Metal Sleepers Advantages and Disadvantages

The Metal Sleepers Advantages and Disadvantages are discussed in this post. Railway Track Sleepers are members which lay transverse to the rails on which the rail supports and fixes. Sleepers are beds in the railway tracks. The main reason to use metal sleepers replacing wooden sleepers are because of insufficiency of wooden sleepers. Metal sleepers use widely in the modern construction of railway tracks. The main role of sleepers is to transfer load from rails to the ballast.  The Metal sleepers are of cast iron and steel.

These sleepers fix vertical to each other. It fixes throughout the track. The main work of sleepers is to hold rails in a strong position. It receives the loads from rails and spread to ballast and sub-grades. In these various types of Metal sleepers, the sleeper which is economic uses in the construction of railway tracks. Even though it use mostly in the modern construction of railway rail track it posses many advantages and disadvantages.

Metal Sleepers Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

There are many important advantages of metal sleepers. The main advantages of metal sleepers are as follows,

• Metal sleepers are uniform in strength and durability.
• For metal sleepers no frequent renewal requires.
• It is economical and have longer life.
• Low maintenance and easier repair.
• Gauges are easy to maintain and adjustable.
• Easy in manufacturing and laying.
• The fitting operation is better and it makes less occurrence of creep.
• It is fireproof.
• It is reusable and have a good scrap value.
• The manufacturing of sleepers is a simple process.
• The fixtures of the sleepers are less in number and simple in nature.

Disadvantages

Metal sleepers having many good advantages still it posses some disadvantages in it. The disadvantages of metal sleepers are as follows,

• More ballast requires for metal sleepers
• Difficult to maintain due to rust and other chemical gents in atmosphere.

• And it is more likely subjects to corrosion/rusting.
• As a good conductor of electricity it interferes with track circuiting.
• It is not suitable for level crossings and bridges.
• Unsuitable in case of pointing.
• Creep occurs frequently.
• It subjects easily to deform and bend due to heavy moving loads in it.
• Suitable only for stone ballasts.
• Cracks develop easily in metal sleeper seats through the holes of bolts.
• More care has to take to maintain steel sleepers.

The Metal Sleepers Advantages and Disadvantages are considering to handle the difficulties in the construction of modern railway rail tracks.