Abstract:
Timber transoms have been extensively used in the railway industry for decades and are considered the
most efficient and effective in terms of reliability and performance for railway infrastructure transom
components However, many studies have raised concerns surrounding the future of sustainable use and
cyclic maintenance and replacement requirement of timber transom’s in railway infrastructure Over the
past decade, there has been significant research and development in alternative railway transom
replacements using a variety of new materials. It is vital to develop a detailed understanding of existing and
new alternative transom materials that are emerging into the railway industry and delineate whether these
materials may be suitable as a sustainable alternative to traditional methods. Hence, the aim of this paper
was to evaluate suitability of alternative transom materials as a substitute to existing transom materials in
railway track support systems. The alternative materials considered were Precast Concrete and Composite
Fibre Technology Panels against the conventional timber transforms. The paper offers a comparison
between these materials through a literature review. It was concluded that the fibre composite alternative
has the most beneficial alternative transom option and the railway industry could consider this material as
an innovative, sustainable material for railway track support system.
Citation:
Senaratne, S., Mirza, O., & Dekruif, T. (2017). Comparison of sustainable materials for railway track support systems: a literature review. In Y.G. Sandanayake, T. Ramachandra & S. Gunatilake (Eds.), What’s new and what’s next in the built environment sustainability agenda? (pp. 123-130). Ceylon Institute of Builders. https://ciobwcs.com/downloads/WCS2017-Proceedings.pdf