{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/102920"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/102920","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Increasing residual structural capacity of cracked concrete railroad crossties with polypropylene fibers","abstract":"The purpose of this research was to employ polypropylene fibers into concrete railroad crossties to increase its residual structural capacity once the concrete has cracked. The center negative flexural cracking is considered as a serious failure mode in concrete railroad crossties, which decreases structural capacity and results in safety issues. It also leads to deterioration of prestressed concrete crossties and shortens the service life. The post-cracking flexural performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) crossties is changed by the inclusion of polypropylene fibers. Fracture toughness, cracking resistance, and energy absorption capacity of the concrete are improved by incorporating fibers. Furthermore, restriction of crack size extends the service life of concrete railroad crossties and thus the maintenance cost decreases. Several tests were conducted to select the most suitable fibers in the following study. Six types of polyethylene fiber samples with different elastic modulus, surface texture, length, stiffness, and shape were evaluated. The performance of fibers was mainly evaluated by the workability of fresh FRC mixture, the compressive strength and the average residual strength (ARS) of hardened FRC specimens. The concrete mixture reinforced by Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers had the best workability because no balling or clumping issue was found in the mixing process. It had the least effect on the reduction of compressive strength of hardened FRC specimens. The ARS value also indicates Strux 90/40 fibers can improve post-cracking performance of concrete. Therefore, Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers were selected as the reinforcement material in this research. Flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed plain cement concrete (PCC) crossties and FRC crossties was evaluated by center negative bending test and rail seat positive bending test. Load-displacement curves of crossties in flexural tests were recorded. Fracture patterns of crossties in the flexural tests were also captured. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that the prestressed FRC crosstie had a higher fracture toughness. The FRC crosstie completely failed at a greater deflection in the flexural test. A numerical method was introduced to predict flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties in center negative bending test. The materials element modeling can be built based on experimental results from simple four-point bending tests on small FRC beams. The materials element modeling was input into an established structural member modeling of prototype prestressed crossties in Abaqus. For a given fiber volume fraction, the flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties can be simulated by inputting corresponding materials element modeling.","abstract_html":"The purpose of this research was to employ polypropylene fibers into concrete railroad crossties to increase its residual structural capacity once the concrete has cracked. The center negative flexural cracking is considered as a serious failure mode in concrete railroad crossties, which decreases structural capacity and results in safety issues. It also leads to deterioration of prestressed concrete crossties and shortens the service life. The post-cracking flexural performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) crossties is changed by the inclusion of polypropylene fibers. Fracture toughness, cracking resistance, and energy absorption capacity of the concrete are improved by incorporating fibers. Furthermore, restriction of crack size extends the service life of concrete railroad crossties and thus the maintenance cost decreases. Several tests were conducted to select the most suitable fibers in the following study. Six types of polyethylene fiber samples with different elastic modulus, surface texture, length, stiffness, and shape were evaluated. The performance of fibers was mainly evaluated by the workability of fresh FRC mixture, the compressive strength and the average residual strength (ARS) of hardened FRC specimens. The concrete mixture reinforced by Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers had the best workability because no balling or clumping issue was found in the mixing process. It had the least effect on the reduction of compressive strength of hardened FRC specimens. The ARS value also indicates Strux 90/40 fibers can improve post-cracking performance of concrete. Therefore, Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers were selected as the reinforcement material in this research. Flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed plain cement concrete (PCC) crossties and FRC crossties was evaluated by center negative bending test and rail seat positive bending test. Load-displacement curves of crossties in flexural tests were recorded. Fracture patterns of crossties in the flexural tests were also captured. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that the prestressed FRC crosstie had a higher fracture toughness. The FRC crosstie completely failed at a greater deflection in the flexural test. A numerical method was introduced to predict flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties in center negative bending test. The materials element modeling can be built based on experimental results from simple four-point bending tests on small FRC beams. The materials element modeling was input into an established structural member modeling of prototype prestressed crossties in Abaqus. For a given fiber volume fraction, the flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties can be simulated by inputting corresponding materials element modeling.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Ji, Dongshuo"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Civil Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lange, David A."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-02-08T18:39:48Z","date_published":"2019-02-08T18:39:48Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:42Z","subjects":["Concrete crosstie","Polypropylene fibers","Flexural performance"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2018 Dongshuo Ji"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102920","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Lange, David A."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Ji, Dongshuo"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2019-02-08T18:39:48Z","2021-02-09T10:15:45Z","2018-12-04","2018-12"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Civil Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Concrete crosstie","Polypropylene fibers","Flexural performance"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2018 Dongshuo Ji"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102920"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The purpose of this research was to employ polypropylene fibers into concrete railroad crossties to increase its residual structural capacity once the concrete has cracked. The center negative flexural cracking is considered as a serious failure mode in concrete railroad crossties, which decreases structural capacity and results in safety issues. It also leads to deterioration of prestressed concrete crossties and shortens the service life. The post-cracking flexural performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) crossties is changed by the inclusion of polypropylene fibers. Fracture toughness, cracking resistance, and energy absorption capacity of the concrete are improved by incorporating fibers. Furthermore, restriction of crack size extends the service life of concrete railroad crossties and thus the maintenance cost decreases. Several tests were conducted to select the most suitable fibers in the following study. Six types of polyethylene fiber samples with different elastic modulus, surface texture, length, stiffness, and shape were evaluated. The performance of fibers was mainly evaluated by the workability of fresh FRC mixture, the compressive strength and the average residual strength (ARS) of hardened FRC specimens. The concrete mixture reinforced by Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers had the best workability because no balling or clumping issue was found in the mixing process. It had the least effect on the reduction of compressive strength of hardened FRC specimens. The ARS value also indicates Strux 90/40 fibers can improve post-cracking performance of concrete. Therefore, Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers were selected as the reinforcement material in this research. Flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed plain cement concrete (PCC) crossties and FRC crossties was evaluated by center negative bending test and rail seat positive bending test. Load-displacement curves of crossties in flexural tests were recorded. Fracture patterns of crossties in the flexural tests were also captured. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that the prestressed FRC crosstie had a higher fracture toughness. The FRC crosstie completely failed at a greater deflection in the flexural test. A numerical method was introduced to predict flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties in center negative bending test. The materials element modeling can be built based on experimental results from simple four-point bending tests on small FRC beams. The materials element modeling was input into an established structural member modeling of prototype prestressed crossties in Abaqus. For a given fiber volume fraction, the flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties can be simulated by inputting corresponding materials element modeling.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2020-12-01","The student, Dongshuo Ji, accepted the attached license on 2018-12-03 at 20:49.","The student, Dongshuo Ji, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2018-12-03 at 21:02.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2018-12-04 at 10:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13124 on 2019-02-08 at 11:39:13","Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-08T18:39:48Z (GMT). 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The center negative flexural cracking is considered as a serious failure mode in concrete railroad crossties, which decreases structural capacity and results in safety issues. It also leads to deterioration of prestressed concrete crossties and shortens the service life. The post-cracking flexural performance of fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) crossties is changed by the inclusion of polypropylene fibers. Fracture toughness, cracking resistance, and energy absorption capacity of the concrete are improved by incorporating fibers. Furthermore, restriction of crack size extends the service life of concrete railroad crossties and thus the maintenance cost decreases. Several tests were conducted to select the most suitable fibers in the following study. Six types of polyethylene fiber samples with different elastic modulus, surface texture, length, stiffness, and shape were evaluated. The performance of fibers was mainly evaluated by the workability of fresh FRC mixture, the compressive strength and the average residual strength (ARS) of hardened FRC specimens. The concrete mixture reinforced by Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers had the best workability because no balling or clumping issue was found in the mixing process. It had the least effect on the reduction of compressive strength of hardened FRC specimens. The ARS value also indicates Strux 90/40 fibers can improve post-cracking performance of concrete. Therefore, Strux 90/40 macro polyethylene fibers were selected as the reinforcement material in this research. Flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed plain cement concrete (PCC) crossties and FRC crossties was evaluated by center negative bending test and rail seat positive bending test. Load-displacement curves of crossties in flexural tests were recorded. Fracture patterns of crossties in the flexural tests were also captured. Based on the experimental results, it was confirmed that the prestressed FRC crosstie had a higher fracture toughness. The FRC crosstie completely failed at a greater deflection in the flexural test. A numerical method was introduced to predict flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties in center negative bending test. The materials element modeling can be built based on experimental results from simple four-point bending tests on small FRC beams. The materials element modeling was input into an established structural member modeling of prototype prestressed crossties in Abaqus. For a given fiber volume fraction, the flexural performance of full-scaled prestressed FRC crossties can be simulated by inputting corresponding materials element modeling.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2020-12-01","The student, Dongshuo Ji, accepted the attached license on 2018-12-03 at 20:49.","The student, Dongshuo Ji, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2018-12-03 at 21:02.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2018-12-04 at 10:57.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #13124 on 2019-02-08 at 11:39:13","Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-08T18:39:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 JI-THESIS-2018.pdf: 2673242 bytes, checksum: 4b7a00e5a28e7e1bae6c5711056bc74b (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4208 bytes, checksum: 768ad2a0c4574d2417b42f97705ac2f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-12-04","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109946 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:40:00Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109946 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:42:23Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109946 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:43:54Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 109946 Lift date: 2021-02-08T18:44:50Z Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Limited Restriction Lifted for Item 109946 on 2021-02-09T10:15:45Z."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/102920"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2018 Dongshuo Ji"],"dc:subject":["Concrete crosstie","Polypropylene fibers","Flexural performance"],"dc:title":["Increasing residual structural capacity of cracked concrete railroad crossties with polypropylene fibers"],"dc:type":["text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Civil Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:42Z"}