Nonlinear finite element modelling of railway prestressed concrete sleeper

Three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model of railway prestressed concrete sleeper has been developed in this study. The general purpose finite element package, ANSYS 10, is employed for the numerical analyses. Using SOLID65 solid element, the compressive crushing of concrete is facilitated using plasticity algorithm while the concrete cracking in tension zone is accommodated by the nonlinear material model. Since the section of concrete sleeper is fully prestressed by nature, the smeared crack analogy is impracticable. Discrete reinforcement modeling with truss elements, LINK8, is then more suitable to utilize. The pre-tensioning is modeled via an initial strain in the tendon elements. Perfect bonding between concrete and pre-stressing wires is assumed herein. Comparison with experimental load-deflection response is presented for the prestressed concrete sleeper. Convergence of both analytical and experimental results is showed.