Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9740-3925

Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2013

Document Type

Problem/Project Report

Degree Type

MS

College

Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair

P.V.Vijay

Committee Member

Hota. V.S. Ganga Rao

Committee Member

Udaya B. Halabe

Abstract

This study presents the effectiveness of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite thermoset shells in strengthening discarded timber railroad ties. In this work, a total of 18 composite shell-timber ties were manufactured through GFRP wrapping of discarded wood ties at the Constructed Facilities Center in West Virginia University (CFC-WVU) and tested under three-point bending to evaluate their properties such as Young’s modulus, rupture modulus and bending strength. Elastic moduli of all the 18 ties were measured before and after wrapping. Following laboratory testing, composite ties were field installed and evaluated at Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) Pueblo, Colorado. The composite ties showed excellent strength and stiffness properties under TTCI lab testing of few million cycles. Field implementation indicated successful performance of thermoset composite ties up to 63 Million Gross Tonnes (MGT). Zero MGT Single Tie Push Tests (STPT) indicated doubling of push test loads after few cycles of loading and initial values met threshold push strength requirements. In addition, electrical impedance values were also found to meet the required threshold values. Some of the thermoset composite ties showed plate cutting characteristics, where it is noted that previously cracked and discarded wood core could create those localized responses under tie-seat area. This work concluded that polyurethane acts as an effective primer in facilitating full-composite behavior between wood and GFRP. It is also noted that thermoset GFRP wrapping provided better mechanical properties than thermoplastic GFRP both for lab and commercially manufactured products (IntegriCo., Tietek, Dynamic and PRT companies).

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