Engineered Polymer Sleeper | Vossloh Topic Lounge

Engineered Polymer Sleeper (EPS) made of amalentic

Progressive expansion of competencies

Quality assurance

… ensuring the right materials, qualities & mixing ratio

Excessive testing

150+ test characteristics were identified & 330 in-house trials were carried out

Focus on

… various application fields

Customization options

& optimized installation

Long since in trial operation

... around 1,000 EPS with different fastening solutions installed or being supplied for test tracks in 8 countries

The objective: an ecological compound sleeper that combines the positive features of wooden and existing plastic sleepers
Increased safety thanks to the incorporation of reinforcement (as with concrete sleepers)
Initial market situation: planned creosote ban for wooden sleepers in Europe
Further motivations for the development: “enabling green mobility”
Confidence in own competencies & abilities: interaction during wheel-rail contact & Technology Centre in Werdohl for all test scenarios

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Sustainability

Scheduled creosote ban in Europe: environmentally friendly alternative to wooden sleepers without any use restriction
Use of secondary raw materials in industrial quality
100% recyclable & resource-saving
Preservation of the tree population
Consistent material quality
High weather resistance (UV resistance, no moisture absorption) for applications in extreme, humid climate conditions
Long service life

LCC

Good price-performance ratio for all-inclusive deployment & series production
Significantly less maintenance effort & high durability > low life cycle costs

Operational safety

Defined & consistent properties
over the whole service life
Low coefficient of thermal expansion
High lateral track set stability & stable gauge:
- High anchoring pull-out forces
- Increased safety due to the use of reinforcement (as with concrete sleepers)
- High electrical resistance
- High lateral sleeper resistance

150+ test characteristics were identified
About 330 in-house trials were carried out to achieve the optimum material compound that satisfies the international standards
and customer requirements
Investigation of the impact of environmental temperatures on mechanical properties
Participation in the ISO and AREMA standardization committee for plastic sleepers: findings can be applied to the sleeper definition, and changes in the standards can be integrated in the product design at an early stage.

Wide range of application from urban transport to heavy haul already possible; focus for the future: safe deployment in tunnels
No restrictions regarding design and moulding
Mixing ratio and sleeper shape as well as the positioning and type of reinforcement can be adapted to application-specific specifications
Combination with various rail fastening systems, also including W-systems
- Apart from the indirect fastening, the material and the production are excellently suited for direct fastening applications.

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Customers can choose between different rail fastening solutions – direct or indirect including safety guard:
- For W systems, the bead can be prefabricated for direct fastening.
- For switch designs: indirect fastening including guide rail and safety gear is also possible.
Non-slip profiling with millimetre-precise embossing from two to five mm in height
Tried and tested processing options: drilling, sawing, milling and grinding
Prefabrication of the core holes for the sleeper screws: with and without tread, also inclined by 5°
Adaptable sleeper geometry (length, height, width)

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