chemical reactions in the operated concrete sleepers; 4) speed of alkaline-silicic-acidic reaction in concrete sleepers is 5 microns per year; 5) availability of wood fibers indicates unsatisfactory purity of aggregates screening, including crushed stone; 6) chlorine ions further accelerate structural transformation reaction of cement. Originality. The paper found the rate of corrosion processes in concrete sleepers of Ukrainian producer. The influence on the corrosion rate of contamination of large aggregates of organic substances, including wood fibers was shown in the article. There were presented characteristic signs of accelerating corrosion processes as a result of excess of water and chlorine ions in the structure of cement rock. Practical value. Identifying the typical signs of premature destruction of concrete under rail foundations prevents massive failure of railway sleepers, which affects negatively the railway traffic safety. The proposed by DNURT without steaming technology of concrete sleepers production using domestic polycarboxylate concrete additives in combination with the use for screening of gravel the screening surface of new generation produced by PE «Logiya», will bring concrete sleepers of Ukrainian producers on the European level. Control of microstructural characteristics during the production process will prevent the mass premature destruction of concrete sleepers and sell products of Ukrainian concrete sleeper production plants to the European consumers. At this the proposed method of quality control of concrete is non-destructive and does not require disabling the newly made concrete sleepers.