Composite railroad crosstie
AssigneePrimix International, LLC
InventorMarc Shea
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A railroad crosstie includes an outer casing made of a 50—50 mixture by volume of recycled high density polyethylene and crumb rubber from recycled tires. The outer casing includes an upper section and a lower section, which cooperate to define a cavity in which a beam or beams are installed. Each of the beams include an aperture below the rail supporting areas of the crosstie and an insert of the same composite material of which the outer casing is made is installed within the beams below the rail support areas. A flowable concrete mixture fills the cavity defined within the outer casing including the cavities defined within the beams.
Claims35
Railroad crosstie having a pair of rail support areas spaced longitudinally along said crosstie for supporting rails comprising an outer casing defining a longitudinally extending cavity therein, said outer casing being made of a material sufficiently yieldable to permit fasteners for holding said rails on the support areas to be driven through the casing and into said cavity, a beam extending longitudinally within said cavity and extending beneath said rail support areas, said beam defining a chamber therewithin, inserts mounted in said chamber beneath said rail support areas and made of a substance sufficiently yieldable to permit said fasteners holding said rails on the support areas to be driven into said inserts, and a reinforcing material filling said chamber.
Railroad crosstie having a pair of rail support areas spaced longitudinally along said crosstie for supporting rails comprising an outer casing defining a longitudinally extending cavity therein, said outer casing being made of a material comprising 40%-60% by volume recycled high density polyethylene and 60%-40% by volume ground rubber particles, a beam extending longitudinally within said cavity and extending beneath said rail support areas, and a reinforcing material substantially filling said cavity around said beam.
A railroad cross-tie, comprising:
- an elongate strengthening member;
- reinforcement material rigidifying said elongate strengthening member;
- and
- an outer casing, comprised of a deformable composite material, which substantially surrounds said elongate strengthening member and said reinforcement material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.