Requirements of an ideal Sleeper
An ideal sleeper should possess the following characteristics.
1. It should be economical.
2. The fitting of the sleepers should be such that they can be easily adjusted during maintenance.
3. They should not be too heavy or excessively light in weight.
4. They should have long life.
5. They should be able to maintain the correct gauge.
6. They should be quite durable.
7. The bearing area of sleepers should be enough to resist crushing.
8. They should facilitate easy removal and replacement of ballast.
9. They should be capable of resisting shocks and vibrations due to heavy moving loads.
10. They should be suitable for track circuiting if required.
11. The design of sleepers should be such that they are not pushed out easily due to moving trains.
12. They should have high scrap value.
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