Optimization of the mechanical and vibrational damping properties of a hybrid rubber particle and glass fibre railway sleeper composite

Abstract

Abstract In the locomotive industry, the railway structural material is frequently subjected to harsh loads and vibration, and the current durability and vibration-resilience capabilities of the sleepers are insufficient. The aim of this paper is to fabricate a railway sleeper composites with enhanced mechanical and vibrational properties. A full factorial experimental design was followed in the composite fabrication with the rubber particles and fibreglass volume fraction ratio varied between 5 and 20% and 5 to 8% respectively. Modelling and optimisation of the mix design was then carried out using numerical modelling techniques. ANOVA tests were carried out to show the model’s accuracy in predicting tensile strength, compression strength, flexural strength, and vibrational damping, as shown by R2 values of 60.69%, 86.60%, 60.05% and 81.41%, respectively. However, the model was not reliable for the composite hardness which had an R2 value of 37.87%. The optimisation model developed in the study indicated that rubber particles of size of 150 μm at volume fraction of 7.48% and fibreglass volume fraction of 8% gave the optimum mechanical and vibrational properties.