Overview

The European Standard EN 13230 "Railway applications - Track - Concrete sleepers and bearers" consists of 6 parts and is used as the technical basis for transaction between corresponding parties (purchaser - supplier). The European Standard EN 13230-1 "Railway applications - Track - Concrete sleepers and bearers - Part 1: General requirements" specifies the general requirements for concrete sleepers and bearers and shall be used in conjunction with the following parts: - Part 2: Prestressed monoblock sleepers - Part 3: Twin-block reinforced sleepers - Part 4: Prestressed bearers for switches and crossings - Part 5: Special elements - Part 6: Design. Concrete sleepers and bearers are safety critical components for railway applications. They are not covered by any other standards. As safety critical components, an agreement is needed between purchaser and supplier to operate a quality management system. This position about safety critical relevance has always been highlighted by decisions from CEN/TC 256/SC 1 "Railway applications / Infrastructure" and Annex ZA provides detailed information. This part of the EN 13230 series defines technical criteria and control procedures which need to be satisfied by the constituent materials and the finished concrete sleepers and bearers, that is: precast concrete sleepers, twin-block reinforced sleepers, bearers for switches and crossings, and special elements for railway tracks. The main requirement of concrete sleepers and bearers is the transmission of vertical, lateral and longitudinal loads from the rails to the ballast or other support. In use, they are also exposed to frost damage and to moisture, which can result in detrimental chemical reactions within the sleeper. In this standard mechanical tests are defined which provide assurance of the capability of sleepers or bearers to resist repetitive loading and provide sufficient durability. In addition, controls are placed on manufacturing processes and tests to ensure that the concrete will not suffer degradation in service through chemical reaction and frost damage. This document (EN 13230-1:2015) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 256 "Railway applications", the secretariat of which is held by DIN (Germany). The responsible German committee Subcommittee NA 087-00-01-03 UA "Gleis- und Weichenschwellen" ("Sleepers and bearers") at DIN Standards Committee Railway (FSF). This standard differs from DIN EN 13230-1:2009-10 as follows: a) Annex E of EN 13230-1:2009 has been deleted as it is included in the new EN 13230-6. b) The term "design bending moment" has been replaced by "characteristic bending moment" and "test bending moment".

Document: references other documents

Document: referenced in other documents

Responsible national committee

NA 087-00-01-03 UA - Sleepers and bearers  

Responsible european committee

CEN/TC 256/SC 1/WG 16 - Sleepers and bearers